Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with layover

Six hour layover in Chicago

PenguinBukkake — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:36:39 -0800

Six hour layover in Chicago. Is it feasible to take the train to O'Hare, get to the Art Institute for a quick visit (I really want to see one painting) and then get back to O'Hare and not miss the plane? This would happen on a Friday, 3PM-9PM. And, if it's not doable, what's the yummiest food at O'Hare? (I'll just have a big dinner and a nap if I have to stay inside the airport). Thanks!

Six hours in Vancouver airport

Artw — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:07:45 -0800

My brother is taking a cheap flight from England to visit us in Seattle, which has a stop in Vancouver (YVR) for six hours. Is there anything taht can be done within that time that's worth doing? Would it actually be possible to get out of the airport? Or should I just tell him to bring a book?

Help me help my baby.

unclejeffy — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:23:28 -0800

My wife's stuck in the Atlanta airport due to a missed flight (weather-related) and now the airport's closed (weather-related). Looks like she won't get a flight here to Tampa until 7:00 am. I hate that she's going to have such a miserable night. What can I do to make her more comfortable? We've been texting, and I've given her some information about available lounges, etc., but what else can I do? Delta is apparently not being very helpful and doesn't seem to care about her or her fellow passengers. Thanks for your ideas.

What to do at FRA?

pearlybob — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:24:21 -0800

What to do during a layover in Frankfurt? My brother will have a 6 hour layover at Frankfurt International later today. Is there anything worth doing in that time frame? I remember going through FRA in 1989 and the security was crazy then (maybe that was Munich). Anyway, can you suggest anything or should he just grab a book and sit tight? Thanks in advance!!

Amsterdam Layover

ecab — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:56:46 -0800

Longish layover in Amsterdam. Will I have time to do anything? My brother and I are going to have a 9hr layover in Amsterdam-Sciphol in late May (from about 11:30AM to 8:45PM). I want to know if it would be feasible during that time to actually get into the city for a bit as neither of us have ever been.

Any tips or recommendations?

5 Hours in Phoenix

rmless — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:44:44 -0800

What to do in Phoenix for 5 hours? I have a 5 hour layover in Phoenix, AZ on Monday from 5 pm to 10 pm.

Is this enough time/worth it to leave the airport and do something in town?

What should I see that is open after 5?

About how much would a taxi cost from the airport into the city?

Is there anything to do in the airport itself?

Nothing like missing a flight for a Taipei whisky

OrangeDrink — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:36:01 -0800

7 hour layover in Taipei. Should I even leave the airport? Don't speak a lick and I doubt my ability to get back to the airport on time to leave. Is there anything worth doing nearby, or should I morosely shuffle about the terminals?

SFO layover & dinner

ClaudiaCenter — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:35:32 -0800

Friend with three-hour layover in SF -- help me with dinner logistics. Hi, a friend of mine has a three-hour layover tomorrow night at SFO. I'm going to drive out to the airport and the plan is to have dinner. So -- do we just hang out at the airport? Sounds boring. But driving back to the City for dinner seems like a big rush rush. Any suggestions?

(I live in San Francisco so I should know the answer but I don't.)

Layover fun

yellowbkpk — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:22:57 -0800

What can I do today that is within walking distance of King station in Seattle? I'm arriving at King Station in Seattle in about half an hour on an Amtrak train and have a layover of several hours while I wait for my next train. What can I walk to to entertain myself in that time span?

Thanks!

SFO, quick!

cabingirl — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:41:29 -0800

I have a 6-hour layover in San Francisco on Saturday night (7PM - 1AM). I want to get out of the airport and do some Christmas shopping and grab something to eat for a few hours, say 8-10PM. Where should I go? I know Union Square has high-end chains that are open until at least 9PM, but I can visit those anywhere. I was hoping for something different where I could pick up some interesting gifts. I've been Googling the kinds of stores I might want to visit (quirky gift shops, yarn shops) but many of them seem to close at 6 or 7PM.

I have been to SF before, and I've done the touristy sightseeing stuff. I'm fine with a targeted approach, I just don't know where I should be headed.

Oh, and if you have a quick food recommendation (taqueria?) I'll take it.

Very short visit / Very long layover in Honolulu

hyperfascinated — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 19:50:14 -0800

Suggestions and tips for an 11-hour layover in Honolulu (HNL), coming from Japan, heading to Portland? Mr. Fascinated and I will be traveling home to Portland, Oregon from Osaka, Japan tomorrow. We land in Honolulu at 11AM; the HNL-PDX flight takes off at 10PM.

What is there to do in Honolulu considering our schedule? Our time in Japan has been grueling, so "relaxing" would be preferable over more sightseeing. I'd love to go to the beach, but which one? And how do we get there from the airport?

How can we avoid carrying our big suitcases with us? Will it be possible to re-check them immediately, so long before the flight out?

Anything else I should know?

How to keep from going insane from boredom.

235w103 — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:27:30 -0800

Trapped overnight in a Super 8 in the desolate part of Chicago. What to do? Stupid, stupid airlines have left me in a Super 8 surrounded by, uh, nothing- just a couple of fast food restaurants. I can't get a rental car- my license is expired, which is why I'm heading home in the first place. My calls to the few people I know in Chicago have been fruitless. What should I do?

One lunch in Bogota makes a hard man humble

Falconetti — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:12:45 -0800

This Thursday I have an 8 hour lay over in Bogota, Columbia and want to go to the city to have lunch. Is that feasible? And if so, any recommendations on a place to eat? I would like to try something specific to Colombian cuisine.

Things to do in Gothenburg when you're dead.

methylsalicylate — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 06:53:41 -0800

Due to the fantastic folks at KLM, I have a six-plus-hour layover in Gothenburg, Sweden, on the afternoon of Thursday, June 14th. I already know how to get into town from the airport. The question is, what would be the best way to spend a few hours in the city? Free and not requiring additional transport preferred. I will be returning to Gothenburg and staying in Nya Varvet the next week, so would like to spend the layover time in the center of the city. I like art, music, vegetarian food, and sitting around in parks.

ObReciprocalAdvice: Fly SAS next time.

Seoul layover trip

pravit — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:01:53 -0800

Making a trip to Seoul during my 10-hour layover. What should I see and do? I'm going to have a 10-hour layover in Incheon International Airport on my way to Beijing. I've always wanted to see Korea, so I figure this will be my first chance.

I did find another AskMe question asking the same thing, although there weren't many answers. I also found a great article online about squeezing a layover trip to Seoul into this timeframe, but I'd like to hear other opinions from people who know the city well.

I'll be landing in Seoul around 5:20AM - this should be right around sunrise according to timeanddate.com. I'd definitely like to see Gyeongbokgung, though it doesn't open until 9:30. I'd also like to visit the temple mentioned in the article assuming the monks wake up early enough. But if I get there around 6:30AM, I'm not sure if I could really spend three hours hanging out at a temple. I assume Insadong shops won't be open that early either. Anything else around Seoul you could recommend for the early hours?

I love Korean food, especially kimchi, so I'll want to try a lot of local food. I also enjoy Asian-style breakfasts(rice porridge, fermented vegetables, etc.) - where would be a good place to have a Korean breakfast? Do you think I could eat at the temple? I also want to have lunch in Seoul before I head back to the airport - any restaurants around that are OK with guests eating alone? I love eating all sorts of banchan, and I like all the things you usually find in Korean restaurants - bibimbap, kimchi soup, kalbi. Also, is there a lot of street food in Seoul? What are the specialties?

I only know a few words of Korean, so I'm not really counting on it to get me anywhere, but at least I can read hangeul. Every time I pass through Incheon airport I get mistaken for Japanese, though I don't speak it. I do speak fluent English and Chinese. Will the language barrier be any problem?

My flight leaves at 3PM, so I'm planning on having lunch around noon and heading to the airport, taking subway all the way back to Gimpo and then the bus or that new AREX express train back to Incheon. Think that's enough time?

Last thing - I have heard of a Kimchi museum, which I think is awesome. I visited their website, but there weren't many details on what's inside. Do they have actual kimchi exhibits or kimchi tasting? Anyone been there that thinks it's worth visiting?

Oh, and one more thing - when I first moved out I was obsessed with eating Shin Ramyun all the time. I've seen pictures on Google Images of a truck with huge Shin cups on the back. Is there any place to go to see this, or do I just have to be lucky and catch it driving around? Also, there is an amazingly cool Shin Ramyun pen, although the site doesn't seem to sell it anymore. Could I buy it in Seoul?

Thanks for your advice!

Surviving 11 hours at Heathrow Airport

gesamtkunstwerk — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:59:13 -0800

Layover in London filter? We have an 11.5 hour layover at Heathrow airport this Sunday. Is it feasible to go somewhere for an easy walk and a nice meal without breaking the bank? We are on our way from Toronto to sub-Saharan Africa for a few weeks work. It's a long two day trip, but we hate to fly through a place we don't know without seeing something more interesting than Heathrow terminals one and four.

We'll be tired, casually dressed, and have a bit of hand luggage. We would like to go somewhere by tube for a nice walk and perhaps a good lunch. Any suggestions of a place we could get to in less than an hour that would not break the bank, but would be pleasant and not too touristy?

We'll arrive at 9am on Sunday and leave 11 hours later. (Our idea of nice is someplace a Londoner would go, with great food and a quiet atmosphere. We don't need to see anything impressive- we've always assumed that we'll spend time in London as tourists-- we just want to have a little fun and see something that we don't have in Toronto. We don't even need to go to London; we'd just don't want to wander around when time and money are in short supply)

We're Canadian, so Britain is expensive for us. Approximate travel costs would be most welcome.

Can I leave Incheon International on a layover?

borkingchikapa — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 09:02:53 -0800

I have a long layover at Incheon Airport in South Korea. Can I leave the airport during that time? A friend I haven't seen in a long time lives near the airport, and she is planning on coming to meet me and take me around the area (I've never been to Korea). I have an American passport, so I assume immigration/emigration will just stamp and wave me through, but will my boarding pass be enough to get me back in through security? Time isn't really an issue here.

How do you spend your layovers?

donajo — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:38:48 -0800

I've got a 4 hour layover in JFK during my holiday travels, and I'd like some suggestions on how to spend it. Four hours is not long enough to leave the airport, but it's more than enough time for me to eat and use the restroom and wander a bit. I'm going to try and save my books, mags, Sudoku, and GameBoy for the actual flights. Got any ideas on how to waste time in an airport?

It looks like I'll be in Terminal 3 (Delta), if you have any specific ideas, but general suggestions are good too.

Extended Layover

sophist — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:40:58 -0800

What is the best way to schedule a trip with an extended layover? A friend is traveleing from the East Coast to New Zealand, and would like to stop over and see me (in San Francisco) for a few days. Most internet travel sites I have checked only offer single destination flights. Would she incur extra costs scheduling 2 separate flights? Would they be more than going through a travel agent?

Layover in Singapore

Marquis — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:51:46 -0800

I will be flying Heathrow-Auckland via Singapore Airlines in late July. En route I will have a layover at Singapore Changi Airport from 14:15 - 21:00. (It's a Sunday.) Is there enough time for me to see anything interesting? If so, what?! I've never been anywhere remotely near to Asia and I'm extremely curious. (I'm also rather nervous about the language/culture gap, but having travelled extensively in Eastern Europe I'm hoping it will be okay. Besides, Singapore's super anglo, from what I understand.)

Although I definitely can't miss my flight and will certainly be jetlagged, it seems a pity to squander a seven hour layover in the airport lounge... Is that enough time to nip out of the airport and see a bit of Singapore life/culture/etc? Not particularly arsed about tourist sights, but if the easiest thing would be to hop on a tour bus I suppose that's okay too. Is the airport anywhere near the city? Any suggestions in general? Do I not have any time to do anything except soak up the airport ambience?

And will everything be shut on Sunday?

Many thanks in advance!

Making the most of layovers

thebabelfish — Tue, 02 May 2006 15:57:34 -0800

In general, how long must a layover at an airport be to be able to leave the airport, see the city (even for a short amount of time), and get back without missing your connecting flight? I'm travelling to Morocco at the end of August. One of the cheapest flights has two layovers, both ~4 hours long, at Madrid and Paris. I'd LOVE to be able to see these cities during a layover if possible. Is 4 hours long enough?

Before I pick my flight (all of the choices return to PHL at the same time), I want to know if I should try to get one with a longish layover so I can dive into the city for an hour (even just the outskirts) or if I should just try to minimize layover time.

I don't have any experience travelling by air, so this is all new to me.

What's to do in Frankfurt?

hobbes — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 17:42:30 -0800

I have a one-night stop-over in Frankfurt—please advise me. Touching down at 0600, and leaving at 1300 the next day. I'll be staying at a hostel downtown (looking at the Haus der Jugend), which is supposedly central to the city.

I'm interested in art/architecture, and was planning on seeing some of the contemporary art galleries, but since this is my first time on the continent of Europe, I'm open to anything.

Lastly, I'll be penny-pinchin', so throw in those cheap dives for dinner.

Ten hours in Geneva

kickingtheground — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:59:57 -0800

I'm taking a week-long trip to Barcelona, and have a 10-hour layover in Geneva on the way there (during the day). Any recommendations? Ten hours isn't a lot, but if there's some cheap/convenient way to do so, I'd much rather spend a few hours in the city than waiting around at the airport.

I'd also be interested in any personal recommendations you might have for Barcelona (things to see & do, interesting neighborhoods, cheap places to eat, etc.).

[I'm an American college student, traveling on the sort of budget typical of such.]

Stuck in Incheon for 15 Hours

jasmeet — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:51:28 -0800

I'm stuck in a lay over for 15 hours in Incheon. From 6PM on a Monday till Tuesday around 9AM. What can I do? I'm not opposed to just staying in the airport. I'll have my laptop with me, and I'm guessing there's WiFi in the airport (hopefully not pricey).

But it's not often that I'm in South Korea for such an extended period of time. I've been told I could take a train into Seoul and I'm kinda curious to try it out. Not commited, as I've never done this before, and I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try.

Question number 11002

mrbula — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 14:33:22 -0800

On Tuesday I'm going to find myself with five or six spare hours as I pass through Los Angeles. I haven't really seen L.A. before, so what should I do? What should I see? Where should I eat?

For what it's worth, my hotel will be near LAX on Highway 1.