Changi Beach Park

The planes come in low, the satay comes off the grill, and Ubin sits across the water pretending none of it is happening.

Changi Beach Park is the beach for a family Sunday with a barbecue pit booked, or the place a long eastern ride finishes. It is not a beach you visit for the photos; it is one people come back to, with an older, kampung feel. The main compromise is getting there: it is at the far end of the island, and the coastal footpath to Changi Village has been closed in long stretches. Book a pit first, then plan the route.

Why it works

NParks calls it one of Singapore's oldest coastal parks. Its 28 hectares run along Nicoll Drive and Changi Coast Road, with white sand, casuarinas and a promontory looking across to Pulau Ubin, and the beach runs about 3.3km from Changi Point to the ferry terminal. That length matters: if one stretch is busy, walk on.

The barbecue is why most people come. NParks lists 20 pits by the beach, bookable through its online system, and you will want one booked well before the weekend rather than hoped for on the day. Add the playgrounds, the fitness corners and a long cycling and skating path, and the case for a whole Sunday makes itself. That path is part of the Round Island Route and the Eastern Coastal Loop, so you can arrive on two wheels from East Coast or Pasir Ris and earn the satay.

Then there are the planes. Aircraft landing on runway 20R come in low over the water, which is the park's real signature and the reason a toddler will forgive you the drive. Plane spotters use two spots: by a bus stop between the ferry terminal and the beach for morning arrivals, and near the beach restaurant for the 20R traffic. Late afternoon is when we would go, when the light turns gold and the arrivals stack up over the sea (the satay timing is, conveniently, the same).

Stop at the memorial

A plaque marks the Changi Beach Massacre of 1942, a reminder that this easy shoreline was once a killing ground. It is worth a moment on the way to the sand, and worth explaining to older children.

How to do it well

Wear covered shoes if you are going near the intertidal zone: NParks warns of sharp rocks and spiny creatures and asks you to leave the wildlife where it is. Tents and camping are not allowed, so this is a day out, not an overnight one. If you are driving, there are seven paid carparks along the park. If you planned to walk to Changi Village along the Changi Point Coastal Walk, check NParks notices first; it has had long-term repair closures, and Netheravon Road is the detour. Changi Village and its hawker centre are close by for supper either way.

It suits families with a pit booked, cyclists finishing the eastern coast and anyone who would rather watch an aircraft land than someone else pose for a picture.

Good to know NParks lists the park as open 24 hours. It runs along Nicoll Drive and Changi Coast Road, with seven paid carparks. Book barbecue pits online through NParks. Camping is not allowed. Check NParks notices for Changi Point Coastal Walk closures if you plan to walk to Changi Village; Netheravon Road is the detour.

Changi Beach Park | Along Nicoll Drive and Changi Coast Road, Singapore