What makes Singapore so worthwhile as a stopover on a trip to Australia or New Zealand? A flight down under takes over 20 hours. A stopover not only eases the journey but also allows you to get to know an additional country and its culture. This corner of the world is one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in Southeast Asia, with an exciting contrast between tradition and modernity. Singapore is a city-state with more than five million inhabitants, located on an island at the southernmost point of Malaysia.
There are so many interesting things to see and experience that you may have to choose from a short stopover. In this overview, we give you information on which sights and highlights you should not miss during your stay.
Singapore is known as a paradise for food lovers and for those who love to shop. But there is much more to discover in this greenest, cleanest and safest city in Southeast Asia:
Plan two to three days for your stopover so that you can see everything at your leisure and continue your journey in a relaxed manner. You will be so glad you did.
You can visit Singapore at any time of year, but you should be prepared for year-round showers, a surprising number of lightning strikes and heavy humidity. Singapore is in the tropics, so there are no distinct seasons. Locals may refer to a dry season and a wet season, but the difference is hardly noticeable and even the dry season has almost daily rainfall.
Due to Singapore's location 137 km north of the equator, the climate is typically tropical with daytime and nighttime temperatures between 26 and 19 °C. During the monsoon season from November to February, there is a tropical rainstorm every now and then. Whenever and in whichever season you come, Singapore will always cast its spell on you.
Sit back and enjoy your flight with Singapore Airlines and make a stopover at Changi Airport to break up your journey to Australia or New Zealand. Our partner Singapore Airlines offers you the highest level of comfort and service on your flight - whichever class of comfort you choose. The international airport is one of the largest airports in Asia, which is why it offers direct flights worldwide. Changi Airport is unusual in that it is a ‘silent airport'; flight information is only communicated by screens, and not announced over the speakers.
Singapore Airport offers many premium business lounges and the Sanctuary and Oasis Lounges, especially for snoozing and are open to all. However, you may not have time for this as there is so much else to do. If you are travelling with children be sure to visit the longest airport slide in the world. You can also visit Canopy Park with its series of bridges with glass floors called The Canopy Walk. The strategically placed fog machines make it look like you are walking through the clouds. Explore Singapore Botanic Gardens or get lost in the Mirror maze and the Hedge Maze.
Changi Airport also has two free cinemas and a swimming pool with a poolside bar. From the airport, you can explore the city-state with numerous means of public transport thanks to the good infrastructure. A relaxed and comfortable way to see all the sights is, for example, the SIA hop-on bus. For more information on airlines and bookings, click here.
Singapore's main shopping centre is Orchard Road, with an amazing array of shops selling everything from electronic gadgets to beautiful fashion and jewellery, as well as valuable art and antiques. The choice is also overwhelming at the malls of Marina Bay Sands and HarbourFront. In addition, there are many ethnic districts, such as Little India, China Town, Katong and the Arab district of Kampong Glam, with their exotic smells and colours and a huge selection of souvenirs, antiques, spices, silks and jewellery.
Apart from the shopping, you can sample extensively the dishes of the various ethnic cuisines. There are many small restaurants near the big food centres or hawker courts where you can make your own meal from the various food stalls. Don't worry: the food trade is strictly controlled and everything is extremely clean, as any visitor to Singapore can attest. Due to the fact that almost all residents speak English, you can easily converse at the markets.
Try a Singapore Sling during your stopover to truly relax in style. Known as the national drink of the city-state, this famous cocktail was created at Raffles Hotel Long Bar by the bartender, Ngiam Tong Boon, in the 1930s. This worldwide popular drink originally consisted of ingredients - orange juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, cherry brandy, Bénédictine and gin.
Experience comfortable flight times, connections, and a relaxing stopover. As Australian and New Zealand specialists, we work with leading airlines and can arrange flights that suit your wants and needs.
How can we help you?What goes for food also is also true for hotels: they come in all categories - from extremely luxurious to simple but clean and comfortable, with the historic Raffles Hotel on Beach Road at the absolute top. It's worth stopping by to visit this famous place, even if you're not staying there.
A relaxed way to explore the city-state is to take a leisurely boat tour across the Singapore River. The tours usually start at Clarke Quay. From here you can enjoy a leisurely ride in a Singaporean wooden boat, past restaurants in the colourful Boat Quay to the picturesque Marina Bay with a view of the imposing skyscrapers.
A must-see is the magnificent Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road and the Buddhist Thian Hok Keng Temple on Telok Ayer Street. And don't forget museums such as the beautiful National Museum, the China Heritage Centre and the Peranakan. Incorporate a visit to Sentosa Island on your Singapore trip. Sentosa is a huge amusement park with beaches, golf courses, museums, sports fields, playgrounds, aquariums and a monorail. A great place to relax after all the shopping and sightseeing.
Other Singapore sights during your stopover include the colonial quarter with impressive architecture from the British occupation period, the colourful houses in Katong and the Merlion. The almost nine-metre-high Merlion is a hybrid of a lion and a fish and the country's landmark. Statues of this kind are scattered throughout the city. It is not for nothing that Singapore is called 'the lion city'. However, the particularly imposing specimen, which spouts water, can be found in Marina Bay.
Singapore is a truly green city. Almost all streets are lined with various types of palm trees, fragrant frangipani and masses of bougainvillaea. There are many parks and the botanical garden with the neighbouring orchid garden is a huge nature and recreation area. Singapore also has two attractive zoos (Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park) and the Singapore Night Safari, where you can see wild animals in their natural jungle environment at night. Also visit the rainforest on Bukit Timah, the highest elevation in Singapore at 164 metres.
A real highlight and almost iconic for Singapore are the 50-metre high Super Trees. The futuristic steel constructions are planted with plants from all over the world and surrounded by beautiful gardens. Explore the Skywalk - a path that winds between the crowns of the Super Trees. From here you have an excellent view of the jungle below, Marina Bay and the Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel. There is also a free light show on the trees every evening that is not to be missed.
Also visit the gorgeous Gardens by the Bay greenhouses, where you can marvel at the flora of the Mediterranean region in the Flower Dome and a huge man-made indoor waterfall in the Cloud Forest.
Details and information on the current regulations for a trip to Singapore can be found at the British High Commission of Singapore. Or please check the current entry requirements here.
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