Business Travel Awards 2016: Best Overall Airport This airport is a tourist attraction in itself.
This story appears in the May 2016 issue of BIZ Experiences. Subscribe »
Is there any torture chamber quite like the modern airport? The longer you're in one, the more anxiety-ridden you're likely to be, especially because the promise -- and the point -- is that you're headed somewhere else. Which is what makes Singapore's Changi International our favorite airport in the world. Changi has long been famous for its city tours, which are offered for free to any traveler with a layover of at least six hours. But even if you don't have time to see Singapore, there are plenty of wonders within. Terminal 1 has gardens featuring cacti and water lilies as well as a rooftop swimming pool. (Why not, right?) Terminal 2 has sunflowers and orchids, including sia dendrobium named for Changi. Terminal 3 has a glassed-in tropical wonderland, complete with a 20-foot waterfall that's home to 40 species of butterfly. And in case in-airport nature isn't what you're looking for, catch up on the latest Hollywood has to offer: Terminals 2 and 3 have cinemas with round-the-clock free screenings. Next year, Changi opens Terminal 4, a state-of-the-art, design-centric space with architecture honoring the historic, multihued Peranakan style of the Straits Chinese. Sometimes the journey really can be the destination.
