Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is Singapore at its most ambitious — a futuristic horticultural playground sitting on reclaimed land beside Marina Bay. The two giant glass conservatories, the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, are climate-controlled marvels that house everything from cool-climate orchids to a 35-metre indoor mountain swathed in tropical mist.

Outside, the Supertree Grove is the iconic image: a cluster of 25- to 50-metre vertical gardens that double as solar collectors and rainwater harvesters. The free Garden Rhapsody light and music show happens twice nightly and is genuinely worth timing your visit around. Walking the OCBC Skyway between the supertrees costs a few dollars and gives you a stunning aerial perspective of the gardens and the bay.

The outdoor gardens are free to wander and well worth a couple of hours. The conservatories require a ticket — bundle them if you want both, and book online to skip the queue. Late afternoon into evening is the sweet spot: cooler temperatures, the supertrees lit up after sunset, and the Marina Bay Sands skyline as a backdrop for everything.