When planning a long-distance flight, Changi Airport in Singapore is one of the best airports to spend time on a layover. More than just an airport, Singapore’s Changi Airport is a destination designed to keep weary travellers happy, relaxed and refreshed. With four terminals and the new Jewel Changi Airport, which is a lifestyle and entertainment hub, there’s lots to see and a raft of exciting things to do in Changi Airport.
Named the world’s best airport seven years in a row (since 2013) by the Skytrax World Airport Awards, Changi Airport is a clear winner when comparing airports around the world.
Better still, many of the things to see in Changi are free. If you’re keen to experience all the attractions in Changi Airport, you’ll need to organise your time with a well-organised Changi itinerary that hits all the high spots.
Contents
- Changi Airport
- Some Facts About Changi Airport
- Which Terminal To Go In Changi Airport
- Things To Do In Changi Airport
- 1- Upload A Photo To The Changi Social Tree
- 2- Go For A Swim
- 3- Visit The Gardens
- Arrival Garden (T1)
- Cactus Garden (T1)
- Discovery Garden (T1)
- Water Lily Garden (T1)
- Enchanted Garden (T2)
- Orchid Garden (T2)
- Sunflower Garden (T2)
- Butterfly Garden (T3)
- Shiseido Forest Valley (Jewel Changi Airport)
- Canopy Park (Level 5, Jewel)
- 4- Get Lost In A Maze
- 5- Watch a movie
- 6- Splurge on a Shopping Spree
- 7- Catch up on work
- 8- Relax in a spa
- 9- Admire Art Installations
- Terminal 3 Art Installations
- Terminal 4 Art Installations
- 10- Learn About Culture At The Peranakan Gallery
- 11- Have fun in a Changi Airport Playground
- 12- Bounce Around In The Manulife Sky Nets
- 13- Learn Something New At The Changi Experience Studio
- 14- Hit the Xbox at the Entertainment Deck
- 15- Take a tour of Singapore
- Hotels in Changi Airport
- Which Airlines Fly to Changi Airport?
- Airlines Lounges in Changi Airport
Changi Airport
It doesn’t matter which terminal your flight leaves from, there are plenty of things to do in Changi Airport in every terminal. If you’re passing through Changi, you may find these handy:
- Changi Airport Premium Lounge Entry – if you have a few hours to kill, the premium lounge has hot showers and extra comforts.
- Jewel Changi Airport – Canopy Park Admission Ticket
- Singapore Changi Airport to/from Hotel Private Transfer – arrive like a rockstar.
- Download the Changi App – for news and other stuff at your fingertips.
Some Facts About Changi Airport
- 100 airlines fly to Changi Airport from 380+ cities in the world.
- Over 65.6 million people pass through Changi Airport each year. If everyone who passed through Changi decided to stay there, it would have a population equivalent to the 22nd largest country in the world (about the size of the population of France).
- Around 7,400 flights arrive or leave from Changi.
Which Terminal To Go In Changi Airport
Whether you spend time in Terminal 1, 2, 3 or 4 or Jewel will depend on which terminal you’re departing from and how much time you have to spare.
Jewel is connected to Terminal 1’s arrival hall and has bridges linking it to Terminals 2 and 3. You need to get to the rest of the airport from Terminal 4, there’s a free shuttle bus to Terminal 2.
Things To Do In Changi Airport
1- Upload A Photo To The Changi Social Tree
One of the cool things to do in Changi Airport is to upload your photos and videos at a touch-screen photo booth and you’ll soon see yourself on the giant 360-degree screen of this nine-metre tall and 11m in diameter digital “Social Tree”.
The display has a rotating selection of phantasmagorical backgrounds, including a mystical forest, a deep-sea setting, Marina Bay and Singapore’s skyline.
A nifty thing is those photos and videos can also be uploaded to Facebook and Twitter.
The Changi Airport Social Tree is in Terminal 1.
2- Go For A Swim
Swimming is one of the more relaxing things to do in Changi Airport.
Take a dip in the rooftop pool (Terminal 1) and sip cocktails by the poolside bar.
Entry to the pool costs S$23 and is free for hotel guests.
3- Visit The Gardens
Wind down in nature and breathe fresh air in one of these Changi Airport gardens.
Relax in the butterfly garden, cactus garden, fern garden or orchid garden with its lovely pond filled with koi.
If you need a good dose of nature, take a self-guided garden tour.
Arrival Garden (T1)
The 460m2 garden is designed to resemble a dragonfly habitat, with pools and Mexican fan palm trees.
Cactus Garden (T1)
Sip Tequila at the rooftop garden bar in the Cactus Garden while admiring 100 types of cacti, such as prickly pear cactus and golden barrel cactus, as well as desert plants from the world’s driest regions.
This garden is also home to giant Ponytail Palms, Old Man Cactus and Cycads.
Discovery Garden (T1)
Go for a walk along the winding path in the Discovery Garden and admire the trees and sculptures as you get your system moving.
Water Lily Garden (T1)
Admire the lovely water lilies in the ponds of the Water Lily Garden. This garden is home to one of the world’s largest aquatic plants, the Amazon Water Lily, as well as Sacred Lotus plants and the Screw Pine from the Pacific.
Enchanted Garden (T2)
A magic forest with multimedia senses that trigger the sounds of nature, the Enchanted Garden is a delightful spot to wander around.
More of an attraction than a garden, its centrepiece of four giant glass bouquet sculptures is a work of art that holds fresh flowers and ferns.
There’s also an impressive Tasmanian Tree Fern here.
Orchid Garden (T2)
With over 700 orchids arranged in impressive displays, the Orchid Garden is certainly worth a look.
Spot the Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim Orchid, which is the national flower of Singapore, and a variety of other beautiful orchids including the Dancing Lady Orchid and Moth Orchid.
See white orchids in glass bubble cases, brown and green orchids arranged among tree root sculptures and impressive floral columns.
Sunflower Garden (T2)
The spot to cheer you up is the Sunflower Garden, which has a few varieties of sunflowers and a view of the runway.
Butterfly Garden (T3)
Escape to a forest among 1000 flitting butterflies as you wander past lush plants and a 6m waterfall.
The Butterfly Garden in Changi Airport is a delightful green escape, with informational displays about butterflies.
Shiseido Forest Valley (Jewel Changi Airport)
Jewel has over 2,000 trees and 100,000 shrubs, with 120 species from various countries.
Amidst the shops and cafes of Shiseido Forest Valley are two hiking trails, with gushing waterfalls.
The East and West Trails meander through forests of plants and shrubs.
Canopy Park (Level 5, Jewel)
Canopy Park has a Petal Garden with flowers from around the world, a topiary walk and a hedge maze. Skip the line and book your tickets here.
4- Get Lost In A Maze
The Hedge Maze and the Mirror Maze at Canopy Park are both visually interesting attractions to wander around.
5- Watch a movie
There are 24-hour movie theatres in Terminal 3 and shows are free.
6- Splurge on a Shopping Spree
Singapore’s Changi Airport shops range from fashion and beauty to the latest electronic gadgets.
My favourites are the footwear store Charles & Keith and Pandora, where you can sometimes pick up charms made especially for the Asian market.
For example, I bought a dragon charm in the year of the dragon.
Changi Airport also has a transit programme where you can claim back S$40 in shopping vouchers while in transit.
7- Catch up on work
More than 550 internet kiosks are available for passengers at no cost.
WiFi is also free and there are plenty of charging stations for computers and smartphones.
Catch up with world financial news on a plasma set with cable channels like BBC World, CNBC, Channel News Asia and CNN, and up-to-date stock and equities information provided by Bridge Information Systems and Reuters.
8- Relax in a spa
Wind down and put yourself in a therapist’s hands at one of the many spas.
Spa menus offer a broad range of services, including facials, manicures, reflexology, ear candling and specialist massages such as Tui Na, Thai and hot stone.
9- Admire Art Installations
An excellent way for those with an artistic eye to spend some time is to take yourself on a self-guided trail of Changi Airport’s art installations, which are scattered right through the terminals.
Terminal 3 Art Installations
- Coming Home by Chinese artist Han Meilin is a massive 9000kg sculpture highlighting the importance of the family unit by symbolically using steel (father), bronze (mother) and gold (child).
- Crystal Garden consists of 12 dandelion glass sculptures of different sizes created with 1,735 hand-blown Bohemian glass piece. The spheres are embedded in garden beds among flowering plants.
- Floral Inspirations by Han Sai Por is a cluster of giant textured seed pods.
Terminal 4 Art Installations
- Hey Ah Chek! is a bronze sculpture of a 1950’s scene of a mother and son negotiating with a trishaw driver at the markets.
- The Immersive Wall is an enormous panoramic LED display showcasing Singapore’s skyline, scenery and how Changi Airport is connected to other destinations.
- Petalclouds is 200m installation and engineering feat that creates an impression of clouds floating in the sky. It’s a melding of music and movement connecting the terminal’s public and transit sections.
10- Learn About Culture At The Peranakan Gallery
The Peranakans culture is a unique fusion of Chinese and Malay cultures found mainly in Singapore, Melaka and Penang.
The Peranakan Gallery offers a taste of this fascinating culture with a display of historical photos and a collection of items.
11- Have fun in a Changi Airport Playground
There are playgrounds in the public and transit areas of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3.
12- Bounce Around In The Manulife Sky Nets
Manulife Skynets are on Level 5 or Canopy Park. Opening hours are from 10 am to 10 pm.
13- Learn Something New At The Changi Experience Studio
14- Hit the Xbox at the Entertainment Deck
Challenge your fellow travellers to a game of virtual soccer, tennis or bowling on Xbox Kinect.
Working out and getting blood flowing after a long flight is fun.
The Entertainment Deck also has computer games, PlayStations and retro arcade machines at Level 3 in the Departure Transit Hall. Opening hours are 6 am to midnight.
15- Take a tour of Singapore
If you have at least five hours between flights, a free tour of Singapore is the way to go. Tours run five times a day and there’s a choice of two.
The colonial tour showcases Singapore’s history as a trading port and includes a stroll along the Singapore River.
The cultural tour takes in the sights of Singapore’s multicultural population, including Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam.
Tours are two hours long and very popular, so sign up as soon as you arrive. If you’re planning on wandering around Singapore on your own, here are some places to visit in Singapore.
Hotels in Changi Airport
Transit Hotels
The three transit hotels in Singapore Changi Airport are convenient because it means you can stay within the transit area and not have to clear customs and immigration.
As you won’t have access to luggage that has been checked in if you’re planning on staying in a transit hotel at Singapore Airport, make sure to pack a change of clothes and toiletries.
Terminal 1 – Aerotel Singapore Transit Hotel
This is the most convenient hotel for flights leaving from Terminal 1, but passengers from Terminals 2 and 3 can also access this hotel using the Skytrain.
The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool with a poolside bar, making it a great spot to relax while waiting for your next flight, a gym and library.
Terminals 2 and 3 – Ambassador Transit Hotel
Ambassador Transit Hotel is located in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 offer free WiFi, fitness centre and a range of budget-friendly rooms.
Hotels next to Singapore Airport
Crown Plaza Changi Airport is a luxury escape linked to Terminal 3 by covered walkways.
It has an outdoor landscaped pool, spa, fitness centre and two restaurants.
Which Airlines Fly to Changi Airport?
Here is a list of airlines I’ve flown on either in or out of Changi Airport
Airlines Lounges in Changi Airport
When planning your trip, fill in time at the airport at a private airport lounge, such as Plaza Premium.
Looking for an Asian destination to connect to from Changi? Here are some fantastic places in Asia and things to do there.
For more things to do in Asia see:
Plan Your Trip
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