Singapore Hotels - Getting around Singapore

The Changi Airport is Singapore's major airport and is located at the eastern tip of the island. Travel from the airport to the city centre, and vice versa,can be undertaken by the Airbus, the public bus, or taxi. An MRT station right next to the airport is currently under construction.

The Airbus runs every 20 minutes or so from 6 am to midnight. Choose from three main routes which service all the main hotels in the Central Business District, the colonial district and Orchard Road and its environs. The cost is SGD5 a trip for adults, and SGD3 for children.

You can also take the public bus no. 16 or 16E, that runs every 10 minutes or so and takes about half an hour to get to the city centre. The cost is SGD1.50 per ride.

Taxis from the airport are the quickest, if most expensive, way of getting to the city. Just follow the arrows from the the Departure Hall, get into queue, and you'll be hopping into a cab in no time. Taking a taxi from the airport incurs a $3 surcharge, but there is no surcharge when you travel from the city to the airport. A trip from Changi to the city centre (not including the surcharge) should cost about SGD13.


		The MRT is a cheap, fast and convenient way for you to get around Singapore. The trains are frequent, arriving about every 5 minutes, as well as extremely clean and safe. However, Singapore's urban train system is not as extensive as that of New York, London or Paris, so for door-to-door public transportation, public buses are sometimes the best option.

The MRT connects various points in the city area - such as Raffles Place, Orchard Road, City Hall and Somerset - with the suburban town centres all across Singapore. They run from 6am to midnight.

The cost for your MRT trip will range from 60 cents to SGD1.50, depending on how far you want to travel. You can buy tickets for each individual journey; or, if you intend to travel a lot by MRT, get a stored value card. This card, available at values between $10 and $50, allows you to make multiple trips via MRT and public bus, until the value runs out.

Buses are cheap, easy to take and cover virtually every corner of Singapore. A trip will cost you anything between 60 cents and SGD1.20, depending on how far you wish to travel. For a comprehensive guide on bus time-tables, routes and fares it's a good idea to buy a copy of the TransitLink Guide, which is sold for SGD1.50 at most bookstores.

Like travel on the MRT, you can buy tickets for each individual journey or get a stored value card, allowing you to make multiple trips.

At times, it seems as though Singapore is just overflowing with taxis, so it's usually quite easy to get one. An exception however, is during rush hours (9.00 in the morning and 5.00 - 6.00 in the evening). At these times it may be best to call a cab, costing you about $2 extra.

Taxi fares are SGD2.40 for the first 1.5km, and then 10 cents for each additional 240m. However, there are quite often extra charges - such as for entering the CBD area at peak hours, travelling from the airport, or travelling after midnight - so your final charge can come to more than what's indicated on the meter.

Car
Singaporeans drive on the left side of the road, and wearing a seat-belt is compulsory. If you intend to drive around Singapore, get a copy of the Singapore Street Directory first.

Taking a cruise down the Singapore River is a great way for you to savour a bit of what central Singapore and its harbour must have been like in the old days. The Singapore River Boat (Tel: 227-0802) operates a half-hour river tour on the old bumboats, departing from the Clarke Quay jetty.

You can also take a harbour cruise, and hop from one offshore island to another. Boat companies like Fairwind (533-3432), Watertours (533-9811) and J&N Cruise (223-8217) will bring you around St John's, Lazarus and Kusu islands, and there are special packages that offer lunch, tea or dinner on board as well.

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