Is a five-hour layover enough time to sightsee in Singapore?

January 23, 2026 — 5:00am

On the way to India we have a five-hour stopover in Singapore. Is that enough time to take a taxi into the Marina Bay area and get back in time to go through security to board our connecting flight, or is the metro quicker?
S. Vlamis, Highton, Vic

Immigration processing at Singapore’s Changi Airport is swift but even so you would need to be back at the airport 90 minutes minimum before your connecting flight. Travel time from the airport to Marina Bay is 20 to 30 minutes each way in normal traffic, and a taxi is quicker than the MRT metro. That would give you about two hours for sightseeing in the Marina Bay area which is enough for a quick walk around landmarks like the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands waterfront promenade and the Gardens by the Bay exterior.

I’m visiting Norway’s Tromso for Christmas and I want to travel south to Bergen over a few days but I’m unsure of the best route. There is a four-day Hurtigruten cruise but I’m also interested in the Lofoten Islands and maybe Trondheim, and the cruise does not allow any time to sightsee in ports. Can you recommend alternatives?
W. Swift, Annandale, NSW

The Hurtigruten cruise from Tromso to Bergen takes you past a majestic seascape, but it’s geared toward scenery and ship time, not sightseeing ashore. If you want to spend more time visiting the coastal towns you could take a series of flights southwards from Tromso, starting with a flight to Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands, and from there rent a car and explore Lofoten’s dramatic winter landscapes, fishing villages and coast. Roads are normally kept open in winter but allow for weather delays.

From Svolvaer you can take a one-stop flight to Trondheim and from there another flight to Bergen. Spend a couple of nights there then take the Bergen Railway east to Myrdal and detour to the Flam Railway, one of Norway’s most scenic rail rides. Realistically, you would need about nine-10 days for this itinerary after leaving Tromso to reach Oslo.

We are a family of five visiting London for five or six days in June. We want to see the usual touristy things with the kids, aged 12, 14 and 16, and would love to stay somewhere central, or up to 10 minutes’ walk from a tube station. Any recommendations?
S. Loren, Clifton Hill, Vic

Traveller writer Sue Williams suggests Citizen M Tower of London hotel, “many rooms have fabulous views directly onto the Tower of London and they have a great cafe with breakfast downstairs, and workstations and a bar on the roof with views of the city”. Rooms are compact, but beds are large and the price is a bargain in ultra-expensive London. The location is perfect, you’re across the road from the Tower of London and the hotel is built above Tower Hill tube station which is on the District and Circle lines, making it super easy to get around.

If you want more luxurious and stylish accommodation, consider the art’Otel London, a statuesque glass and steel cylinder with an edgy, pop-culture vibe, located close to the city’s East End coolzone. Rooms start at $600 a night in June, which is actually reasonable value in London.

My husband and I are visiting Sicily in March and our London daughter and her family would like to join us for a couple of weeks somewhere nearby in April, perhaps Morocco or Portugal. Her daughters, aged four and six, love swimming and other resort activities. Can you recommend somewhere warm enough and affordable?
K. Dodd, Fairlight, NSW

In April Portugal is unlikely to see the sort of temperatures that would make for a sunny resort break. However Morocco is a much better bet, and the sweet spot is the city of Ouarzazate, which sits on the south side of the Atlas Mountains. In April, you can expect average daily temperatures between 19-26 degrees and the city has a wide choice of resort-style hotels. It also has a lively souk and easy access to desert adventures including camel trekking, quad biking, and sandboarding in the nearby dunes. Ouarzazate is known as the Hollywood of the Sahara. From Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator II, when the script calls for crimson dunes, camels, kaftans or anything else with a whiff of spice, sand and sandals, chances are the cast and crew will find themselves hunkered down in Ouarzazate.

For a taste of Berber life, you could also spend a few days at nearby Skoura, an oasis in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, greened by palm trees and olive groves and dotted with crumbling, mud-walled kasbahs. If that appeals, you might stay at L’Ma Lodge, a small hotel operated by a lovely French couple who have created a small paradise for children, with lots of secret corners, animals and a heated pool.

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Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances