The wonders of Changi Airport (Singapore)

Changi Aiport is a marvelous place to get to substantially before your flight actually departs. In fact, feel free to go there when you aren’t even flying anywhere. While other airports try to give people entertainment, Singapore really excels.

The airport is huge and one portion of it is referred to as the Jewel. The Jewel consists of an entertainment area on the top level and a shopping mall with many restaurants on the lower levels. It has the world’s tallest indoor waterfall (The Rain Vortex) in the center and it bright and airy as it has a triangular glass-paneled dome on the top and lots of open space in the middle to let in light for the gardens (and funnel the water for the vortex.

The giant waterfall, Rain Vortex, is in the middle. There are walkways going across some of the lower levels so you can get closer as well as viewpoints for the waterfall on each level of the mall area, easily accessible by escalators.

The fresh smell of the falling water permeates much of the interior. The rushing water sound can also be heard throughout much of the mall. There is a park-like area with flowers and trees at the base of the waterfall (where it disappears into the basement levels of the building).

The top floor has a lot of fun packed into a small area. There are activities for kids as well as adults. There is a garden with topiary and statues, a set of slides for adults and kids (in the dark!), bouncing and climbing nets, and a mirror maze, among other things.

The mirror maze is quite impressive, as the mirrors are super-clean and you really can’t see what’s mirror vs air. You receive a little piece of a pool noodle as you enter. This is to tap the air/mirrors with so that you don’t get fingerprints (and noseprints) all over the glass. But even with that aid, it is still likely to take you a few minutes to find your way out.

To add to the fun, there is also a wandering robot handing out water bottles. Sadly, they are lukewarm, but it is still quite welcome.