Travel to Singapore

Flying to Singapore

The national airline is Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com). Two low-cost airlines are headquartered in Singapore: Jetstar Asia Airways (www.jetstar.com), a subsidiary of Qantas, and Tiger Airways (www.tigerair.com).

Flights to Singapore are usually most expensive in July and August, as well as around Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year.

The major airport is: Singapore Changi Airport.

Notes

Singapore is a major regional hub, and well-managed Changi airport is regularly voted the best in the world. Facilities include a gym, several gardens and even an outdoor swimming pool. If you’re transiting and have at least five hours available, you can register for a two-hour tour of the city.

Airport Guides

Flight times

From London - 13 hours; New York - 21 hours (including stopover).

Departure tax

Included in the air fare.

Travelling to Singapore by Rail

Two lines run from Singapore to Malaysia. One serves Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur, where it’s possible to change for Bangkok (Thailand). The other line, sometimes known as the Jungle Line, runs through the centre of Malaysia as far as the northeast coast. There are three trains a day, with stops including Tanah Merah and Wakaf Bharu (for Kota Bharu).

For more information see Malaysia Railway (KTM) (tel: +603 2267 1200; www.ktmb.com.my). The Eastern & Oriental Express (www.belmond.com/eastern-and-oriental-express) is a luxurious train travelling from Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore.

Rail note

For trips to Johor Bahru, it is much more convenient to take a bus rather than a train since Singapore’s train station is north of the city centre in Woodlands.

Driving to Singapore

Two causeways connect Singapore with Malaysia, the most popular and useful of which links the city with downtown Johor Bahru. Buses run very regularly from around 5am to midnight, and are operated by SBS (www.sbstransit.com.sg) and Causeway Link (causewaylink.com.my). The latter are significantly faster. It’s possible to drive a Singaporean rental car across the causeway, but much cheaper to rent one in Johor Bahru.

Driving note

Bus passengers crossing into Malaysia are required to disembark to carry out border formalities. Take all bags off the bus, as it won’t wait around. Instead, make sure you keep your ticket and, once stamped in, get on a bus operated by the same company.

Getting to Singapore by boat

Singapore is a major port (www.mpa.gov.sg), acting as an intermediate stage for huge quantities of cargo on their way to other destinations. The city is served by a growing number of international passenger cruise lines. Passenger ferries run to Indonesia and Malaysia.

Ferry operators

Ferries running from Singapore to Indonesia are operated by several companies including BatamFast (+65 6270 2228; www.batamfast.com), Bintan Resort Ferries (+65 6542 4369; www.brf.com.sg), Indo Falcon (+65 6278 3167; www.indofalcon.com.sg) and Sindo Ferry (tel: +65 6631 4123; sindoferry.com.sg). Limbongan Maju (www.tanjungbelungkor.com) runs ferries to Tanjung Belungkor in Malaysia. Occasional ferries also run to Desaru beach resort in Malaysia, although services are erratic.