Guide to Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore's Changi Airport is regarded as the best airport in the world by many travellers who have passed through its spacious and luxurious terminals, and we are definitely one of them. Beyond our humble opinion, this is also an official fact; it has been voted the world's best airport by Skytrax for seven consecutive years.

We spent a 12 hour overnight layover here and loved every second of it. In our guide, we want to show you some of the amazing amenities and entertainment facilities available for you when passing through, and some more practical information when visiting Changi. We hope this can help you make the most of your time here and explore the world's greatest airport.

Jewel

Changi Airport's lifestyle and entertainment hub, the Jewel was opened in 2019 and has since attracted around 300,000 visitors a day, and it is not surprising to see why, when you discover what's inside.

The building itself is a masterpiece, and it is filled with everything you need and more to make a long layover or some extra time at the airport more enjoyable. Amongst other things it is a world class shopping destination, with retailers such as Apple, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Nike, Zara and many more. You will also find delicious food options ranging from fast food and coffee outlets, to more high end cuisine from all over the world.

If shopping is not your thing, there are plenty of attractions you can do whilst visiting Jewel. There are art installations, a canopy bridge, a suspended trampoline, a forest valley, hedge maze, as well as the world's largest indoor waterfall, which transforms into an hourly light, water and music show throughout the day (until 11pm). Some of the attractions are paid (and can be pricey) but many are free, you should check prices on the Changi Jewel's website.

Jewel cannot be accessed from transit, so you will need to go through customs and passport control if you are on a layover. If you arrive early to the airport, many airlines offer early check in at Changi, so you don't need to lug your bags around whilst exploring Jewel.

Airport Attractions

You will be spoilt for choice for things to do once you have gone through security or staying in transit for your layover, from entertainment options to rest areas to art installations. We've highlighted some of our favourite attractions which you could visit whilst at Changi Airport.

There is a an awesome nature trail which winds through the airport, with a cactus, sunflower gardens and a koi pond, but our favourite of them is the butterfly garden. It has over 1,000 butterflies in a tropical habitat, which is such a relaxing way to spend your time at the airport. You'll find the Butterfly Garden in the transit area of Terminal 3.

If you have plenty of time to spare, you can even catch a complimentary movie in one of the cinemas you'll find at Changi. There are some great blockbusters playing around the clock; we watched Spider-Man: Homecoming, but they were also playing Ad Astra and Toy Story 4 amongst others. You'll find a cinema each in terminals 2 & 3.

We had an overnight layover, and were keen to get a bit of shut eye, which you can do in style at Changi, without forking out for a lounge. There are tons of comfortable and quiet sleep and rest areas all throughout the terminals.

Depending on the length of your layover, you can take advantage of the free Singapore tour the airport offers. They recommend you should have at least a 5-6 hour layover to do one of their tours, which run seven times a day and you can choose between the city sights or the heritage tours. We couldn't do one of these ourselves as we had an overnight layover, but we heard so many great things about it.

Apart form the extraordinary above, you will also find the usual airport facilities at Changi, like free to use WiFi throughout, paid lounges, shopping and restaurants, as well as prayer facilities.

Getting to and from the Airport

The airport is really well connected to the rest of the city state, with options to suit your needs and budget.

Taking the train into downtown Singapore takes about 35-40 minutes on the East West line, transferring at Tanah Merah station, which costs just under SG$2.

You can also take the bus, which takes anywhere between 1 hour to about an hour and 20 minutes, depending on your final destination. There are tons of bus lines from all terminals, each costing around SG$2-3, depending on your exact trip. Make sure you look into this and have the right fare as change is not given on the buses.

Local taxis and Grabs (a ride sharing app like Uber) are also plenty around the airport, and will take about 30 minutes into downtown, costing anywhere between SG$20-40 depending on traffic and your destination.

Getting Around the Terminals

Changi Airport has 4 terminals; 3 of which (Terminals 1, 2 & 3) are in close proximity, all connected by walkways, the light rail link, as well as offering ease of access to the Jewel. Terminal 4 is located slightly further away, but is connected to the main terminals by a complimentary shuttle bus service (which runs to Terminal 2).

The complimentary Skytrain which connects terminals 1, 2 & 3, runs pretty much all day (from 5:30am to 2:30am) and is super frequent, with a train every 4-5 minutes. You can take advantage of this service both in the transit and public areas.

You can walk between terminals 1, 2 & 3 using the walkavators inside the terminals at both transit and public areas, and you can even walk directly between terminals 2 & 3 using the mezzanine level footbridge.

The free Terminal 4 shuttle bus runs 24 hours a day, between it and Terminal 2, in both the transit and public areas, about every 10 minutes during peak times.

The Jewel can be reached on foot in a couple of minutes from Terminal 1, and in about 5-10 minutes from terminals 2 & 3. To access the Jewel, you must go through passport control, as it can't be accessed from transit.

If we missed any of your favourite things to do at Changi Airport or useful information about it, let us know in the comments.

Happy Wandering!