Tips on what to do at Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong airport on a layover

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The layover might be that dead, dread time between one flight and another - you ricocheting around the airport terminal, dazed and glazed – but maybe not. Turning your terminal time into something other than an ordeal is a challenge, but the layover can even become a playover if you get it right. On the long-haul trip to Europe, where your layover occurs is vital. Fly with a Middle Eastern carrier and your default stopover will be Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha. Fly with a Asian carrier – or Qantas or one of the low-cost carriers – and your layover will  be in southern or eastern Asia. Here are three leading Asian hubs under the spotlight, with various options for a short, medium and long layover. 

Singapore

Under 4 hours

If you have to be stuck in an airport terminal between flights, Singapore's Changi stands head and shoulders above every other. At this year's prestigious Skytrax's World Airport Awards, Singapore's Changi Airport took top gong – for the fifth year in a row. 

It's spacious and bright, with boulevard-like shopping arcades interspersed with butterfly gardens, a green wall, fountains, ample recharge ports, hawker food centres and a kids' zone with the tallest slide in any airport. High-end shopping brands are complemented with terminal hotels, spas and massage facilities and 24-hour cinemas in terminals 2 and 3. Free Wi-Fi is reasonably fast.

Pay-for-use lounges are located in all three terminals offering showers and buffet food. A charge of $S58 ($56) gets you in for up to five hours but given the terminal's much better food options, the Snooze Lounges with lie-back seating and other free amenities, the value of these lounges is questionable.

Best lounge by far is The Haven by JetQuay, which has nap rooms as well as a buffet and showers. One major drawback for transit passengers is the location – beyond immigration and baggage carousels in the public area. A 2-hour lounge package starts at $S35, three hours in the Nap Room will set you back $S70. The terminal hotels are more convenient, for not a whole lot more. 

Pick of the food outlets is the Singapore Food Street in Terminal 3, home to some of the city-state's favourite hawker stalls. Go for the Hainanese chicken rice, or roasted duck. 

Looking for a bar? Standout is Terminal 3's rooftop Traveller's Cactus Pub, set among succulents with a view of the runways over your Singapore sling. 

Best rest and relax zone is the outdoor swimming pool atop Terminal 1 with its Jacuzzi, showers and a bar, a steal at just $S17.

See also: Why Munich International is as good as Changi

4 to 8 hours

Got at least 5½ hours between connecting flights? You can join a free guided Heritage Tour of Singapore, or take the City Sights Tour if your window is 6 hours or more. The Heritage Tour runs four times daily, City Sights Tour twice daily. When you arrive, remain in the Transit Area, head for one of the information desks and ask for the Free Singapore Tours booths, located in terminals 2 and 3. You'll need your passport and boarding pass and you can check your cabin bags in at the Left Luggage desk if you prefer to travel light. 

If neither tour works with your schedule a visit to the city is realistic if your transit time is six hours plus. Access is fast and cheap if you take the Mass Rapid Transit train from Changi to Raffles Place. Change to the westbound train at Tanah Merah station. From Raffles Place it's just a short walk to Marina Bay Sands and the spectacular Gardens by the Bay. Stroll around the gardens, take in  the view from the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck and sit down for a riverside meal at Clarke Quay then take a taxi back to the airport. 

You might consider a proper bed and the Aerotel Airport Transit Hotel is located in Terminal 1, Ambassador Transit Hotels in Terminals 2 and 3. Rooms are basic and fairly bland but they're quiet and the beds are comfortable. Prices are decent at $S90 for 6 hours in the Ambassador Hotels, $S110 for a medium-size double in the Aerotel. 

8 hours plus

Singapore has plenty to keep you entertained for a day or two with its zoo, botanic gardens, the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Gardens by the Bay but shopping and eating are the mainstays. Singapore Airlines' Singapore Stopover Holidays give you a hotel room, admission to over 15 attractions, complimentary rides on the SIA Hop-on Bus, transport to and from the airport and various other deals starting from just $S40 per person on a twin-share basis. For non-SIA flyers, Flight Centre has lots of options, backpacker to the suite life. 

The Cons

Blowtorch heat and humidity afflict Singapore all year round. Conserve energy for your next flight by confining outdoor activities to early morning and evening.  

See also: World's best airports for stopovers, food, shopping, hotels and lounges named

Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Airport lounges Photo: Carmen Chan

Under 4 hours 

Close to Gate 23, Relaxation Corner offers semi-flat lounge chairs and relative calm and it's free. In the same area you can access massage services and reflexology treatments. 

Plaza Premium Lounges are found in the East and West halls of Terminals 1 and also in the arrivals section of Terminal 2 but food, seating, atmosphere and amenities win them few fans. Best of the bunch is the Plaza Premium Flagship Lounge located in Terminal 1 close to Gate 40. Charges are a teeth-chattering $HK580 ($A99) for two hours, $HK780 for five. 

SkyMart in Terminal 1 has the usual swank array of luxury brands such as Prada, Jimmy Choo, Burberry and an outlet for Hong Kong's very own Shanghai Tang. There's a better-than-average range of clothing and electronics plus the usual brands on the liquor and perfume shelves. The Downtown Pricing Guarantee ensures retail prices are no higher than at the same outlet in the city, but how would you know unless you go there?

Wi-Fi is free and relatively beefy and charge stations are scattered throughout the terminal. 

4 to 8 hours

Visiting the city is a practical option but you need to allow at least two hours from the time you leave the terminal to account for to-and-fro travel time with a safety buffer before your next flight. A transit time of less than about five hours means leaving the airport is not a practical proposition. 

Airport Express trains leave the airport at 10-minute intervals between 6am and after midnight. Travel time to Hong Kong's Central Station is just 24 minutes, and from here you're right at the heart of the city. You could hop on a tram and take a ride to Causeway Bay and back for just a few cents, or take one of the world's great commuter rides aboard the Star Ferries across to Kowloon, where the giant Harbour City complex has every fashionable label you could wish for. 

You might also walk from Central along Des Voeux Road until you get to the Hang Seng Bank, take the Mid-Levels escalator up to Hollywood Road and continue upwards to admire the antique shops full of Chinese artworks, antiques and curios. Take a detour at the Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters, now packed with funky design shops and cafes, then continue downhill to take a peek at Man Mo Temple then take the staircase opposite to the trash and treasure market on Upper Lascar Row. With stops for tea and snacks along the way, this should fill in anything from 2 to 4 hours. 

There are no hotels within the terminal but a pedestrian bridge links the terminal with the Regal Airport Hotel. Hong Kong Sky City Marriott Hotel is a short shuttle ride and it's better. 

Dining options are plentiful but they're mostly located in the check-in area, which means passing through immigration and customs if you're in transit. Top nosherie is Hung's Delicacies, located on Level 3 of Terminal 2's SkyPlaza, which rates a Michelin star for its Teochew style food, with the soy poached goose as the crowd pleaser. Airside in the food court area Tsui Wah Eatery serves a line-up of Hong Kong favourites such as pork chop katsu curry, milk tea and toasted buns with condensed milk. Saboten is an offshoot of a Japanese chain – specialty, fried pork cutlet – and while service is slow it's worth the wait. Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar is surprisingly good, located in the West Hall of Terminal 1. Not cheap but this is also a safe bet for a drink. 

See also: How to create the perfect airport

8 hours plus

With the best pan-Asian dining scene of any Asian city, markets galore, lively nightlife, first-class shopping at competitive prices and quality tailoring, Hong Kong has plenty to keep you busy on a layover, however long. Check Flight Centre for hotel deals.  

The Cons

Travel time to European ports is relatively long at 12½ to 14 hours, and hotel prices are steep. 

Bangkok

The Novotel at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport offers a pleasingly flexible approach to bookings.

Under 4 hours

Not the greatest airport if you're stuck in transit, by a long shot. Seating is scarce, it's big, busy and annoying with shouty flight announcements and air con is uneven.

Miracle lounges can be found at several locations throughout the terminal. While they're well short of miraculous they are at least a haven from the  heaving cacophony of the main terminal and the price is not too bad. Not all the Miracle lounges have showers – beware - however the Miracle First Class Lounge in Concourse D does. A 2-hour visit will set you back $40, another hour adds $18. 

The Bill Bentley Pub is friendly but prices are on the steep side and there are better eating options in the Asian food court area, although none rate high in the culinary stakes. 

Chang Foot Massage and Spa can be found a several locations in Concourses A and G. Foot massage or a Thai massage costs a modest THB700, aromatherapy massage is THB1500.

Wi-Fi is free throughout. 

4 to 8 hours

Consider carefully if you plan on leaving the airport to take in some of the city in this time frame. Immigration processing for farangs - foreigners – entering Thailand can take an hour during peak periods, and just as long when you return to the airport. You need a window of 7 to 8 hours between flights to make a city visit a realistic proposition.

The Bangkok Airport Link is the best option for getting to the city, with six stops on its 30-minute journey to Phayathai Station. Trains operate at about 12-minute intervals. From Phayathai there's a connection to the BTS Skytrain system. From here you could take taxis to squeeze in a visit to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, or Jim Thompson House. Alternatively, take the BTS Skytrain to Chit Lom Station and wander around the shopping malls. Standout is the swank Central Embassy mall, and don't miss Eathai, a fabulous food emporium that assembles the rich culinary pleasures of the Kingdom of Thailand under one roof. 

The Miracle Transit Hotel within the terminal has dayrooms but they're squeezy and well used. Soundproofing is not up to scratch, ear plugs are a good idea. Also questionable value, with the 6-hour time limit set at THB3960. 

Rather than gritting it out inside the terminal you might leave the airport and take a 5-minute stroll to the  Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel. This is a star performer with a sushi/teppenyaki bar, café, Chinese restaurant and a bar among its food and beverage options. Ask nicely  at reception and they might let you use the pool if you're dining, or at the very least chill at the Splash Pool Bar. 

See also: 20 things that will surprise first-time visitors to Thailand

8 hours plus 

Bangkok is a city on steroids with plenty to justify a two-day stopover at least. Its hotels deliver outstanding value, the city has major-league cultural assets, the spas and beauty clinics are fantastic, nightlife is unique, there's best-in-class shopping for silks and handicrafts and the food scene is dynamite, especially for street food aficionados. 

If your stopover is 8 to 24 hours the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel is a great choice. Access to the city is quick and easy via the Bangkok Airport Link, rooms are spacious, well equipped and quiet, there's a decent pool, several dining options and the room rate works on a 24-hour basis. Check in anytime and you can check out up to 24 hours later and pay for just a one-night stay. 

For a longer stay check the hotel options with Flight Centre

The Cons

Bangkok's rush hour traffic is diabolical, personal safety and security requires some attention and language can be problematic.

See also: Five ways to get a flight upgrade

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