The Changi Airport in Singapore is one of the busiest airports in the world and has been ranked World’s Best Airport many years in a row. A lot of holidaymakers will have a long stopover at this airport before they continue to their final destination.
We ourselves have experienced long stopovers in Singapore, which is a great time to leave the airport and explore the city. Below we created a short list of things to do during your stopover.
Free Layover Tour
A lot of people don’t know this, but Changi Airport organises free tours for people with a stopover of at least 5.5 hours. This is the easiest and cheapest way to see some of Singapore’s highlights when you don’t have a full day to spend. In total there are six tours a day, four Heritage Tours and two City Sights Tours. Check out the website of Changi Airport for more information about the tour and the requirements.
Marina Bay Sands
If you have more time to spend, I highly recommend you to explore the city on your own. Just take a metro to Marina Bay and hop off at the Marina Bay Sands resort. Both the inside aswel as the outside of this building are impressively beautiful. You can visit the resort for free and you can take the elevator to the 57th floor to enjoy a stunning view of the city. * The restaurants and stores in the resort are extremely expensive.
Gardens by the Bay
From the Marina Bay Sands resort you can walk to the Gardens by the Bay. This 101 hectares garden has over a million plants and is the number 1 tourist attraction in Singapore. Entrance is free, but there is a $28 fee to visit the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a Buddhist temple and museum located in Chinatown. Inside this giant red temple you will find thousands of Buddhist statues aswel as the relic of Buddha. If you are interested in Buddhist culture and history, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is well worth a visit.
Merlion Park
Merlion Park is another major tourist attraction, which is located near the Central Business District (CBD). Here you can see a 8.6 meters tall statue of the mythical creature Merlion, a fish with a lion head. The Merlion structure is joined by a 2 meters Merlion cub.
From here you also have a great view of Singapore’s city skyline.
Shopping
Have you seen all the above attractions and you still have some time left? Or perhaps you are hungry and would like to buy a souvenir? Go to the Orchard Road where you will find all kinds of shoppings malls.
If you are looking for someplace cheaper, just head over to the Bugis Street Market, which is the biggest market in Singapore.
If you are looking for a more vivid and energetic place where you can shoot some creative photos, than Chinatown is the place to be. Here you will find hundreds of cheap stores and restaurants.
