How to get to Gardens By The Bay (costs included)
Gardens by the Bay is located near the southern coast of Singapore, between Marina South Pier and Marina Bay (the bay itself rather than the MRT station). Given the large expanse of the gardens I often have visitors to Singapore ask me what the best way is to get to the gardens, and which entrance they should use. So I put this guide together to explain some of the ways to get to Gardens by the Bay, the costs involved, and what attractions are near each entrance.
A summary of how to get to Gardens by the Bay:
| Transport | Details |
|---|---|
| MRT | Use Bayfront (CCL) or Gardens by the Bay (TEL) stations |
| Bus (public) | Routes 97, 106, 133, and 502 stop at MBS, a short walk from Gardens by the Bay; route 400 stops outside the main entrance |
| Big Bus Tours | The Yellow Line stops at the main entrance to Gardens by the Bay |
| Taxi | A taxi stand is available at the main entrance for pick up and drop off |
| Cycling | Bicycle parking is available at the main entrance, flower dome & cloud forest, or Satay by the Bay |
The walk over to Gardens by the Bay can be very pleasant as well, particularly if you’re coming from the Merlion or you’ve arrived in Singapore by cruise ship.
I’ve gone into further details on these, as well as cycling and cruise ship excursions, in my guide below:
MRT
There are two MRT stations that can be used to access Gardens by the Bay:
- Bayfront station - on the yellow Circle Line, located underneath Marina Bay Sands. Exit B can be used (it’s a long walk) to get directly to the gardens, or you can walk through MBS.
- Gardens by the Bay station - on the brown Thomson East Coast Line. Newly opened, and despite the name, it’s still a long walk to the gardens (scenic though).
Bayfront MRT station is great if you are staying around:
- Suntec
- Bugis
- Little India
Catch the train to Promenade MRT and then change for service to Bayfront and Marina Bay (not every circle line train goes to Bayfront, so pay attention to the passenger information displays).
Gardens by the Bay MRT station is great if you are staying around:
- Chinatown
- Orchard
- Katong
From Orchard, you may have to catch the train to Marina Bay station and then change for the brown TEL to get to Gardens by the Bay.
If you’re going to the gardens from Sentosa by MRT, take the purple North East Line from Harbourfront to Outram Park, and then change for the brown TEL to get to Gardens by the Bay.
Cost of the MRT in Singapore is between S$1.09 and S$2.37 depending on how far you travel. Most trips to Gardens by the Bay will cost less than S$2. Payment is best made by Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards.
Check out the What’s next section at the end of this guide if you need more help figuring out how to pay for the MRT, a hidden charge that you will pay as a foreigner, and whether or not the Singapore Tourist Pass is worth it for you.
Public bus
Singapore’s public buses offer frequent services to Gardens by the Bay and can be a great way to escape the heat while avoiding the extensive walks often associated with taking the MRT.
Most tourists visiting Gardens by the Bay will be interested in the following routes:
| Bus route | Areas served (popular hotel areas) |
|---|---|
| 106 and 502 | Orchard Road |
| 133 | Little India, Bugis, CBD and Tanjong Pagar |
| 97 | CBD and Tanjong Pagar |
| 400 | CBD and Tanjong Pagar |
All routes except 400 stop at Marina Bay Sands. From there, you can either find the elevator up to the overpass through Marina Bay Sands and across the road (great views of Supertrees), or go downstairs to walk along the underpass (air conditioned) to come up in the Gardens.
Route 400 is a loop shuttle service that runs from the CBD to Gardens by the Bay to the Cruise Terminal and back to the CBD. It is the only public bus that has a stop at the main entrance to Gardens by the Bay.
Buses on routes 106 and 502 are reliably double deck (some buses in Singapore have an upper deck, it often depends on the route). I like sitting on the upper deck along these routes as you get a fantastic view of the Supertrees and Marina Bay Sands as you cross the bridge over Marina Bay.
Costs of taking the public bus in Singapore is between S$1.09 and S$2.37 per person per journey. This is the same distance-based fare structure as the MRT. Payment is best made by credit card or debit card (Visa or MasterCard only). Check out What’s next at the end of this guide for more detail.
Big Bus Tours
Like many major tourist destinations around the world, Singapore is home to its own Big Bus Tours double-deck open-top bus service. As you would expect from Big Bus Tours, the bus serves routes of all the top landmarks in the city, and that includes Gardens by the Bay.
Big Bus Tours operate two routes in Singapore:
| Yellow Line | Red Line |
|---|---|
|
|
The Yellow Line serves Gardens by the Bay.
Service frequency is roughly every 25-35 minutes (traffic depending) and they operate between about 9:30am and 5:20pm every day. The Big Bus Tours app can be used to track the location of buses, find out about it and the route maps on their website here.
Big Bus Tours tickets start at roughly S$60 per adult for the first day and include hop-on hop-off use of their two regular routes.
Big Bus Tours also has a Night Tour ticket that includes transport specifically for the Gardens by the Bay Garden Rhapsody light and sound show (Garden Rhapsody is a free show, so the ticket is for transport only).
Taxis
Taxis are a convenient and quick way to get around Singapore, and when splitting the cost across a family, they’re not too expensive either.
Gardens by the Bay has a taxi stand at the main entrance where passengers can be dropped off and taxis can be hailed or booked by phone or app.
Booking a taxi (or ride hailing car) is very common in Singapore. My favourite app is CDG Zig, operated by the largest taxi company in Singapore called Comfort. I’ve found them to be reliable and there are humans you can speak to if something goes wrong (unlike the rivals). Other apps available in Singapore include Grab, Gojek and TADA.
Expect to pay between S$15 and S$30 when taking a taxi to Gardens by the Bay. This depends on where you are coming from with the cheaper fares applying to Orchard Rd and Tanjong Pagar, while the more expensive end is paid when coming from Changi Airport or Sentosa.
A complicated set of surcharges apply to taxis in Singapore. While you can trust metered taxis and anything booked by an app to have transparent pricing, if you’re curious what goes into that price, I highly recommend checking out my complete guide to taxi fares here: reachingsingapore.com/taxi-cost-singapore
Cycling
Cycling is my favourite way of getting to Gardens by the Bay and I highly recommend it to every visitor I work with. The typical routes to Gardens by the Bay include fantastic views of the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, the Flyer, and of course Gardens by the Bay.
Bicycle rental options that I like to recommend to visitors around Gardens by the Bay include:
- CityScoot @ Esplanade, S$25 for 3 hours
- GoCycling Marina Bay (the Singapore Flyer), S$10 per hour
- HelloRide and Anywheel bike share schemes, S$5-6 per hour
I personally prefer to use HelloRide or Anywheel as the bicycles can be collected and dropped off in multiple locations around the gardens. These schemes require the respective app to be downloaded and used to unlock the bike.
CityScoot and GoCycling are traditional bicycle rental shops where the bicycle must be returned to the shop when finished. If hiring a bicycle from here, I recommend hiring for at least 2-3 hours so that you can enjoy the scenery, do something at Gardens by the Bay, and then return. Both shops do deals when hiring for 3 or more hours.
Bicycle parking is available on the perimeter of Gardens by the Bay in the following locations:
- Main entrance, near the taxi stand
- Satay by the Bay, next to the car park
- Flower Dome & Cloud Forest, on the bay side between the two buildings
Cruise ship
Gardens by the Bay is the closest attraction to the Singapore cruise terminal.
If you are looking for a free cruise excursion in Singapore, Gardens by the Bay can be a good option. Most of the gardens can be explored without a ticket, and it is generally open from 5am to 2am daily.
To get to Gardens by the Bay from the cruise terminal by walking:
- After leaving the cruise terminal walk along the path sheltered path next to the coast line (following signs for Marina South Pier)
- Follow the road from Marina South Pier, it will turn to the left and become Marina Boulevard
- Walk along Marina Boulevard until Marina Gardens Drive
- Turn right to walk along Marina Gardens Drive until you get to the entrance for Gardens by the Bay
Expect to spend 20-30 minutes walking to the gardens, and allow 1-2 hours to explore the space.
Public bus is also available costing roughly S$1.50 each way when paid by foreign credit card or debit card (Visa or MasterCard). The bus serves the cruise terminal every 15 minutes and it takes about 20 minutes to get to the Gardens by the Bay stop. I usually recommend cruise passengers take the bus back to the cruise terminal as it is only a 5 minute journey (the bus runs in a loop: Cruise terminal -> CBD -> Gardens by the Bay -> Cruise Terminal).
Another great excursion idea is to hire a bicycle from Marina South Pier and cycle around the Gardens. Bicycle hires are via sharing schemes HelloRide (blue) and Anywheel (green) - downloading the app is required to hire the bicycles, which are located behind the MRT entrance.
What’s next
Looking for more detail on how to get around once you’re in the Gardens? I included a section in my complete guide to Gardens by the Bay costs on the shuttle bus and wheelchair hire for those who need help getting around the Gardens. Check out my guide here: reachingsingapore.com/gardens-by-the-bay-costs
The Singapore Tourist Pass is touted as a popular way for visitors to pay for public transport in Singapore. However I believe it is NOT valuable for most visitors to Singapore. To find out if the Singapore Tourist Pass is worth it for you, check out my complete guide here (maths included): reachingsingapore.com/is-stp-worth-it
Singapore is full of hidden fees and surcharges for anything from transport to eating at a restaurant. To help visitors to Singapore figure out what the fees are, check out my guides here:
- How to pay for public transport in Singapore (and the 60 cent foreigner fee explained)
- How to pay for taxis in Singapore (peak, off-peak, credit card and more surcharges explained)
