Amsterdam Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the world and a hub for transfers out of Europe. With so many of the great attractions near the city centre, seeing the sights of Amsterdam is a very realistic goal for a layover.
The canals are my highlight though, with their narrow waterways and quirky buildings. Ben is the blogger behind TheSabbaticalGuide. I documented concerts and events here in Vienna before I turned…. There are heaps of great photo spots in Melbourne, hardly a surprise for such a photogenic city! Having lived and…. Thanks to my often clumsy nature, finding quick-drying travel socks has been a necessity for me. I often end up…. From the south of Thailand to the north, then down through….
Curious to find out which were the most expensive countries in the world to rent an Airbnb, I trawled through…. Skip to content. Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin. Previous Previous. Next Continue. Similar Posts. Notify of. Inline Feedbacks. The good news is that a lot of major international cities have public transportation that runs directly to the airport that you can take it advantage of.
So in the case of London you could hop on the Tube or something like the Heathrow Express. Just note that some of those public transport options can also be time consuming, especially if you have to deal with connections at different stations. Many international airports will have specific restrictions for how early you must arrive at the gate. I talked about the 15 minute and 30 minute requirements stated above for US airlines, but the restrictions for some international airports can be even more restrictive.
Visas can get confusing when it comes to layovers because countries have very different policies. Below are a few examples of different transit visa policies that you might run into. When on a layover in the UK, you might be able to get a 48 hours visitor in transit visa which will grant you access there for up to two days. If you are traveling through China whether or not you can get or need a transit visa may depend on how long you plan on being outside of the airport.
If you were transiting through for 24 hours or less you could get a temporary permit that allows you to leave the airport and explore China for 24 hours. If you were transiting through certain cities, you could get a permit that allows you to leave the airport for 72 hours. But this just illustrates how some of these visa rules and exceptions can work.
If you want to visit Moscow, you may need a transit visa just to exit out of the airport even for only a few minutes. In order to step foot in certain countries, you might need proof of certain types of vaccinations. So be mindful of how your connection could affect your status in other countries.
The difference between a layover and a stopover is generally that a stopover is a much longer amount of time spent in a given location. Typically a stopover is going to be 24 hours or longer and a layover will not be more than 24 hours. So they may allow you to take a stop over that is several days which obviously means you can leave the airport and explore the country for a while.
Some of these airlines include the following:. In most cases, you should not have an issue leaving the airport. However you need to make sure that you have taken all of the relevant factors into consideration such as the amount of time and money it will take you to get your desired location along with potential needs for visas or other immigration and customs needs. UponArriving has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products.
UponArriving and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving. Find his full bio here. On my way back my layover is more than 7 hours in Paris airport.
I have layovers in Phoenix on both legs of my trip—4 hours and 9 hours. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Skip to content Sometimes, whether by design or necessity, your travel plans involve an extended amount of time in an airport terminal.
But the question is can you leave the airport during a layover? If its dark outside, find a safe and comfortable place to try and catch a nap within the airport. Some airports even have sleeping areas! Most airports are quite a distance away from the center of cities or from interesting places.
Be sure to check out how far away your airport is from anything good before you decide to leave the airport during your layover. What if you get lost exploring? Make sure you have maps or a GPS to guide you back to the airport in case you get lost.
Carry a portable battery charger so that your phone can remain charged up. Is the country your connecting flight is in known for being a tourist trap or expensive? Not everywhere takes card, so this might make you want to stay in the airport during a layover.
Some airports feature organized tours that are designed for passengers with long layovers. So if want to leave the airport during transit, it might be best to do it through an organized airport tour. You could even plan to stay in your layover destination for a couple of days based on what kind of packages the airport tour offers!
So, how about taking two vacations instead of one? Will you even want to leave the airport anyway? Perhaps your perspective of that country will be negative by rushing it and seeing it whilst being tired or mildly stressed out? Miss one leg of your flight and all the rest of the legs will be automatically canceled and will need to be rebooked.
Some travel insurances may help cover some of those costs if you do miss your layover, but the moral of the story is just to not miss your connecting flight.
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