National Orchid Garden inside the Singapore Botanic Garden

Discover the National Orchid Garden in Singapore’s Historic Botanic Gardens

The National Orchid Garden is one of Singapore’s most vibrant and celebrated floral attractions, nestled within the lush expanse of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Situated in the city-state of Singapore near the iconic Orchard Road shopping district, this stunning destination combines botanical wonder with scientific innovation, making it a must-visit for nature lovers, families, researchers, and photographers alike.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens itself is a cherished national icon. Spanning 82 hectares of manicured lawns, themed gardens, forest trails, and serene lakes, it has been in continuous existence since 1859. This remarkable longevity has played a major role in shaping Singapore’s international identity as a “Garden City.” In recognition of its global significance, the Gardens were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, becoming the first and only tropical botanic garden in the world to receive this prestigious honor.

Open from 5:00 AM to midnight daily, the Singapore Botanic Gardens welcomes early morning joggers, school groups, families on weekend picnics, and curious tourists throughout the day. With free entry, the Gardens remain one of the most accessible public green spaces in Singapore. Annually, it attracts over 4.5 million visitors, drawn by its serene environment, historical significance, and extraordinary biodiversity.

National Orchid Garden inside the Singapore Botanic Garden

An Overview of the Singapore Botanic Gardens

The Gardens are home to over 10,000 varieties of plants and trees, many of which are native to Southeast Asia. Visitors can explore themed sections such as the Healing Garden, the Ginger Garden, the Fragrant Garden, and the Rainforest—each offering a distinct sensory and educational experience. Signposted walking paths wind through palm groves, flowering meadows, and rare plant conservatories, making every visit unique.

The Botanic Gardens also play a key role in research and conservation. They house the Singapore Botanic Gardens Seed Bank, the Herbarium, and the Botanical Art Gallery. Collectively, these facilities support plant taxonomy, documentation, and biodiversity conservation both regionally and internationally.

The National Orchid Garden: A Jewel Within the Jewel

Among the many zones within the Botanic Gardens, the National Orchid Garden stands out as the crown jewel. Officially opened in 1995, it covers 3 hectares and occupies the highest point in the entire Gardens. This elevated location ensures optimal light and drainage—ideal conditions for cultivating orchids, some of which are notoriously delicate and climate-sensitive.

The National Orchid Garden is home to more than 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids, with a total of around 60,000 plants on display. The garden is known for its meticulous landscape design, with flowering arches, meandering paths, and artistic rock arrangements that create a visually immersive experience. Unlike the main Singapore Botanic Gardens, entry to the Orchid Garden requires a modest fee of 5 Singapore Dollars. However, the cost is widely considered worthwhile given the specialized horticultural work and sheer beauty within.

A Walk Through the Orchid Garden

Stepping into the National Orchid Garden feels like entering a living gallery. The space is thoughtfully divided into zones based on themes, elevation, and microclimate. Visitors are greeted by floral displays that vary not just in color, but in texture, fragrance, and symbolic significance.

Highlights include:

• Burkill Hall: A historic colonial-era mansion that showcases VIP orchids—hybrids named after visiting dignitaries and world leaders. This includes varieties dedicated to Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, and Barack Obama.

• Cool House: A climate-controlled conservatory simulating a tropical montane forest. Home to rare high-altitude orchid species, mosses, and ferns, it provides a cool misty contrast to Singapore’s tropical heat.

• Mist House and Tan Hoon Siang House: Designed for delicate orchids requiring high humidity, these spaces feature a cascading waterfall, award-winning hybrids, and a curated selection of fragrant blooms.

• Yuen-Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection: Although focused on bromeliads, this zone complements the orchid displays with exotic foliage and epiphytes native to the Americas.

These spaces are connected by landscaped walkways, color-coded signs, and informational placards that offer educational insights into orchid species, hybridization techniques, and conservation efforts.

Orchid Diplomacy and Cultural Significance

Orchids are more than decorative blooms in Singapore—they are woven into the nation’s cultural and diplomatic fabric. The hybrid Vanda Miss Joaquim, chosen as Singapore’s national flower in 1981, symbolizes resilience, beauty, and multicultural harmony.

The National Orchid Garden plays a pivotal role in "orchid diplomacy." Over the decades, Singapore has honored foreign dignitaries with new orchid hybrids named after them—a gesture of goodwill that has become a signature of Singaporean diplomacy.

Research and Conservation

Beyond public enjoyment, the Orchid Garden supports one of the world’s leading orchid breeding and conservation programs. Researchers work to propagate endangered orchid species, develop disease-resistant hybrids, and study pollination and propagation behaviors. These efforts help safeguard global biodiversity and contribute to the sustainability of floral species threatened by deforestation and climate change.

The scientific wing collaborates with international botanical institutions, and educational programs are run regularly for students, researchers, and garden staff from other countries.

Visitor Experience and Practical Information

The National Orchid Garden is designed for accessibility, learning, and leisure. It is family-friendly, wheelchair-accessible, and equipped with amenities such as shaded rest areas, drinking water stations, and restrooms.

• Opening Hours: 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM daily (last entry at 6:00 PM)

• Admission Fee: SGD 5 for adults, free for children below 12 and seniors over 60

• Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens, near the Nassim Gate entrance

• Getting There: The closest MRT station is Botanic Gardens (Circle Line and Downtown Line). Several public buses also serve the area.

To make the most of the visit, consider coming in the early morning or late afternoon to enjoy cooler temperatures and softer lighting for photography. Weekdays are generally less crowded than weekends.

Additional Attractions Nearby

A visit to the National Orchid Garden can easily be part of a larger day spent in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Nearby points of interest include:

• Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden: An interactive space for children to learn about plant life.

• Symphony Lake: Often used for live musical performances in a serene outdoor amphitheater.

• Heritage Museum and CDL Green Gallery: Offering rotating exhibitions on botanical and ecological themes.

There are also cafés and gift shops within the Gardens where visitors can relax, buy souvenirs, or enjoy a locally inspired meal.

Why Visit the National Orchid Garden?

Whether you’re a first-time visitor to Singapore or a long-time resident, the National Orchid Garden offers something extraordinary. It is a rare space where beauty, culture, science, and serenity converge. The diversity of orchid species and hybrids is unparalleled in Southeast Asia and offers insights into both the natural world and Singapore’s commitment to preserving it.

This garden is not just a visual delight—it’s an immersive, educational, and emotionally uplifting experience. It’s no wonder that many travelers list it as one of the top attractions in Singapore.

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Beauty of flowers inside National Orchid Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore is a huge place and has been in existence for a long time, having been continuously open since 1859, and having existed in some form before that as well. Because of its heritage value, it also has the status of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Reaching it is not difficult, it being on the tourist circuit and also close to the Orchard Road shopping district. The garden is literally huge, covering an area of 82 hectares and receiving more than 4.5 million visitors per year. The garden has a lot of specific parts inside such as the Rainforest and the National Orchid Garden that present different varieties. It seems a bit strange, but while entry to the Botanical Garden is free, entry to the National Orchid Garden is charged Singapore $5. On its own, the fee is not very high given the beauty of the place, but considering that the botanical garden does not charge anything, a separate charge for the Orchid Garden does seem strange.

Purple flowers inside the National Orchid Garden in Singapore (Print this photo / More photos)

Orchids are very beautiful flowers but do need some care. The National Orchid garden inside the Singapore Botanical Garden has a huge number of varieties of orchids inside it, such as these purple flowers. The National Orchid garden is spread over an area of 3 hectares, and has around 60,000 flowers inside it spread over 1000 varieties (truly a treat for the people who love flowers).

Ornamental attraction opposite the entrance of the National Orchid Garden (Print this photo / More photos)

The water fountain opposite the entrance to the National Orchid Garden. It looks so beautiful and well decorated, with the cascading water, lush greenery and bright flowers. For those who are wondering whether to enter the Orchid garden as well, such a sight might persuade them to go inside after buying the entry ticket.

Beautiful yellow flowers inside the National Orchid Garden  (Print this photo / More photos)

A cluster of beautiful yellow flowers inside the National Orchid garden. This a bunch of small flowers, but put together, they look really beautiful.

The area below the capsules of the Singapore Flyer

Singapore has a number of tourist attractions, spread over the city and also in Sentosa. So, for example, there is a world class resort and casino, there are some great river cruises and ocean cruises. There is the international appeal of the Universal Studios Park that has droves of visitors every single day and double (or more) of that on weekends, there is a stupendous aquarium, there is the wildlife attraction with multiple destinations (the zoo, the night safari, the river safari, the Jurong Bird Park), and many more such destinations. One more such destination that seems to attract a lot of people is the Singapore Flyer. Like many such massive Ferris wheels the world over, the view from here is amazing. Located in the Marina area, the view from the capsules is incredible, seeing the Marina Bay Sands, the reservoir, and many other such attractions. The full trip up to the top of the Flyer takes around an hour.

The area below the capsules of the Singapore Flyer (Print this photo / More photos)

The Flyer was opened in 2008 and started drawing a large number of visitors, and is included on the tourist attraction list of Singapore. A couple of times, it has closed down because of some engineering work, but otherwise it is a huge draw. This is an image from below the Flyer, and looks beautiful; you can see the size and engineering flow of the Singapore Flyer with a lot of greenery below.