Singapore (SIN) Stopover Tips

[tdimdad]

Bag drop & going to Jewel / the city?

Flight 1: QF2 arriving in T1 and connecting on MH in T1 the next morning. Flight 2: a CI flight arriving in T3 and connecting onto QF2 in T1 the same evening. I'm flying on two separate tickets on both cases.

In case I can't get my bags checked through, what's the best & fastest way to get the bags collected & dropped off so I can head out to Jewel or to the city while waiting for the connection? In both cases, is there a way I can drop off the bags to MH in the night before, and how early can I drop them off for QF2?

 

[JohnK]

Bag drop & going to Jewel / the city?

Flight 1: QF2 arriving in T1 and connecting on MH in T1 the next morning. Flight 2: a CI flight arriving in T3 and connecting onto QF2 in T1 the same evening. I'm flying on two separate tickets on both cases.

In either case go to transfer desk and see if they will manually transfer bags to next flight. You should be fine with CI connecting to QF same day.

For overnight connection if transfer desk will not transfer bags then exit into SIN and don't collect your bags. When you return the next morning go to lost luggage and collect your bags and checkin for next flight.

 

[tdimdad]

For overnight connection if transfer desk will not transfer bags then exit into SIN and don't collect your bags. When you return the next morning go to lost luggage and collect your bags and checkin for next flight.

I've clearly been raised a good kid (a little too good) as that sort of a move didn't even cross my mind. But I can see it could work very nicely...

 

[Maki]

Hi team,

I have a ~24hrs layover in Singapore in early November. While one of the options is to head into town, I'd like to stay in or around Changi apt. For my dates of tevael all the airport hotels are north of $400 at the moment. I am not familiar with accommodation close to Changi airport. Has anyone had any recent layover experience in Singapore with accommodation close to Changi hey can recommend? Also, is it easy to get to?
Thank you.
Cheers, M.

 

[only4tehlulz]

Unless you have a very very early flight that you need to catch, the difference between staying near Changi or Downtown is a 25 minute Taxi ride (30-40$ top) or a 40-45 minute metro and there are certainly way more things you can do downtown, even if that involves "just" a walk down Chinatown, Clarke Quay and MBS and hawker stalls...

I'd choose downtown any day.

 

[blackcat20]

We stayed at the Yotel as we had a late (midnight) arrival, it was perfectly fine as a base.

 

[Maki]

Good Morning,

Thank you for both replies. I'e decided to head to downtown and make the most of the layover. It's been 10 years since I've visited Singapore anyway.

 

[SYD]

Good Morning,

Thank you for both replies. I'e decided to head to downtown and make the most of the layover. It's been 10 years since I've visited Singapore anyway.

If you go by train, you can just tap any debit or credit card. It’s very cheap. Last year, a long weekend there was about A$8.00 to/from airport and MRT trips around around town.

 

[papeto]

If you go by train, you can just tap any debit or credit card. It’s very cheap. Last year, a long weekend there was about A$8.00 to/from airport and MRT trips around around town.

Thats great news! We got a 12 hout stop over in October and was hoping to grabbsome chilly crab in chinatown while there

 

[AIRwin]

Thats great news! We got a 12 hout stop over in October and was hoping to grabbsome chilly crab in chinatown while there

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/food-drink/tourist-calls-police-after-being-charged-1000-for-a-seafood-dish/news-story/ae30eb01651fb8dbdb091e138c4518c2

 

[papeto]

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/food-drink/tourist-calls-police-after-being-charged-1000-for-a-seafood-dish/news-story/ae30eb01651fb8dbdb091e138c4518c2

Wow - that must have been some crab dish!

 

[Maki]

If you go by train, you can just tap any debit or credit card. It’s very cheap. Last year, a long weekend there was about A$8.00 to/from airport and MRT trips around around town.

Any hotel recommendations? Let's try and stick to under $300 for the night, Mrs Maki not joining this time so all I need is a clean bed and bathroom, ideally not a long trek from the train station as I'll be catching the train from Changi. Bonus points for good hawker stalls recommendation.

 

[Quickstatus]

Bonus points for good hawker stalls recommendation.

"Hawker" not often used these days even in local vernacular . Its been replaced by "Food Centre". More accurate as well, as the old pushcarts don't exist anymore.

Hong Lim Food Centre
Maxwell Food Centre
Newton Food Centre (featured in Crazy Rich Asians)

These are not the best though but for layover/stopover purposes, very acceptable.

Capri by Fraser is a reasonable hotel chain in SG

 

[Cynicor]

I wouldn’t bother with MRT from the airport. For maybe a $10-15 saving and the loss of an hour of my life.

But if you definitely want to do it, I suggest Chinatown area hotels will fit the bill nicely. Jump onto blue line, no train change needed, go about 15 stops only. Lots of hawkers in the area, some of the best around, as well as nightlife areas too.

 

[Quickstatus]

Chinatown area hotels

Jump onto blue line

Capri By Fraser China Square. (Chinatown)
5 min walk to Hong Lim
5 min walk to Chinatown MRT this is part of the Downtown line (Blue Line) which takes you to Fort Canning Park, National museum Singapore, Little India, marina Gardens by the Bay . And it also takes you to Changi (SIN) via a platform change at Expo MRT station to the Green East West line. Additionally the opposite direction on the same line to Newton Food Centre
15 min walk to Merlion

 

[SYD]

I wouldn’t bother with MRT from the airport. For maybe a $10-15 saving and the loss of an hour of my life.

Has the taxi situation improved at Changi? There were lots of reports of horror lines so I used the MRT for the first time ever from Changi last year - it didn’t seem to take too long, although handy that I was staying in the Fairmont - right on top of the station.

 

[Cynicor]

I’ve been multiple times since covid, and my parents even more.
Never ever seen what would count as a queue at any of the terminals, in that time.

I think horror queues must be very temporary- likely bad timing with lightning holding up bags, so that they all arrive at once, along with decent storms over the CBD increasing demand there, plus peak hours of arrival.

The longest queue I have seen since covid would be 8 people or so

 

[Quickstatus]

There were lots of reports of horror lines so I used the MRT for the first time ever from Changi last yea

No queues at Changi MRT the last time I visited in May.

 

[SYD]

No queues at Changi MRT the last time I visited in May.

Taxi queues was the issue last year.

 

[blackcat20]

Has the taxi situation improved at Changi? There were lots of reports of horror lines so I used the MRT for the first time ever from Changi last year - it didn’t seem to take too long, although handy that I was staying in the Fairmont - right on top of the station.

Horrendous lines the other week but that was due to F1. We got a Grab within minutes.