Jurong Lake Gardens

Fifty years to become one park. Don't try to do it in one afternoon.

Jurong Lake Gardens is the west's best argument for a slow weekend, as long as you don't try to see it whole. At about 90 hectares it is really three or four outings sharing a postcode, so pick one chapter, one optional extension and an exit before you leave home. Lakeside Garden is free and open round the clock; the main compromise is shade, since plenty of the paths are exposed, so bring water and avoid the middle of the day.

How three parks became one

JTC built the Japanese Garden on an island in the lake in 1974, and the Chinese Garden, pagodas and stone boat included, followed in 1975; for decades they sat beside a separate lakeside park as different outings. In 2014 the government proposed stitching them together. Lakeside Garden opened in 2019, the rebuilt Chinese and Japanese Gardens reopened in September 2024 after five years behind hoardings, and NParks now calls the whole thing Singapore's third national garden, the first in the heartlands.

The swamp that came back

Lakeside Garden is the clever one. Henning Larsen, the Danish practice that designed it, describes restoring a freshwater swamp forest that was cleared for industry in the 1960s. A straight concrete drain became the Neram Streams, braided waterways planted with swamp species that also clean stormwater before it reaches the lake. Rasau Walk takes a brightly coloured boardwalk out over the water, and the Grasslands have bird hides, so go early with binoculars. Look for The Lone Tree, a sculpture made from steel reinforcement bars salvaged from the old park. Families should head for Forest Ramble, the nature playgarden, which closes on Mondays for maintenance.

The old gardens, rebuilt

Across the water, the Chinese Garden kept its landmarks – the Cloud Pagoda, Twin Pagoda, Stoneboat and Tea Pavilion – and gained a Cascading Creek and a bamboo grove. Its Edible Garden has raised beds of herbs, edible flowers and climbers, designed to be easier to reach for people with disabilities. The Japanese Garden now holds what NParks describes as Singapore’s largest collection of water lilies, more than 150 varieties, plus a Sunken Garden inspired by cenotes and the Breathing Gallery, an indoor vivarium of terrariums and aquariums. This is the half for a quiet morning (and the half where nobody is asking you for snacks).

How to do it

Three good versions: a slow morning among the pagodas and water lilies; a family play session at Lakeside with a short walk; or an evening along the water when the heat drops. Choose your station by your plan, not your habit: Chinese Garden and Jurong East MRT serve different ends. Check the official notices first, because individual attractions keep their own hours and maintenance closures; NParks listed Clusia Cove, Lakeside’s water-play area, and Waterwall Court in the Chinese Garden as closed for maintenance until further notice. One more reason to keep coming back: the new Science Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is being built on a waterfront site within the gardens and is expected to open in 2027.

Good to know Jurong Lake Gardens spans Lakeside Garden, the Chinese and Japanese Gardens and the Garden Promenade; Chinese Garden and Jurong East MRT stations serve different ends, so pick your entrance first. Individual attractions keep their own hours and maintenance closures, so check the official site and garden map before you go.

Want more green escapes? Here are our ideas for a greener weekend.

Jurong Lake Gardens | Jurong | Nearest MRT: Jurong East