Eight hours is never enough time to fully explore a city, but if you can get a free (well, included) glimpse and more bang for your buck, why not? Flights with layovers are often cheaper, and the option with the longer layover might get you an extra adventure in another city!

 

Things to check off before you book:

1. Try to choose layovers that are during the day, it’s okay if you arrive really early because things will start opening up or you can go explore nature. However, if you pick one at night, accommodations might get tricky, most things are closed, and you probably will be somewhat sleepy unless you are looking for a night adventure!
2. Make sure you don’t need a visa, or have a valid visa for the layover country. This way you can actually leave the airport.
3. Check your luggage all the way, find a locker at the airport, or be okay with carrying your things.
4. Make sure to do your research!  Look up how to get to the city or where you want to explore & WHEN to get back to the airport. (If you can get the boarding pass for the next flight first then you can go straight to security check and save a lot of time!)

 

Here are some places that I have taken advantage of my long layovers:

 

New York City, USA:

I LOVEEEEE New York, I want to move there someday, so how can I pass up an opportunity to go into the city even if it’s just for nine hours. I used my credit card rewards to book my flight to Turkey and every flight had a layover, so I purposely picked the one at JFK.

Checklist:

• Layover time: 9.5 hours, from 7am-430pm.
• Visa: New York is still in the states, so it’s all good.
• Luggage: When I was checking in, the people at the counter wouldn’t let me check my luggage all the way to Turkey because “my layover was too long” but after talking to them a little longer, they finally agreed to check my luggage all the way. So don’t give up if they say no, they might still have a way!

Getting There & Back:

I’ve been to New York before, so my main goal wasn’t really to explore but to catch up with a good friend and to get some good food. I was trying to make it into the city as fast as I could, so I booked a reservation with Go Airlink NYC.  It cost about $25 and the driver dropped me off right at my friend’s door. We got brunch then walked around a little and lined up for bagel to bring with me to Turkey.  I took the subway back to the airport, which cost about $7.50 but it took a little bit longer.

 

Zurich, Switzerland:

I had an eight-hour layover in Zurich from Budapest to Munich. I wanted to see the city, but didn’t want to have to sell my organs, so here’s what I did:

Checklist:

• Layover time: 8 hours, from 11am-7pm.
• Visa: Switzerland is part of the Schengen area so no visa for U.S. citizens yay and no customs to leave Zurich and go into Munich (saved a lot of time!).
• Luggage: I was able to check my backpack in for free all the way to Munich.

The Fun Stuff:

There are multiple trains that go from the airport to the city and a 24-hour ticket costs about 12 Swiss Franc. The tickets can be easily purchased at the machines with cash or credit. I didn’t have any Swiss Francs on me and it wasn’t worth it for me to exchange $20, so I went with things that are either free or credit card friendly.

Luckily, I found a free walking tour that worked out perfectly with my schedule. Apparently I was supposed to make a reservation first, but the tour guide let me join anyway. She took us through the pretty streets of Zurich and gave us a brief history lesson on the city and the country. After the tour I still had more time to kill so I went to Sprüngli, I couldn’t resist the chocolate and they take visa yay! I got a sundae that cost me an arm (no regrets) and people watched, then I took a stroll around downtown area and hopped on a train back!

 

Seoul, Korea:

When I was traveling from China back to LA, I booked a flight with Asiana Airlines with a long layover because it was the cheapest flight I could find and I wanted to see Korea (win win).

Checklist:

• Layover time: 9 hours, 6am-3pm.
• Visa: No visa required for U.S. passports.
• Luggage: They checked my backpack all the way to LAX!

The Actual Layover:

Incheon Airport is definitely one of the best airports in the world, especially for layovers, even Business Insider ranked it number two in 2015. There are nice designated areas for sleeping, resting, showers, a museum, cultural performances, etc. But more importantly, they have a Transit Tour Program! This is a genius marketing strategy for Korea tourism in my opinion. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have flights with long layovers in Korea (10, 12, 18+) on purpose so you can experience Korea! The best part, it’s FREE or cheap, depending on the program.  There are a few longer programs that cost $10USD because food and admission tickets are included. This is still cheaper and more efficient than getting a train ticket and going to the city on your own. They also guarantee that you make it back to your connecting flight on time.

There are 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 5 hour tours. My layover was nine hours, so I was able to fit two programs: a one-hour and a five-hour tour. It cost me $10 total because the second one included lunch and an admission ticket to the Gyeongbokgung Palace. We had air-conditioned shuttles with English speaking guides that took us straight from the airport to the sites and back. Overall, amazing.

 

Istanbul, Turkey

From my flight from Portugal to China, I booked with Turkish airlines and picked a super long (24) hour layover in Istanbul so I can visit my roommates.

Checklist:

• Layover time: 24 hours.
• Visa: E-Visa required for U.S. citizens, but takes about five minutes online and costs $20. I would suggest to print out the visa, I did all this at my hostel in Barcelona, so don’t worry too much about not finding a printer or what not.
• Luggage: I took everything (a 45L backpack) with me.  However, I stuffed my shoes on the side of my backpack and lost it while I was getting in and out of the tiny bus in Turkey, so learn from my mistake and be careful when packing!

Getting Around in Istanbul:

From the airport you can either get to city center by metro or by bus. I usually take the bus (Havataş) because it’s faster and more convenient. The bus costs 11 Turkish Lira (~$3.75 cash only) from Ataturk Airport and takes you straight to city center, Taksim. From Taksim, it is easy to reach all the tourist spots by foot, metro, or tram. DO NOT get on the taxis that are by the bus stop, they specialize in scamming tourists.

I was there to hangout with my roommates so I took the dolmuş (it’s like a shared taxi/mini bus, the one that I lost my shoes on…) from Taksim to her place and spent the rest of my time with them eating home cooked Turkish meals and drinking Turkish coffee.