Freebie Frustration: Changi Airport's Free Singapore Tour

Changi Airport's free Singapore tour is famous. But is it more trouble than it's worth? Here's what you need to know before you go.

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On the tour bus and ready to see Singapore's sights!

I love layovers and I love great deals - and everyone knows it! As such, the free Singapore tour out of Changi Airport has been on my radar for a long time. During our first visit to Singapore in 2013, our lengthy overnight layover of nearly 24 hours called for a hotel and some independent time exploring. But during our recent 2018 trip, our layover was closer to 12 hours - just the right amount of time to enjoy the free Singapore tour and explore the city a bit. What could be better? 

Turns out, there's a catch to this story. Or rather, there are several. We soon learned the hard way that there are a lot of important rules that are rarely mentioned. If you're planning a layover in Singapore and keen to take in the free Singapore sightseeing tour, here's what you should know before you finalize your plans.

I REALLY wanted to love the free Singapore tour BUT....

I swear, I'm just resting my eyes!

I'm an optimistic traveler. I don't like to post negative blog posts. Sometimes there are bumps in the road and that's the nature of travel. I've fretted about sharing my Singapore sightseeing tour aggravation was because I was so tired that day. Our 10 hour overnight flight was brutal. At one point, I even fell asleep on the tour bus and Ryan generously snapped a photo as proof that I really CAN nap on a moving vehicle. Gee, thanks!

But you know what? The free Singapore tour is supposed to be for people in our exact situation: Tired layover folks who have just landed after a long trip. Overall, in these circumstances, we were a pretty good representative of the typical tourist.

​Here is what I wish that we, the tired tourists, had known ahead of time.

Registration = Aggravation

There are a LOT of distractions at Changi Airport. Even with directions and signage, it's easy to overlook the small ticket booth.

You have to sign up in person at a designated Changi airport free tour ticket booth to claim your spot on one of several free tours. You can also reserve your seat in advance through a Singapore Airlines office (assuming you'll be flying with them) but, for the majority of travelers, signing up at the free ticket booth in Changi airport is the only practical route. 

We were at the ticket booth approximately one hour before it opened and a line was already forming. When things finally started to move, it was at a glacial pace. I may have suggested that we ditch the whole thing and take the metro into the city. Okay, I may have said something along the lines of "If we had taken the metro when all of this began, we'd be IN Singapore by now!" 

In tech savvy Singapore, how could there not be a more modern, customer-friendly solution? ​If only you could reserve your spot online and then confirm your attendance in person!

(If you use a wheelchair, make note that there is only room for one wheelchair on each tour. If taking the tour is a priority for you, it would be well worth the extra effort to visit a Singapore Airlines office in advance.)

You're on a layover. So how do you prove it?

This was the first stop on our Heritage tour - we're just a few steps from the river here.

To participate in the free Singapore tour from Changi airport, you must have a layover of no less than 5.5 hours and no more than 24 hours.  You'll also be asked to prove it by presenting your passport and other travel documents such as your boarding passes. 

It's a good thing we didn't throw away our used boarding passes! And it's a VERY good thing that the staff in Johannesburg (our departure point) were able to print out our boarding pass for our second flight. Otherwise, things would have been a bit more complicated (we'll talk about that in a bit...)

Another complicated scenario? When you fly in with one airline and out with another.
There was a minor kerfuffle at the ticket stand about this - albeit not with us. Two tickets aren't *officially* a layover - aka a long break in what is technically one trip. They're just two tickets. The ticket booth staff were befuddled by the two airlines/two ticket travelers. Surely this shouldn't be so confusing to everyone involved!

Customs rules = Crazy strict, but secretly flexible. 

Rolling into Singapore.

Tired selfie by the river.

Let's assume that you are indeed on a layover and that you had the time to line up for your ticket. Now you have some time to spare before your tour. Time to explore, right? Nope. You cannot leave the transit terminal or clear customs (well, except for one reason but that's something we'll talk about later as well...)

That ban on leaving the transit terminal means the rest of the airport which lies on the other side of customs and immigration is off limits. And that includes the greatly desirable short term hotel! The staff seemed utterly befuddled and then horrified when I mentioned going to sleep for a few hours at the airport hotel which was on the other side of customs. So much for my plan to get some desperately needed sleep! 

The rule about never, ever clearing customs, combined with stringent rules about showing up at the departure point extra early, going through multiple checklists with the staff, presenting our tickets and supporting documentation again and again were so rigid I honestly thought that we were not going to be clearing customs at all.  At some point in the absurd process, I assumed we would be ushered out of a side door, onto a secure bus, given a ride around the city, and head straight back without ever *really* entering Singapore or clearing customs at all.

Gorgeous buildings and gorgeous weather in Singapore.

Of course, this wasn’t the case. We were taken to clear customs as a group. It was official - we were finally out of the transit terminal and really *in* Singapore. The staff's strident attitude changed once left the airport. At our downtown stop by the river, for instance, we were given casual instructions to be back on the bus in about 15 minutes and we were released into the thick crowd of tourists and locals. Nobody seemed too worried about checklists there! Thankfully, Ryan was marginally more alert than I was and made note of which bus - among the many tour buses - was ours!
​
Why does this matter? Simply put, it was aggravating. We were treated like toddlers while in the airport. So much time was wasted unnecessarily triple checking documents, providing an early meeting time, and then enforcing an extra early arrival to the early meeting time. For every minute we spent on the actual tour, at least one was spent waiting in lines, presenting documents, presenting documents once more, and being early for our extra-early send off. Would a simple "If you aren't here by X time with your ticket, you're out of luck" be so difficult? It's bad enough that the rules forbid leaving the airport. Did they have to make our time in-terminal so dreary as well?

Now for that follow up you've all been waiting for. Remember how I referenced that there was a solution if you didn't have your departure boarding pass? Or that there really WAS an exception to the rules about never, ever clearing customs without the group? Here it is! You CAN clear customs pre-tour if you tell them you need to go to the airline counter, check in, and get a boarding pass. Suddenly the super strict rules are utterly flexible?

From the vague wording on the tour website FAQ section, it sounds like you have to first claim your free tour ticket and then go onward through immigration to take care of collecting your luggage, checking for your next flight, and so on. (Ugh - how awful is it to imagine your luggage circling the collection belt with no supervision while you're stuck in the ticket booth line - but I digress!) I imagine what happens next is that, acting on top secret instructions from the ticket booth staff, you are given a time and place to meet up with the rest of tour participants as they themselves clear customs

So there IS a way to leave the terminal after all, so long as you show up on time at the designated meeting spot! How utterly sensible. Now could a permitted boarding pass run be stretched out into a short sleep at the hotel? How about coffee with a local friend?  So much murkiness - and I'm not done yet.

What do you do with your bags? Luggage storage at Changi Airport.

The murky rules aren't over. No luggage is permitted on the tour bus, which isn't unreasonable. But there is no information or guidelines on what exactly constitutes luggage and what is merely a large day bag. For carry-on luggage fans like us, frustrating was mounting.

There are luggage storage services in every Changi transit terminal. We found ours about a 10 minute walk away from the tour desk. (You can find information about all locations and extra Changi airport luggage services here).

Now, how can I say this kindly? The lovely gentleman staffing the luggage storage desk shared the same molasses-like movements as his genteel colleagues at the tour desk. We waited a good 20 minutes to check in our bags when there was but one person ahead of us in the line. When we left, there were four people behind us - which represented a wait time of roughly one hour for the unlucky folks at the back.

No laptops are allowed in the storage room and all luggage must be opened for inspection. So if you have all your gear with you as we did, you’ll have to scramble to find a way for your laptop to come along with you on the tour while your bags stay behind. So I guess you need to have a day bag that's just big enough for a laptop but not so big that it could be mistaken for luggage? Or maybe you just keep quiet about the hidden laptop sleeve that's built into your backpack? Hmmmmm...... 

Frugal travelers should note that, if you're a registered tour participant, you'll save a few dollars over the luggage storage rates posted below. All items are $5 for tour participants. Keep your tour slips nearby for the staff's review.

Finally, you're ready to go. What's the free Singapore tour really like?

A beautiful walkway near the Malay Heritage Centre.

If you're indeed eligible for a layover tour, if the timing works out, if you show up early enough to claim your slot, and you can beat the short but slow line for luggage storage while crafting a way to sort out your laptop dilemma, you’re good to go. 

Once we were finally on the move, I have to say that I really liked our tour guide. She was friendly and fun and frank. She really encouraged feedback and questions. I appreciated that, despite the fact that she must do dozens of tours a week, it didn’t feel mundane or cookie cutter. We were on the 2.5 hour Heritage Tour and, as you'd expect, it's a short and sweet overview but as far as a Singapore sightseeing tour experience goes, it was really good. And while I had visited Singapore before, I was still happy to see new parts of the city and have a refresher about the city's history. 

Bottles of water are for sale on the tour bus for $1 Singapore dollar or $1 US. No other food or drink is allowed (but I sipped from my own water bottle.) There are no official stops for food, though during the Heritage Tour's second stop there is a casual, open air cafe (and an upstairs dining room where we happily found a washroom!)

You've heard the pros and cons. So is the free Singapore tour worth it?

Singapore's famous symbol, the merlion.

I'm an organization-minded gal and I generally like rules and schedules. Gotta keep your ducks in a row! And so I feel that if I found the process to be overly fussy, fastidious, and ineffective, I'm guessing that more free-spirited travelers will be very frustrated indeed. That's a shame because so much of this frustration could be alleviated with a more modern booking system and a less paternalistic approach. 

If you aren't burdened by luggage or you have the time to store it, if you can arrive early to claim a spot, and if you have the requisite 5.5 spare hours but not much more - the free tour might be for you. It's free, after all, and the tour is a good one. But I really think this is only a good choice if the timing is spot on.  

If the tour and the pre-tour organization process doesn’t seamlessly fit into your schedule, I’d honestly give the free Singapore tour experience a pass. Ditto for any layover that's more than 7 or 8 hours. Your time would be much better served by going directly into Singapore via the metro and exploring on your own. Or if you want the best of both worlds, there is a Singapore Airlines hop on, hop off bus tour that has heavily discounted tickets for layover passengers. It allows you to maximize the sightseeing possibilities of a longer layover, with more attractions and greater flexibility than the free Changi airport tour. Win!

Free Singapore Tour: Practical Information

Free Singapore Tour ticket booth hours and location

• Terminal 2 (Transit Area) between Transfer Lounge F and Skytrain to Terminal 3 near the escalator. Hours: 7:00 am to 6.15 pm.
• Terminal 3 (Transit Area) near Transfer Lounge A and Gate A1-A8 (Level 2). Hours: 7:00 am to 6.30 pm. 
• Open seven days a week and on public holidays.

Free Singapore Tour schedule: Heritage Tour and City Sights Tour

Heritage Tour:

1. 9.00am to 11.30am
2. 10.00am to 12.30pm
3. 11.30am to 2.00pm
4. 2.30pm to 5.00pm
5. 4.00pm to 6.30pm

City Sights Tour:

1. 6.00pm - 8.30pm
2. 7.30pm - 10.00pm

• Registration closes one hour before the tour begins.
• Coincidentally, you must also be back at the ticket booth one hour before the tour begins.
• Your flight departure must be at least two hours after your tour concludes. 

Tour Pre-booking Information

The following passengers are eligible to pre-book their tour experience, as per Singapore Airlines.

• Passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines (SQ) and/or SilkAir (MI) ticketed and operated flights into and out of Singapore. For codeshare flights operated by Singapore Airlines (SQ) and/or SilkAir (MI), the 4-digit flight numbers must start with SQ or MI.
• Passengers travelling on itineraries consisting of Singapore Airlines (SQ) and/or SilkAir (MI) ticketed and operated flights connecting to Scoot (TR) operated flights.

• Passengers travelling on selected Air New Zealand (NZ) operated flights (SQ4281, SQ4282, SQ4283, SQ4284, NZ281, NZ282, NZ283, NZ284, NZ3247, NZ3248, NZ3281, NZ3282, NZ3285,NZ3286, NZ3291, NZ3292, NZ3297, NZ3298) with connecting flights on Singapore Airlines (SQ) and/or SilkAir (MI) operated flights.

You also have to:

• Contact your local Singapore Airlines office. You can find a list here.
  
• Make arrangement at least 72 hours in advance.
• Service isn't available to passengers flying out of Thailand and China.​

Changi Airport Free Sightseeing Tour Not For You?

Here's All The Info You Need for the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Hop On Bus Tour.

• Need a comprehensive Singapore sightseeing bus? SIA's hop on bus features four tour lines cover more than 20 stops every day from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm.
• Buses are wheelchair accessible.
• Audio guides are available in 11 languages.
• The cost is $19.50S with Singapore Airlines boarding pass and is valid for 24 hours. Remember, this is only for folks with a Singapore Airlines stopover. (This is roughly half the cost of commercial hop on bus tours).
• Cost is free for Explorer Pass Holders and Singapore Stopover Holiday Visitors.
• On Saturday morning, ticket holders enjoy a free walking tour of Chinatown (10:00am to 12:00pm)
• Tour details, bus routes, schedules, and comprehensive sightseeing information for each stop can be found on their excellent website.

Worried About Where To Stay in Singapore? 

If you want to know where to stay in Singapore, we have a super affordable suggestion. During our first visit to Singapore, we stayed at a small Holiday Inn. Why did we choose a chain hotel in stylish Singapore?Read our review here!