How to get from Singapore airport to city - ALL OPTIONS! ⋆ Fernwehsarah

Are you wondering how to get from Singapore Airport to city and are confused about the options? Don’t worry, we will show you ALL the ways to get to your hotel from Changi Airport!

Markus and I have been to Singapore three times already and tried public, shared and private transfer options in order to get from Singapore Airport to city. My parents are currently planning their trip to Singapore and I noticed how difficult it is to understand all options to get from Singapore Airport to city.

While the information is technically available online, it’s super weird to not confuse everything since most information is provided by companies trying to sell you THEIR option. We don’t. We simply realized that my parents are probably not the only people who get lost in the Changi airport transfer option jungle.

So let’s have a look at all the option, what they cost, and what are the benefits and downsides of them!

Oh and don’t forget to read my itinerary for 3 days in Singapore with lots of tips and recommendations!

Table of Contents

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About Changi Airport

“Changi” is the name of Singapore’s Airport and it’s arguably the best airport in the world! There are a myriad of amazing (and free!) things to do at Changi Airport – you can easily spend an entire day at the airport.

We actually even slept inside the SilverKris First Class Lounge when we were waiting for our Singapore Airlines First Class Suites Flight to Shanghai in 2018!

So in case that you online want to get from Singapore Airport to city because of a stopover – it might be worth considering staying at the airport instead!

But since we assume you plan to spend some time in Singapore (you definitely should!), let’s have a look at all the transfer options to get from Singapore Airport to city now!

Quick comparison of all options to get from Singapore Airport to city

Prices in $ are referred to Singapore Dollar (SGD). 10 SGD is around 7.30 USD or 6.60 € (as of October 2019).

Singapore Airport to city with public transportation

Changi Airport is very well connected with downtown Singapore and thus, there are numerous ways to get from Singapore Airport to city with public transportation.

You can choose to go with the MRT to Changi Airport or take a bus to Changi Airport – most of the time, the MRT will be your better choice!

MRT to Changi Airport

The MRT is a great way to get around in Singapore and it also runs from Singapore Airport to city and vice versa. It’s a great choice if you are on a backpacking trip to Singapore for example!

However, the Changi Airport MRT only leaves from Terminal 2. So if you arrive in any other terminal (there are four terminals in Changi Airport), you will have to get to Terminal 2 first.

Terminal 1-3 are linked via the free Skytrain, while a shuttle bus will run between the low-cost Terminal 4 and Terminal 2. In Terminal 2, follow the signs of “Train to City” in order to get to Changi Airport MRT station.

In order to use the Changi Airport MRT, you should to get an EZ-link card from the customer service counter at the basement of Terminal 2 or use your credit card (see below for more information).

You first have to board the Airport Link Train. The Changi Airport MRT connects to the Blue MRT Line (Downtown Line) at Expo and to the Green MRT Line (East West Line) at Tanah Merah (which the Changi Airport MRT is technically part of).

Depending on where your hotel is, the MRT to Changi Airport can be a viable transport option for you:

Kampong Glam: Green Line to “Lavender” or “Bugis”
Chinatown: Blue Line to “Chinatown” (52min)
Little India: Blue Line to “Little India” (but takes quite a while!)
Marina: First Green Line, then change to Red Line at City Hall
Clark Quay: Blue Line to “Fort Canning” or change to Purple Line at “Chinatown”
Orchard Road: Change to the Red Line at “City Hall”
Sentosa Island: not really viable. You need to first change to the Purple Line at “Chinatown” and then take the Sentosa Express from “Harborfront”. And possibly some transport on Sentosa Island as well (more on how to get to Sentosa in my 3 days itinerary for Singapore!)

The Green Line MRT can be quite crowded from Tanah Merah when traveling from Singapore Airport to city. Depending on your final destination, it will take you about an hour to take the MRT to Changi Airport and vice versa (~40 minutes to “City Hall”)

The first MRT to Changi Airport runs at 5:31 am and the last train Changi Airport MRT to city leaves at 11:18 pm. So the MRT is NOT an option to go from Singapore Airport to city if your flight arrives late at night!

Key Facts about the MRT to Changi Airport (and vice versa)

Cost: 2.50 SGD or less with stored value cards (check fares here)
Time: 40 – 60 minutes
Great for: Backpackers staying in Kampong Glam; hotels further outside downtown area with MRT connection
Not suited for: early morning departures/late night arrivals, Sentosa Island Hotels
Upsides: Very cheap
Downsides: Can be crowded, interchange necessary

Bus to Changi Airport

While in theory you can take a bus to Changi Airport and vice versa – there is little reason to do so in reality.

The city bus line 36 run from 6 am to midnight from Terminal 1, 2 and 3 to central Singapore and costs 2 SGD. Busrouter.sg will help you determine whether this bus to Changi Airport passes anywhere close to where you stay.

City bus 36 takes around 60 minutes from Changi Airport to Singapore City where you will probably still have to change to another bus or the MRT. The bus to Changi Airport is considerably slower than the MRT most of the time and doesn’t really offer many advantages. It’s not even cheaper as long as you use a stored value card for the MRT.

There are other bus lines to and from Changi Airport (line 24, 27, 34, 53, 110, 858) but these do not run to locations where tourist would usually stay.

Key Facts about the bus to Changi Airport (and vice versa)

Cost: 2.00 SGD
Time: 60 minutes or more
Great for: If you stay exactly at one of the stops of line 36
Not suited for: everyone else
Upsides: Very cheap
Downsides: Takes longer than the MRT to Changi Airport

How to pay for public transportation in Singapore

I have previously mentioned “cards with stored value”. And this is also how transportation in Singapore mainly is payed for these days.

You might know the concept already from other cities (e.g. Oyster Card in London) and in Singapore it’s called “EZ-link card” (NETS Flashpay is used as well).

EZ-link cards can be purchased for 12 SGD at most ticket offices inside MRT stations or for 10 SGD at 7-Elevens. These cards already come pre-loaded with 7 SGD (5 SGD at 7-Eleven) credit, so the cost of the card is only 5 SGD. Cards can be topped up with value at ticket offices, ticket maschines, at 7-Eleven or with the EZ-link app.

And yes, you can use these cards on the Changi Airport MRT and the bus to Changi airport as there’s no airport surcharge.

However, you do not necessarily have to get one of these as you might be able to simply “tap in and tap off” with your contactless credit card already! Visa and Mastercard are supported and (same as in London) support paying for your public transportation fee directly thanks to Simply.Go

However, please be aware that there might be a foreign transaction fee on your credit card for using it in Singapore. On top of that is an administrative fee by Simply Go of 0.50 SGD per day (Visa) or every 5th day (Mastercard, maximum: 15 SGD) for foreign issued credit cards.

Especially if your credit card charges you for oversea use, it might be advisable to get an EZ-link card instead if you intend to use a lot of public transportation while in Singapore (and you probably will….)

You can still buy standard tickets for your ride from Singapore Airport to city (and while traveling around the city). Standard Tickets can be used up to six times – but this is considerably more expensive than the distance-based tariff of EZ-link cards/Credit Card (and less convenient).

We would recommend you to either get an EZ-link card or use your credit card when taking the bus to Changi Airport or using the Changi Airport MRT.

Should you get the Singapore Tourist Pass or not?

Another option that is available for tourists to pay for their public transportation in Singapore is a Singapore Tourist Pass.

There are actually four different Singapore Tourist Passes which cost between 20 SGD (wit a refundable 10 SGD deposit) and 38 SGD and include unlimited rides with public transportation for 1-3 days.

Contrary to some cities “tourist passes” the Singapore Tourist pass offers ALMOST NO additional value or discount to attractions (except for 15% off the Sentosa Cable Car)

Given that an average single ride with an EZ-link card will cost you somewhere around 0.70-1.50 SGD the Singapore Tourist Pass offers a really poor value.

Even if you stay for exactly 3 days AND you think of getting back your 10$ deposit on the cheapest version of the pass AND factoring in the 5 SGD for an EZ-link card you need to use the public transportation at least 5-7 times a day just to break even. And then you can’t use it on the Sentosa Express (where the EZ-link card or your credit card will work). You do the math…

Simply speaking: Do not buy a Singapore Tourist Pass unless you absolutely want the cute charm version as a souvenir (which is currently sold out). Simply get a EZ-link card or use your contactless credit card to go from Singapore Airport to city and around Singapore!

Singapore Airport to city with shared transport (City shuttle/Singapore Airport Shuttle)

The City Shuttle Singapore is a slightly more expensive than the MRT to Changi Airport but an affordable, convenient and quick way to get from Singapore Airport to city.

These Singapore Airport Shuttles are shared mini buses that run roughly every 15 minutes from Changi Airport (all terminals) to most downtown hotels.

They operate 24 hours 7 days a week and are officially organized by Changi Airport. A single ride will cost you 9 SGD (6 SGD for children). You can buy a return ticket directly, but there’s no discount in doing so.

You can check if your hotel is on the list served by the Singapore Airport Shuttle (it probably will be): City Shuttle Hotel List

Key Facts about the shared Singapore Airport Shuttle (City Shuttle):

Cost: 9 SGD per adult (6 SGD per child)
Time: 20-40 minutes to most downtown destinations
Great for: nightly departures, hotels in Downtown Singapore
Not suited for: Sentosa Island Hotels (only Charter Shuttles)
Upsides: Very convenient, quick, affordable
Downsides: none (except Sentosa)

The Singapore Airport Shuttle is our favorite way to get from Singapore Airport to city and vice versa! Unless you stay on Sentosa Island, we don’t really see a reason why to not use the City Shuttle!

Singapore Airport to city via private transfer

If you don’t fancy sharing your ride from Singapore Airport to city with anyone else (or only your travel party), you can, of course, get to your hotel from Changi Airport with a private airport transfer.

Singapore Airport Taxis

First of all, (surprise!) you can take a taxi from Singapore Airport to city. Taxis in Singapore consistently use the meter, so there’s no haggling necessary (or possible).

Taxi fares in Singapore are reasonable – especially given the otherwise high prices of a lot of things in Singapore. However, taking the taxi from Singapore Airport to city is considerably more expensive than riding the MRT to Changi Airport and vice versa.

You will not only have to pay the base fare, but might also have to pay some surcharges like road fees (ERP), late-night surcharge or peak-hour surcharge + airport surcharge.

Possible surcharges for a Singapore Airport Taxi ride:

Late-night surcharge: midnight to 6 am +50%
Peak-hour surcharge: 6 am – 9 am, 6pm to midnight: +25%
Airport surcharge: 3 SGD
ERP fees: vary by destination, route and time of the day

Still, if your flight arrives or leaves in the afternoon, you might be able to just pay around 20 SGD for a taxi from Singapore airport.

Which means, that if you are more than two people riding from Singapore Airport to city, a Singapore Airport Taxi can already be cheaper than using the shared Singapore Airport Shuttle! You can calculate the approximate fare online as well!

Key Facts about taxing a Singapore Airport Taxi:

Cost: 20-35 SGD
Time: 15-30 minutes to most downtown destinations
Great for: groups with more than 2 people, Hotel on Sentosa Island
Not suited for: People with limited budget
Upsides: Quickest way, most convenient
Downsides: more expensive for singles/couples

Private Airport Transfers Singapore (Limousine Services)

If taxis aren’t fancy enough for you, you can also book a limousine service to take you from Singapore Airport to city.

I have used Blacklane for that purpose myself countless times (mostly for business travel) and can vouch for their reliable and convenient service around the world. Depending on where you go, you are looking at 50-70 SGD one way per car (more for vans or first class vehicles) if you choose to use a private airport transfer from Singapore airport to city.

You can also book your limousine private airport transfer with GetYourGuide if you feel more comfortable using them.

Key Facts about Private Airport Transfers Singapore:

Cost: 50-70 SGD per car
Time: 15-30 minutes to most downtown destinations
Great for: Luxury travelers
Not suited for: People with limited budget
Upsides: Quickest way, most convenient, luxurious
Downsides: Most expensive

Private rides (Uber Alternatives)

Uber has exited the Singapore market in March 2018 and sold its business to a competitor called Grab. However, Grab’s prices have increased over the last years and they got a bad reputation of being unreliable with drivers canceling lots of trips.

There are currently a bunch of private ride apps competing for customers:

Grab (Taxis + private cars)
Ryde (Taxis + private cars)
Kardi (private drivers, but metered fares)
Tada (private cars, focused on families, planning to SELL DATA about their rides – bit sketchy)
Urge (small company, private cars)
Filo Ride (small company, private cars, availability problems)
ComfortDelgro (only taxis, largest fleet)

As you can see, the market is fragmented and chaotic since Uber left. Some companies enter and leave after a few months again (e.g. Indian-based Jugnoo). It’s hard to tell which will stay and which will leave.

Some of them also offer ride sharing (same as UBER Pool) and can be a good value to get around Singapore. For transfers from Singapore Airport to city there’s no real value over taking a taxi or the city shuttle (or the MRT).

Key facts are similar to taking a taxi from Singapore Airport, so we decided not to list them again.

Why a rental car is not really an option to get from Singapore Airport to your hotel

Okay, we said we will mention ALL options you have to get from Singapore Airport to City. But some options are rather theoretical. Yes, in theory, you can walk. You can cycle. You can charter a helicopter service (yes, you can really do that in Singapore!).

And you can rent a car. All of these options to get from Singapore Airport to city do not make a lot of sense for almost all travelers. Renting a car in Singapore is expensive – and so is using the roads (ERP charges) as well as hotel parking.

Plus, Singapore is not an easy city to drive in. Taxis are cheap and the public transportation is excellent. So there’s really no value in renting a car to get from Singapore Airport to city. Point made.

Where to stay in Singapore

During our third visit to Singapore, we stayed at the amazing Andaz Singapore and we totally loved it.

We are aware that it’s a rather expensive hotel. If Andaz Singapore is out of your reach, check our recommendations in our Singapore itinerary guide! We included options in different areas and for different budgets there as well!

Did this post help you decide how to go from Singapore Airport to city?

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