Stopover cities: turn a layover into a trip

On the way to Asia, Australia or North America, many travellers change planes anyway – in Dubai, Singapore, Istanbul, Reykjavík or Doha. Instead of sitting at the gate for three hours, you can turn that into a day or two in a new city. It breaks up the long flight, often makes jet lag easier and does not necessarily cost extra days of holiday. Here is how a stopover differs from a layover, how far each airport is from the city and what fits into 24 or 48 hours.

Stopover or layover: the difference

On a layover (or connection) you just change planes. It usually lasts a few hours, and on international tickets it is generally less than 24 hours. Your suitcase is checked through to your destination and you stay in the transit area.

A stopover is a deliberately planned break, usually of more than 24 hours. You enter the country, sleep in the city and fly on a day or two later. There are three ways to get one:

• Multi-city booking: you book London–Singapore, two days later Singapore–Bali, and then the flight home. Many airlines offer this in their search under "multi-city".
• Airline stopover programmes: some airlines with a large hub offer their own stopover deals, sometimes including a hotel. The conditions change and are listed on the airlines' websites.
• A long connection: if your onward flight only leaves the next day, you can go into the city without a stopover booking – provided you are allowed to enter the country.

How much time you really need

Count back from the departure of your onward flight: for an international flight you should be back at the airport about two to three hours before. Add immigration on the way in and out, luggage, and the trip into the city and back. With a six-hour layover that often leaves only two hours in the city – rarely worth it. From about ten to twelve hours during the day it becomes a real outing, and with a night in a hotel it turns into a small city break.

From the airport into the city

Driving times: route calculation based on OpenStreetMap, pure driving time without traffic. In rush hour, with taxi queues and immigration, allow about a third more – often much more in Istanbul.

Doha, Dubai and Singapore have a metro line from the airport into the city. In Istanbul, metro line M11 runs from IST towards the city, plus buses. From Keflavík, airport buses run to Reykjavík; Iceland has no railway.

Entry rules: check first

As soon as you leave the transit area, you enter the country – with all the rules that apply to that. Which rules apply depends on your passport and can change. So check the official entry rules for your passport before you book, for example on your government's travel advice pages or the country's official website. Also check that your passport is valid for long enough, and the rules for your onward flight to your final destination.

Dubai: towers and the old town on the Creek

Dubai is one of the world's largest transfer airports and is close to the city.

• 24 hours: in the afternoon, Downtown with the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, in the evening the fountain show in front of it. The next morning the old town: the Al Fahidi district, an abra wooden boat across the Dubai Creek and the souks in Deira.
• 48 hours: add a desert tour in the afternoon and an evening at Dubai Marina.

From late spring into autumn Dubai is very hot – then everything moves into the evening and indoors. When it is pleasant is covered in our article on the best time to visit Dubai. If you land late at night, a pre-booked transfer^* is the easiest way to your hotel.

Dubai trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Singapore: the classic stopover

Singapore lies on the way to Bali, Australia and New Zealand and is the easiest stopover city: English is an official language, distances are short and the airport itself is worth a visit. In Jewel, next to the terminals, the world's tallest indoor waterfall falls through a glass roof.

• 24 hours: Gardens by the Bay with the Supertrees in the evening, Marina Bay, dinner at a hawker centre. In the morning, Chinatown or Little India.
• 48 hours: add the Botanic Gardens (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Kampong Glam and an afternoon on Sentosa. You can find many tickets and tours in Singapore^* on Klook.

Singapore trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Istanbul: two continents in one day

Istanbul is the hub between Europe, Asia and Africa – and one of the few cities where you can switch continents in a day. The catch: the new airport IST is far out of town. Allow at least an hour each way.

• 24 hours: the old town of Sultanahmet with the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace, plus the Grand Bazaar. You can get tickets for the big sights in Istanbul^* on Tiqets, for example.
• 48 hours: add a ferry ride across the Bosphorus to Kadıköy on the Asian side and an evening in Karaköy or Beyoğlu.

Istanbul trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Reykjavík: a break on the way to North America

Reykjavík is the stopover on flights between Europe and North America via Iceland. The city itself is small; what makes it special is the landscape around it.

• 24 hours: the Hallgrímskirkja church with its view over the city, the Harpa concert hall by the harbour and a walk through the centre. On the way to or from the airport lies the Reykjanes peninsula with the Blue Lagoon; because of the volcanic activity there, check the official website beforehand to see whether it is open.
• 48 hours: add the Golden Circle with Þingvellir, the Geysir area and Gullfoss waterfall – as a day tour, for example via Tiqets, or by rental car.

In winter the days in Iceland are very short; in summer it hardly gets dark. If you want to stay longer, our Iceland road trip covers the whole island.

Reykjavík trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Doha: short and compact

Doha in Qatar is the hub of Qatar Airways and, of all five places, the closest to its airport: it is only 9 km to Souq Waqif, the old market. In 24 hours you can manage the souq, the Museum of Islamic Art designed by I. M. Pei and a walk along the Corniche by the bay. Like Dubai, Doha is very hot in summer.

Luggage on a stopover

On a layover of less than 24 hours your suitcase is usually checked through to your destination. On a stopover, the first leg often ends in the stopover city and you take your suitcase to the hotel. So ask at check-in how far your luggage is checked – and whether you have to collect it on the way.

If you only have a day and no hotel, you will not want to drag your suitcase around the city. Large airports have left-luggage services, and in the cities there are luggage storage services in shops and cafés. How they work is explained in our article on luggage storage on departure day. The easiest option is a small backpack as hand luggage with everything you need for the one night.

How YesTrip helps with a stopover

Add the stopover to your trip in YesTrip as a city of its own. The AI plans a compact day-by-day plan for the hours you have – you see all the places on the map and the weather for exactly those days. You can save the map offline in case you have no data after landing. For Dubai, Singapore, Istanbul and Reykjavík there are ready-made city plans you can use straight away.

How long adjusting takes depending on direction, and how to plan the first days, is in How to avoid jet lag.

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