You’re on your way to somewhere exotic, or on the way home from a super epic overseas adventure? You’re tired, sunburnt, hungover, and all you want do is have a shower, don a pair of clean PJs and sleep. Except. You have a long stopover at Changi Airport.
If you’re gonna get stuck on a long stopover between flights, Singapore’s main airport is pretty much the best place to be. Think of it as the crème de la crème, the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow of airports.
Along with fabulous necessities like toilets and coffee shops, the wonderful world of Changi will bedazzle you with a whole host of time-killing options that are actually fabulous.
Intrigued? Read on.
1. Go for a swim
Make haste for the rooftop pool and splash away your weary bones/jetlag/hangover. Just don’t forget to pack your bathers in your carryon.
2. Get massaged by a person… or a fish
Day spas abound in the magical land that is Changi and are amazing havens of uber-relaxation. If you feel like something a little bit disgusting different, treat yo-self to an appointment with a nibbly fish (actually, there are quite a few said fish and they’ll munch away all the hideousness on your tootsies). Afterwards, sip on a green tea and feel fancy. If you’re on a budget, find a massage chair and sit in it for $2 then splash out on a bubble tea.
3. Pose alongside giant sculptures of food
Giant crab, giant roti, giant chicken wings, giant laksa. The only thing that would make these better is if they were made of REAL FOOD and not fibreglass. Perfect your pose – serious hands-on-hip or less-serious pretend-to-dive-into-the-soup – add your filter, post to Instagram and watch the likes roll on in.
4. Ride the monorail between terminals
1. It’s a great time-killer. 2. It beats walking. 3. It’s the perfect opportunity to sing the monorail song from The Simpsons.
5. Take a day trip in Singapore FO NUTTIN’
Got six hours to spare? If you’re not so interested in filming yourself ballet dancing on travelators or sampling every single perfume in Duty Free, go on a city tour of Singapore. Take a Heritage Tour during the day or check out Singapore’s City Lights at night. And yeah, totes free.
6. Eat.
There are 81 places to eat at Changi. Do yourself a favour and don’t try all of them. But do try some of them. Food on planes is notoriously awful, so fill your tum with actual delicious nosh. Fancy Japanese sushi? Don’t mind if I do. Little bit of lobster? Yes please. Crazy enormous cake? STOP IT! Then head to the Mexican-themed rooftop bar for a boozy beverage or two.
7. Soak up some art
“Oh yahh, have you seen that new artwork at the airport? It’s so post-punk-new-wave-bauhaus-blah-blah-depeche-mode, don’t you think yahhhhh?” is something you wouldn’t expect to hear on a long stopover but you MIGHT HEAR IT AT CHANGI!
Stop by the Kinetic Rain exhibit in Terminal 1 for an arty injection, care of 1,216 bronze droplets suspended from the ceiling. There’s also a spectacular exhibit featuring a band of man-sized frogs playing musical instruments. It’ll haunt your dreams.
8. Scream your way down a 4-storey slide
Excuse me? A slide? Sign me up.
9. Have a mini-movie-marathon for one
Load up your laptop before your leave home, then find somewhere semi-comfortable (there are literally lounges everywhere with personal power points on standby – hello, future) where you can bliss out for a couple of hours before your next flight. Note: steer clear of 70s Airport disaster flicks.
10. Get your garden fix
Mosey to Terminal 3’s Butterfly garden, then stroll along to the Koi Pond, then head up to the Terminal 2 rooftop sunflower garden for greenery aplenty, a few minutes of quiet time/reflection on a rad holiday, or a butterfly-on-your-nose selfie.
11. Catch some zzzs
Trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep at an airport is like trying to lick your elbow: pretty much impossible. Until… cue the twinkly music you enter the Snooze Lounge. Pop on your eye mask, stretch out and drift away to the land of nod. Just be sure to set your alarm.
12. Be a creep (but not too much of a creep)
When you’ve ticked off all of the above and you can’t walk another step, nothing beats people watching. Channel your inner Private Eye and concoct far-fetched stories about the woman in the velour tracksuit and the eye-mask-as-a-headband on the run from the Feds, or the German backpacker who’s actually an Arabian prince. Failing that, count how many matching outfits you see.
Wanna spend a gap year in Singapore or spend some time at Changi on your next adventure? Check out some our epic trips to Asia!