Flower Dome: Where nature blooms in Singapore

Boasting the record for being the world’s largest greenhouse, there is now way to confuse this with Mad Max’s Thunderdome. The Flower Dome towers over the Gardens by the Bay, and at 1.2 hectares, it’s the perfect place to visit year-round. Regardless of the weather outside, you can explore comfortably as you walk amongst the vouchers. My friend had been in Singapore a few weeks before I flew-in, and he made me promise I would make it a priority.

I don’t always use maps when exploring the city. I try to avoid it unless I’m completely lost or pushed for time. Besides I knew the general direction to go in. I’d just been to the top of the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark and could see the Flower Dome from above. It is a beautiful building in its own right, but the beautiful glass dome pales in comparison to what lies inside.

I headed over and bought my ticket, but was going to use it later in the day. I just wanted to have my ticket reserved so I was guaranteed entry. But they have so many tickets available I needn’t have worried. It’s massive and there’s plenty of space  but having a ticket gave me peace of mind. I got my tickets for the Supertree Observatory and the OCBC Skyway at the same time, but hungry for lunch I planned to return later that evening. 

The theme for my visit to the Flower Dome was Orchid Extravaganza: Orchids of the East Tropics. Which gave a beautiful burst of colour as we explored. When you enter the dome you come in on the first floor and step out onto a balcony, letting you look over the floral displays from above. It’s a shock to the senses, with the bright colours, heat of the greenhouse and smell of the flowers. It would be overwhelming if it wasn’t so good. 

I think my favourite part of any botanical garden is the initial entrance, and that is no exception here. I stepped out on a balcony overlooking a symphony of colours through the fauna. But the Flower Dome continued to spread joy as I walked around. I loved exploring the different countries orchids displayed and seeing what can grow there.

In some of the displays there was information about the culture and traditional clothing. It was beautiful seeing how traditional clothing had been influenced by the surrounding plantlife. Especially how nature and human design complimented one another.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t access the whole park. There was one section that was closed off in preparation for a wedding that would be taking place later in the evening. We could still see into it; we just weren’t allowed to walk in and explore. But that was fine with me, realistically it was a small part of the Flower Dome and it had so much more to offer. 

Although you can walk around in any order you wish, it does have a set path you naturally kind of follow, although there are a few tangents that are worth exploring. There’s no rush here, no time limits to follow. So take your time and explore every pathway. Make sure you stop and smell the roses (or orchids).