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Airport review

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Singapore Changi

The airport with a forest in it: a waterfall you can walk through, a free cinema, a 20-minute train into the city and a transit system that makes a five-hour layover feel like an afternoon.

9/10the airport that is worth arriving early for.

Getting there

The MRT from the terminal to the city takes about 20 minutes and costs under four dollars. A taxi is quick and reasonably priced. Transit passengers can leave the airport without a visa for a two-hour guided city tour, which runs every day.

Terminals

Four terminals linked by free skytrains and walking routes, with the forest and waterfall in the newest building. Signage is excellent and the transfers are short; the one thing to check is which terminal your onward flight uses, because the walk between two of them is longer than the board suggests.

Security and fast track

Immigration is fast for most passports and the automated lanes work. There is no paid fast track, and none is needed outside the evening peak.

Lounges

Pay-in lounges are cheap by international standards, several have showers and one has a bath. The free rest areas with recliners are scattered through the transit area and are good enough that many travellers never buy a lounge pass.

Food and shops

The food hall is the best airport eating value anywhere: real hawker dishes at street prices. Book the restaurant in the forest building in advance if you want a table at sunset.

Tips

A layover of four hours or more is worth leaving the airport for. If you stay, do the waterfall before nine at night, when the queues disappear, and find the free cinema for the last hour.

Questions

Can I leave Changi during a layover?

Yes for most passports, and there is a free two-hour city tour for transit passengers. Allow four hours minimum if you go into town.

Do I need a lounge pass?

Not unless you want a bath. The free rest areas and recliners are good, and the pay-in lounges are cheap enough to buy on the day.

How early should I arrive to depart?

Two hours is plenty. The airport is efficient and the check-in halls are calm outside the evening peak.

Last updated 30 October 2026

Lounges

Lounges at Singapore Changi

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