5 hour layover in Singapore

I am flying SQ from TPE to SFO connecting in SIN, so there will be a 5 hour layover. Should I just stay at the airport? or do I have enough time to get out of airport and tour the city a little bit? This is my first time in Singapore.
Thanks.

Five hours is definitely enough time to go into the city. You can take a cab on your own into town, or check out the free Singapore tour offered from Changi airport:

Enjoy your visit to Singapore!

Question: If you do that, do you still have to buy the Immigration Visa and pay the departure taxes? If so, how much is it again?

Hi, welcome to Singapore.. one thing abt travelling on taxis during this time of the year is IF you are dropping by Orchard Road in the evenings and/or during the weekend, traffic will be quite bad. bad traffic means a long time in the cab, as well as high taxi fares. If you are taking the train to & fro, do remember you have to change trains at Tanah Merah, and City Hall mrt stations. It shld take around 1hr..

I was just with some French (stranger) visitors (on transit?) on the public bus from the airport to town, this very evening. They arrived around 5.30pm at the airport and only managed to drop off at Orchard Road at 7.30pm (i don't know what time they boarded the bus though) and they had a 10.30pm flight to catch home! i advised them: "PLEASE TAKE THE TRAIN BACK TO THE AIRPORT..."

I sure hope they managed to find their way back (via the MRT) to the airport in time for their flight after a very short visit to Orchard Road! hmmmm..

ps: I think that the single-trip train ticket from Orchard MRT station to the Airport Terminal 2 station costs S$2.60. and i highly recommend that you ask from the station control staff (if it's not given automatically to you after you ask for directions), for one of those MRT station "map" which come in green and purple. They come in very handy ^

What immigration visa? Most people do not require visas to enter Singapore. Your passport is not stamped. In fact, the airport representative collects everyone's passports, and will return them to you when you return back into the Terminal building. It's very well organised!

If you go on the Free City Tour, you do not need to pay for a departure tax as you are in transit.

I am transiting through Singapore this week and have about a 16 hour layover. I am planning on staying at the Sheraton in town but wasn't aware of the departure tax. Based on this thread, should I assume that it isin't included in the ticket price? These are * awards from UA. If I do have to pay the departure tax, how much is it and where do you pay it? Thanks.

Any departure taxes you may be required to pay from Singapore will have already been included in your ticket, don't worry.

Does anyone here have experience on this free tour? Are you allowed to get off the bus and take pictures and walk around? or is this just a bus ride for 2 hours?
Appreciate the info!!

Hello,

I assume you will be taking SQ29 (Arrival in SIN @ 1145hrs) transit to SQ2 (Depart at 1700hrs). You should be able to join the 1pm tour, but pls be reminded to book early as both SQ1 and SQ29, both which will arrive around 1145am, have lots of Indian paxs joining the tour.

There are two free tour counters, one near the fern garden outside the bookshop (Near F Gates). The other is beside the Skytrain station near Gate E20.

There are two types of tours. One will include a Bum boat ride along Singapore River, the other will be a bus ride to Sentosa and will stop at Siloso Beach for a ten minute break/ photo-taking. Rest of the time will be on the bus.

If not, you can pop by the Singapore Visitors Centre and get a small transparent plastic bag from Singapore Tourism. You can exchange a FREE Train ticket for ten rides in Singapore.

NOTE: You must get a transparent bag inside transit (before Immigration) to exchange for a free ticket at the Arrival Hall opposite Belt 32. If you are lucky, you might get the card by just showing your foreign passport at the Arrival counter...

PS: BTW, why don't you take a flight from TPE-HKG and transfer on SQ2 ?

Thanks for the info.
This is a * award ticket on first class. I can only get whatever is available out there, not always the best choice of flights or connections. But I am OK with this iteniary since I've never been to SIN, and never fly on SQ metals, I am actually looking forward to it.

btw, is there any locker in the 1st class lounge to store my carry on luggage (a laptop roller) for a few hours while I am on the free city tour?
Thanks.

They don't allow luggage to be left in the F lounge - however, there is a facility behind the duty free shop where you can leave carry-ons. We left 2 rollaboards and 2 totebags at a cost of something like $5 US.

How do I pay the SG departure tax? I just checked my DL award ticket - EWR-SIN-EWR. They did not collect SG.

I have gone thru immigration at SIN many times just to meet someone streetside at the airport (actually bringing them vital supplies - cheese, meat, duty free booze, etc) and rechecked in, no worries, no additional taxes or anything. No problems with immigration either.