Changing flights, heading out for a whistlestop tour of Singapore’s attractions or stopping over for a longer holiday in Singapore, the award-winning Changi Airport is far more than a transport hub that you simply pass through. Alongside its world class facilities, it is packed with fun things to do so be prepared for imaginatively filled spaces and diverse experiences around every corner! From gardens to art installations, interactive touchpoints to arcade games, hundreds of shops and restaurants to playgrounds for all ages, here are our top 10 things to do at Singapore’s Changi Airport…
1. Explore Jewel Changi Airport
One of the top things to do at Changi Airport has to be Jewel. Here you’ll find the mesmerising Jewel Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, sat beneath a beautiful jewel-like dome and surrounded by shopping, dining and nature-inspired experiences, and places both young and old can go to play.
The gardens of the Shiseido Forest Valley spans five storeys and is a million miles away from the often-stressful airport experience. Here you can sit back and chill, the relaxing rush of the Jewel Rain Vortex soothing the soul or wander one of the trails through the greenery; take the west trail to find the SENSE installation with its illuminations and soothing music.
2. Whet Your Appetite
When planning things to do at Changi Airport, eating needs to be somewhere near the top of the list. Food here is well and truly celebrated, with an incredible range of places to eat, serving all sorts of international cuisines and plenty of delicious local flavours too. In fact, it is so good, locals come here to eat even when they don’t have a flight to catch.
You could start on Singapore Food Street, a 24-hour food court in Terminal 3, which shares a similar vibe to top Singapore attraction, the hawker centres, before making your way through some of the nearly 200 restaurants that are dotted throughout all four terminals and under the dome of Jewel Changi Airport. To name just a few, enjoy a local seafood feast at JUMBO Seafood or try a bubbling hot pot at Beauty In The Pot, also in Jewel. Head to T2 for dim sum at Swee Choon and strong Nanyang coffee and kaya toast from Ya Kun. For a sweet treat, back in Jewel is the popular, home-grown Birds of Paradise ice cream parlour that specialises in botanical flavours.
3. Visit Canopy Park
For those with a little more energy to burn, above Jewel’s Forest Valley is the Canopy Park. Walk across the Mastercard Canopy Bridge, suspended 23 metres above the ground before diving into a range of mazes, bouncing nets, garden trails, giant slides and mist filled bowls – this is the ultimate adventure playground for the young and the young at heart.
4. Changi Experience Studio
A hub of fun and discovery, the Changi Experience Studio is one of the most innovative things to do at Changi Airport. Fully interactive, digital and immersive, learning about an airport has never been so much fun, as you discover the history and development of the site, and play games and watch shows around aviation and how the airport is run.
5. View the arts installations
Dotted throughout the airport’s four terminals are a spectacular collection of art installations that will delight art lovers and enthral everyone else. In T1, you’ll see Kinetic Rain, a moving sculpture of copper-plated aluminium raindrops which can each move independently to form moving shapes. In T2, there is Flap Pix, a re-purposed mechanical split-flap flight information board that now displays iconic Singapore locations and even passenger potraits. There are also plenty of wall murals, art displays and sculptures like the beautiful Les Oiseaux (The Birds) that soar over the T4 Departures Hall. The latest additions to the collection are wholly digital – wander over to T2 to experience ‘The Wonderfall’ and ‘Dreamscape’, a beautiful blurring of technology and art.
6. Fly Singapore Airlines
With Changi Airport as its home hub, there is no better way to get to and from Singapore than Singapore Airlines. Flying from London Heathrow four times daily, from London Gatwick daily (from April 2025) and Manchester five times a week, Asia is more accessible than ever. With Changi Airport to break up the journey, or as the final destination, flying has never been so much fun.
Voted the World’s Best Airline Cabin Crew by Skytrax 2024, your crew will take care of you from the moment you step onboard. Relax with 1,900 on-demand entertainment options featuring latest releases and eat deliciously exclusive dishes and sip on excellent wines as you relax in a cabin full of state-of-the-art features that bring unparalleled levels of comfort. It’s no wonder Singapore Airlines are one of the world’s favourite airlines.
7. Go Shopping
An airport staple activity yes, but you should know by now that Changi Airport doesn’t do things by halves! There are over 350 shops, from duty free and international brands to local boutiques, selling luxury goods, souvenirs, snacks for your flight and everything in between, that will keep you and your credit card entertained for hours.
8. Walk in the gardens
A reflection of Singapore as a ‘City in Nature’, the gardens of Changi Airport are varied, whimsical and wonderful. You can go for a stroll through the Enchanted Garden to admire the floral displays, water features and mosaics, visit the Butterfly Garden to watch over 1,000 butterflies flit around their gorgeous tropical habitat, and enjoy the educational exhibits and calming waters of the Discovery Garden. There’s also the rooftop Sunflower Garden and peaceful Waterlily Garden – whatever nature is your favourite, there will be a garden to revel in.
9. Sit by the pool
Of course Changi Airport has a rooftop pool and jacuzzi! You can find it in T1 and it’s the perfect place to either get the holiday started early or have one last blast of sunshine before returning home. With plenty of loungers, shower facilities and a 24-hour bar, the $25 fee is a very worthy investment – just remember to put your swimwear in your carry on.
10. Visit Singapore
There are many things to do in Changi Airport, but there are even more things to do in Singapore! A tropical destination, a ‘City in Nature’ where nature and urban life combine to perfection, this wonderful city state is full of attractions.
There’s the delicious food that you can taste in eateries that range from vibrant hawker centres to Michelin-starred restaurants. The distinct and magical neighbourhoods that give insight into the fascinating mix of heritage that Singapore boasts, where you can visit temples and shop houses, shop for traditional items and taste more local flavours. There are iconic sights like Marina Bay’s Merlion and Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the grand architecture of historic Raffles and the shopping malls and artisanal boutiques of Orchard Road. There’s an abundance of nature found particularly in the Singapore Botanic Gardens and at the crowning jewel of Singapore attractions, the enchanting Gardens by the Bay. Whether you’re here for a quick stopover, or want to make a holiday out of it, you’re in for an incredible time.
Find out more about things to do in Singapore.
