Singapore

Singapore’s nickname is the Garden City, and with good reason—there are 50 parks and four nature reserves within a half hour of the city center. But the jewel of all these is the Botanic Gardens. The centerpiece is the National Orchid Garden, the world’s largest orchid garden, with more than 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids. Other highlights include a native tropical rain forest that pre-dates the formal gardens, the Evolution Garden, which illustrates the evolutionary story of the Earth’s plant life and a children’s garden with treehouses and interactive exhibits. There are three lakes in the Botanic Gardens, one of which is Symphony Lake, a regular spot for free weekend concerts. While it’s also a terrific spot for a picnic, there are restaurants throughout the gardens—among the best are Halia, tucked inside the ginger garden, and Au Jardin, a fine French restaurant housed in a 1920s colonial bungalow.