Things to do in Changi Singapore

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Published: July 18, 2024
The Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport

Changi is a cute village right at the eastern tip of Singapore, best known for its sandy beaches, lush palm groves and, not to put too fine a point on it, its status as the country’s primary transport hub, thanks to Changi Airport’s prime position slap bang in the middle of the district. But if low-flying aircraft don’t bother you a jot, you’ll find that Changi has bags of charm, from its laid back beach resorts to the many attractions located inside the airport itself. Don’t believe us? Read on to discover why Changi is worthy of a day trip or weekend mini-break on any Singapore vacation, and check out our bite-size guide to the best things to do in Changi, Singapore!

Changi and How to Get There

Image of Railway, Train, Vehicle, Terminal, Train Station,

Its designation as one of the biggest and busiest transport hubs in all of Asia makes getting to Changi an absolute breeze. The airport is right at the end of the East–West Line on Singapore’s super-efficient Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) metro system, meaning you can get there in around 30 minutes from just about any centrally located hotel. There’s also a slew of bus and taxi services available and, heck, you can even walk, jog or cycle there via the Changi Airport Connector if you fancy it (more on this later).

The airport encircles the enormous nature-themed entertainment and shopping complex known as Jewel Changi Airport (or just ‘Jewel’ to in-the-know locals) and its this magnificent, magical, massive playground that has earned the airport the title of ‘best in the world’ dozens of times.

Things to do in Changi Airport

Image of

Make no mistake, Jewel Changi Airport is an entertainment destination in its own right, absolutely worthy of a visit even if it does feel a little weird heading to the airport for a fun day out. But this is no ordinary airport. Far from it, in fact. Housed inside this architectural marvel, you’ll find epic waterfalls, huge slides, pretty gardens and world-class shops and restaurants. And that’s just for starters. Let’s unpack just a teeny tiny selection of the highlights, many of which are free!

The Rain Vortex

Staking its claim as the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex is the jewel in the Jewel’s crown. Rainwater enters through an oculus in the roof of the dome, cascading seven stories through the heart of the building to a pool in the basement level. A truly mesmerizing spectacle at the best of times, it’s even better during the hourly light and music shows every evening.

Kinetic Rain

Over in Terminal 1, this hypnotic moving sculpture is comprised of 1,216 gleaming copper-plated raindrops, each able to move independently. Together they form elaborate shapes including planes and hot-air balloons, with the patterns repeating on a 15-minute loop. But you really could watch this thing for hours on end without tiring of it.

Image of Child, Female, Girl, Person, Bbq, Cooking, Food, Grilling,

The Slide@T3

Ever imagined the unbridled joy of whizzing down the world’s tallest airport slide? Of course you have! And now’s your chance, thanks to this four-story beast that gets you from level one to basement level three in a matter of seconds. Fab fun for kids young and old.

Butterfly Garden

There’s no shortage of flowers and foliage to explore in this vast nature-themed complex, but chief among the many verdant attractions on offer has to be the Butterfly Garden. Inside, around 1,000 tropical butterflies dance and flutter around the flowering plants and tranquil waterfall.

Pokémon Center Singapore

The kids will love this real-life replica of the gaming world’s Pokémon Center, even if your wallet does not. Expect larger-than-life characters as well as (naturally) a vast array of toys, games, trading cards, clothes, bags and, well, just about anything else you can think of. Got to buy ‘em all!

Changi: Best of the Rest

Changi Beach Park

Image of Horizon, Nature, Outdoors, Sky, Scenery, Sea, Water, Landscape, Shoreline, Coast,

There are plenty of things to do at Changi Beach Park: wiggle your toes in the warm white sand, picnic in the palm groves, take a dip in the blue, blue sea or simply sit and watch the world go by. Way less busy but no less beautiful than its near neighbor at East Coast Park, Changi Beach is a great choice for kampong-style vibes and beach cookouts, though note you’ll need to book a designated BBQ pit to do this. The beach park also has bikes to rent and easy access to the ace Park Connector Network that criss-crosses the island with cycle paths linking parks, wetlands and nature reserves via great green corridors.

Changi Airport Connector

One such corridor is the Changi Airport Connector, 3.5 kilometers of car-free pathways that link the airport to the East Coast Park. Kids will go wild for the roar-some Jurassic Mile section of the route, where life-sized dinosaurs nibble the leaves and forage in the undergrowth. Dodge nightmarish velociraptors, pause to say hey to gentle giants including the brontosaurus, and get ready to run for it when you spot the terrifying T-rex tearing through the fence!

Changi Village Hawker Centre

Image of Food, Food Presentation, Meal, Lunch, Dining Table,

Aromatic nasi lemak, that utterly sensual blend of rice, coconut milk, chilli sauce, crispy anchovies, peanuts and egg, is the one to try at this mostly-Malay hawker center in Changi Village, but you’ll find other fragrant local favorites like chili crab here, too. Heck, why not try both? You only live once, after all.

Changi Point Coastal Walk

Start at the boardwalk at Changi Bay Point, where the waterfront views are at their absolute finest, then wander waterside, taking in views of village life and watching bumboats ferry daytripping tourists out to Pulau Ubin. If you’re feeling energetic, you can continue as far as Changi Beach Park, for those stunning white sands, relaxing beach vibes, and (go on, you’ve earned it!) a cooling ice cream.

Changi Chapel and Museum

The collection at this thought-provoking museum includes paintings, murals, sculptures and other artifacts, each contributing to the story of the soldiers and civilians interned at the Changi prison camp during Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Hear tales told by the very people who were imprisoned here, and visit the powerful Changi Chapel, a faithful reproduction of St George’s, one of the churches built here by PoWs.

Save on attractions and activities in Singapore

Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.

Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

Continue reading

A group cycling in Bedok
Blog

Things to do in Bedok Singapore

Singapore’s Bedok neighborhood occupies much of the coastal area between downtown Singapore and Changi international airport, where you’ll arrive into the country if coming by air. Home to roughly 300,000 people, it emerged as a major residential district in the post-independent period of the 1960s and 70s. Largely because of its high permanent population, there are an exciting range of things to do in Bedok Singapore. From what to buy in Bedok, to Bedok hidden gems, this is the only guide you’ll ever need to feel just like one of the locals! Things to do in Bedok Reservoir and around On the northern limits of the neighborhood, Bedok Reservoir Park has turned a vital piece of public infrastructure into an attractive place to spend some time any day of the week. Paths circle the entire ten-kilometer circumference of the lake, offering ample chances for a stroll amongst attractive greenery. There’s also a dedicated jogging track and children’s playground. Those keen to cool off by getting into the water have the option of a range of watersports, from canoeing and kayaking to sailing. Bedok Reservoir Park is also home to Forest Adventure, a Go Ape style adventure park. The largest in Singapore, it has courses suitable for adults and children, as well as four zip lines giving a unique and exhilarating view of the area. If you’ve got a head for heights or a love of flight, the nearby Air Force Museum should not be missed either. A great mix of original artefacts and multimedia displays combines with an outdoor gallery of military aircraft and missiles that will have any would-be top gun swooning with delight. But for the ultimate in aviation experiences, you’ll want to instead check out Singapore’s Virtual Reality Fighter Jet Experience. Your virtual mission will see you strapped into an F-15 or F/A-18 as you soar past some of the US’ most recognizable landmarks. What to do in Bedok with the kids It’s not every day we recommend people head to the local library. But Bedok does libraries very differently to most places around the world. In actual fact a community hub containing the neighborhood library, Heartbeat@Bedok is a good all-round tip whatever the weather. In addition to library shelves containing a quarter of a million books, the center contains a first-floor outdoor children’s play area and an eight-lane swimming pool complex with jacuzzi and wet play zone. However, when it comes to slides and rides, the 4.5 hectare Coastal Playgrove in East Coast Park is difficult to beat. Boasting Singapore’s largest outdoor play structure, the four story ‘Vertical Challenge’ play net, there’s also a twisting slide that takes kids down from the fourth floor to ground level. Here they’ll be able to splash about in the pools and water jets or head into the bamboo tunnel which forms part of the ‘nature playgarden’. If the little ones still have energy to burn, you might also consider Gogreen Bicycle Rental as a way of exploring the full extent of East Coast Park. And with park connectors and green corridor tracks linking public spaces throughout the Bedok neighborhood, hitting the saddle is a great way of exploring more widely too. Try your hand at some of Bedok’s alternative past times Whether its skateboarding, wakeboarding, fishing or gardening, Bedok’s got you covered. Stick with East Coast Park to join the skater crowd at Xtreme SkatePark. Its rails, ramps and halfpipes are the obvious place to give a frontside 180, ollie or alley oop a go. Just a short stroll away, Singapore Wake Park (SWP) gives you the chance to tackle similar tricks and stunts on the water. The country’s only cable-ski park, it has three different cable systems allowing everyone from total beginners to semi-professionals to experience the thrill of wake boarding. For the more sedate visitor, Bedok Jetty is an excellent option. Stretching for 300 meters into the Strait of Singapore, it’s a popular spot from which to take in tropical sunsets. But it’s equally well known as a good spot for anyone keen to grab rod and reel. Barracuda, stingray and rosy jewfish can all be snagged. The jetty is easy to combine with a trip to the bright flower heads of the Bougainvillea Garden, which rises gently up the sloping ground from the coast. Perhaps best avoided if you’re a hay fever sufferer, it can be admired from a distance from East Coast Beach. This marries the warm waters of the Strait with soft sand perfect for both sunbathing and sand castles. Head for Bedok’s indoor attractions Come rain or shine, Bedok’s indoor attractions should be just as tempting. Art lovers need look no further than Telok Kurau Studios. An art center housing the work spaces of around 30 artists aged from 29 to 83, it also houses the Singapore Colour Photography Society and Singapore Watercolour Society. Together, the artists and societies host regular exhibitions of their work, so be sure to check local press for upcoming dates. Shopaholics are also well catered for. The first true mall to land in Bedok, Bedok Mall still looks as elegant as ever thanks to its gleaming glass and shining metal interior. When it comes to stores, there are roughly 200 to choose between. They have a great range of fashion and lifestyle items, alongside life’s essentials and a tasty food court too. Other places to soothe the shopping habit are Bedok Point and East Village malls. Both offer typical Singaporean mall experiences. Save on Singapore’s top attractions with Go City Want to enjoy the very best that Singapore has to offer without breaking the bank? Take control of your vacation budget with Go City! Our All-Inclusive and Explorer passes let you select from a host of magical attractions whilst saving on admission. Not only do they cover things to do in Bedok, but right across Singapore, from museums and art galleries to tours and one-off experiences. So why not share your vacation photos with us by tagging @GoCity or using #GoCityPass on Instagram and Facebook!
Alex Birungi
Woman in a red hat smiling and pointing towards the distant Singapore Flyer
Blog

5 Days in Singapore

Singapore is packed full of great things to do, from spectacular gardens and high-octane adventures to shopping high-end boutiques and stuffing your face with zingy chili crab in huge open-air hawker centers. No surprise then that, alongside stalwarts of the world stage including Paris, London and New York, it’s one of the most-visited cities on the planet, welcoming just shy of 15 million tourists in 2022. Five days in Singapore is just about enough time to scratch the surface of this magnificent garden city, ticking off its bucket-list attractions and getting a flavor of its hip neighborhoods and world-class foodie culture, a glorious mish-mash of Malay, Indonesian, Indian and Chinese influences. The sheer number of things to see and do around the island can be a little daunting for newbies though, so check out our suggested 5-day Singapore itinerary below for inspiration. And remember: far better to spend time appreciating a little of the city rather than rushing around trying to see everything at once and ultimately experiencing very little. Day 1: Bucket List Adventure Start your 5-Day Singapore itinerary as you mean to go on: by immersing yourself in over 200 years of Singaporean art and culture at the National Gallery. The collection here is huge. So huge in fact that it requires two national monuments to house it, namely the former Supreme Court and City Hall. Step inside these stately buildings to admire pieces that range from 19th-century woodcuts and oil paintings to 21st-century sound and video installations. Feeling suitably cultured, exit the gallery and cross the bridge to where a stroll past the iconic Merlion statue (part mermaid, part lion) and around Marina Bay conjures up some of the city’s finest views of the Central Business District’s soaring skyscrapers and the three towers of the Marina Bay Sands Resort. Head up for a cocktail in its SkyPark, accompanied by 57th-floor views across the city and beyond, or stay on terra firma to experience all the delights of the resort’s cavernous Shoppes mall, an ultra-luxe shoppers’ paradise complete with sampan boat rides along Venetian-style canals. As night falls, get yourself down to the Gardens by the Bay, a vast acreage of parkland that incorporates towering futuristic supertree structures, tranquil gardens and two massive durian-shaped glass hothouses. It’s the Supertree Grove light show you’ve come here for though; a free event that runs twice every evening and sees the trees burst into spectacular life with a dazzling display of light and color accompanied by a rousing symphonic soundtrack. In a word, wow. Day 2: Sentosa Island Located just off the southern tip of Singapore, the island resort of Sentosa is a mini adventure playground that’s chock-full of cool attractions, sandy beaches and high-octane thrill rides for adrenaline junkies. Start your day two adventure with an exhilarating cable car ride across the bay, then take your pick from the myriad entertainments on offer here in this tropical paradise. Families with kids might fancy the epic Universal Studios SIngapore with its white-knuckle rollercoasters and larger than life Sesame Street characters; or perhaps the vast aquarium or waterpark. Bone-white sand, turquoise lagoons and swaying coconut palms await on the resort’s sandy Palawan, Tanjong and Siloso beaches, with a handy free shuttle serving all three. Siloso keeps things exciting with its fearsome Skybridge, which includes opportunities to bungee jump or test your nerve on a giant swing high above the sands. End your day with a sunset ascent on board the SkyHelix Sentosa at Imbaiah Lookout, where a gently rotating gondola takes you 80 meters above sea level for 360-degree views of Singapore’s skyline, the Southern Islands and beyond. Day 3: A Feast for the Senses One of the great things about Singapore is that many of its attractions are open more or less around the clock, making planning your sightseeing itineraries relatively straightforward. The sprawling 200-acre tropical oasis that is Singapore’s urban Botanical Gardens is open from 5AM ‘til midnight almost every day, so you really have no excuse not to pop by. Visit in the morning to maximize your experience. There’s plenty to explore here after all, from tranquil Swan Lake to the aromatic Ginger Garden, iconic bandstand and miles of tree-lined walkways. Don’t miss its undisputed highlight, the National Orchid Garden, with thousands of eye-popping aromatic blooms. Mosey over to the nearby Adam Road hawker center where dozens of bustling street food stalls ply their trade, serving up authentic south Asian cuisine to hungry punters. Try rich, spicy laksa with prawns or gorge on chicken satay skewers drenched in sticky peanut sauce. Then there’s pungent fish head curry and the ubiquitous national dish of sweet-and-savory chili crab – all good enough to make a grown man weep. Your only difficulty will be deciding what to have for lunch. Wash it down with a traditional Singapore Sling at the iconic colonial-style Raffles Hotel back in the Civic District. The classic gin-infused tropical cocktail was actually invented here way back in 1915. Day 4: Back to Nature Singapore is one of the greenest cities on the planet, with an absolute multitude of outdoor activities on offer, from elevated walkways through jungle canopy along the island’s Southern Ridges to kayaking through the mangroves at Pulau Ubin. Pick of the bunch though is Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a sprawling green space that’s slap-bang in the middle of the island and contains 400 (count ‘em) acres of untamed tropical rainforest. Don your hiking boots and pith helmet (optional) for a day in this absolute treasure trove of biodiversity, where you might be lucky enough to spot critters including reticulated pythons, flying lemurs and crab-eating macaques on a ramble through dense forests of trailing vines and towering trees that teem with colorful birdlife. If you’re feeling game, a hike to the top of the hill (the highest in the country at over 500 feet, fact fans) rewards the intrepid explorer with glorious 360-degree views across Singapore and – on clear days at least – far beyond. Day 5: Souvenir Shopping in Kampong Glam Singapore’s Muslim district is also one of its hippest neighborhoods; an Instagrammer’s dream-come-true crammed with heritage charm, colorful shophouses and super-snappable street art. It also happens to be an ultra-cool shopping hotspot where ultra-hip indie boutiques rub shoulders with ancient antique emporia, textile shops and modern ceramics specialists. A wide selection of cute cafés and some of the best restaurants in town make it a fine destination for a day’s sightseeing, snapping and souvenir-hunting. Impossibly narrow Haji Lane is your destination for chic boutiques hawking the latest batik fashions as well as one-off jewelry pieces handmade by local designers. Meanwhile, the cavernous antique stores on Bussorah and Arab Street are like something from a long bygone era, but there are great treasures waiting to be unearthed here by the keen-eyed browser. Think ornate Turkish lanterns, great ceramic pots, jugs and vases, old paintings and baroque carved wood furniture that could have come straight from a sultan’s palace. If ceramics are your vibe, hit up Supermama’s on Beach Road for something from their stylish Singapore Blue Range. Or pick up a perfume customized to your specifications from one of the multiple atmospheric perfumeries in Kampong Glam, where your intoxicating creations are decanted into fine little decorative bottles, ready for you to take home. Finally, grab a decadent cookie from Guilt or a life-changing almond croissant from Mother Dough to fortify you for the metro ride back to your hotel. Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
White Tiger at Singapore Zoo
Blog

Singapore Zoo vs. Gardens by the Bay: The Ultimate Visitor Comparison

Can’t decide between roaring animals or glowing supertrees? Let us break it down for you!

Have a 5% discount, on us!

Sign up to our newsletter and receive exclusive discounts, trip inspiration and attraction updates straight to your inbox.