When my husband and I traveled from
New York to
Bali for our honeymoon, our
flight itinerary called for two layovers -- one in
Frankfurt and one in
Singapore. A flight I was on the previous year had been routed through
Frankfurt and I knew what my layover there had in store for me: absolutely nothing. Nothing to do, nothing to see, nothing to eat.
With no knowledge about the airport in
Singapore, I assumed it would be more of the same. But as it turned out, there wasn't enough time to see, do and eat all the things I wanted to at
Singapore's Changi Airport. Bus tours of the city? Napping pods? A free movie theater? A swimming pool? It almost made me wish our layover in
Singapore were longer.
Almost.
It sure did get me thinking though. In a perfect world, we would all
fly direct to our destinations. And this is certainly getting easier and easier, even when traveling overseas. But when that isn't possible, as with my upcoming flight to
Naples, Italy, we often have the power to plan our routes in order to make our layovers as painless as possible -- or, at the very least, know what's in store for us at the interim airport.
We asked our readers for their suggestions, but there are many airports out there and we want to hear more from you -- tell us which airport is the
best place in the world to spend a layover.
All the Comforts of Home
** "We just got stuck in
Copenhagen forever, and it was pretty nice with some really good restaurants and some decent shopping. There are also nap rooms and showers, and we even did five minutes in the tanning booth as a lark."
~ mattkorey
** "I enjoy
Honolulu for the showers (equipped with curling irons, blow-dryers, and toiletries) and nap rooms." ~ transworldtraveler
** "I had an 18-hour layover at
Amsterdam Schiphol. I had already done some research and knew about the small hotel inside the airport. It's off to one side of the airport, on the third floor. They said they were full for the night. Forewarned, I asked to be put on the waiting list. One hour later I had a room, because someone else canceled. The rooms are quiet, clean and comfortable. (Yes, the WC is in the room. It has a shower, as well as the necessary.) I had a good sleep and the next day, on the long trek back to my terminal, I had an excellent breakfast and did way too much shopping. Dragging myself out of the candy shop was very hard. It was full of chocolate." ~ InfaSis
** "I have always liked Melbourne,
Australia as a place for a long layover. Good shopping, free showers, nice people." ~ Angharad
** "I am very fond of
San Francisco International. The airport feels much like the city. Don't miss the clam chowder in a traditional
San Francisco sourdough bread bowl. When I lived there, we used to laugh at the tourists who bought loafs to take home. Now that I live thousands of miles away, I have become one of them. You can't get that taste anywhere else in the world." ~ Neo
