I first came to learn about airports that offer layover tours was when I was booking my tickets for Bangladesh back in October 2018. I was checking Turkish Airlines and while booking, I noticed on their website that Istanbul Airport offers free layover tours. I was already planning on visiting Istanbul on my way back from Bangladesh to Miami, which is why I didn’t take advantage of that program. But I did research to see what other airports offer this amazing free layover tours and saved it for my future travels. I mentioned this to one of my friends, and he said that I should do a post to share this with you all. Which is, of course, a great idea! Here are the 6 airports that offer free layover tours of their city.

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1. Istanbul, Turkey – New Istanbul Airport

photo: afroza_khan

The free layover from Istanbul is only available for Turkish Airlines passengers. If you are flying through Istanbul and have 6-24 hours layover time, then you can enjoy Touristanbul! To book Touristanbul all you have to do is proceed to Hotel Desk in the International Arrival Hall half an hour before the tour starts. You will have to go through passport control and customs control. The scheduled tours are every day from 8:00 to 11:30, from 08:30 to 15:00, from 08:30 to 18:00, from 12:00 to 18:00 and from 16:00 to 21:30. Just make sure your departure and arrival time of your flight is compatible with the scheduled tours.

Touristanbul is completely free for Turkish Airlines international transfer passengers.

Tour includes: Transportation services by shuttle bus (from/to airport), Guidance service by a professional tour guide in English, Meal servings (breakfast and/or lunch), All the museum fees included and Free time

You will need a visa to enter the city – here are the visa regulations from Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the link: http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa, for e-visa (online visa service): https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en

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2. Singapore – Singapore Changi Airport

photo: architecturaldigest.in

Free Singapore Tour is available for passengers who have 5.5 hours to 24 hours to spare. The guided tour is for about 2.5 hours. There are two types of tours, one is the Heritage Tour that runs five times daily and City Sights Tour that runs twice daily. When I was 11 I visited Singapore and fell in love with the city but I don’t much remember how the airport looked like. But, now one of my travel goals is to visit Singapore Changi Airport and just stay and explore the incredible airport for the whole day.

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3. Tokyo, Japan – Tokyo Narita Airport

photo: overseasattractions.com

Another place on my travel bucket list! But even if I get a long layover in Tokyo, I would totally take advantage of the Narita Airport Transit & Stay Program. They offer both guided and self-guided tours for travelers on a budget. The tours are completely free, but transportation is not provided.

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4. Seoul, Korea – Incheon Intl Airport

photo: worldatlas.com

It’s clearly stated on their website -“The passenger who is eligible to enter to KOREA can join the tour.” And if you have a 5+ layover time then exploring Korea transit tours is worth it. There is free transport from the airport and back and a free English speaking guide. But they do charge $10 USD (10,000 KWD) fee. Check out all the tours here.

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5. Doha, Qatar – Doha Intl Airport

photo: hok.com

Almost had to take Qatar Airways for one of my trip to Bangladesh and I was looking into doing the layover tour there. But ended up booking with Emirates at the last minute. For people with a layover of more than 5 hours at Doha, the free tour is definitely something to consider. There are 6 tours every day, all the info can be found here. Doha City Tour introduces some of the city’s highlights such as – Katara, The Pearl, Museum of Islamic Art and Souq Waqif.

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6. Taipei, Taiwan – Taoyuan Intl Airport

photo: techrepublic.com

For passengers with 7 to 24-hour layover before their next connecting flight, a trip to Taipei is a must. The tours are pretty detailed and there’s a lot to see and do. For full information on tours, visa and general info – click here.

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xoxo, Afroza