You have hours to fill between flights, or you have landed and want to be in town. Airside you get free gardens, a free cinema and hotels inside the transit hall; the city is two stops and one change away.
Prices and opening times checked with the operatorLast checked 2 Aug 2026
What it costs
Start here: which side of immigration are you on?
Transit area or public area. Everything else depends on it.
Almost every wrong decision made at Changi comes from ignoring one line on the map.
The transit area
Where you are when you land and have not yet been stamped into Singapore
- Nearly all the free things people talk about are here: the gardens, the free movie theatre, the Snooze Lounges, the transit hotels.
- The Skytrain and the T4 shuttle both run a separate transit-area line.
The public area
Everything on the other side of arrival immigration
- Jewel, the glass dome with the waterfall, is in the public area.
- Reaching it means clearing arrival immigration; getting back means departure immigration and security screening again.
That matters because clearing immigration is not reversible in the casual way people assume. Changi is efficient about it, but you are still adding two queues plus a walk.
Check your onward pass and your bag first
If your onward boarding pass is already in hand and your checked bag is tagged through to your final destination, crossing to the public side is a normal thing to do. If either is missing, stay airside.
Clear arrival immigration
To reach Jewel from a transit hall you clear Singapore arrival immigration.
Come back through departure immigration and screening
To get back to your gate you go through departure immigration and security screening again.
Only do it if the clock allows
That trade is usually worth it for a layover over about five hours. Under four hours, stay airside.
What is in each terminal in 2026
Terminal 2 is the rebuilt one. Terminal 5 is a building site you cannot visit.
Changi runs four passenger terminals. Terminal 2 reopened in November 2023 after three and a half years of expansion works, and it carries three things the other three do not: a 14-metre digital waterfall called The Wonderfall in the public departure hall, a garden called Dreamscape in the transit hall, and a Calm Room on Transit Level 2 near Dreamscape, built as a quiet space for neurodivergent travellers and their families and open 24 hours.
The four terminals and what is worth your time in each
| Terminal | Free, in the transit area | Free, in the public area |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Cactus Garden (Level 3 rooftop, around 100 cacti and a bar), Water Lily Garden and Discovery Garden (Level 2), Tropical Rainforest Vivarium (Level 2, near the Skytrain to T2), TV lounge (Level 3) | Kinetic Rain (Level 2, 8am to midnight), Viewing Mall |
| T2 | Sunflower Garden (Level 3), Enchanted Garden and Dreamscape (Level 2), Calm Room (Level 2), Fit and Fun Zone (Level 3), 2 Bears Hideout play area (Level 2) | The Wonderfall (Level 2), Bamboo Grove (Level 1, on the Changi Airport Connector), Flap Pix (Level 3), Hub & Spoke (Level 1) |
| T3 | Butterfly Garden (Levels 2 and 3, open 10am to 9pm), Crystal Garden (Level 2), the free movie theatre (Level 3, Transit Central) | Viewing Mall (Level 4) |
| T4 | Heritage Zone, Petalclouds, Immersive Wall and Entertainment Corner (all Level 2), play areas on Levels 1 and 2 | Changi Jurassic Mile (Level 1), a 1km outdoor path lined with life-sized dinosaurs |
Terminal 5
Nothing about T5 changes a trip taken in 2026 or 2027 except the construction hoarding on the drive in.
- Broke ground
- 14 May 2025
- Completion
- Mid-2030s
- Phase 1 size
- About 50 million passengers a year
- Connections
- Automated people mover to T2, plus its own underground MRT station
Checked 2 Aug 2026
Moving between terminals
Two Skytrain systems, one each side of immigration.
T1, T2 and T3 are joined by a free Skytrain, and there are separate transit-area and public-area lines, which is the detail worth remembering. If you clear immigration to visit Jewel, you use the public-side Skytrain, and you cannot hop back onto the airside one without going through departure immigration again. Only the T2 to T3 Skytrain run passes through Jewel's glass shell, which is why that leg is the one people photograph. It does not stop at Jewel and it does not let you off there.
Every link between the terminals, and what it costs you in time
| Link | How it works |
|---|---|
| Skytrain, T1 to T2 to T3 | Free, 5am to 2am, with separate transit-area and public-area lines |
| T1 to T3, airside | Inter-terminal travellators, if you would rather walk |
| T2 to T3, public area | A mezzanine-level bridge |
| T4 shuttle bus, public side | Free, 6am to midnight, every 5 to 9 minutes, about 10 minutes |
| T4 shuttle bus, transit side | Free, all day, roughly 8-minute intervals, 10 to 18 minutes |
Layover by the clock
Match the plan to the hours you actually have.
What decides your layover is how much time each plan actually eats. These timings are realistic, not optimistic.
What fits in a Changi layover
| Time between flights | Realistic plan |
|---|---|
| Under 2 hours | Walk to your gate. Changi does gate-hold security at some gates, so being at the gate 45 minutes out is not paranoid. Buy food on the way. |
| 2 to 4 hours | Stay airside. Free movie theatre in T3, a garden in your own terminal, and a proper sit-down meal. Do not attempt Jewel. |
| 4 to 5.5 hours | Airside still, but spend money: a pay-per-use lounge, or a nap in an airside transit hotel. Or clear immigration for Jewel if your bag is through-checked and your onward pass is issued. |
| 5.5 to 24 hours | Book a Free Singapore Tour. It is genuinely free, 2.5 hours long, and takes you out of the airport. |
| Overnight | Transit hotel airside, or a free Snooze Lounge if you are willing to sleep in public. Both are covered below. |
Jewel: what is free and what is not
Public side, between T2 and T3, 5 to 10 minutes on foot.
The two things everyone comes to Jewel for cost nothing.
The Rain Vortex and Shiseido Forest Valley
You can see the 40-metre indoor waterfall and the terraced garden it drops through from the floor without buying a ticket, and that is what most people should do.
- Where
- Jewel, public side, 5 to 10 minutes from T2 or T3
- Cost
- Free
- Hours
- Daily 10am to 10pm
- Light show
- 8pm and 9pm Mon to Thu · extra 10pm show Fri, Sat, Sun, public holidays and eves
Canopy Park, Level 5
Basic admission gets you the Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls, Petal Garden and Topiary Walk.
- Admission
- $8 adult or child · $6 Singapore resident
- Hours
- 10am to 9pm Mon to Thu · 10am to 10pm Fri to Sun, public holidays and eves
- Last entry
- 30 minutes before closing
- Children
- Aged 3 to 12 must be with a paying adult · 110cm minimum height
The catchThe Mastercard Canopy Bridge, Hedge Maze, Mirror Maze, Bouncing Net and Walking Net are separate tickets or bundles on top of the base admission, and as at 2 August 2026 the Walking Net is closed for maintenance.
Checked 2 Aug 2026
Changi Experience Studio, Level 4
- You pay
- $25 adult · $17 child and senior
- Residents
- $19.80 adult · $14.80 child and senior
- Hours
- 11am to 8pm weekdays · 10am to 8pm weekends and public holidays
- Last admission
- 7pm
With a short window, do the Rain Vortex from the Level 1 floor, eat, and go back. Canopy Park is worth the money if you have children and three hours, and is not worth it otherwise.
Sleeping, showering and lounges
Free seating in every terminal, and hotels inside the transit halls.
Changi has free rest areas in every terminal and they are open 24 hours to anyone, whatever airline or class you flew. All have charging points and are wheelchair accessible.
Free Snooze Lounges, all in the transit area, all open 24 hours
| Terminal | Where |
|---|---|
| T1 | Level 3, Departure Transit Hall East, beside the smoking room |
| T2 | Sanctuary Lounge opposite E5, Oasis Lounge opposite E11, Pavilion Lounge opposite F33 |
| T3 | Departure Transit Hall South near the GST refund counters, and Departure Transit Hall North near the playground |
| T4 | Level 2M |
The T1 transit hotel
Transit Level 3 near Gate D40, and the one the rooftop pool belongs to.
Ambassador Transit Hotel, T2
Level 3 of the Departure Transit Hall South.
Ambassador Transit Hotel, T3
Level 3, next door to the movie theatre.
YOTELAIR, Jewel
Level 4 of Jewel, taking bookings from four hours, but on the public side, so you must clear immigration to use it.
Pay-per-use lounges, all open 24 hours, all selling walk-up access
| Lounge | Where |
|---|---|
| SATS Premier Lounge | Level 3 in both T2 and T3 |
| Blossom by SATS and Plaza Premium | Level 2M in T4 |
| Plaza Premium | T1 |
Changi Lounge, Level 1 of Jewel, open 6am to 10pm: the cheapest sit-down option
A shower on its own there is $20++ for 20 minutes, and a nap pod is $22++ for the first hour without a package.
Prices checked 2 Aug 2026
The rooftop pool and jacuzzi, T1
It looks out over the runway, and you do not have to be staying at the hotel to swim in it.
- Where
- T1 Transit Level 3, near the D gates
- Hours
- Noon to 10pm
- Non-guests
- $25++ per adult
The Free Singapore Tour, and what it actually requires
Four itineraries, 2.5 hours each, and an eligibility list.
It costs nothing, it runs two and a half hours, and it takes you out of the airport.
- Cost
- Free
- Length
- 2.5 hours, guided coach
- Layover
- Between 5.5 and 24 hours
- Departures
- 10am, noon, 1pm, 3pm, 4pm, 6pm, 7pm
- Itineraries
- Heritage and Culture · City Sights · Singapore River and Marina Bay Sands · Sentosa Discovery
- Booths
- Level 2 Departure Transit Halls, T2 and T3, 8am to 7pm
Confirm you are eligible
You must be a transit or transfer passenger, your layover must be between 5.5 and 24 hours, and your checked baggage must already be through-checked to your final destination.
Register before you go wandering
Registration booths are in the Level 2 Departure Transit Halls of T2 and T3, open 8am to 7pm. Register early, because tours fill.
Report 90 minutes before departure
Changi wants you at the booth at least 90 minutes before the coach leaves, so for the 10am tour that means 8.30am.
Clear immigration with the group
The coach takes you out of the airport and through Singapore immigration, so bring your passport and whatever entry documents you would need to enter the country on your own.
If your layover is long but falls outside the tour timings, the Visa-Free Transit Facility or ordinary visa-free entry means you can simply clear immigration and take the MRT into town on your own. Two and a half hours in the city on your own terms beats a coach tour if you already know where you want to go.
You have landed. Getting to the city
Cheapest way in is the MRT, with exactly one change.
Get to Changi Airport station
CG2 is in the basement between Terminals 2 and 3. It does not serve T1 or T4 directly, so from T1 take the Skytrain to T2 or T3 first, and from T4 take the free public-side shuttle bus.
Ride two stops to Tanah Merah
The station is on a short branch of the East West Line, which means one change.
Transfer to a westbound train towards Tuas Link
That is the train for City Hall, Raffles Place, Bugis and Orchard.
- First train
- 5.31am Mon to Sat · 5.59am Sun and public holidays
- Last train
- 11.18pm towards Tuas Link · 12.06am towards Pasir Ris
- Tap in with
- Contactless bank card, phone wallet, EZ-Link card or Singapore Tourist Pass
Public buses from the airport. They take contactless cards or exact cash, and no change is given.
| Where you board | Routes |
|---|---|
| Basement bus bays, T1, T2 and T3 | 24, 27, 34, 36, 53, 110, 858 |
| T4, near Car Park 4B | 24, 34, 36, 110 |
| T4, near the SATS Catering Centre | 27, 53, 858 |
Taxi from Changi to the city centre, and the fixed-price alternative
The Ground Transport Concierge transfer is worth it for a family with luggage and not otherwise. Private hire is available through Grab, Gojek, Zig, Tada, Ryde and Geolah from designated pick-up points in every terminal.
For the future: the Thomson-East Coast Line will eventually take over the Changi Airport branch, converting Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport into TEL stations and giving the airport a direct run into the city with no change at Tanah Merah. LTA expects that to bring Changi Airport to Marina Bay down to around 40 minutes, from about 50 minutes in 2026. It is a mid-2030s project tied to Terminal 5, so plan your trip around the change at Tanah Merah.
Things people arrive looking for and will not find
Famous Changi names that are gone from the airport's own directory, so you do not walk a terminal hunting for them.
Changi rearranges itself constantly, and several of its best-known attractions no longer appear anywhere in the airport's own attractions directory. If one of these is the reason you were looking forward to a layover, plan something else: The Social Tree in T1, the Orchid Garden in T2, the Xperience Zone and Entertainment Deck in T3, and Singapore Food Street in T2.
Two things worth knowing before you go looking. Changi's facilities directory lists one free movie theatre, in T3 on Transit Level 3 at Transit Central, so if you are in another terminal that is the one to Skytrain across for. And the climbing structure in the T3 basement is Climb@T3, on Public Basement 3, open 11am to 8pm Sunday to Thursday and 11am to 9.30pm on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays.
Pulling in the other direction, these are the ones almost nobody has heard of and they are all free: the Tropical Rainforest Vivarium in T1, Crystal Garden in T3, Dreamscape and the Calm Room and 2 Bears Hideout in T2, the Immersive Wall in T4, and Bamboo Grove, billed as the world's first outdoor bamboo garden at an airport, on the Changi Airport Connector beside T2.
What a local knows
Everyone pays $25 to $70 for a lounge or a transit hotel just to get a shower before a long-haul leg. Changi runs pay-per-use showers with lockers at Hub & Spoke, on Public Area Level 1 beside Terminal 2, for $5 a single entry or $7 for a two-entry pass, open 7am to 10pm. Hot water, shampoo, body wash and a hairdryer are included. Two catches nobody mentions: towels are not included and you buy one from the vending machine there, and because it is on the public side you have to have cleared immigration, so it works for anyone arriving or departing but not for a passenger sealed into the transit area. Buy the pass at the Hub & Spoke cafe or in the Changi app and scan the QR code at the door.
SourceQuestions people actually ask
How long a layover do I need to leave Changi Airport?
For the Free Singapore Tour, between 5.5 and 24 hours, with your checked bag through-checked to your final destination. To leave under your own steam and take the MRT into town, about five hours is the realistic floor once you allow for immigration in both directions and re-clearing security.
Can I visit Jewel while in transit?
Yes, but you have to clear Singapore arrival immigration to get there, because Jewel is in the public area. Getting back to your gate means going through departure immigration and security screening again. It is a 5 to 10 minute walk from T2 or T3 across the link bridges.
Is the Rain Vortex free?
Yes. The Rain Vortex and Shiseido Forest Valley cost nothing to see. Only Canopy Park on Level 5 and Changi Experience Studio on Level 4 charge admission. The Rain Vortex runs 10am to 10pm with the light and music show at 8pm and 9pm, plus a 10pm show on Fridays, weekends and public holidays.
Where can I sleep at Changi Airport for free?
In the free Snooze Lounges, which are open 24 hours in the transit area of every terminal: T1 Level 3 Departure Transit Hall East, three separately named lounges in T2 (Sanctuary opposite E5, Oasis opposite E11, Pavilion opposite F33), two in T3, and one on Level 2M in T4. They are open seating with charging points, in a public hall, so keep your bags against you.
Which terminal is the Changi Airport MRT station in?
It is in the basement between Terminals 2 and 3. From T1, take the Skytrain to T2 or T3 first. From T4, take the free public-side shuttle bus. The station sits on a branch line, so you change at Tanah Merah for the city.
Is there a free movie theatre at Changi?
One, in Terminal 3, Transit Level 3 Transit Central, next to the Ambassador Transit Hotel. It is free, seats around 50, and is open 24 hours except Thursdays between 11am and 4pm for maintenance. It is the only cinema at the airport, so if you are in another terminal you have to Skytrain across to T3 for it.
How much does a taxi from Changi Airport to the city cost?
Roughly $25 to $45 on the meter for about a 30-minute run, plus an airport surcharge of $8 between 5pm and 11.59pm or $6 at other times. Between midnight and 5.59am a further 50 per cent of the metered fare applies, so a late-night arrival costs substantially more.
Has Terminal 5 opened?
No. Terminal 5 broke ground on 14 May 2025 and is scheduled for completion in the mid-2030s. In its first phase it will handle about 50 million passengers a year and will link to Terminal 2 by an automated people mover.
Read next
Where these prices and times come from
Every price, opening time and closure here comes from the operator's own website, not from a booking site. Follow any link to check it yourself.
- Changi Airport Group checked 2026-08-02
- Jewel Changi Airport checked 2026-08-02
- Jewel Changi Airport checked 2026-08-02
- Jewel Changi Airport checked 2026-08-02
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- Land Transport Authority checked 2026-08-02
- Changi Airport Group checked 2026-08-02
- Immigration and Checkpoints Authority checked 2026-08-02
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- ACI Asia-Pacific checked 2026-08-02