20 Things To Do at Singapore’s Changi Airport in 2026

When Changi Airport won the 2026 Skytrax award for the World’s Best Airport, it was no great surprise to this gal. My number one airport with a bullet since the very first time I flew through it more than 20 years ago is everything I wish every airport could be.

Changi has now taken out the ‘World’s Best Airport’ crown 14 times, and the only reason there’s a gap in its winning streak is because of that time Covid-19 led to two whole terminals being shuttered and shops, restaurants and attractions being closed.

Thankfully Changi quickly bounced back to full strength. Which is great news for travellers like me who love it, and for those who have yet to experience the Changi effect.

Of all of the “I love Changi airport” stories I’ve heard my favourite comes from my friend Gary. Despite the fact that he lives in Singapore, he confessed “I love Changi so much I checked into the Crowne Plaza when I landed once because I didn’t want to leave the airport.”

While Gary is an extreme case, especially as his home is less than half an hour away, he wasn’t the only one to sing Changi’s praises when I caught up with friends over dinner in Singapore. “Best airport in the world!” seasoned travellers Thomas and Bruce declared. “I once went from wheels down to being in a taxi in 11 minutes!” David insists. And although the idea of getting off a plane, through immigration, and getting in a cab in that time sounds unlikely, David was adamant Changi is just that good.

Mind you, it’s not just me and my friends who rave about it. Changi has taken 713 airport awards since it opened in 1981 and it’s so much fun that some locals just go to the airport to have dinner, do some shopping or hang out, even if they’re not flying anywhere.

For those who have yet to fly through Singapore, and for those who haven’t been for a while, here are the best things to do at Changi Airport in 2026.

Changi Jewel | Changi Gardens | Kinetic Rain | Shopping | Free massage | Spend the night | Changi airport pool | Dining options | Exercise bikes | Giant Slide | Free Singapore tours 

Visit the Jewel in Changi Airport’s crown

Taking the ‘it’s like no airport you’ve ever seen before’ concept to a new level, Jewel Changi Airport is 10 stories of retail and dining that just happens to include the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.

The 40-meter tall (around 130 feet) ‘rain vortex’ is the star of a gazillion social media posts, but there’s a whole lot more to discover.

Jewel’s Shiseido Forest Valley has walking trails set around more than 22,000 square metres (235,000 square feet) of landscaping, there’s an 11 cinema IMAX theatre, a mirror maze, slides for the kids that look like sculptures, and a cute hotel that you can book for the night or just for a few hours with YOTELAIR (more on that later).

The only trick if you’re connecting through Singapore is that Jewel is on the land side or public area of the airport rather than the air side, so you’ll want to have four or five hours between flights to give you enough time to get through immigration and back in again, and to enjoy yourself while you’re there.

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If you’re not sure if you can make it in time or not, just look for one of the Changi Experience Agents who’ll be able to help you. They’ll also be able to point you in the right direction if you happen to miss any of the signs around the terminals.

If you’re flying out of Singapore and want to head to the airport early to make the most of Jewel a long list of airlines including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Finnair, Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific allow early check in at Jewel up to 24 hours before.

And speaking of airlines, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to fly in Singapore Airlines Suites I share all in this review (spoiler alert: it’s amazing).

And if you want even more time than your early check in allows, or you’d like to drop off your carry on so you can explore bag free, there’s also a 24 hour baggage storage area at Jewel with prices starting from S$5 for 24 hours.

Get a nature fix in the Butterfly Garden, Sunflower Garden and more (T1, T2, T3)

If you don’t have time between flights to go land side, you can still get a burst of nature to shake off that cabin air.

At Changi they really embrace Singapore’s whole Garden City image with five themed gardens throughout the terminals. My personal favourite is the Butterfly Garden (T3) where the sight of around a thousand butterflies and the sound of a waterfall can really lift your spirits.

There’s also the Cactus Garden (T1) which has an open air bar and on some nights even has live music (just make sure you do as the man on the sign suggests and don’t be tempted to touch any of these plants). The Sunflower Garden (T2) is another chance to get out into the fresh air and do some plane spotting amongst the flowers.

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Then there are the indoor gardens, including the Water Lily Garden (T1) where you can see the Sacred Lotus, the Screw Pine and the Amazon Water Lily, which is one of the largest aquatic plants in the world, the Enchanted Garden (T2), which features sensors that trigger bird sounds as you wander around and the Orchid Garden (T2) with rare and seasonal orchids surrounding a Koi pond will hopefully be back soon.

And don’t worry if you land in one terminal and want to see things in another one. The Skytrain makes it easy to zip between terminals and runs every few minutes. Just double check when you have to be back at your departure gate, buffer in enough time to return, and go explore.

Visit the Kinetic Rain Sculpture (T1)

Beautiful and hypnotic, the Kinetic Rain sculpture is a piece of installation art featuring 1,216 bronze droplets that transform themselves into 16 different patterns and shapes. The sculpture was commissioned to take the place of the fountains that were originally found in the departure hall of Terminal 1, and have become the backdrop for many a Changi happy snap.

You can get a taste for Kinetic Rain in this little video:

Shopping at Changi (T1, T2, T3)

It can be a cruel thing to have a short connection in Singapore, especially when there’s more than 350 shops to check out. You have your designer stretches of the terminal with Prada, Burberry, Tiffany & Co, and so many more lined up in a row. Then there’s the high street fashion options, electronics, gifts and of course all of the cosmetics and fragrances.

And if you don’t know where to start and need to get a gift for someone or just want to find out the best options for yourself you can also take advantage of the Changi Shopping Concierge.

The 24/7 service is complimentary for anyone to use and there’s no minimum spend. They can even send you photos of things they’ve found on WhatsApp or WeChat before you go to the airport and then deliver them to you at the gate. Now that’s service.

Have a Free Massage at the Airport (T1, T2, T3)

Oh the joy of a massage after a flight. Or before one. Or in between. Oh, okay, I love a massage pretty much any old time.

At Changi you can find free foot massage machines around the airport, and even some magic, full body massage chairs in T3. Now I’ve been in a few massage chairs in my time and usually I can take them or leave them. But the one I tried at Changi was absolute heaven. To the point that I almost put one on my credit card afterwards (yes, they also sell them at Changi with shipping to various countries).

If you prefer a person to do your massage, you can also find Natureland spas on both the air side in T2 and the land side in T3, as well as a Be Relax spa in the air side of T3.

But back to those free massage chairs, if you do decide to use them do the right thing and get out when you’re done so someone else can enjoy them. I once tried to have a massage in one when a guy was loudly snoring a few chairs away, which made the chair have to work all the harder to stop me tensing up. Apparently that happens quite a bit and is frankly unnecessary when Changi has designated rest areas and sleeping zones with comfy chairs made for just that thing. Or of course if you really want a good sleep you can…

Spend the Night in a Changi Airport Hotel (T1, T2, T3, Jewel)

On the land side of Changi, you’ll find one of the world’s best airport hotels Crowne Plaza at Changi Airport. And that’s not just my opinion, they’ve won the Skytrax’s world airport awards best hotel title for 11 years in a row. Yes, 11.

Changi’s Crowne Plaza has stand alone baths and strong showers in every one of their rooms along with super comfortable beds. There are runway view rooms for the plane spotters and big and small kids to enjoy, as well as pool access rooms. And as you can tell by the look on my face below I didn’t need to have children to love the idea of staying in the Kiztopia Aviation Family Suite.

The rooms are quiet – I heard a gentle sound in the distance a few times which I then realised was a plane (and considering a plane takes off or lands at Changi Airport every 100 seconds, that’s saying something).

Breakfast is delicious, with a range of Asian and Western options and where I had fun creating my own little Yum Cha of a morning, and the pool is just beautiful and is the only place I’ve been able to float in a pool and look up at both palm trees and an airport control tower.

For a room without a view, but with some other fun things going on, YOTELAIR hotels are stylish little airport hotels where you can either spend the night or even just freshen up with a few hours’ sleep inside the terminal.

With the opening of Jewel, Changi got its own YOTELAIR and now travellers can stay in rooms inspired by first class airplane travel.

The Changi YOTELAIR is located inside Jewel Changi Airport, so just outside of the transit area, and is walking distance from Terminals 1, 2 and 3. As well as being a sweet spot to sleep they also have a fitness centre and free WiFi throughout, and complimentary use of Changi’s rooftop swimming pool (more on that shortly).

If you are between flights and want to stay on the air side (that’s the side you fly in and out of, on the plane’s side of immigration) you can also get a room in one of Changi’s transit hotels.

The Ambassador Transit Hotels are a more simple affair, but offer the chance to sleep in a real bed and have a shower, and you can book for just six hours or more. Mind you, these are very popular so you want to book at least a couple weeks ahead. As for the other transit hotel, that comes with a special perk…

Take a Swim in the Airport Pool (T1)

While you have to be a guest at the Crowne Plaza to look up at the air control tower as you float in their pool, there is another hotel pool combo you can try at Changi airport. Or you can just swim in the pool without checking into a room.

Make sure you pack your swimmers in your carry on because the rooftop pool in T1 is a great chance to get out into the fresh air between flights and wash that plane air away. The pool is open from 12pm until 10pm and also has a jacuzzi and poolside bar, as well as shower facilities with towels provided.

The Changi airport pool costs S$27++ to use and even if you forgot to pack your swimmers just sitting by this pool with a drink can be a treat in itself.

Or better yet, if you have enough time check into Changi’s Aerotel Transit Hotel. The hotel is right next to the pool and as well as being able to use the pool as part of your hotel perks you’ll be able to get a good sleep in too. The hotel has solo rooms with single beds for one, double rooms and family rooms that can sleep four along with a large living area with a big screen TV for those who aren’t ready to sleep yet.

The Aerotel Transit Hotel offers flexible hourly bookings starting with a six hour block, and has discounts for those who book seven days or more in advance. But if your flight is cancelled or faces a long delay you can also book with as little as one hour’s notice.

Eat up! (T1, T2, T3, Jewel)

One of the things I love about Singaporeans is how much they love their food. And with around 160 places to eat and drink in Changi, the biggest problem is deciding what to have.

Will you grab a seat at the first Yun Nans outside of China, try the dim sum delights at Tim Ho Wan or the award winning chilli crab at JUMBO Seafood?

There are also 24 hour dining options so you won’t go hungry no matter what time you fly. Just click here to check out all of the Changi airport dining options and opening hours.

Get on your (exercise) bike

It’s a great idea to get the blood pumping between all of that sitting down on flights, and at Changi they have a special corner where you can do just that.

Their Power Cycle stations aren’t like the indoor exercise bikes you might have at home. These babies charge your mobile phone while you’re riding away.

That’s right, your pedal power will power your device and you can play on the free internet while you’re doing it.

You can find the bicycle charging stations in T3’s Transfer B area.

Ride the Giant Slide (T3)

The “world’s tallest slide inside an airport” isn’t the sort of thing you come across every day. When I first saw the 12 metre (that’s four storeys!) high slide in T3 I really wasn’t sure how I’d go. It looked rather intense, but in the name of research I put on my brave face and got into position.

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What happened next was an adrenalin rush with (hopefully) muffled squeals as I flew down, down, around, around and had an absolute ball doing it. To ride the slide you need to be at least 1.3m tall and Changi Rewards member (don’t worry, it’s free).

Take a free tour of Singapore

As a special treat for anyone who is flying through Changi and has more than 5.5 hours but less than 24 hours between flights, Changi has not one but four free Singapore Tours to choose from.

There’s a City Sights Tour that includes a chance to get a photo with the Merlion and Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay, a Sentosa Discovery Tour to Singapore’s island resort, a Heritage and Culture Tour that will take you into the historic Chinatown and Kampong Gelam, and a Singapore River and Marina Bay Sands Tour with the option to pay to add on a river cruise.

And while you used to have to wait to see if there was a spot on the tour when you arrived at the airport, you can now book Changi’s Free Singapore Tours online before you fly.

Or if you’d rather do your own thing you could also get a private airport transfer. Klook’s Changi airport options include standard and luxury cars up to mini vans and coaches for larger groups and can take you to and from some of Singapore’s most popular attractions including Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, while Jayride lets you choose between around 50 transfer companies for your shuttle booking.

Yes, there’s an awful lot to do at Changi Airport. Which may be why Singapore Airlines lets you check in 48 hours before your flight. What a great idea…  get rid of your checked luggage and go on an airport adventure before your flight.

 

 

Amanda Woods travelled and stayed as a guest of Crowne Plaza.