Maximize your 11 Hour Layover in Singapore!
Stop over? Not a Problem!
Capitalising on its name as a melting pot of cultures and as one of Asia’s hit-list destinations, Singapore continues to get a lot of spark among Filipino travellers.
For this trip, I went with Singapore Airlines. I have heard a lot of good feedback from my friends that used to try this airline. And so I ended up trying it for myself as I wanted to visit Singapore even for a short period of time.
I would be coming from Dubai then going to my beloved country, the Philippines, for my one month vacation. I have chosen a flight with an 11-hour stopover so I would have a chance to explore the so-called Lion City. And here’s how you can do it, too.
Leave Your Luggage and Carry-ons at the Airport
Even if your luggage is checked through to your final destination, it might be a good idea to leave your carry on luggage in storage while you explore Singapore.
Singapore makes it easy and cheap to leave your luggage at the airport while you explore the city. Every terminal (there are 3 of them at Singapore Changi) offers Luggage Storage services, available for just SGD $5 per bag for the first 24 hours. Follow the signs at the Terminals or ask one of the Customer Service Reps for assistance in finding the Luggage Store Offices.
Free Singapore Tour
Before my flight to Singapore, of course I’ve done my research on activities that can be done by transit passengers and for those who have long stopovers in the country. I found out that Changi Airport actually gives a free tour specifically for passengers who have more than five hours of stopover. So if you only have four and a half hours in between your flights, sorry buddy but you’re not eligible to get the free tour.
If you have at least five hours (or at least six hours for City Sights Tour) to spare until your connecting flight, you can join one of their 2.5-hour guided tours with two short stops. The Heritage Tour runs four times daily and the City Sights Tour runs two times daily. You can find the Free Singapore Tour Booth at Terminals 2 and 3.
I arrived in Changi Airport at around 7:20am and I opted to join the Free Singapore Heritage Tour at 10:00am. While waiting for the tour to get started, I just roamed around the airport and found another great service of theirs. I actually didn’t bring any pocket money for this stopover but the good thing is that Changi Airport is giving away S$20 for all eligible transit passengers.
I used the S$20 to buy food and had my breakfast in the food court.
Note: Once you decide to buy anything from inside the airport, you have to use all of the money since change will no longer be given.
For more details about the free tours, click here. Meanwhile, here are the highlights of my short visit in Singapore.
Marina Bay Mall
As part of Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands complex, this vast mall is home to hundreds of shops, world-class restaurants and some sophisticated cafes and bars.
Read more at: http://www.singapore-guide.com/top10/top5-shopping-marina-bay.htm?cid=ch:OTH:001
Gardens By The Bay
Gardens by the Bay is part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”. The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.
Unfortunately it was raining the day we visited so we didn’t get to fully experience the gardens outside. We visited both the domes and there was plenty to keep us interested inside.
You can easily spend more than a day here with the magnificent flower and cloud forest domes, the gardens, children’s water park and the tree walk. Entry to both domes is quite inexpensive and everywhere else is free.
The Orchids,Cloud Forests ,the super groove trees are wonderful treat to watch.
Butterfly Garden
The Butterfly Garden at Changi Airport is great attraction to visit while having some spare time at the airport. It is basically a enclosed garden where different species of butterflies have been kept.
Awesome little butterfly garden located in T3 near hungry jacks. Free entry so well worth it if you’ve got some time to kill.
How lovely that an airport caters for points of interest whilst waiting for a flight.
Sunflower Garden
An oasis of tranquility from the terminal.
This is the sunflower garden located inside terminal 2 of Changi airport in Singapore. This garden is just one of the many attractions including, an orchid garden, a swimming pool, video game area, movie area, and much more that you can find while waiting for a flight at Changi in Singapore.
It provides some fresh air and it’s weird though, because among the sunflowers, you’ll see the airplanes in the distance. 🙂
If you want to explore more tourist attractions in Singapore, I would, of course, suggest that you stay more than 11 hours. As for me, I simply made it work. Changi Airport itself, is one of the best airports I’ve been to and even within its premises, there are already many things to do that you will never get bored during your stay there.
Enjoy Singapore!!!
Perky Chic On The Road 