Visiting Changi Airport

Earlier this year in April, a new building named Jewel Changi Airport opened that makes visiting Changi Airport intriguing even for non-travelers, not just those waiting for their flight. With all the things to do and things to eat and drink, the addition of this building continues to solidify Changi as the benchmark world’s best airport. Here are some of my pointers of all of what you might want to see when you are visiting Changi Airport based on my visit and researching June 2019.

First, you should know that the Jewel building has walkways that connect it directly to Terminals 1, 2, and 3 – just look for signs showing you where to go. The only way to get between Jewel and Terminal 4 are shuttle buses between T4 and T2. Jewel is open 24 hours as a building, but not all attractions or restaurants may be open (most are open 10 AM – 10 PM).

If you have luggage, check in and get rid of your luggage first for ease of enjoying your time. If you just came out of a plane, baggage storage is available (and required for some of the attractions that don’t allow the bags) on level 1 of Jewel or any of the terminals. Note that if you are connecting that going out to Jewel does require going through immigration/out of the secure area.

You can get a glimpse of Jewel without exiting post-security by riding the Skytrain between Terminal 2 and 3 since it passes through Jewel. This may be important if you are on a layover and want to sign up for one of the free Singapore tours available, which you must sign up for without exiting security and which will take up your one exit/entrance from the airport to Singapore.

Free Wi-fi, wheelchairs and strollers (with a refundable deposit), and even power banks (free for the first 12 hours) are also available.

FYI the list that follows are my highlights, for a full list of attractions for each terminal check out the Changi Airport website here. Note, I find the printed maps they have for each terminal pretty terrible because the maps are really small and they don’t have much description so really recommend instead to use online maps.

Things To Do that are Free

I would divide the things to do at Changi into four categories – the free and those that have an admission fee, and then those are pre-security/Public and those post-security/Transit (or that’s how Changi lists them on their map). I only tried those attractions that were free, and most of my time was exploring Jewel.

In Jewel, free things to do are mainly the famous HSBC Rain Vortex and the surrounding Shiseido Forest Valley – four stories of greenery and walking trails surrounding the world’s tallest indoor waterfall at seven stories/40 meters with 500,000 liters of water and mist. 38,000 liters of water are falling every minute (maybe more during the rainy season!). It’s hard to miss these two- they are the literal centerpiece of the Jewel building.

In the evening, the HSBC Rain Vortex has a light show where lights and music are projected and played – the show runs every hour starting at 7:30 PM. The show itself is 5 minutes or so long and I didn’t stay long enough to see it.

There is also incredible free art available in all the terminals to enjoy, so you don’t necessarily have to head to Jewel to see visual eye candy. This list shares some highlighted art to not miss at Changi Airport, ranging from a famous Singapore muralist to kinetic art in the terminals. For instance a wall of clocks in Terminal 2 (A Million Times) is more then it appears.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhZOtCrBPch/

I was able to visit one of the kinetic art pieces, Kinetic Rain in Terminal 1 Departure Hall. Kinetic Rain at Changi is a moving sculpture of 1,216 aluminum and copper droplets that each are controlled by its own individual motor, and move up and around to flow into different shapes. This could range from all slowly dropping from the ceiling like rain into forming and undulating in different wave formations or becoming a shape like an outline of an airplane.

If you do happen to be in Jewel, definitely take the time to walk around to look for art after your walk through the greenery of the forest and waterfall center. I really loved the vantage point of seeing the sparkle of the shimmering crystals in the sculpture Crystal Clouds while also seeing the flow of water from the Rain Vortex.

In more free attractions, if you are waiting for your flight post-security, there are free, 24 hour movie theaters available in Terminal 2 or 3. You can also have a mini-makeover, have a Singapore Sling, sample high end tea or coffee, or get a Johnnie Walker bottle engraved (complimentary with a bottle purchase)- see Now Boarding’s post for the details If you are here on Sundays, you can participate in free yoga classes or on Saturdays enjoy performances including live music and magic shows in Terminal 3’s basement.

Post-security, Terminal 3 is also home to a Butterfly Garden with koi pond. Terminal 2 has a Sunflower Garden and an Orchid Garden. Terminal 1 has a Hidden Garden that includes a swimming pool and a view of planes taking off. Terminal 4 has a steel sculpture of flowers with mirrored floors for cool photos, and also has some stores styled as Peranakan shophouses for more photo ops. There’s certainly something for every terminal, wherever you are arriving or departing.

Things to Do that have Admission Fee

But, if you are willing to pay to have some fun in Changi, you have several different options at Changi. Within Jewel Changi itself, there are specific attractions which have been added to the airport. You have the option of Canopy Park, with a small admission fee of S$5. This gives you access to a slide sculpture that you can slide down or just take photos with its mirrored surface, and areas to walk around including a flower garden, topiary garden, and an area that puffs out white mist.

For additional individual fees for each on top of the Canopy Park admission, visitors can also walk at the top of the building over a glass bridge, wander through a hedge or mirror maze, or scramble through nets.

You can see the Canopy Bridge with its glass floor behind me to my right (left side of photo)

As a separate attraction from Canopy Park, another option inside Jewel is the Changi Experience Studio with multiple interactive VR technology attractions. Admission to this can be bundled with Canopy Park by pre-purchasing admission online for S$71.

If you want a shower or a nap and don’t have access to your accommodations anymore, you can find a pay per use lounge in Terminal 3 and a hotel in Jewel that has a 4 hour and above rate. You can also find more then 400 retail stores throughout Changi Airport for shopping – which I suppose either is free or not depending on if you buy or not.

I found purchasing souvenirs that highlighted local sights or food really easy at Changi Airport. For instance I got durian wafer sandwiches, Merlion pandan cookies, and mixes to make Singapore chili crab or black pepper crab using the recipes of famous Jumbo Seafood. You can also find a Pokemon Center, the only one outside Japan. Check the promotions website for Changi – for each receipt it entered me into a contest to be a millionaire. There may be other promotions for certain $ purchases or getting a Tourist Booklet by showing your passport can earn you more extras.

Things to Eat

There is some incredible food available at Changi Airport that include more then a hundred options in Jewel alone, ranging from local and international favorites. Several eateries have late hours, or are open 24 hours, in Jewel. Have you always been curious about the allure of Shake Shack or Din Tai Fung? You’ll find them at Changi without the long wait of the normal locations!

If you have an early morning flight (either arriving or leaving), I can’t recommend highly enough getting your first fix of genuine Singaporean food with Kaya Toast and Coffee (I visited Ya Kun Kaya Toast located in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 pre-security) – you don’t even have to change money and just charge your breakfast to credit card. An alternative option for kaya toast is Killiney Kopitiam.

Other highlights of food in Jewel Changi Airport include

• Burgers and fries and shake at Shake Shack
• Or get a spin on the Asian-style burgers at Mos
• Lobster Rolls from Burger & Lobster
• Dim Sum at Din Tai Fung (Taiwanese) or Tim Ho Wan (Michelin starred Hong Kong style)
• Michelin starred ramen from Tsuta, its signature dish is Shoyu Soba, ramen in soy-based broth and topped with truffle puree
• Or try the famous tender Kurobuta pork cutlets tonkastsu by Ma Maison
• Tomahawk steaks at El Fuego
• Enjoying a root bear float in a frosty mug from A&W
• Korean fried chicken at trendy chain Jinjja Chicken 
• Danish ice cream in a fresh waffle cone from Anderson’s of Denmark
• Hokkaido milk ice cream (including one with a Creme Brulee top!) from Icenoie Hokkaido
• Crepe cakes from Lady M New York
• For something really unique, check out durian in a variety of formats from sweet to savory, pizza and nuggets to mochi, at Four Seasons Durian Restaurant
• Get Hong Kong’s Michelin Star awarded famous roast duck or crispy roast pork from Kam’s Roast
• Or try the famous Singapore pork rib soup from an established vendor from 1969, Song Fa Bak Kut Teh
• Violet Oon Singapore also offers Singaporean Peranakan cuisine from Singapore’s culinary icon and food ambassador
• And so much more!

You’ll also find more food options distributed among the various terminals – but they are at the highest density in Jewel (130 food options), though overall at Changi you will find more then 200 options. Each terminal has at least one food court featuring local cuisine in a fast casual setting. If you are concerned about price and willing to exit security, you can even look for the employee hawker centers (employees pay a discounted price but it is open to the public) in Terminal 1 or 2. You can legit do a food crawl just staying inside Changi Airport.

I hope this guide to visiting Changi Airport has been super helpful. It took me a lot of visiting many webpages to gather all this information for my own use. I wanted to document it all here not only for you, but for me so I can remember if I have the good fortune to transit through Changi Airport in the future. Smooth and safe travels to all of you out there as well!

What would you do with your time visiting Changi airport?

(Merlion in mini form before security in Terminal 2)

Singapore Travel Posts

• Dinner at the world’s only Michelin starred Peranakan restaurant
• Singapore Sights: Old Hill Street Police Station, Singapore Chili Crab in Clarke Quay
• Peranakan Style Buildings in Singapore
• Guide to visiting Hawker Centers in Singapore
• Is visiting Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands worth it?
• Other sights in Singapore: things to do in Singapore 
• Things to see in Changi Airport (this post)