Despite my love for traveling, I’ve never liked airports.
The tedious queues and crowds. Waiting around for hours, trading one hard seat for another, praying that you’ll eventually find a working USB outlet. Gingerly stepping over people lying on the floor with their backpacks as pillows, having failed in their quest to find a more comfortable place to sleep. Even worse, having to do the same yourself…
When I transit at Singapore, though, I actually look forward to spending time in Changi airport.
Honestly, Changi ruins you forever for all other airports. It’s modern, clean, and comfortable, with heaps of free rest areas, food choices, and shops that open until midnight. I’d rather spend 12 hours in Changi airport than, say, 3 hours at LAX.
And then they added an entire shopping mall to the airport.
Not just a shopping mall, mind you. A shopping mall with a huge forest-y area in the middle, centered around a massive waterfall, with a canopy park overhead.
Nothing says “Welcome to Singapore!” quite like Jewel Changi.
I’ve been to Jewel multiple times, from a brief 1 hour visit prior to my recent connecting flight to Penang, to spending half a day there back when it first opened in 2019.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Jewel Changi airport: Attractions, how to get there, when to visit, where to eat, and facilities that you can use.
Let’s get started!
How to get to Jewel Changi airport
Jewel is located landside (or public), so you must clear immigration and customs to get there from Changi airport. And yes, you will need to go through immigration again on your way back in for your next flight.
Singaporean immigration and customs is extremely efficient, and I only spent 5-10 minutes waiting in queues each way.
Things to consider before visiting
- Make sure you give yourself enough time. I would recommend budgeting 30 minutes to get to Jewel from your arriving flight, and leaving Jewel 1.5 hours before your departing flight. That means that it’s really only worth visiting Jewel if you have at least 3 hours in between your flights. In Changi, it’s recommended to be at your gate 1 hour before your flight departs, because security is located at each individual gate.
- You may need a valid visa to enter Singapore. Yes, even if you only want to go to Jewel. Some nationalities do not need to apply for a visa, however. You can check whether or not you need a visa at the ICA website.
- You will need to fill in a SG Arrival Card. This is submitted electronically, and you can do so 3 days before your flight arrives, if you want to save time at the airport. For more information, read up on the SG Arrival Card.
- Do not under any circumstances even think about bringing drugs into Singapore. I cannot overemphasize the importance of this. Singapore has a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking. This applies even to medicinal cannabis, which isn’t recognized in Singapore. If you have any drugs in your possession, don’t go through customs (and honestly you should reconsider transiting through Singapore entirely).
- If you are planning to stay at an airside transit hotel (Aerotel or Ambassador Transit Hotel), you cannot leave the transit area before your stay. They will not allow you back in until the check-in counter for your departing flight opens, which is usually only 3 hours before departure.
From Terminal 1
Terminal 1 is directly connected to Jewel, so you won’t even need to leave the building.
After arriving, head past luggage collection to immigration and customs. When you exit customs, you should be at level 1. Follow the signs and walk for 2 minutes, and there you are.
From Terminal 2 or 3
Terminal 2 and 3 aren’t connected directly to Jewel. You have two options:
- Walk (roughly 10 minutes) through the link bridge from the Departure Hall (level 2).
- Take the Skytrain to Terminal 1, then walk from Terminal 1. The Skytrain is free and departs once every 2-3 minutes.
Note: Even though the map appears to have a Skytrain going through Jewel, it doesn’t actually stop at Jewel. This is the T2 to T3 Skytrain, and it’s only passing through.
From Terminal 4
Terminal 4 is the furthest away, so I would allocate an extra 15 minutes if you are arriving or departing at Terminal 4.
Take the free shuttle bus from Terminal 4 Arrival Lounge. The direct shuttle bus service (T4 – Jewel) is available from 6am to 12am daily, while loop bus service (T4 – T3 – T1 – T4) is available from 1am to 6am daily. [Source: Jewel Changi website; I haven’t personally been to T4]
Jewel Changi opening hours
Like most shopping malls in Southeast Asia, Jewel is open from 10am to 10pm. You can generally walk through the mall at any time, but most shops will adhere to those opening hours.
The most important thing to note is that their huge indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex only operates from 11am to 10pm on Mon – Thu, and 10am to 10pm on Fri – Sun. If you are visiting outside of those hours, you won’t be able to see the waterfall.
If possible, I’d recommend visiting in the evening so you can see the waterfall in daylight as well as at night (when it is lit up). It looks completely different at night. Sunset in Singapore is generally between 7.10pm and 7.20pm.
If you are there early and want to have breakfast at Jewel, there are a few cafes and restaurants that open at 8am.
Jewel Changi attractions
Rain Vortex (waterfall)
The Rain Vortex (aka ginormous indoor waterfall) is the reason I stand in immigration lines over and over again to get to Jewel Changi.
It’s magnificent, a true feat of engineering and architecture. The thunderous roar, the backdrop of terraced rainforest, the sheer incredulity of 40 meters of water perpetually crashing down towards you inside a shopping mall.
It all feels a bit outlandish, really, but in the best possible way. Like you skipped forward a couple of centuries and ended up inside a habitable dome on a foreign planet – with a man-made waterfall and rainforest inside, of course, to remind its denizens of Mother Earth.
Yes, I’m a massive geek. No, I’m not sorry.
There are several good viewing platforms to get that futuristic photo of the Rain Vortex.
The first is immediately after you enter, on L2. You can then head down to L1, which allows you to walk all the way into the ground level of the Rain Vortex and see it up close. Take the stairs all the way up the terraced rainforest (or the lift, if you prefer – I won’t judge!) to L4, and you’ll have a shot from up high.
The Canopy Bridge on L5 is another good vantage point, but you need to pay to enter. It does, however, give you the best unobstructed view of the upper section – as you can see in the photo above, the bridge obstructs the “free” view.
The waterfall is covered with glass, so you won’t get wet (aside from a bit of mist in the “splash zone”).
There’s also a Light and Music Show at 8pm and 9pm every day, which unfortunately I’ve never managed to catch. If you did, let me know how it was!
Canopy Bridge and Canopy Park
The Canopy Bridge and Park is the second-most popular attraction in Jewel Changi. Unlike the Rain Vortex, though, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these to everyone.
Canopy Bridge
The Canopy Bridge is a short, glass-bottomed bridge that allows you to get up close to the Rain Vortex on L5.
Tickets for adults cost SGD 13.90, and includes admission to the Canopy Park as well. You cannot buy Canopy Bridge tickets without Canopy Park included, although you can buy Canopy Park tickets separately for SGD 8.
I paid for this on my visit in 2022, and it was, honestly… rather underwhelming?
It’s a very, very, very short bridge. It tickled me to see the website recommending “comfortable covered shoes”, because you barely need to do any walking at all.
Canopy Park
The Canopy Park, at least, was slightly more varied and interesting. It takes you through a topiary, petal garden, and “foggy bowls”.
The designs that you see in the short walk through the “topiary” are cute, even if all the flowers are (quite understandably) fake.
The “petal garden” is also fake, and a complete non-starter in my opinion.
The “foggy bowls” are just mist coming out of holes in the ground.
It might be a good way to tire the kids out, but I don’t think that most adults will be impressed. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken it as a warning sign when the person in the ticket office asked me twice if I had any children with me…
If you have a lot of time to kill, it might be worth doing the Canopy Bridge and Park once, I guess. I wouldn’t pay to do it a second time.
Jewel Changi food
There is a mind-boggling variety of food options available at Jewel! Seriously, Changi is not even remotely in the same league as any other airports in this regard.
Think of the number of shops on the main street in your favorite foodie destination, and triple that.
I’m a big fan of Food Republic, the food court in Basement 2. When you approach from the waterfall area, it looks small-ish, with only 5 stalls or so visible at first.
Do not be fooled. Keep going. You will eventually enter the main area with over 15 hawker stalls available for your gastronomic pleasure.
You will find some of the cheapest food options in the area here, at around SGD 10 per meal. And everything I’ve tried has been absolutely delicious – it’s a fantastic showcase of Singaporean hawker fare, all without needing to leave the airport.
It’s open from 7.30am – 10pm on weekdays, and 7.30am – 11pm on weekends, but individual stalls might have their own opening hours. Generally speaking, everyone will be open for lunch and dinner (between 11am and 10pm), but there will be fewer options before 11am.
Otherwise, you can go through Jewel’s food directory here. Some of my faves are Din Tai Fung (their xiao long bao are to die for!), and Lady M (the best mille crepe cakes I’ve ever had).
Facilities
Baggage storage
There’s a baggage storage counter at L1, just after you enter from T1. I’ve used it once before when I was carrying a heavy backpack, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have no choice.
It’s fairly expensive – I paid SGD 16 for one item. Also, there’s usually only one person manning the counter, so if there’s a large group of travelers all wanting to store their baggage, you might end up waiting for some time (I waited for 15 min!).
I much prefer the baggage lockers in European train stations which are self-service and only cost a few EUR.
If you have checked baggage, I’d recommend making sure that they go all the way through to your final destination. This saves you time at the luggage carousel and before your departing flight, and you also won’t have to choose between using the baggage storage or schlepping it around.
Showers
There are two options for showers at Jewel Changi:
- Changi Lounge. This lounge is located at L1, and they accept walk-ins. You can purchase a 3-hour pass with showers for 50 SGD. I’ve never used this before, but there’s a comprehensive review by Mainly Miles here if you’re interested.
- Yotel AIR. This is an actual hotel, not a lounge, but they have day rates for people who just want a shower and a bed for a few hours. I can’t find their rates online, though, and they require you to email for reservations.
Have you been to Jewel Changi before? Would you visit again? Let me know in the comments below!