What to do During a Long Layover at Singapore Changi Airport
At any other airport, travelers want to minimize their layover times. I mean after a long flight, who wants to waste even more time at an airport, where there is nothing to do. This is true for most airports, but a Layover at Singapore Changi Airport is an exception. Changi Airport is renown as being the “World’s Best Airport.“ There is so much to do and see at this airport, where a short layover just isn’t enough. Changi Airport is home to the tallest indoor waterfall, spectacular gardens, great food, an abundance of rest areas, high end shops, and world class dining experiences. 🇸🇬 ✈️
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Singapore Changi Airport or just Changi Airport is a major international airport ✈️ located in the country of Singapore. According to Changi Airport’s Official Site, this airport is listed as the “World’s Best International Airport.” Changi Airport serves more then 100 airline companies and offers flights all around the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.
Before Covid, Changi Airport served over 68 million visitors and is considered to be the 18th busiest airport internationally.
Currently, there are a total of 4 terminals at Changi. The terminals are connected by the Skytrain or walkways.
Changi Airport is the main hub to Singapore Airlines which like the airport is considered one of the “Worlds Best!”
Layover at Singapore Changi Airport
Jill and I were lucky enough to fly with Singapore Airlines from Osaka, Japan to Frankfurt, Germany and had long layovers on both legs. Below are our recommendations and some of the fun activities we did during our long layover at Singapore Changi Airport.
Browse the Shops
Shopping or at least window shopping is a great way to kill time while waiting for your next flight. I usually don’t buy stuff from stores in airports, but it’s always fun to browse travel, local, and high end shops. If you are feeling rich, Changi Airport has all the expensive stores like Gucci, Rolex, and Swarovski but there are also stores like Uniqlo and Apple that we can all afford.
Changi Airport has no shortage of stores ranging from book stores to liquor stores. If you enter Jewel, there is a whole other shopping experience for visitors.
Here is a directory of all the Shops at Changi Airport.
Don't Miss the Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport
The HSBC Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport is that classic photo you see all over Google Images and it so happens to be the main photo of this post.
The Rain Vortex is considered the “World’s Tallest Indoor Waterfall.” The water flows 40 meters from the roof to the floor, impressive! It’s quite stunning to see especially with all the greenery surrounding the waterfall. If you have a long layover at Singapore Changi Airport, this would be my #1 recommendation.
Unfortunately, I was provided with poor information from staff at the airport. Staff, including people at the information counter told me that Jewel opened at 11 am daily, even though I asked multiple times specifically about the waterfall. Jill and I missed it on our first layover since our flight departed prior to 11 am. Our second layover, we showed up to Jewel at 10 am, and the whole area was open. The Rain Vortex was flowing and there were tons of people there. It is my understanding that Jewel is always open and the waterfall is always flowing but the restaurants and shops don’t open until later. Although several were already open by 10 am when we visited. My advice, is go to Jewel when you land and don’t even bother asking any of the staff about Jewel because they were clueless.
Another awesome feature about the Rain Vortex is that there are light shows at night, it’s apparently spectacular although we were here during the day. Our next trip to Singapore, we plan on staying at a nearby hotel just to experience the Rain Vortex at night.
Exercise and Charge your Devices
A cool feature we saw while walking around Changi Airport was the Power Cycle Station. Why not get some exercise while charging your devices? How does it work? It’s quite easy, simply plug in your device and start pedaling.
Leave the Airport and Discover Singapore
If you have a long layover and have done most of the attractions withing Changi Airport, why not see a bit of Singapore 🇸🇬 ? There is a Free Tour kiosk at the airport and I read about it online. If you have a layover of 5.5 hours or longer you can join the free tours they offer. Two tours are offered, there is a Heritage Tour and a City Sights Tour. Each tour is 2.5 hours long and completely free.
Unfortunately, when we were here, the tours were cancelled because of Covid. The kiosk had no information that stated this, which would have been nice, but it does say the tours are suspended on their website.
Jill and I had a 7 hour layover in Singapore and decided to leave the airport and explore Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. We hailed a cab to Gardens by the Bay. The cab ride was only about 20-30 minutes and the cost was around 20 Singapore Dollars.
While at Gardens by the Bay, we did the OCBC Skyway, which offered spectacular views of the park, Singapore Skyline, and Marina Bay Sands Resort. After the Skyway, we walked around Gardens by the Bay for another hour or so before catching a taxi back to Changi Airport.
Relax and Catch a Movie at the Free Movie Theater
If movies 📽 are your thing, then you would love Changi Airport. There are two theaters in the airport where visitors can enjoy a Blockbuster movie free of charge. There is a movie schedule with times posted on the outside of the theater. The theater is an actual theater with a large tv screen and theater style seats. The theater shows movies 24/7.
Rest and Sleep
There are so many dedicated areas around Changi Airport to rest and sleep 😴 🛏 . There are areas specifically set aside for this, not to mention comfortable seating options scattered throughout the airport. For a fee, many of the lounges offer pay-per-use lounges where visitors can use the amenities there and even take a nap.
Stroll Through the Many Outdoor Gardens
Sometimes, all you need is fresh air and a break from both people and being inside. At Changi Airport, there are multiple outdoor gardens that are worth exploring, especially during a long layover. Changi Airport has several small gardens around the airport. Most are located outside but accessible from within the airport.
Some of the gardens we walked through and enjoyed include the Butterfly Garden, Cactus Garden, Discovery Garden, and Water Lily Garden.
Try Some Local Singaporean Food
One of my favorite parts of traveling is trying local food 🍡 🍥 🍜. I actually enjoy trying local food at airports and am rarely disappointed. Changi Airport has several food options, one of my favorite areas here to try local cuisine was at Singapore Food Street on the 2nd floor in Terminal 3. All the vendors here are set up to look like an old 1960s food street. We ate here twice and I loved both dishes. The first item I had here was a bowl of rice with egg and salted pork. Our second visit, we tried steamed dumplings.
Ordering here is pretty easy. There are screens set up where you select the restaurant you want to order from and you select a dish from the tablet. You then pick up your meal from one of the food vendors.
Visit the Butterfly Garden
One of my favorite gardens at Singapore Changi Airport is the Butterfly Garden 🦋. This garden is unique as it’s the “World’s First Butterfly Garden in an Airport.” I’ve yet to see another airport with a butterfly garden. According to Changi Airport there are over 1,000 butterflies within the garden and up to 40 different species. There is also a 6m tall waterfall within the garden. The butterflies have fresh fruit to eat and visitors can enjoy the many butterflies while walking on the designated path.
Additional Things to do During a Layover at Singapore Changi Airport that we Missed out on
It’s no joke, that visitors need an entire day to explore Changi Airport. There is so much to do and see here, where long layovers just are not enough. In total, Jill and I spent about 14 hours at this airport and we were unable to do everything that Changi Airport had to offer. This doesn’t even include browsing all the shops and restaurants inside Jewel. Because of time constraints or not being fully prepared, here are a few of the activities and attractions that are offered at Changi Airport, that we missed out on.
All the Fun Activities at Jewel
As if the Rain Vortex wasn’t impressive enough, Jewel has many other attractions. We only had time to peek in and see the waterfall, but there is also a canopy bridge, bouncing and walking nets, grass and mirror mazes, parks, slides, and seasonal attractions.
Freshen Up with a Shower
After a long flight, wouldn’t it be nice to freshen up with a shower? While at Changi Airport, you can! Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and Jewel, all have lounges that offer showers to visitors. I felt prices were a bit high between $16 and $20 to use the shower, but at least towels, soap, and shampoo is provided. We choose to use our time wisely and explore more of the airport and Singapore itself. But for others that really can’t stand airplane germs and have a long layover, then taking a nice shower at one of the lounges might be a great option!
Go for a Swim at the Pool
If you want to feel like you are at a resort while on a long layover, then head over to the swimming pool and jacuzzi at Changi Airport. You can relax in a pool or hot tub and watch planes take off and land.
Slide Down the World's Tallest Airport Slide
The Slide @ T3 is considered the “World’s tallest slide inside an airport.” The slide is 12 meters in height or about 4 stories high. This slide is not just for kids, adults can enjoy the slide as well.
Plan Your Trip: 🗺 ✈️ 🇸🇬
Booking Accommodations ⛺️ 🛖
For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com
Activities and Tours 🏖 🚁
Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.
In need of a car rental? 🚗 🚘
I recommend checking with Rental Cars.
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