Flower Dome

Lisbon, Porto and a six-metre lighthouse, in a room kept at a permanent spring.

Go before 9 November 2026 if you want the sunflowers; go any time for the olive tree. The Flower Dome is the calm conservatory, the one for grandparents, couples on a hot afternoon and anyone who would rather wander than climb, and its permanent gardens are reason enough on their own. The current flower field, Sunflower Surprise: Garden by the Ocean, is the Gardens' first Portuguese-themed display, which makes this the season to come if you have only been for the orchids.

The dome changes its outfit six to eight times a year. This one is staged with the Embassy of Portugal to mark 45 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. More than 5,000 sunflowers in 20 varieties line a route through Lisbon, Costa Nova, Porto-style shopfronts and vineyards, and the supersized varieties stand up to 1.8 metres tall, which puts some of them eye to eye with you. The props are as ambitious as the planting: a six-metre replica of Lisbon's Farol de Belém lighthouse and the bow of a traditional carrack. An Experience Portugal programme brings food, dance, art and film to the dome and Flower Field Hall until 9 November, and a craft session on Saturday 17 October 2026 lets visitors paint a sunflower-themed tray, which should keep younger visitors busy while the adults linger in Porto.

Beyond the sunflowers

The flower field is the headline, but the permanent gardens are why the Flower Dome is worth a second visit. This is the largest glass greenhouse in the world by Guinness World Records' reckoning, roofed with 3,332 glass panels and holding the volume of 75 Olympic swimming pools. Inside it is a cool-dry 23°C to 25°C, with nine planted areas spanning the Mediterranean, South Africa, California, Australia and Chile.

Start with the Baobabs, where the African baobab is the largest tree anywhere in the Gardens, with the Drunken Tree and the Ghost Tree for company. In the Olive Grove stands an olive tree around 1,000 years old, which makes it rather senior for Marina Bay. The South American Garden has a Monkey Puzzle Tree, and the Succulent Garden is a study in cacti, aloes and crassulas. Look for the art among the plants too: 40 driftwood animals by James Doran-Webb, Bruno Catalano's travellers and Yayoi Kusama's Kei-Chan.

Making an afternoon of it

Pair it with Cloud Forest if you want the full climate contrast – Mediterranean spring here, misty mountain there – but give each its own unhurried hour rather than sprinting through both. Choose the Flower Dome over Cloud Forest if your group would rather not climb, or would rather not meet a dinosaur. The next maintenance closure is listed for 16 November 2026, and Bayfront is the nearest MRT.

Go by 9 November 2026 for the sunflowers. The olive tree will still be there afterwards; it has had a lot of practice.

Good to know Flower Dome is open 9am–9pm daily (last admission 8.30pm), and the next maintenance closure is 16 November 2026. Nearest MRT: Bayfront. Check the official site for ticket options and your date. Public holidays: Gardens by the Bay lists Flower Dome as open daily, 9am–9pm with last admission at 8.30pm, with no public-holiday exception; it closes once a month for maintenance, next on 16 November 2026.

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Flower Dome | 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953 | Nearest MRT: Bayfront