Jewel Changi Airport: Rain Vortex, Shiseido Forest Valley and Layover Rules

Jewel Changi Airport is a ten-storey torus-shaped glass and steel complex linking the passenger terminals at Changi Airport. Opened in April 2019 and designed by Moshe Safdie (who also designed Marina Bay Sands), the dome spans five storeys above ground and five basement levels over 135,700 square metres. Because Jewel sits on the public landside before passport control, both departing passengers and city visitors without a flight can walk right in.

The 40-metre HSBC Rain Vortex

At the exact centre of the glass roof, an oculus channels recirculated rainwater 40 metres down into an acrylic funnel descending to Basement 2, making it the world's tallest indoor waterfall. Pumps cycle rainwater harvested from the dome roof to cool the surrounding air naturally, and the sound of falling water fills the entire atrium. You can view the cascade for free from tiered balconies on every floor or watch the elevated Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 Skytrain glide past the water column inside the dome. Every evening after dark, a free light and music show projects geometric patterns across the falling sheet of water; check the official Jewel website for current show intervals.

Shiseido Forest Valley and Canopy Park

Surrounding the waterfall, the four-storey Shiseido Forest Valley forms one of Asia's largest indoor cooled gardens, planted with more than 2,000 trees and palms and over 100,000 shrubs from high-altitude tropical forests around the world. Two cobbled walking trails climb from Basement 1 to Level 4 through misted fern gullies and quiet seating alcoves. On the uppermost Level 5, the ticketed Canopy Park spans 14,000 square metres and includes the Mastercard Canopy Bridge (suspended 23 metres up with a glass-panel floor), Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls, Petal Garden, Topiary Walk, a Hedge Maze, a Mirror Maze, and the suspended Manulife Sky Nets.

How Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4 connect to Jewel

• Terminal 1: Level 1 of Jewel opens directly into the Terminal 1 Arrival Hall, and the Terminal 1 Departure Hall sits steps away on Level 2.
• Terminals 2 and 3: Air-conditioned elevated pedestrian link bridges with moving walkways connect Level 3 of Jewel to the departure levels of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 in a five- to ten-minute walk.
• Terminal 4: Because Terminal 4 stands south of the main complex, take the free 24-hour public airport shuttle bus linking Terminal 4 with Jewel and Terminal 2.

Visiting Jewel on a transit layover

Jewel is a public landside building outside the secure transit area. If you are connecting between flights at Changi and want to enter Jewel on foot, you must clear Singapore immigration, which Changi Airport Group recommends only if you have at least five hours between flights and hold valid visa-free entry or a visa, plus a completed electronic SG Arrival Card submitted via the official ICA portal. If your layover is too short to clear passport control, ride the airside Skytrain between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, which passes directly beside the Rain Vortex and through the upper canopy of the Forest Valley without leaving the transit zone.

Early check-in, baggage storage and final stops

Passengers flying on participating airlines can drop off checked luggage hours before departure at the Jewel Early Check-In Lounge on Level 1, and paid baggage storage counters operate on Level 1 for hand luggage so you can explore the gardens, Basement 2 food hall, and retail rings completely hands-free. Combine a pre-flight afternoon at Jewel with nearby East Coast Park, the Peranakan terraces of Joo Chiat, or a morning bumboat excursion to Pulau Ubin, and see the getting there and MRT guide for airport train transfers.