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Overview of my 24 hours at Changi Airport in Singapore

• Hour 1 – Baggage drop off
• Hour 2 – T5 in the making
• Hour 3 – Changi Experience Studio
• Hour 4 – Snack and drink
• Hour 5-8 – Exploring the Jewel after sunset
• Hour 9 – 11 – Changi Lounge
• Hour 12 – Visit The Wonderfall and go through Security
• Hour 13 + 14 Explore different Gardens
• Hour 15 – Dreamscape
• Hour 16 – 19 – Nap at the relaxation area
• Hour 20 + 21 – Free Movie Theatre
• Hour 22 – Cactus Garden
• Hour 23 – Breakfast
• Hour 24 – Head to your gate
• 10 Tips to make your stay better

Hour 1 – Baggage drop off or storage (1 PM)

Depending on the airline you’re flying with you can drop off your bags up to 24 hours before departure at the Jewel Early Check-in Facility (located at Level 1 of Jewel Changi Airport)! I was flying with Scoot, so I had an 18 hour window. That means I had to deal with my luggage for the first 6 hours at the airport. Which in turn meant I had to pay for baggage storage since I didn’t want to carry it with me.

At Smarte Carte you can store your luggage starting at 11 SGD for a small suitcase and 16 SGD for a large suitcase for 24 hours. They have all their locations linked on their website.

Hour 2 – T5 in the making (2 PM)

After dropping off my luggage at the Jewel I made my way via Skytrain to Terminal 3 to see the exhibition of the construction of the new terminal five of the airport. The exhibition sign up is located inside the public area of the Terminal 3 Arrival Hall on Level 1 near McDonald’s, the actual exhibition can be accessed from outside Terminal 3. You can book a ticket for free here on the official website: T5 in the making

The “T5 in the making” exhibition is divided in five zones:

1. Zone: Another Bold Singapore Chapter
2. Zone: Built on Firm Foundations
3. Zone: From Vision to Reality
4. Zone: Cool Tech Warm Touch
5. Zone: Come Imagine with T5

It was very informative and very well designed. Better designed than some museums I have been to and definitely worth a visit when you’re at the airport and have any interest in aviation, technology, ecological economic expansion, inclusive design or advanced robotic technology.

For kids and those collecting mementos from their travels: You get a “boarding pass” as your ticket which you can stamp at every zone.

Hour 3 – Changi Experience Studio (3 PM)

The Changi Experience Studio* is the “older brother” of the T5 in the making exhibition. It is a permanent interactive exhibition where visitors can learn about the airport and the aviation industry, about planes, pilots and the ground staff that make the airport work in a gamified way. You can spend well over an hour in here, especially when you come with children.

Hour 4 – Snack and drinks (4 PM)

First I went to Chow Zan Dessert and got Mua Chee with peanut and black sesame, then paired it with an Osmanthus Oolong Milk Tea from CHA MULAN. With these two things bought I went to the Shiseido Forest Valley and found myself a nice spot amidst the greenery.

Hour 5-8 – Exploring the Jewel after sunset (5 – 9 PM)

While exploring the Jewel at the airport during the day is also very nice, there are only so many hours and I chose to spend most of the daylight time inside the city itself. So after the exhibitions it was time to explore the illuminated building and all it has to offer.

There are many attractions to experience, but if you want to see all of them it’ll get expensive fast. After weighting the options I opted to buy a ticket for the Walking Net. When you buy a ticket for any of the bigger attractions you get a ticket to the Canopy Park for free. That includes the Discovery Slides, the Foggy Bowls, the Petal Garden and the Topiary Walk.

You can buy a combo ticket on klook here* to save on the ticket admission. Most attractions close at 9 PM and the last admission is 30 minutes earlier.

Of course you can explore other parts of the airport for free! Places like the Shiseido Forest Valley around the Jewel Rain Vortex (which has light and sound shows every day, every hour between 8 PM and 10 PM, as well as 1 PM on Fridays and weekends).

Hour 9 – 11 – Changi Lounge (9 – 11 PM)

When I was there it was still the conjunction period with the Lunar New Year, which meant that the “Lite Package” was not available. Normally the light package costs 28 SGD ≈ 29 € and includes 3 hours lounge access with a free flow snack bar.

The “Classic Package” to access the lounge – at a price point of 39 SGD ≈ 25 € includes:

• 3h lounge access
• Free flow snack bar
• One hot meal
• One beer

If you are planning on using the shower facilities, go for the “Premium Package” instead. It includes all of the above and costs 50 SGD ≈ 33,50 €. Buying a classic package (39 SGD) and a separate shower pass (20 SGD) would be ≈ 39,50 €.

The shower slot comes with towels and toiletries. You get a 20-minute shower slot (the last shower slot is at 9:25 PM), which you have to buy over the counter directly at the lounge. You can book your ticket directly online here on klook*.

Hour 12 – Visit The Wonderfall and go through Security (Midnight)

Going through the main security at Changi Airport is quick. They check your passport and your visa and that’s it. That’s because the security check we all know from the airport where you and your luggage get scanned happens in front of the gate before you fly.

Which is why you have more than enough time to visit The Wonderfall (Terminal 2) before you go. The Wonderfall is a mutli-storey LED panel covered wall (there’s several hundred of them, all aligned perfectly to make it seem like a giant screen) that displays a giant waterfall rushing down over the security gate. It is surrounded by live greenery and accompanied by an original composed music and natural sounds of rushing water.

Hour 13 + 14 Explore different Gardens (1 – 2 AM)

Inside the Changi Airport Terminals are many different gardens, from a Butterfly Garden (Terminal 3) to a Sunflower Garden (Terminal 2) , a Water Lily Garden (Terminal 1) , a Cactus Garden (I went to that one later). Of course these gardens are much nicer to see during the day, but at night you have them to yourself

Did you know that you can “visit” these gardens virtually from your own home? On the official blog NowBoarding by Changi Airport you can see three of the airport gardens:
www.nowboarding.changiairport.com/discover-changi/changi-airport-gardens-virtual-tours

Hour 15 – Dreamscape (3 AM)

The Dreamspace at Changi Airport Terminal 2 is a a mix between live fish in ponds, curated plants from all over the country, a giant screen on the ceiling that displays the current weather of Singapore (accurate to a 30 minute window), or a magical underwater landscape – accompanied by soft music and nature sounds.

Hour 16 – 19 – Nap at the relaxation area (4 – 7 AM)

There are free so called “Snooze Lounges” at every Terminal of Changi Airport. Those are designated areas with lounge chairs where you can nap (and charge your electronic devices). Since my next stop was in Terminal 3 I went there first, but at this hour all the chairs were taken. So I took the skytrain and napped at one of the lounges at Terminal 2 instead. There’s a list on the official Changi Website where you can find all the lounge locations.

Hour 20 + 21 – Free Movie Theatre (8 – 9 AM)

Like I said previously, my next stop was the free movie theatre located in Terminal 3, next to the Ambassador Transit Hotel.

I shows movies almost 24/7, only being closed for a few hours for maintenance every Thursday. During the time I was there they were showing the third Frozen movie.

Hour 22 Cactus Garden (9 AM)

The Cactus Garden is inside the transit area of Terminal 1. Since it was getting closer to my boarding time I had left this garden for last. It was honestly my favourite out of the gardens, despite the number of people smoking. It is nicely curated and as soon as you leave the main area you have the garden to yourself (or at least it feels like it). It was a great breath of fresh air after all the time inside.

Hour 23 – Breakfast (10 AM)

For breakfast I went to Heavenly Wang, also inside the transit area of Terminal 1. There I had the Kaya Peanut Toast Set with two boiled eggs and a Teh (Teh with no additional letter is dark tea with condensed milk).

Hour 24 – Head to your gate (11 AM)

As I said, the security check happens at the gate, so it’s best to head there early. I went 30 minutes before boarding and they were already done with most of the security check, so I hurried to pour out my water (there was a drinking water fountain after security where you can fill up the bottles again) and get through the check.

Tips to make your stay at Changi Airport better

These tips are a mix between official tips from the Changi Airport Group that also found helpful and some things I wish I had known before my time there, which I will happily share with you here:

1. Make a plan

It sounds easy and almost negligible to say, but you’d be surprised how much walking you’ll do if you don’t plan ahead. Even with a plan I walked over 3km inside the airport! Save the things you want to see in a maps app of your choice and know from which terminal you’ll be flying out. Especially if it’s Terminal 4, since it is a ways away from Terminals 1-3.

2. Changi App

It can be a pain sometimes to find the places you’re looking for at the airport. To make things easier you can download the Changi App. I did once I was sufficiently fed up while looking for a specific food stall. You can read more about the app on their official website here: Changi App

3. Early check-in and luggage drop off

While you can use the Jewel Early Check-in Facility, you can also just go for an early check-in at the terminal as long as your airline allows it. There’s a list of which airlines allow early check-in and baggage drop-off a while before departure on the official airport website.

4. Luggage Storage

If you want to explore the airport and more specifically the Jewel after you land you can store your luggage at one of the storage points. The Baggage Storage by Smarte Carte have many locations throughout the airport.

5. Buy combo tickets online for the best offers

You can book many tickets to attractions at the Jewel online on klook*. These tickets come as combo-packages and can save you money compared to buying single tickets everywhere.

6. Showers outside of the Changi Lounge

If you want to shower, but don’t want to pay for full lounge access you can also shower at Hub & Spoke Lounge in the public area at Singapore Changi Airport. A ticket for a shower slot can also be booked on klook* here. You can choose between a ticket with a towel and one without. Since I always carry my travel towel I would opt for the option without one.

However, there are few things you need to know:

1. Lockers are too small for anything other than a carry-on
2. Bring flip flops or waterproof slippers, the floors are not clean
3. Some of the lockers don’t have numbers anymore. DO NOT pick one of those or remember which one is yours. I didn’t pay enough attention to that and when I panicked when the locker didn’t open (it had my phone, my wallet and my passport) and the cleaning staff got a staff member from the cafe they berated me AND the cleaning lady since they are only allowed to open one locker. And if that’s not the correct locker they have to call the airport security on you. Exactly what you want while you’re standing there in your underwear. After a lot of discussion (and the other women in the showers with me at the time vouching for me) they did help me. Turns out the lock was so jammed that even with the key they had trouble opening it. No wonder my code did not work. :/ Being awake for over 40 hours at that point it was just a lot of unnecessary panic.

7. A longer lounge stay AFTER going through security

If you want to shower after going through security skip the Changi Lounge and go for the Singapore Changi Airport Lounge Service by Plaza Premium Lounge instead. They also have showers, food, free wifi and comfortable seating. You can book a ticket online on klook* to save money on the admission.

8. Sleep in a proper bed, with a private bathroom

Book a room at the YOTELAIR* inside the Jewel at the Airport. A premium queen bed cabin with an en-suite bathroom is around 112€ when you book it online on klook*. They have rooms with a capacity for up to four people.

9. Free Singapore Bus Tour

If you don’t have this much time, or don’t want to spend your stopover at an airport and rather see the city, check if you’re eligible for a free bus tour of Singapore! You are eligible if you have a layover of at least 5,5 hours and up to 24 hours. At Terminal 2, near Gate F50 is the information kiosk where you can pick which type of tour you’d like to take – like the Sentosa Tour, the City Sights Tour, the Cultural Heritage Tour (my recommendation) or the Singapore River and Marina Bay Sands Tour.

Since you have to pass immigration to do the tour make sure your country doesn’t need a visa or you have a visa.

Afterwards you can even get 20% off Canopy Park attractions in the Jewel

10. Even more things to do at the airport

There are even more things to do at the airport that I haven’t had the time to do, but you can read up on them on the official airport blog here: www.nowboarding.changiairport.com/discover-changi/things-to-do-at-singapore-changi-airport

Der Beitrag 24 hours at Changi Airport Singapore erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

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Overview of a 1 day stopover in Prague

• How to get to Prague
• Where to stay in Prague for most convenience during a stopover
• What to do in Prague (food, sights and museums)
• Map for a 1 day stopover in Prague
• My honest opinion about Prague

How to get to Prague?

From the neighbouring countries it’s easy and convenient to reach Prague by train – just make sure your train goes to Prague main train station and not Praha-Smíchov, since that one is on the other side of the river. And book with a Czech company, since especially the Deutsche Bahn (German rail) is not reliable.

From further away countries you can fly in, since Prague has an international airport as well. From the airport into the city it will take you about 35 minutes by car (taxi, uber, etc.) or public transport.

Where to stay in Prague when you’re only stopping over

My recommendation is the Libero Apartments* Hotel. It is close to the main train station, so you can easily walk to it on arrival day and the day you leave, no extra public transport ticket needed.

They have different rooms with en-suite bathrooms, some even feature a small kitchen and they are located in a safe neighbourhood. They were clean and comfortable.

What to do for a stopover in Prague

On the way from the trainstation you can stop at Areparna for dinner after a long travel day. They serve Venezuelan food, it’s hearty, (sometimes) fatty and delicious. Then you can check in to your room almost next door. Of course you could also check in first, but once I get to where I will sleep for the night after a long day, I am not leaving again until the next morning.

In the next morning I had breakfast at Cafefin, which is in walking distance from the apartment. It is a modern Vietnamese Cafe with delicious breakfast options and a very stylish interior. I went for a French toast and salt coffee (longer time readers can probably tell that I am missing Vietnam) and was not disappointed. It was more on the expensive side compared to other places I went to for food, but within a reasonable travel budget.

There is also an ATM of the Raifeisen Bank nearby to get cash if needed.

After breakfast I got a 30 minute public transport ticket for 1,20€ (you can check prices on the pid website) to get to the old town square and Astronomical Clock. The public transport system in Prague is extensive, from metros to trams to buses and even a funicular (more on that later).

On the way from the old town – because the crowds were driving me nuts – I stopped to see the Charles bridge, then took a tram across the river and to Újezd station, right outside Petřín park with Petřín hill. If you are more lucky then me the Petřín funicular uphill we be in operation! If that is the case you will need to buy an extra ticket if you want to ride it – OR you buy a 24 hour public transport ticket at the start of the day, because just three single journey tickets and the funicular ticket are more expensive than the 24 hour one.

In the south west corner of the park you can find the Czech Ethnographic Museum of the National Museum. It’s a lovely museum in an old park residence where I was the only visitor. You can see traditional costumes, learn about wedding traditions and the influence of farming and the church on the country and its people. You may have heard about a ship in a bottle, but have you ever heard of Jesus in a bottle? No? Me neither, but you can see it in this museum XD

On the way back I stopped at the tram station in front of the dancing house (two galleries above). Interesting to see, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it. For lunch I stopped at the apartment first to get new water, then had Japanese Matcha Pancakes and a Sakura Latte at Funwari Japanese Pancakes (last gallery). Originally the plan was to go to U Houdků, a restaurant serving traditional Czech dishes, but the portion sizes were too big for me by myself – pork knuckle starts at 1kg per serving.

From there I walked to the last museum on my list, the Military History Institute in Prague: The Army Museum Žižkov. Admission is free and the museum is one of the best ones I’ve been in, in the Czech Republic, going by comprehensiveness and exhibition design. That is not surprising, since it was only reopened in 2022, after undergoing several years of restoration and redesign. Despite this I was still almost alone in the museum. After an hour a tour group joined, then went past me and other than that I saw maybe five people inside (that weren’t employees).

Last stop of the day was the Bonvivant CTC’s bar, which, again, is in walking distance from the apartment. And it is safe to walk, since it is a safe neighbourhood. They have a signature menu with drinks currently inspired by Italy. Instead I went for a drink recommended by one of the bars regular customers who was sitting next to me. Something with orange, whiskey and black pepper.

For breakfast the next morning I went to golden egg, which is about half way between the apartment and the train station. Like the name suggests their focus is on egg dishes. My choice was the classic – a brioche bun with a fried egg, cheddar, crispy bacon and ketchup (with the ketchup substituted for siracha mayo) and a homemade ginger lemonade.

Map for a 1 day stopover in Prague

How to read the map: the red dot is the main train station, yellow dots are places to eat, orange is a bar, dark blue are museums, light blue are historic places and sights and purple is the place I mentioned where you should stay for maximum convenience.

You can save the map to your Google Maps for your stopover in Prague by clicking here.

My honest opinion about Prague

Prague is a beautiful city, there is no doubt about it. But it is also overrun. I have never felt that a city is as overrun as I did in Prague. Was I part of the problem? For two days, yes, certainly, in some places.

There are other cities in the east of Europe than Prague, there are other worthwhile cities to visit in the Czech Republic than Prague. I haven’t seen nearly as much as I wanted in two days, one because it was unbearably full and secondly because almost every place to visit was so expensive. If you pay 37€ to visit Prague Castle (all exhibitions and the entirety of the hill, including the gardens, the basilica and the citadel) and you can’t even see anything, because it is packed to the brim with bored out of their minds pupils on class trips and travel groups where half of the people are on their phone instead, it’s just not worth it.

And honestly, most people seemed to be there only for the pictures. Running from one sight to another and filming videos in front of them. Is nothing else the point of travel? Only showing it off online and at home? You could tell the locals are fed up, too. The amount of people who were so surprised and then being so nice to me when I was genuinely interested and polite… incredible. And incredibly sad.

Der Beitrag 1 day stopover in Prague erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

Since last time I ate a doughnut and a burger, this time I opted for a food tour within the old town of Dubai to broaden my food horizon.

This post contains affiliate links to things like tours and hotels. These help me earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. Every affiliate link is marked with a *.

Visiting old Dubai

The tour started at Al Khayma Heritage House in the old town of Dubai – Al Fahidi district as it is called today. To get there I got a metro day pass for around 6€ and took the metro directly from the airport until Sharaf DG station. Once in the old town, our guide explained how the settlement in Dubai came to be and what people did to survive in the desert (since Dubai doesn’t have a natural freshwater source). He told us that originally the city was heavily dependent on pearl diving, since pearls were a sought-after trading currency.

Old Dubai Food Tour

After quite a bit of research on which tour would be the best choice for my time at the stopover, I settled with the “Discover Dubai’s Creek and Street Food Souks*” from GetYourGuide.

We started our tour with a Dubai Coffee or Chai, offered in front of the heritage restaurant while we were waiting for everyone to arrive. The coffee museum was our first stop. We tried Arabic Coffee and Ethiopian Coffee to taste the difference: the Arabian Coffee was spiced with Cardamom. With the coffee we also got dates to counterbalance the bitterness with sweetness.

Back at the first stop we got a room for only the tour guests and settled on cushions on the floor around a low table. We tried samosas, flat Rogag bread with cheese, Karak tea (delicious!), Limonana (a Middle Eastern mint-lemonade) and for desert camel milk chocolate ice cream and Luqaimat, which are fried dough balls in a sugar syrup sauce.

More of old Dubai after the Food Tour

After the food, we headed to Dubai Creek to take a water taxi (an Abra boat) across the creek. On the other side, our guide Khan showed and explained the spice souk and gold souk to us, big markets that still (mostly) run as they always have, with vendors on either side of small alleys and lots of (loud) haggling going on.

We ended a tour in a spice, tea and incense shop where we got to smell and taste some of the products, without being pressured to buy something. From the souks to the next metro station (Al Ras Metro Station) it’s about a 10 minute walk, then from there you need about an hour to get back to the airport.

Der Beitrag Old Dubai Food Tour – Stopover Exploration erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

The Jewel at Changi Airport is accessible directly from terminal 1 and from a footbridge from terminals 2 and 3. While the Jewel is open 24 hours most shops are open between 10 am and 10 pm.

You can check your luggage in on L1, a bag or suitcase up to 10kg will cost 9,95 SIN $ for 24 hours (or until they close at 10 pm).

The first thing you hear (and depending on where you arrive also the first thing you see) when you enter the jewel is the HSBC Rain Vortex. With the water falling from a height of 40 meters, or seven storeys it is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.

The rain vortex is surrounded by the “Shiseido Forest Valley” an installation with more than 900 trees and palms, as well as about 60k shrubs from all around the world.

To pass time during your stopover in the jewel you can wander through the greenery on several trails, reaching from the ground floor all the way to the top, accompanied by dancing lights in the trees and soft music.

This main area has plenty of opportunities to sit, rest and just enjoy the atmosphere. It feels like you’re in the rainforest. In an airport.

So, what do you do during an 8-hour stopover in the Jewel at Changi Airport Singapore?

First drink, second eat, third explore!

With more than 100 restaurants and food stalls to choose from I of course had to try some of them. With a little help from this article “35 Must-try Food Spots in Jewel” I choose two places to get drinks from: Chin Yang and The Alley.

And Chun Yang, I got a Cheese Macchiato with Tea. It was delicious, not nearly as sweet as I expected and had a lot of flavours intermixing with each other in just the right way that it created a drink flavour which I have never tasted before in my life and am sad that I probably won’t again for a long time. The location (#03-207) close to an observation point at the rain vortex also made it a unique experience.

At The Alley, I got their signature Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk and while it had similarities to other milk tea brown sugar Boba drinks I had in Southeast Asia it also had an edge to it which enhanced the flavours of it to the max degree. They are in the food court on the lower floor (#B2-273), right next to the glass wall where the water from the rain vortex flows back into the system. I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

With so many amazing and unique food spots to choose from, why, you might ask, did I choose Shake Shack to go to for nourishment during my stopover in the jewel? The answer is as easy as it might be disappointing: The lines. When you are hungry you don’t want to wait in line until a table clears up. So, Shake Shack, it was.

Never change a winning team? Isn’t that the saying? It has become somewhat of an unconscious tradition to eat at Shake Shack when I have a long stopover. Dubai, Kennedy Airport New York, LAX, it’s the same (or mostly the same) everywhere. You know what to choose, you know what you’ll get for your money. So a cheeseburger and a chicken burger with lemonade it was.

Of course, the Jewel isn’t only restaurants and food stalls. You can shop your heart out at many different shops as well. But if you aren’t looking to spend exorbitant amounts of money your attention will turn to the other attractions. Two I have already mentioned earlier: The rain vortex and the forest valley. Other attractions are the canopy bridge (an Instagram-worthy photo spot, but you have to pay to get access to it) a hedge maze, a mirror maze, see-through slides, jumping and walking nets located on the highest level of the building and artificial fog “bowls” in the ground which delight children and adults alike. Most of them have admission costs, but more often than not there is a sale or offer on.

At night the rain vortex turns into a glowing torch the entire building is revolving around. Starting April 2022 they have also introduced a “Light & Sound Show” where they project a laser show onto the waterfall, accompanied by music.

Oh and next to the free Wifi (which is strong everywhere, very unlike almost every other airport I’ve ever been to) you can also get a power bank for up to 12 hours of free usage to keep your phone charged and ready for pictures or video calls

Until next time! There is much more to explore.

Have you ever had a stopover at Changi Airport? If so what was your experience?

In 2026, three years after I wrote this post, I spent 24 hours at Changi Airport and wrote about it here:

Der Beitrag 8 hour stopover in the Jewel at Changi Airport Singapore erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

This post contains affiliate links to things like tours and hotels. These help me earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. Every affiliate link is marked with a *.

Flying with Emirates

When I came to the Hamburg Airport “Helmut Schmidt” at 8 PM on a Thursday the terminal hall was empty. Only about 30 travellers were waiting in the baggage lines. Coincidentally 25 of those were waiting in the same line as me. Since the airport staff had to check the final destination for every bag and if it fulfilled the requirements of all the involved airlines the waiting time was still quite long. People started talking to each other. A simple “Where are you going?” brought up a plethora of answers “Home.”, “To Dubai, I wasn’t planning on jumping out of the plane mid-flight.”, “Oman”, “Vietnam“.

Finally, one suitcase lighter, I made my way through security, walking straight through the open waiting area instead of the usual maze of barrier tape. The airport seemed deserted, even at the gate there wasn’t anyone else, not even the people I had met checking in their bags for this very flight.

What was waiting for me at the gate was this Airbus A380, the biggest passenger plane in the world. With its two seating decks and massive size, you would barely believe it will fly. This plane made a fitting start to my stopover in Dubai. The city of superlatives.

I had booked the window seat, hoping to be left alone and catch some sleep on the flight. And as the plane began to fill up, magically my row remained empty. For the first two hours of the flight, I watched a movie. The onboard entertainment system of Emirates is better than any I had ever seen before. Every passenger got earbuds and the screens were very high resolution. The movie selection was incredibly up to date, with movies that were still being shown in the cinema, amongst older ones and classics.

At about 10 pm local time, the light was dimmed and tiny LED lights on the ceiling turned on, simulating a starry sky.

The food on the plane was better than some I had had in restaurants. We were given a choice of chicken or beef. I chose the chicken option, which came with potato mash, green beans and carrots, mushroom-cream sauce, a bulgur side salad and for dessert a chocolate mousse cake with vanilla cream on top.

At the airport during your stopover in Dubai

The airport in Dubai is very easy to describe but not very easy to imagine. Try to think of a gymnastic hall, then ten times the size of it, with a marble floor and huge marble pillars lining the inside to carry the incredibly high ceiling. It is huge, modern, clean and eerily shiny. It almost looked like there was a thin film of water everywhere on the ground. It also feels very sterile:

Despite its magnitude, it’s super easy to navigate because almost everything is just straight lines.

Once outside there is a taxi area. Dubai has taxis for women only, driven by women. They are marked pink and easy to spot. However, they were not that easy to get to. The second you step outside everyone waiting there will try to get you into their taxi and beware: the nicer it looks the more expensive it will be. Keep your bag or suitcase to yourself and firmly tell them “No.” and you will be just fine.

If you don’t want to bother with the hassle of it, you can take the metro which departs directly from the airport and will take you into the main city and a day pass costs under 10€. However it doesn’t operate 24/7, so sometimes a taxi is your only choice.

At Terminal 3 between gates B13 and B19, you can have a free shower directly at the airport! Just make sure to bring an extra pair of socks to wear in the shower (smaller than slippers), as I do not recommend going in barefoot.

Must-see attractions during a stopover in Dubai

The Dubai Mall connected to this giant tower is the biggest in the world. No matter how long you stay you won’t be able to see all of it, I’d say not even people who live in Dubai have seen all of it. There are over a thousand shops, restaurants, food stalls and attractions inside. The world’s highest indoor waterfall, for example, and the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, which is also one of the largest aquariums in the world. And while the aquarium itself charges admission they have a several-storey high wall into one of their tanks you can see from the outside and beanbags to relax in while you watch it. There also is an Olympic-size ice rink and swimming pool and a cinema with 22 screens inside the Mall.

The gigantic fountain in the middle of its inner courtyard displays a water and music show daily, every 30 minutes, from 6 pm and is worth making time for as well.

Burj al-Arab

While it looks like it’s close to the Burj Khalifa when you are looking down onto the city, it is about 16 km (or 10 miles) away and unless you want to spend money on a suite or meal to get inside I wouldn’t recommend it for a visit during a stopover in Dubai.

Mall of Emirates

I got lost. Twice. Inside a mall. But when the mall is 230.000 square meters big, is that really that much of a surprise? The mall is a beautiful building with a mix of modern and fancy, but honestly, I couldn’t get into it. It looked like… a mall. There were stores and cafes and restaurants and entertainment but in the end, it is just a mall. Next time I’m in Dubai on a stopover I’d rather visit a market or take an excursion into the desert.

Beaches

If you leave the airport and you know you will beforehand, bring a bathing suit and a towel. I cannot tell you how relaxing and refreshing it is to jump into the ocean between flights. There are plenty of changing rooms on and near the beach where you can change in for free, as well as showers (for a fee of about 3€ for six minutes) where you can clean up after a swim. 

Every time I travel, I read up on the culture and local customs of the country I’m going to, to make sure I pack accordingly. For Dubai, I read everywhere that you should wear long pants and a long shirt, don’t show your knees or shoulders and don’t wear anything sheer even if you have something under. Then at the beach, in the metro and coffee shops, some people were in swimming trunks and bikinis, short dresses, cargo shorts, etc. So you can dress according to the weather, just ask yourself “Would I wear this in public at home” and most people will be fine.

Metro and Woman Cart

While the Dubai Metro isn’t an attraction, it is worth mentioning. It is super modern and always on time.

Maybe it’s also a thing in other parts of the world, but here in Europe, I have never seen a Woman only cart / Women only space on a tube or metro.

Not only is that part of the tube clearly marked (pink, because what else) but apparently, there is also a fine for men who even stand in it. This is very generalizing for the male population, but… well I have never felt this safe on a tube. Usually, when it’s packed, there is always a hand or a leg or a butt pressed somewhere against you, and sometimes it’s definitely intentional.

Did you visit Dubai yet or had a stopover here?

If so: What were your Impressions? Is there something I should have on my list for next time?

Der Beitrag 21-hour-long stopover in Dubai erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.