10 Things To Do at the Singapore Changi Airport

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travel isn’t always as glorious as it sounds, as many of us know. if we are buddies on instagram, then you saw that our flight from perth to hong kong was disrupted by getting stuck at the singapore changi airport. while no one ever wants to be stranded overnight at a hotel, especially when you have an important speech to give the next day, if you do get stuck this is the airport to be at! here are 10 things to do at singapore changi airport!

Things To Do at the Singapore Changi Airport

1) book a hotel/napping room first!

my first bit of advice if you get stuck here is to decide if you want to get a hotel for the night. they have one hotel inside terminal 3 that fills up quickly so find it and make a reservation. note that you cannot retrieve your checked luggage because you have to clear immigration to get it. we were quoted around $120 for two of us to sleep 6 hours (they do blocks of 6 hours) but they had no more rooms left. they do have another hotel near the airport you could check out but it’s not walkable to get to.

they also have napping rooms that you can reserve as well! these were also full so we couldn’t utilize them but the fact that they exist are a good thing. point being, if you want to sleep more comfortably and you know you’ll be there a while, go book a hotel/napping room when you first arrive!

2) go see the koi pond!

visit the koi pond for your viewing and calming pleasure! if you’re lucky, you might also get to see a couple making out too…heeyo.

 

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3) visit the butterfly pavilion!

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this may help to calm you or just cause you to feel suffocated by the humidity. you can tell who was feeling what:

changi singapore airport

4) catch a movie!

changi singapore airport

they have new releases playing 24 hours a day in a real movie theater with extra space between seat aisle for your luggage! we watched the new hobbit movie to pass a few hours and let me tell you, when you doze off in that movie and then wake up to yet another battle scene, your dreams get weird.

they also had a ton of other movies playing around the airport with big comfy seats that had speakers in them!

5) get a free leg massage!

changi singapore airportthey had these babies everywhere and they were super high-powered and glorious on your legs and feet. this photo was taken at 11:30pm, when you suddenly stop caring how many other people’s sweaty feet have been in that same position.

there were also some full body massages but people were passed out in them so we were happy with these.

6) eat food you like!

changi singapore airportthey have a ridiculous amount of dining options in the singapore changi airport and i decided i needed fajitas. the steam was so intense i had to sit for literally 4 minutes before i could dive in…longest 4 minutes ever.

the best part of eating at the hardrock cafe is that we noticed some very comfy looking benches that we would later stalk and then pounce on! yes, i’m listening to “harry potter and the goblet of fire” on my very old but very trustworthy ipod.

changi singapore airport

7) take a shower!

we slept on our comfy benches from about 11:45pm-2:15am then we set our alarms to take a shower before our 6am flight. this was important in case we wouldn’t have time before we gave our speech in hong kong mere hours later. go back up to the napping lounge still in terminal 3 (next to the movie theater) and you can take up to a 30 minute shower for around $15 USD!changi singapore airport

they have shampoo and conditioner (the kind that dries out your hair but it’s better than nothing)! they won’t voluntarily offer you a comb or toothbrush but request them and they hand them over.

then we had to pass through customs to get our bags and they gave us this handy little reminder:

changi singapore airportdon’t bring drugs friends because you will die and they straight up warn you.

8. explore the 5 different gardens!

changi singapore airport

we didn’t make it to all of them but apparently there is even a root-top cacti garden. it really is the most beautiful airport we’ve been to.

9) take the free tour around singapore!

this only works if your layover is 5+ hours and not in the middle of night but apparently they have a an excellent free tour that takes you around the city of singapore! we didn’t get to do this during our stay here but next time (and hopefully by choice and not because jetstar airlines is terrible).

10) check out the social tree!

we didn’t know about this while we were there but were later told about this magnificently tall interactive tree that allows travelers to share videos and photos of their time at the singapore changi airport! it’s located in terminal 1.

of course no one likes to have unexpected travel delays (which then results in having to book a new ticket 7 hours before it leaves) but if you do…the singapore changi airport has to be the one to be stuck in!

ps. they do have free internet but if you don’t have a local phone, you need to bring your passport to an info-desk and they will give you a code that lasts for 8 hours!

12 Comments

  1. Courtney! @ Redefining Athlete

    June 15, 2015 at 9:12 am

    We will there over 4th of July and I can’t wait! I want to see that treeee! WHY don’t we have this awesome-ness in the US?
    Courtney! @ Redefining Athlete recently posted…Dirty Kanza 200 Race Recap

    • chelsea

      June 15, 2015 at 1:48 pm

      ohhhh fun! you are going to have a great time, just in the airport! pllllllease take a photo of the tree so i can live through you 🙂 have so much fun!

  2. Audrey

    June 15, 2015 at 10:01 am

    “Don’t bring drugs friends because you will die and they straight up warn you.”

    I love that line 🙂 and also the fact that your were napping to some HP! I LOVE airports and I love your rundown on the Singapore one! I’ve been to the Hong Kong airport and two in India but the Singapore one sounds SO AWESOME! Glad you had safe travels- even if they were a little delayed and stressful!
    Audrey recently posted…Are You a Worrywart?

    • chelsea

      June 15, 2015 at 1:50 pm

      isn’t that notice so intense?! all of a sudden i was like “OMG. is benedryl a drug?! i am going to DIE?!” ohh the hong kong is a good airport, isn’t it?! i haven’t been to india yet but i would think it would be a good one too!

  3. Brittany

    June 15, 2015 at 11:53 am

    What a cool airport! I guess if you have to be stuck it’s a good one with lots of options
    Brittany recently posted…Stitch Fix Review II

  4. Courtney {Alkeks Abroad}

    June 15, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    I just read this to my husband who had a layover there on Saturday- he sent me selfies from a couple of these spots haha.

    Also, Jetstar is the worst.
    Courtney {Alkeks Abroad} recently posted…Friday Favorites: #alkeksinaustralia edition

    • chelsea

      June 15, 2015 at 1:52 pm

      ha i love that your husband was sending you selfies from some of the same spots, courtney! wheeeew don’t even get me started again on jetstar! first and last time to fly them EVER. such terrible customer service! THE WORST.

      okay. i’m done. going to play catch up on your blog now 🙂

  5. Pech

    June 15, 2015 at 5:01 pm

    Talk about turning a negative into a positive! I love that overseas airports often have all these activities to help kill time as they seem to understand the hell of a long wait and want to help you pass the time (and if they can take some money – they will. I will gladly pay to be able to take a shower). Thanks for this info, hopefully I won’t have to use all of it, but just in case!
    Pech recently posted…Brownies topped with Potato Chips

    • chelsea

      June 17, 2015 at 7:40 am

      so true about those overseas airport and i would say the shower was the best $15 i’d spent in a while!

  6. Rachel G

    June 16, 2015 at 6:48 pm

    I’ve overnighted there several times on purpose–it’s a common route between my Malaysian home and my American one, so I’ve stayed in the 6-hour hotel a few times, but both times Dad booked it way in advance–I think last-minute bookings are pretty hard to get. It’s my favorite airport in the world. There are much, much worse airports to get stuck in.
    Rachel G recently posted…Leaving Well

    • chelsea

      June 17, 2015 at 7:41 am

      ohh that seems like a great place to have a stop over for that long trip, rachel! yeah booking in advance seems like the way to go because they filled up so quickly with the hotels! i’d definitely go back because it really is an incredible airport!