I plan on having a layover in Singapore on way to Bangkok. Is there any advice from travellers that have spent a layover in a country.

[marty344]

I plan on flying with Scoot to Bangkok, and to get a very cheap ticket i have to spend a 5 hour layover in Singapore.
Is that a long time for a layover in another country? I plan on just bringing a backpack with me, so will i be okay to walk around an explore the airport, before the connecting flight arrives. I guess my worry is i will end up getting lost and not being able to find my gate, so i dont plan to explore too far away.
For those that have been to Singapore Airport, is there a lot of places to eat, does it have food places such as McDonalds.

Any advice from those that have done layovers in another country would be very grateful.

 

[dajop]

What is your arrival and departure time? Do you have an Australian passport (or any other passport that allows visa free entry into Singapore)? The Jewel complex might be worth visiting at certain times of the day, but it requires going through immigration, but it is literally 50 metres from where you exit customs.

 

[RB]

I plan on flying with Scoot to Bangkok, and to get a very cheap ticket i ahave to spend a 5 hour layover in Singapore.
Is that a long time for a layover in another country? I plan on just bringing a backpack with me, so will i be okay to walk around an explore the airport, before the connecting flight arrives. I guess my worry is i will end up getting lost and not being able to find my gate, so i dont plan to explore too far away.
For those that have been to Singapore Airport, is there a lot of places to eat, does it have food places such as McDonalds.

Any advice from those that have done layovers in another country would be very grateful.

Hi Marty, Singapore is probably one of the easier places to spend time at the airport. Spend some time looking up plans of the airport layout but you shouls have little to worry about. The signage is excellent and there are plenty of staff/general people around who will assist you. You certainly won't have a problem finding food outlets. There are plenty of threads on here re Singapore/stopovers that will show up in the general search function

 

[marty344]

What is your arrival and departure time? Do you have an Australian passport (or any other passport that allows visa free entry into Singapore)?

My arrival time is early morning 3am and depart at depart at 8:20am. I have an Australian passport.

 

[elanshin]

My arrival time is early morning 3am and depart at depart at 8:20am. I have an Australian passport.

Oh unfortunately given the hours, you'll probably be best to try to find an area to rest in or the aero hotel for a few hours.

If it was any other time, I would suggest going out and taking a look around either the Jewel or Singapore itself. You could still consider going out and grabbing some late night hawker before going back to the airport but realistically with this sort of timing, I'd just stay airside.

Still a few things available if you don't want to sleep

Singapore Attractions | Best Things To Do In Singapore Changi Airport

Experience these exciting fun-filled attractions at Singapore Changi Airport. Here are some things to do on a day out with your friends and family.

www.changiairport.com

 

[dajop]

My arrival time is early morning 3am and depart at depart at 8:20am. I have an Australian passport.

I thought that might be the case, some family members did similar connections to Thailand (although not BKK), and it's not as good as at other times of the day unfortunately. I amended my post to mention Jewel - which has a rain vortex as a highlight and various other attractions - but the vortex is operating and most shops are only open from 10am to 10pm, so IMHO at that is no good.


As a result, I suggest you stay airside. There are a number of areas to rest/nap, or if you want to explore plenty of time to visit the three terminals (all connected by airtrain), and see some of the features, although lots of places will be closed until probably 6am or so. Signage is good so you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding your gate (and if you do you can always ask at the information desks). I suggest familiarise yourself with the airport website (link below) it has a lot of good information:

Welcome To Singapore Changi Airport

Experience Changi Airport, a world-class service icon and destination in itself. Get flight status, travel guides, shopping and dining tips, and more!

www.changiairport.com

Rest areas: Free-to-use Rest Areas | Singapore Changi Airport

 

[tdimdad]

Changi is excellent if you want your step count up.
T1 + T2 + T3 form a single complex and you can rack up several km by just walking and enjoying the little gems they've planted here and there: statues, art and other features. And once the eateries start to open more, there's too many to choose from.

The airport website has plenty of good info for you to do some preliminary planning.

 

[SOPOOR]

i recently did 8 or 11 hours ( icant remmeber in changi, arriving at 1am,

nothing is open, in terms of food, lounge for 2-3 hours is reaonsble, but once you get past 8/10 hours it was something like $200 aud

i didnt have lounge access, but if you do, id stay in the lounge,

getting out to the city might be harder, but also coming is harder too (not sure what times trains start)
all the attractions i googled closed at 10pm or there abouts,

definitely not worth it for a late arrival

 

[JohnK]

I did 16 hour transit in SiN last year but that was easy as I had lounge access. Also did a few 8-9 hour transits with wife and daughter recently.

Arriving at 3:00am on Scoot flight I would casually walk around all the terminals. T1, T2 and T3. I've done that a few times. Good to get circulation moving and you'll see shops opening up close to 6:00am.

 

[Worldtraveller1]

I plan on flying with Scoot to Bangkok, and to get a very cheap ticket i have to spend a 5 hour layover in Singapore.
Is that a long time for a layover in another country? I plan on just bringing a backpack with me, so will i be okay to walk around an explore the airport, before the connecting flight arrives. I guess my worry is i will end up getting lost and not being able to find my gate, so i dont plan to explore too far away.
For those that have been to Singapore Airport, is there a lot of places to eat, does it have food places such as McDonalds.

Any advice from those that have done layovers in another country would be very grateful.

Five hour layover for international flights doesn’t leave much time to go into Singapore city area. You will find there are plenty of eating options and Jewel has shopping, entertainment and a butterfly house. Singapore airport is one of the best in the world.

 

[bcworld]

Five hour layover for international flights doesn’t leave much time to go into Singapore city area. You will find there are plenty of eating options and Jewel has shopping, entertainment and a butterfly house. Singapore airport is one of the best in the world.

But as they've mentioned, their layover time is 3am - 8am.

 

[tdimdad]

Welcome to AFF, @Worldtraveller1! SIN is a fantastic airport and has heaps to do and see at daytime & evenings. But those early morning hours will be very quiet there.

The MRT from Changi Airport station starts at about 5:30 am and runs until about 11:15 or midnight (depending on the day). Grab or taxis are, of course, available 24/7. But there's nothing much to do in the city at 5 am other than walk and see the city sleeping or starting to gradually wake up and move again.

 

[AIRwin]

But there's nothing much to do in the city at 5 am other than walk and see the city sleeping or starting to gradually wake up and move again.

Casino?

 

[elanshin]

There are some hawkers that are only open in the evenings. One local one was 9pm to 9am only.