The Story of Studio Ghibli at Gardens by the Bay: Dates, Ticket Prices and What's Inside

What the dome ticket covers

The two domes sit on reclaimed land at the edge of Marina Bay, and they are the only part of the Gardens you pay for. A combo ticket covers the Flower Dome, the Cloud Forest and Jurassic World: The Experience. It is S$46 for an adult and S$32 for a child aged 3 to 12.

Both domes open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Last admission is 8:30 p.m. for the Flower Dome and 8 p.m. for the Cloud Forest, so do the Cloud Forest first if you arrive in the evening. Entry is timed.

Garden Rhapsody after dark

Everything outside the domes is free, so you can walk in and find a patch of grass at Supertree Grove before the show. The Supertrees stand up to 50 metres tall, with climbing ferns and bromeliads planted up their trunks, and the OCBC Skyway curves between them 22 metres up. The Supertree Observatory closes early at 4 p.m. on 28 November, with last entry at 3:30 p.m.

Christmas Wonderland dates

Christmas Wonderland is open at the Gardens from 27 November until 3 January. Entry is in timed sessions from 6:30 p.m., and the last entry is 10:15 p.m. Booked ahead, an adult ticket is S$9 to S$13 depending on how busy the date is, and children aged 3 to 12 pay S$7.

The Supertrees from above

For the view down onto the Supertrees, go up to the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck. It is on levels 56 and 57 of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, about 200 metres up, and its tip hangs out over the water. After dark you can watch the Spectra light-and-water show from up there.

A ticket is S$23 for an adult online, or S$26 if you walk up. A child aged 2 to 12 pays S$18. Any visit after 5 p.m. needs a timed ticket, and the deck closes at 9 p.m. Don't go up for the infinity pool, which is for hotel guests only and cannot be reached from the deck. The deck is open to the sky, so it shuts for a while in heavy rain or lightning.

Botanic Gardens in the morning

Singapore is hot by late morning, so use the early hours. The Singapore Botanic Gardens are free and open from 5 a.m. to midnight, with lawns and mature rainforest in the middle of the city and a white Victorian bandstand on a low mound. The National Orchid Garden is the one section with a ticket, S$15 for an adult and free for under-12s. It opens 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the last tickets go at 6 p.m. Napier station on the Thomson-East Coast Line serves the main entrance.

The waterfall at Jewel

The Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport is free as well. It pours through the middle of a glass-and-steel roof into a terraced indoor forest, daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. There are light shows at the waterfall at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., with an extra 10 p.m. show from Friday to Sunday. Canopy Park on level 5 is S$8 for an adult or a child, which covers the slides, the foggy bowls and the topiary walk.

Night Safari at Mandai

For an evening with animals instead, the Night Safari is open from 6 p.m. to midnight, with last entry at 11:15 p.m. The tram and the walking trails both start at 7 p.m. Admission is S$58 for an adult and S$41 for a child aged 3 to 12. The tram is included, so ignore any listing that charges for it separately. You pick a timed slot when you book. There is no station at the park. You get there on the Mandai Khatib Shuttle from Khatib, so it is a poor choice on a tight downtown day.

Satay Street after dark

Lau Pa Sat is an octagonal cast-iron market at 18 Raffles Quay, hemmed in by office towers. It is the easiest place to eat after the light show. From 7 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. at weekends, the road beside it closes to traffic and the satay carts grill in the open air until 3 a.m.

The stalls inside do chicken rice, laksa and char kway teow, and several carry a Michelin mention. Nobody takes bookings and the tables are communal. Get there before 8 p.m. if you want a seat. Downtown and Telok Ayer are the nearest MRT stations.

A drink at Parkview Square

ATLAS is in the Art Deco lobby of Parkview Square at 600 North Bridge Road. A bartender climbs the brass gin tower, eight metres high, on a moving ladder. Cocktails run S$25 to S$35. Smart-casual applies from 5 p.m., with no shorts and no slippers, so don't arrive in what you walked around the Gardens in. It takes walk-ins and bookings, and it is closed on Sundays apart from a festive afternoon tea in December.

Before you go

Book the domes and Wonderland ahead, as both run on timed entry, and keep the SkyPark deck for a dry evening. Lau Pa Sat takes no bookings. See the Singapore guide and the Singapore hotel search.