Look, I’m not going to pretend that cramming yourself into an economy seat for 20-plus hours is anyone’s idea of a good time. But here’s the thing about flying long-haul from Australia: we’re so bloody far from everything that we’ve accidentally stumbled into an advantage. Breaking up those marathon flights with a stopover isn’t just about stretching your legs (though your chiropractor will thank you). It’s about turning a necessary evil into two trips for roughly the price of one.

I’ve done enough of these flights to know that the difference between a smart stopover and a waste of time often comes down to whether you’ve thought it through beforehand. So let’s talk about the cities that actually make sense when you’re dragging yourself across the planet from Australia.

Singapore: The Obvious Choice That’s Obvious for a Reason

Singapore Airlines didn’t build its reputation on mediocre laksa. If you’re heading to Europe or the UK, Singapore’s Changi Airport is less a transit hub and more a small city that happens to have runways attached. I’ve genuinely had friends miss connecting flights because they got distracted by the butterfly garden or the cinema.

But here’s what makes Singapore work as a stopover: you can do it properly in 24 to 48 hours. The city’s compact, the MRT actually makes sense, and you can stumble from hawker centres to Gardens by the Bay to Marina Bay Sands without needing a PhD in urban planning.

The food alone justifies the stop. Forget the fancy restaurants (though they’re there if that’s your thing). Hit Maxwell Food Centre for chicken rice, Newton Food Centre for satay, or honestly just wander into any hawker centre and point at what the locals are eating. You’ll be fine.

Plus, if you’re flying Scoot or Singapore Airlines, stopover packages often work out cheaper than you’d expect. They know what they’re doing.

Dubai: Maximum Excess, Minimum Subtlety

Dubai feels like someone asked an AI to design a city with unlimited budget and zero cultural context. It’s ridiculous. It’s over the top. And if you’ve got 24 hours to kill between flights, it’s kind of brilliant.

Emirates runs most of the Australian routes through here, and they’ve made the stopover game an art form. Free hotel if your layover’s long enough, visa on arrival for Australians, and a city that’s essentially built for short-term visitors with money to burn.

The Burj Khalifa is exactly as absurd as you think. The Dubai Mall makes Chadstone look like a corner shop. The gold souk is either fascinating or gaudy depending on your tolerance for spectacle (personally, I find it both).

Here’s my actual advice: book a hotel with a decent pool, spend the morning recovering from your first flight, do one big touristy thing, eat some proper Middle Eastern food, then get back to the airport. Trying to do too much in Dubai just means you’ll be exhausted for the next leg.

Bangkok: Chaos With Benefits

Bangkok is where I learned that “transit visa” and “tourist visa” are different things, and that street food can simultaneously be the best and most questionable decision you make in a day.

If you’re heading to Europe via Asian carriers, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is a common connection point. The city itself is hot, crowded, chaotic, and absolutely worth a stopover if you can handle sensory overload.

Two days gives you enough time to see the Grand Palace, take a boat through the canals, eat your body weight in pad thai and mango sticky rice, and maybe squeeze in a Thai massage that’ll either fix your back or finish what economy class started.

The BTS Skytrain gets you most places tourists want to go. Grab works like Uber but cheaper. Street food is legitimately good if you follow the crowds. And hotels are so affordable compared to Australia that you might as well upgrade to somewhere decent.

Just don’t drink the tap water. I know you know this already. I’m saying it anyway.

Kuala Lumpur: The Underrated Middle Ground

KL doesn’t get enough credit. It sits between Singapore’s pristine efficiency and Bangkok’s beautiful chaos, offering the best bits of both without fully committing to either.

Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia both route through here, and the airport rail link gets you into the city in under half an hour. The Petronas Towers are genuinely impressive (especially at night), the food scene is exceptional (the roti canai alone is worth the stop), and everything’s cheaper than Singapore.

You can do KL comfortably in 36 hours. Morning at Batu Caves if you’re into temples and limestone formations. Afternoon in the Bukit Bintang area for shopping and food courts. Evening at Jalan Alor for street food that’ll ruin you for average Malaysian restaurants back home.

The mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences means the food variety is absurd. Nasi lemak for breakfast, char kway teow for lunch, banana leaf curry for dinner. Your arteries might object but your taste buds won’t.

Tokyo: If You’ve Got Time and Don’t Mind Spending

Tokyo as a stopover is either brilliant or bonkers depending on how you look at it. It’s not geographically efficient for Europe routes, but if you’re heading to North America or already considering Asia, it’s worth building in.

The challenge with Tokyo is that 24 hours isn’t really enough. You need minimum 48 hours, ideally 72, because the city’s massive and jet lag will hit you like a freight train.

But if you can swing it? Tokyo’s one of those cities where even getting lost is entertaining. The food is exceptional at every price point. The trains run on time (shocking concept, I know). And there’s something deeply satisfying about going from 35-degree Melbourne summer to wandering through Shibuya in the snow.

Fair warning: it’s expensive. Not Dubai-expensive, but definitely not Bangkok-cheap. Budget accordingly.

Doha: The Dark Horse

Qatar Airways has made Hamad International Airport into a genuinely pleasant place to have a layover, which is saying something. The airline often offers free hotel stays for longer connections, and Doha itself has grown into something more than just a transit point.

The Museum of Islamic Art is world-class. The Corniche waterfront is perfect for an evening walk. The Souq Waqif gives you that Middle Eastern market experience without the intensity of somewhere like Marrakech.

Is it as exciting as Bangkok or Tokyo? No. But if you’re looking for a comfortable, easy stopover between Australia and Europe where you can actually rest, Doha does the job well.

Hong Kong: Still Worth It (For Now)

Hong Kong’s tricky to recommend in 2025 given everything that’s happened politically, but from a pure stopover logistics perspective, it still works brilliantly.

The Airport Express gets you into Central in 24 minutes. You can dump your bags, eat dim sum, ride the Star Ferry, take the tram up Victoria Peak, eat more dim sum, and be back at the airport without breaking a sweat.

Cathay Pacific’s still one of the better carriers out of Australia, and Hong Kong remains one of the most efficient stopover cities on the planet. Just know what you’re walking into politically and culturally before you commit.

The Ones I’d Skip

Quick word on stopover cities that sound good but rarely work in practice:

Los Angeles – Unless you specifically want to visit LA, spending a day here just adds jet lag and In-N-Out Burger (which, controversial take, is fine but not life-changing).

Abu Dhabi – Etihad’s solid, but unless you’re specifically into Formula One or luxury hotels, Dubai does the same thing with more variety.

Delhi – Air pollution, visa complications, and a city that realistically needs more time than a quick stopover allows.

Making It Actually Work

Right, theory’s one thing. Actually pulling off a stopover without turning it into a logistical nightmare is another. Few things I’ve learned:

Book your stopover through the airline when possible. Singapore, Emirates, and Qatar all offer stopover packages that include hotels and sometimes city tours. They’re usually cheaper than booking separately and save you the hassle.

Check visa requirements before you commit. Most of these cities offer visa-on-arrival for Australian passport holders, but “most” isn’t “all” and you don’t want surprises at immigration.

Leave your main luggage at the hotel or airport storage. Walking around Bangkok with a full-sized suitcase is nobody’s idea of fun.

Build in buffer time. Yes, you could probably do Singapore in 18 hours, but why risk missing your connection because you got stuck in traffic coming back from Sentosa?

Pick one or two things and do them properly rather than sprinting around trying to tick boxes. You’re stopping over, not competing in the Amazing Race.

The Verdict

Look, the best stopover city is the one that makes sense for your route, your budget, and your tolerance for either sleeping in airports or spending money on hotels.

If you want easy and efficient: Singapore. If you want spectacle and luxury: Dubai. If you want food and chaos: Bangkok. If you want culture and don’t mind the cost: Tokyo. If you want to actually rest: Doha.

Personally, I’ll take Singapore or KL most days. But that’s because I value food, efficiency, and not spending three hours figuring out transport more than I value Instagram-worthy skyscraper photos.

Your mileage may vary. Literally.