The Free Singapore Tour is back for international transit travelers after three years of the pandemic. Of all major airport layover tours, the Singapore Changi Airport transit tour is the most interesting one. A free city sightseeing tour or a walking tour across the airport is the best to kill a layover (minimum 5.5 hours) at Changi Airport while traveling on Singapore Airlines flights between India and USA. The Free Singapore Tour comprises two city sightseeing itineraries (City Sights Tour), one itinerary exploring the airport (Jewel Tour), and a newly added residential town & village beach tour (Changi Precinct Tour). You can pre-book either of the four tour itineraries.
What are the eligibility requirements for a free Singapore airport or city tour?
All international transit travelers are eligible for the Free Singapore Tour, regardless of their nationality. The first and foremost condition is the layover period or transit time that must be between 5.5 hours to 24 hours. Your transit schedule at Changi Airport should correspond with the tour timings.
How to register for a free Singapore transit tour?
You can register online for the Free Singapore Tour, a guided service. You can pre-book a tour itinerary of your choice under the ‘Airport Guide’ section of the website ChangiAirport.com. Do note that registration or booking is absolutely free.
Is an entry or transit visa required for the Free Singapore Tour?
US citizens do not need an entry or transit visa for a Changi Airport tour or a Singapore City sightseeing tour. Singapore offers 96-hour visa free transit facility (VFTF) to Indians in transit to or from any third country via Changi International Airport. Indian passport holders with a valid US/UK/Canada/Japan/Australia/NZ visa and valid onward flight tickets are eligible for 96-hour visa free transit in Singapore. An entry visa to Singapore is required for an airport layover/city transit tour, if Indian transit travelers do not meet the eligibility criteria for the visa-free transit facility.
PC: Wikipedia (left) | Caroandbram.com (right)
Changi Airport Precinct Tour
Among free Singapore airport layover tours for transit travelers, the 2.5-hour Changi Precinct Tour will take you away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The tour will let you explore a “uniquely designed residential town and a quiet village.” the tour starts with a visit to Tampines, the residential town which was once a forested area with swamps. The town won the UN World Habitat Award for being an exemplary model of local Singaporean life.
The Changi Precinct Tour goes through Tampines Hub, Singapore’s largest integrated community and lifestyle hub with environment-friendly space for food and leisure services. The next stop on the tour is Changi Chapel & Museum where the story of the prisoners of World War II is preserved.
Changi Village and Beach Park is the most beautiful part of Changi Precinct Tour for international transit travelers in Singapore. It is a recreational getaway with pristine white beaches immersed in tranquility, where you can breathe in fresh air, listen to your heartbeats, and drink to natural beauty. This is also a popular place for plane spotting.
Changi Airport Jewel Tour
A 2.5-km walking tour across Changi International Airport. Exploring the world’s best airport (in 2023), from the Control Tower to Canopy Park to the forest valley and indoor waterfall in the Jewel complex, is the best thing to do during transit in Singapore if your layover falls short of city sightseeing. Changi Airport’s Jewel tour starts from the Jewel complex where you can breathe in the calm of the lush green landscape inundated with natural light.
The world’s tallest indoor waterfall at Singapore Changi Airport is the prime attraction of the Jewel Tour. The cascading waterfall doubles up as a light-and-sound show in the evenings. Family travelers with kids can see the magic of aviation through interactive games and immersive projections in the Changi Experience Studio. The Jewel tour ends at Canopy Park on the topmost floor of the Jewel complex sprawling 14,000 sqm. The Canopy Park is a recreational wonderland with a number of attractions for children.
Singapore City Sights Tour
A City Sights Tour makes the Free Singapore Tour a lot interesting for international transit travelers. The 2.5-hour City Sights Tour showcases the modern landscape of Singapore as a most vibrant city. The tour starts from City Hall where there are the Parliament House and the Supreme Court within spitting distance from. It takes travelers through the Civic District where the old national monuments are juxtaposed with the modern skyscrapers.
The Jubilee Bridge is a significant landmark that commands vivid views of the Marina Bay and the city skyline during the City Sights Tour. The tour includes a 30-minute stopover at the Merlion Park, a major tourist attraction without any entry fee. There are many beautiful spots to take photos and selfies for Instagram. Another 30-minute stopover is at the Gardens by Marina Bay where more than 500,000 plants make a horticultural oasis. The Avatar-like Supertrees that add to the dazzles of the night sky are a must see during this tour.
Singapore Heritage Tour
A 2.5-hour Heritage Tour transports you back to the colonial past of Singapore. It includes stopovers at Chinatown and Kampong Gelam home to many architectural marvels. A heritage tour for international transit travelers in Singapore starts from Marina Bay and continues through Central Business District where the city’s iconic hawker center and a thriving night street food zone are located amid modern high-rises.
Integral to the colonial history of Singapore, Chinatown is a 30-minute stopover during the heritage tour. Street murals depicting the lives of locals in the bygone decades do not go unnoticed. This free Singapore tour for transit travelers includes a visit to the Singapore River and its quays, where the economy of the country is believed to have been cradled. Glimpses of the bustling life in this part of old Singapore are simply unmissable.
The next stopover is Bugis, the early settlement of Europeans in Singapore during the colonial era. Some of the country’s oldest churches with towering spires are situated here. This area is also known as Arts District. The heritage tour culminates at Kampong Gelam where the lifestyle of locals is an interface between the traditional and the trendy. This neighborhood is home to some of Singapore’s swanky cafes and ultramodern art galleries.
I have a layover for about 10+ hours at Changi Airport, I’m a UK citizen holding a British passport.
can I do immigration and go inside the city and do the tour on my own and come back to pick up my later flight?
Please advise.
Hi Ramesh! In our knowledge, British citizens are eligible for visa-free entry to Singapore during transit/layover at Changi International Airport. Kindly note that this is subject to approval by the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority at the airport. We have little idea whether international transit travelers can go out of the airport for city sightseeing, without joining a free tour conducted by the airport.
We are going to India for US stamping, so we don’t have valid US Visa stamped on passport in that case we have to apply for Singapore e-visa or transit visa? Also while returning to US we will have valid US stamp in that case no need to apply for any Singapore visa? Please Advice.
Hi Harika! No Singapore visa is required while returning to the USA with a valid US visa. You may not need a Singapore e-visa or transit visa if you stay within the transit area of Changi Airport and do not go through immigration while traveling to India via Singapore.