I know. Layovers aren’t the most exciting thing in the world. But who said layovers can’t be fun? In this guide, I show you how to rock a layover in Singapore, including information about visas, where to stay, where to eat and an example of a 12-hour itinerary for Singapore.
In this post:
Why don’t you start off by watching this short video of how I experienced my layover in Singapore last summer?
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Question: Do I need a visa for a stopover in Singapore?
You probably don’t. Most nationalities do not require a visa to enter Singapore. If you’re from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia or most European countries, you can enter Singapore without a visa.
If you’re not from any of the aforementioned countries, it’s a good idea to check the government’s website to see if you need a visa to get into Singapore.
Question: Can I leave Changi Airport during transit?
Again, if you’re from one of the countries mentioned above, you can leave the airport without a visa.
If you’re from a visa-requiring country, you should apply for a visa to leave Singapore Airport during transit before flying to Singapore. Check with your embassy if you’re not sure how to do this.
Now that we’ve got the visa information out of the way, let’s take a look at some basic travel facts about Singapore.
Singapore is an island city-state located just south of Malaysia. It’s one of the smallest, but most densely populated countries in the world and it’s mostly known as a global hub for education, finance and entertainment.
It really all depends on how much time you have, as with any layover.
Singapore is one of the best countries for a layover, because the city is not too big, everything is easily accessible through public transport and there are a lot of things to do in a relatively small area.
And even if you have a lot of time, you might want to take it easy after a long-haul flight.
But still, there are quite a few things to do in Singapore when you’re short on time. Here are a few of my personal favourites if you are leaving the airport. (More detailed information in the Singapore itinerary below)
The airport of Singapore has consistently been named one of the top airports in the world. It consists of three interconnected terminals (T1, T2 and T3) and one separate terminal (T4).
Here are some things to do during a layover in Singapore airport:
If you follow this itinerary, you’ll be able to see all Singapore highlights in just 12 hours.
You could even do it more quickly, if you’re a fast traveller. Or if you’re travelling alone.
There are many things you can do in Singapore in one day. Here’s a useful overview of what you could fit into your one-day layover to get the most out of your stay.
Breakfast is the most important meal on a day. Even when you’re on a layover in a foreign country.
Here are some options for breakfast in Singapore.
For this suggested Singapore layover itinerary, you’ll be exploring some of the city’s neighbourhoods in the morning. On the menu: Little India and Chinatown.
What I would recommend is that you simply walk around these neighbourhoods, get lost in the narrow streets and take in the atmosphere.
I suggest you start your morning in Little India.
If you don’t want to stroll around without a goal, check out some things to do in Little India.
Next, move to Chinatown using Singapore’s very efficient train system, the MRT.
You could buy a Singapore Tourist Pass, but since you’re only here for a short layover, it’s cheaper to just buy tickets for single trips. You can buy tickets at any upgraded General Ticketing Machine at MRT stations.
Again, if you don’t feel like aimlessly wandering around Chinatown, check out these things to do in Chinatown.
Although Singapore is literally the most expensive city on earth, you can still get lunch on a budget.
Below are some options for lunch in Singapore:
With a belly full of delicious food, it’s time to continue exploring Singapore.
Next up are cultural heritage, nature, and some bad ass light shows. Let’s go!
From wherever you had lunch, make your way to Katong, a residential neighbourhood where you’ll find remnants of Peranakan heritage – like the houses below.
Stroll along vibrant shophouses, narrow backstreets and small boutique shops.
There are also plenty of cafés, coffeeshops, bars and ethnic restaurants in this area. Take your pick if you’re in need of a small break.
Next, we’re going to Gardens By The Bay.
If you’ve ever seen any pictures of Singapore, chances are you’ve seen the Supertree Grove, which is located in Gardens By The Bay. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that.
We’ll start off our visit to Gardens By The Bay by checking out the Cloud Forest observatory. This is an indoor tropical plant garden with a 30-metre waterfall as cherry on top.
You can spend as long as you like in the Cloud Forest. It’s definitely interesting enough to keep you busy for a few hours, but you could leave after 30 minutes, too.
Moving on: the Flower Dome. This is the world’s largest glass greenhouse and it could be described as a magnificent botanical garden. Same story here: you could stay here for hours, but you don’t have to.
The last thing you’re visiting before dinner is the Supertree Grove. Admission to the Grove is free.
The supertrees are up to 50 metres (which is equivalent to 16 storeys) high.
If you want to, you can walk on the skyway that runs through the supertrees at 22 metres high. Admission for this skyway is $8 for adults.
Don’t spend too much time here – you’ll come back after dinner to experience the supertrees at night.
Singapore is well-known throughout the world for its top class cuisine. What follows is a list of great restaurants in Singapore for an affordable price.
On many holidays, the day is over after you’ve had dinner. Not here.
You’ve still got two amazing light shows ahead of you. Oh, and did I mention they’re both free?
Here are the two shows you’ll want to attend:
The Garden Rhapsody show runs daily at 7:45 pm and 8:45 pm and it lasts for 15 minutes.
The Spectra show runs daily at 8 pm and 9 pm and it also lasts for 15 minutes.
I saw Garden Rhapsody (7:45 pm) first and then made my way to Marina Bay Sands for Spectra (9 pm). You could do it the other way around if you wanted to.
If your Singapore layover lasts for longer than just a few hours, you might just need a place to stay.
Here are some options for stopover accommodation in Singapore.
Hostels in Singapore
Airbnb in Singapore
As in all major cities around the world, there are many Airbnb listings in Singapore for people looking for the ‘home’ feel.
Bonus: sign up for Airbnb through this link and get up to $40 of travel credit off your first booking!
Couchsurfing in Singapore
And if you’re on a really tight budget, why not sleep for free – and make new friends in the process?
Use websites like Couchsurfing to stay with a local for free and have them show you around town.
There you have it. My 12-hour Singapore layover guide. Is there anything I missed? Let me know in a comment down below.
Thanks for reading!
-S
PIN IT!
I’ve never done as much travelling in one year as I have in 2018. I travelled to three countries in Asia and four countries in Europe. Not only did I travel with friends and with family, I also travelled with a bunch of people I had never met before. This is a short overview of all the trips and crazy experiences I was fortunate enough to go through this year. This is my 2018 travel report.
Note: whenever I mention ‘blog posts/video coming soon’, it might already be up and I forgot to update this post. Check my recent blog posts and my YouTube channel to stay up to date with everything I do!
Click the links below to skip to the destinations you’re most interested in!
I’m not sure if everyone will count this as travelling, but I’m including it anyway. There’s nothing you can do to stop me.
In September 2017, I set off on my most ambitious project abroad to date. I spent four months studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain. Since I came back home in January 2018, I’m going to say it technically counts for my 2018 overview.
During my semester studying abroad, I met amazing people from all over the world (see Instagram picture below), I learned how to be independent and how to solve problems that I had never come across earlier. My Spanish also improved tremendously.
(The only reason I’m not on this picture is because it was taken the night before my first exam and I went home early to revise. See, Mom, I can be a responsible student.)
Studying abroad is usually something you do on your own. I was in a special situation, where I had a classmate who went on her Erasmus stay to the same city as me. We made friends together during the first few weeks, we were in class together and we studied together for our exams.
Big shout-out to Amy for helping me out with all kinds of problems I came across. <3
I went to Amsterdam in February.
One of the artists I had been following for a few years, Quinn XCII, was touring Europe in January and February 2018. When he dropped the announcement for the Europe leg of his The Story Of Us tour, I saw that the closest he would come to Belgium was Amsterdam. I messaged a few of my friends and one of them was willing to go to Amsterdam with me for a concert by an artist she had never heard of. What an absolute legend.
I combined this show with a visit to my sister, who was studying abroad in Amsterdam at the time. She was in the middle of her exams and we met up a few times to go for dinner and to explore the city.
In total, we ended up staying in Amsterdam for three days. We didn’t really visit any popular tourist hotspots, since my friend and I had both been in Amsterdam before (on the same school trip, by the way) and my sister obviously didn’t need to visit them anymore after having spent a few months there.
As I mentioned before, I went to Amsterdam with one of my best friends from high school and we met up with my sister a few times once we were there.
I went to La Plagne in February.
As I mentioned in my travel story, yearly ski trips have been an essential part of our family bonding since I was four years old. Before 2018, we hadn’t gone skiing for a while, but this year we went to La Plagne for a week of fun plowing through the snow.
We skied a lot. I reached a top speed of over 90 km/h (55 mph) rushing down a slope with nothing but two long sticks attached to my feet. I believe everyone should go skiing at some point, but that’s not the question here.
Also: I ate a lot of food. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
I went skiing in La Plagne with my parents and my sister, and we met up with a friend of my sister’s who was there with her family at the same time by chance.
I went to Lille in May.
After I came back from my four-month stay in Spain, I realised how much fun it was to be in an international organisation of exchange students and Erasmus students. While I was in Spain, I went on many trips that were organised by the local office of ESN (Erasmus Student Network).
Many of these trips can be seen in my Travel Videos playlist!
And so, when I was back in Belgium, I wanted to return the favour to the international student community. I contacted ESN Ghent (the city I’m currently studying in) to see if there was anything I could do for them, and it turns out there was. We agreed that I would join an upcoming ESN trip to Lille and take care of the pictures and video.
No sooner said than done, I found myself filming an international group of students I had never met before in a French city.
I went to Lille with two guys who volunteered at ESN Ghent and a group of 30-something international students who were out to explore the best Lille had to offer.
I went to Japan in August.
It’s been almost four months since I came back from Japan, but it still feels surreal to me that I actually went there and it was not a dream.
I spent two weeks in Japan and I visited Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Itsukushima, Hakone, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa. (More blog posts about Japan coming soon, by the way)
It was action-filled, ridiculous, exceptional, adventurous, unbelievable.
I can’t wait to go back and explore more of this crazy, crazy country.
I went to Japan with my parents and my sister. We also met up with a few people my dad knew from work when we were there.
I went to Bali in September.
After our two-week trip to Japan, my sister and I were still feeling energetic and ready for another trip. So we went to Bali for a week.
Admittedly, we had booked all this in advance, so it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment kind of deal.
While we were in Bali, we visited Ubud (Monkey Forest, rice terraces and Bali Swings), Canggu and Nusa Penida (Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach & Angel’s Billabong). We also ate. A lot. And we got a few massages. #thegoodlife
Bali might be on your bucket list, but you might want to revisit that. Here’s why Bali may or may not be worth a visit.
I went to Bali with my sister.
I went to Singapore in September.
Since I was only in Singapore for a 30-hour layover, I didn’t do a whole lot.
In our short available time period, we managed to check out the Supertree Grove at Gardens By The Bay (during the day AND at night), the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Little India and Chinatown.
We also admired a light show at the Supertree Grove (called the Garden Rhapsody) and one at the Marina waterfront. We experienced both shows within about half an hour of each other and it was the perfect end to a perfect trip.
Blog posts and video coming soon.
I went to Singapore with my sister, after our visits to Japan and Bali.
I went to Slovenia in September.
We arrived in Ljubljana, where we stayed for two days and mostly wandered around its quaint streets and neighbourhoods and discovering everything the Slovenian capital had to offer. Some recommendations: a stroll along the Ljubljanica river, Dragon Bridge, Preseren Square and Ljubljana Castle.
After two days in the capital, we took a bus to Bled, where we stayed in an Airbnb located at about ten minutes of Lake Bled. Also, I accidentally walked all the way around the lake on our last day. But that’s a story for later.
Related: get €30 off your first Airbnb booking here.
From Bled, we also went on a day trip to Vintgar Gorge. It was extremely tiring since the hike up there took us a lot longer than we had anticipated, but it was totally worth it. The views were gorge-ous. (I’m so sorry.)
Blog posts and video coming soon.
I went to Slovenia with one of my best friends from school (who is also an avid world traveller and one of the biggest fans of this blog, by the way).
This 2018 travel report wasn’t just meant to make anyone reading this jealous of how much I travelled. It was meant to show you that anyone can travel. If I, a full-time university student, can go on seven trips in one year, there’s no reason for you not to be able to do the same thing.
I’m not rich. I don’t have more time than you do. But I do make travel a priority.
As a travel blogger, writing a travel report like this is like a photographer making a photo album. In the future, I’ll be able to look back at this post and relive everything I experienced in 2018.
All I’m trying to say here is that it doesn’t always have to be a big, fancy trip. You can go to a city one hour away from your hometown and discover things you had never seen before.
Travelling is not about collecting trophies from the most extreme destinations across the world. It’s about experiencing life and living your dreams.
Here’s to travelling more than you think you can in 2019. Let’s make this the best year of our lives.
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