From huge indoor waterfalls to rooftop swimming pools – the world’s BEST airports revealed but it’s bad news for the UK

AIRPORTS are a gateway to travel – but some of them are so much more than that with swimming pools, indoor rainforests and panoramic sky decks. Travel + Leisure’s ‘World’s Best Awards’ named the top 10 airports – and sadly none are in the UK. The impressive Singapore Changi Airport has the world’s biggest indoor waterfall Credit: Alamy It has an airside hotel with a rooftop pool that’s open to all Credit: Unknown The airports were declared the best by readers who voted in their thousands for their favourites in multiple categories for the publication. At the very top of the ‘Best International Airports’ is Singapore Changi Airport which got a score of 95.19 out of 100. Sign up for the Travel newsletter Thank you! Travel + Leisure said about Singapore Changi Airport: “Back on top after a two-year hiatus, this legendary hub has efficient operations, excellent hospitality, and eye-catching amenities like a butterfly garden and a swimming pool.” It stretches across five square miles and no one could ever say it’s an ordinary airport. Inside is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, a tropical rainforest, butterfly garden and even a hedge maze which is the largest in the country. It also has a swimming pool and hot tub up on the roof at the airside Aerotel Singapore, which is even open to non-guests to watch the planes take off. In second place is Doha’s Hamad International Airport which is the home base of Qatar Airways. Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski who visited called it the “ultimate layover destination“. Most read in Travel Hong Kong Airport has mountain views on Lantau Island Credit: Hong Kong Airport She said: “Within a few hours I’d strolled through a tropical rainforest, tucked into traditional sweets in a souq and had a sumptuous massage in a tranquil spa where airport stresses melt into distant memories.” “The Orchard is the airport’s indoor tropical garden, constructed in 2022 – tall leafy palms and lush, green banana plants flourishing in the sunlight under a glass dome. “All of the shrubs are real. The birds hiding within them are not, although the chirping sounds floating from hidden speakers nearly had me fooled. “I wasn’t surprised to catch passengers reading a book on the artificial grass, or cosying down in one of the wooden tipis – with the noise of the nearby waterfall muffling out the chaos of a busy airport, this is surely the most peaceful spot in Hamad International.” Sophie calls Hamad International Airport the ‘ultimate layover destination’ Credit: Alamy Zayed International Airport got a score of 91.24 out of 100 Credit: Alamy Coming in third spot is Istanbul Airport followed closely by Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. Dubai International Airport also made it onto the list even though, surprisingly, the hub will eventually close in around 10 years time. The airport which has a wellness spa, luxury boutiques and sleepover lounges will close to make way for Al Maktoum International Airport. Hong Kong International Airport on the list has incredible surroundings from mountains on Lantau Island to the South China Sea. Visitors can take it in on the Sky Bridge which is the world’s longest airside pedestrian bridge – and there’s a Sky Deck with 360-degree views. Other winners include Tokyo Haneda Airport and Adelaide Airport in Australia. Here are the Best International Airports... Each airport got a score out of 100 by Travel + Leisure… Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore – 95.19 Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar – 93.96 Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Turkey – 92.13 Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi, UAE – 91.24 Dubai International Airport, Dubai, UAE – 91.06 Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong, China – 86.52 Incheon International Airport, Incheon, South Korea – 85.90 Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan – 85.29 Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China – 84.83 Adelaide Airport, Adelaide, Australia – 83.73 Comment now