By Tom · Published Nov. 3rd, 2021 · Updated Nov. 28th, 2022
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The Marina Reservoir hike starts at the famous Gardens by the Bay and takes you over the Marina Barrage to Bay East Garden for splendid views towards Marina Bay Sands. You make your way back via the Marina Promenade and the Helix bridge. If you are lucky you will spot otters along the way.
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Location
This hike starts at the Bayfront MRT station Linkway at Gardens by the Bay, convenient if you take the MRT to Bayfront. You can also reach this place by taking the bus to Aft Bayfront Station and walking along Sheares Link to Gardens by the Bay. If you don’t want to walk, you can also hire a bike to cycle around Marina Reservoir*.
Marina Reservoir Hiking Map
Get the route by downloading the .gpx or .kml file below. For navigation with Maps.me on your mobile phone, simply download the .kml file and open to add it to the Maps.me bookmarks.
Tips for Marina Reservoir Hike
- The outdoor gardens at Gardens by the Bay are open from 5 am to 2 am.
- The Bay East Garden is open 24 hrs.
- There is shade from the trees in some sections of the hike, but a large part is open and sunny.
- Take a sun hat, sunscreen and plenty of water along.
- The entire route is paved, so choose the right shoes.
- Rent a bike* to cycle this fun route.
- Offline maps app Maps.me works well for this hike.
- Check out our Gardens by the Bay Walk
Gardens by the Bay
Gardens by the Bay is well worth a visit. You can get reduced-price tickets here*. We wanted to do this hike while it was still cool, as some sections don’t have much shade, and then later come back to explore Gardens by the Bay. So we quickly made our way through. After crossing a bridge over the Dragonfly lake, a very long lake stretched over the entirety of the gardens, we came across a big statue of a boy, floating in mid-air, a bit peculiar.
From there we made our way through the flower-lined paths to the Supertree Grove, the most famous attraction of Gardens by the Bay. You can go up and walk over a walkway, but we skipped that for another time. Then we headed for the impressive Flower Dome and Cloud Forest greenhouses. We returned later to visit these, in the heat of the afternoon.
Behind these greenhouses is the Marina Reservoir and alongside there is a large path for cyclists and pedestrians. We went left on this path towards the Marina Barrage. Keep an eye out for wildlife in the water, as you may spot otters or monitor lizards.
Marina Barrage
On this side of the Reservoir, there is a large grass-roofed building at the Marina Barrage. It houses among others, the Sustainable Singapore Gallery. Make sure to walk onto the roof for great views of the surroundings.
We made our way through the building to the barrage. There are great views from the barrage towards Marina Bay Sands and also towards the big ships on the sea. On the other side of the Marina Barrage is Bay East Garden.
Shoes for Paved Paths
The majority of hikes in Singapore are on paved paths, so your hiking shoes need good damping. For hikes that are entirely on pavement like this one, you may prefer to wear trainers with reasonable grip. We really like the fit and feel of Salomon shoes. Their running shoes give you plenty of damping on paved paths:
Salomon Men‘s Sonic 4 Balance Running Shoes on Amazon*.
Salomon Women‘s Sonic 4 Balance W Running Shoes on Amazon*.
Check out the complete list of hiking gear needed for Singapore:
Bay East Garden
We mainly followed the Skyline Promenade towards the City Centre, but also ventured more into Bay East Garden on the smaller trails. The main attraction here is the great views of Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, the Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel and the rest of the city skyline.
We were lucky (although it seems they are spotted quite regularly) and saw a family of otters below a tree next to the path. They are not that shy, so you can observe them quite well.
While walking along the Marina Reservoir, in the distance you can see a high road bridge crossing the reservoir. This is also the bridge to cross on this hike. When you get nearer the Benjamin Sheares bridge, you need to turn right and walk along the bridge for a while until you find a set of stairs. While the road is a bit busy and thus a bit noisy, the views from the bridge over the Marina Reservoir compensate for it.
Marina Promenade
On the other end of the bridge, the footpath follows a turnoff and near the end of the turnoff is a set of stairs to your left. This brings you to the Marina Promenade area. There is not much going on here and you need to make your way over back to the reservoir, by crossing one road and looping along to the other side of the Formula 1 pit building.
You cross the pit lane to the reservoir side, which is quite fun. From there on, the route is easy again as the Marina Promenade follows the reservoir. Here, among some low trees, we again came upon a few otters. You also walk past the Singapore Flyer (get tickets here*). Shortly after, the promenade goes underneath two big bridges and a smaller pedestrian bridge called The Helix for obvious reasons.
The Helix
Just before as well as on the Helix, there are splendid views of Marina Bay and the buildings that line it. The most obvious is the ArtScience Museum, housed in a Lotus flower-shaped building, with Marina Bay Sands right next to it. The grand-looking Fullerton Hotel and the Merlion statue are visible on the other side of Marina Bay, in front of the tall skyscrapers of the Financial District.
On the other side of the Helix, there is a set of steps down to the promenade on this side of the reservoir. A short walk further along the reservoir and we were back at the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest greenhouses, our next activity.
Guidebooks to explore more of Singapore
To explore the area further, check out our Gardens By the Bay Walk, or Marina Bay Walking Tour. Or for more hikes, check out our Singapore Hiking Page.
FAQs: Marina Reservoir Hike
The outdoor gardens at Gardens by the Bay are open from 5 am to 2 am. The Flower Dome, Cloud Forest and Skyway are open from 9 am to 9 pm. Check this link for all other opening hours.
The East Bay Gardens are open 24 hrs.
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