Singapore #4: Changi Airport

American airports suck (to be fair, they’re not international hubs). European airports are overcrowded, chaotic and unintuitive. Bangalore’s T2 terminal is beautiful and scenic, though it doesn’t have many shops or eating places (yet). Hong Kong airport is spacious, sparkling, and has lots of shops.

 

And then there’s Singapore’s Changi airport. It is the only airport one would like to be “stuck” due to a delayed flight or a long layover! That’s partly because parts of the airport are a mall cum fun area open for all, not just people catching a flight. Locals come for family visits, the way you might go to a mall or a movie!

 

It even has a (paid) swimming pool and gym. The food options are numerous, though the more popular ones can be very crowded (it’s like a mall for the locals, remember?). Like a few European airports, it offers a city tour between flights for an overview of Singapore, though you’d need to apply for a visa if you are just passing through.

 

There is a free theatre, if one is interested. A butterfly garden. An orchid garden. A cactus garden. An enchanting garden. Play areas for toddlers. An airport train connecting terminals.

 

Then there’s the section called Jewel. It has the iconic Rain Vortex, an indoor waterfall surrounded by a terraced indoor “forest”. The Shiseido Forest Valley, an indoor garden near the waterfall. The Canopy Park is for fun activities (paid) like the bouncing net, the walking net, hedge maze, canopy bridge and foggy bowls.

 

Changi is probably the only airport that, in and of itself, is a tourist attraction! You’d easily need a whole day to cover it. Imagine that.

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