Making the most of airport stopovers
After traveling around the world with occasional long airport stopovers, I have come to learn some of the secrets of making the most of the “dead” time.
I found that when I make a visit to a nearby area, I feel much more relaxed and ready to continue the next leg of the trip. Available options include 1) taking one of the tours offered directly from the airport, 2) finding transportation into the city and taking a tour from there or 3) winging it on your own.
If time is a critical factor in making another flight (fewer than five hours), it might be best to take a tour with guaranteed departure and return times. Other factors to consider are how well you know the area and if there is a language barrier. If you can, have a city map with you; having the bus and train stations and routes and the major points of interest marked is a plus.
Excursions can be arranged either on arrival at the airport or in advance via the Internet. While I prefer knowing I have everything set up before I leave home, I have encountered the occasional “no show” by the tour company. Therefore, a backup plan is a good idea.
If you want to try one of these “time fillers,” make sure you have a boarding pass for your next flight and return to the airport with plenty of time to go through Customs and Immigration. Also make sure any airport taxes have been paid with your ticket in advance or you may be standing in another line to pay the fee.
Following are tips for four airports frequently used for lengthy international trips in which a stopover of several hours may be required.
AMSTERDAM Airport Schiphol (AMS), Netherlands — If you want to wing it on your own and just roam around the canals and museums in Amsterdam, you can catch a train from the airport for the short ride into the city. A round-trip ticket can be purchased from one of the machines located in the arrivals area for under €10 (near $15).
Since on my last visit, in July ’07, my layover was relatively short, I elected to use a tour company. Holland Tours Schiphol B.V. is located between Arrivals 1 and Arrivals 2 in the Schiphol Plaza. Tours, leaving from and returning to the airport, are available for €39-€59 ($61-$92) per person for small groups. Large groups also can be accommodated.
On our 4-hour city tour, our guide was very good, as was the woman at the booking desk. She even put our carry-ons in a locker for us.
Schiphol also has a small museum, a casino and some of the world’s finest shopping.
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK): BANGKOK, Thailand — Opened in September 2006, Suvarnabhumi Airport was supposed to serve international and domestic flights, but there were operational difficulties. Therefore, the old airport, Don Muang, which reopened in March 2007, also handles some domestic flights. Not all advertising has been updated, so take care when documentation says “near the airport.”
For a stopover on the first leg of an April ’07 trip to Asia, I had arranged, online, a half-day private excursion ($121 for one person) with SalathaiTravel (Bangkok; phone +66 818601962, www.salathai travel.com).
They met me at the airport and took me into Bangkok for a sunset dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River, then returned me to the airport for my flight. It was a pleasant way to pass the time. Unfortunately, the food was a little spicy for me.
I had also booked an excursion with them to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand, for my return stopover, but they failed to meet me at the airport. The Bangkok Royal Gateway Travel Tour Company (phone [02] 535 5323 or fax [662] 535 5324), which has a booth in the arrival area of the international terminal, was a good alternative. They were able to quickly put together a spur-of-the-moment private trip for me ($120) that included a private car, guide, driver and lunch. (The group rate is $35 per person.)
Trains to the city are planned from the new airport but were not in place as of October ’07. On my way home from Bhutan, I had only about 24 hours in Bangkok and a very early flight the next day, so I elected to stay at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi (800/668-6835, www.novotel.com), which provides transportation for the short distance to/from the airport.
The Novotel is gorgeous, but the price of a single room is high (around $250), as are meals (294 baht, or about $9, for pancakes and coffee). I found the food substandard, especially for that amount of money.
If you decide to go into downtown Bangkok, the Shangri La Hotel (toll-free 866/565-5050, www. shangri-la.com) on the Chao Phraya River has a wonderful Sunday brunch buffet at its Next2 Café (1,648 baht, or $52). They also have a great seafood buffet on Friday nights.
A taxi into Bangkok costs about 400 baht ($12) if you get it from a taxi stand at the lower level. If you take one from a vendor from inside the terminal, it can cost twice as much.
HONG KONG International (HKG), China — The tourist desk at HKG can tell you where to get train tickets to the city and what stop you need for your intended destination.
Most people want to go to the Hong Kong side as opposed to Kowloon. I’d recommend a one-day round-trip ticket Airport Express ticket (credit cards accepted) to the Hong Kong station; the price is HK$180 (US$23). Then you can take a bus from there to your destination.
Some airlines, such as Cathay Pacific, offer coupons that give you a discount on the train fare, especially if you are continuing your travel on the same airline.
Depending on how much time you have, a half- or full-day excursion is good. Check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website (www. discoverhongkong.com) to find one that interests you. Their website lists a “Hong Kong Transit Tour” (five hours at HK$200, or US$26) which leaves the airport at 9:30 a.m. E-coupons for this and other tours are provided online.
On the second floor of the City Hall Building, located near the Star Ferry stop on the Hong Kong side, there is a big restaurant serving some of the best dim sum in the city (US$12-$14 for two). As I learned in October ’07, be prepared for crowds and a long lunch, and go early if possible.
ZÜRICH-Kloten (ZRH), Switzerland — From the airport, walk underground to the “Zürich Airport” train station, where you can buy a 24-hour ZürichCARD for 17 Swiss francs (near $16). This ticket includes transportation between the airport and Zürich as well as on buses in town. Other discounts are also provided, including free admission to a number of museums.
There are lockers near the restrooms in the train station to store your things. The trains, which leave from downstairs, depart several times per hour from 6 a.m. to midnight.
The 12-minute train ride stops at the charming, old train station (Zürich Hauptbahnhof) in the town center across from the Swiss National Museum, where occasionally concerts are held.
From May 1 to Oct. 1 you can join a 2½-hour walking tour (discounted with the train ticket) from the tourist office.
On my visit in August ’07, I left the tour near the end to enjoy a specialty of Zürich: Geschnetzeltes Kalbfleisch (thinly sliced veal in a cream sauce). One of the restaurants that has this dish (35 francs) is Vorderer Sternen (Theaterstrasse 22) at Bellevueplatz. The famous Swiss fondue is another option.
If you have time, you can take a taxi ride up the hill to The Dolder Grand hotel for a great view of the city.
JOYCE BRUCK
Ocean Ridge, FL