Singapore is one of the most accessible cities in Asia. With one of the world's largest air hubs, there are direct flights from Europe, Australia, America and most of Asia.

In addition to air travel, it is also possible to arrive by land from Malaysia or by ferry from Indonesia.

By air to Singapore

Singapore Changi

Most travellers fly into the huge Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

It is one of the largest and best-rated airports in the world and serves as one of the major aviation hubs in Southeast Asia.

As a result, Singapore has excellent connections:

• Europe (London, Frankfurt, Paris, Istanbul)
• Middle East (Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi)
• most major cities in Asia and almost all regionally important cities in Southeast Asia
• Australia and New Zealand
• North America

We have used Changi Airport several times and have written practical tips from our experience.

• 👉 Transport from Singapore Airport to downtown
• 👉 Which terminal?

💡 Singapore has the advantage of huge airline competition, which often means relatively good ticket prices.

Seletar

In the north of the city is the very small Seletar Regional Airport (XSP).

The only scheduled service from here is to Malaysia's Subang Airport (SZB) near Kuala Lumpur.

This airport has slightly worse traffic than the larger Changi, but the terminal is so small that you only need to arrive 45 minutes before departure, which is an undeniable advantage.

I have also visited Seletar in person:

• 👉 Transportation from Seletar Airport to downtown
• 👉 Terminal services

Most frequent transfer hubs and airlines to Singapore

While there are direct flights to Singapore from many places around the world, connecting flights from these airlines are very common (and often cheaper):

• Singapore Airlines - from many places in the world
• Scoot - low cost flights from all over Asia, but also Australia, Athens or Vienna
• Emirates - from Dubai
• Qatar Airways - from Doha
• Etihad Airways - from Abu Dhabi
• Turkish Airlines - from Istanbul
• AirAsia - from Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok
• and many more

Multi-city combinations

Multi-city combinations in Asia are also very popular, for example:

• Bangkok + Singapore
• Kuala Lumpur + Singapore
• Bali + Singapore

This means that you buy a return ticket arriving in one city and departing from another. These tickets are often as expensive as standard return flights to/from the same city.

Find multi-city flights - skycanner.com

By country from Malaysia

Singapore and Malaysia are separated only by the narrow Johor Strait. There are two road bridges and a railway across the border, making travel between the two countries very easy.

The nearest Malaysian city is Johor Bahru.

Direct long-distance buses to Singapore

If you don't want to deal with public transport between JB and Singapore, many bus companies run directly between Singapore and several Malaysian cities.

Again, you have to get off at the border crossing 2 times, but you will always continue on the same bus with the same driver.

So far, I have always booked long-distance connections in Southeast Asia through 12go without any problems. You just always need an e-ticket on your phone.

Bus tickets on 12go.asia

The busiest services, which run several times a day (sometimes more than once an hour), depart from the following cities:

• Kuala Lumpur - prices from 120 myr, journey time 5 hours
  • 👉 What to see in KL
  • Transportation in KL
• Malacca - prices from 100 myr, driving time 4 hours
  • 👉 How to get from the centre to the bus station
  • 👉 What to see in Malacca

There is no central bus station in Singapore and different companies depart from different locations, for example:

• Queen Street Bus Terminal (between Little India and Kampong Glam) - Bugis MRT Station (Green and Blue Line)
  • this station is often referred to as "Singapore" in the guidebooks without further explanation.
• Concorde Shopping Centre - MRT Havelock station (brown line)
• Golden Mile Tower - near Kampong Glam, the nearest MRT station Bugis is about 700 metres away
• Bugis MRT - Bugis MRT station (green and blue lines)
• Jurong East (away from the centre) - Jurong East MRT station (Green and Red lines)
• Tampines (far from the centre) - Tampines MRT station (green line)
• Boon Lay (far from centre) - MRT Boon Lay station (Green Line)
• and more

City buses from Johor Bahru - cheapest

If you're travelling from Johor Bahru, you can also use city buses, which are the cheapest form of transport between Malaysia and Singapore.

Is it worth taking public transport?

✅ Yes, if:

• you are only travelling to/from Johor Bahru
• you want to save money (long-distance buses from JB around Malaysia are cheaper than direct buses from Singapore)

❌ More likely no if:

• you are travelling from a longer distance and don't want to change buses in Johor Bahru
• you want the most comfortable option

💡 Alternative:
A faster option is direct buses to Singapore from many Malaysian cities or air links.

Bus routes across the border

The city's cross-border routes are operated by three companies.

Malaysian buses have significantly fewer stops in Singapore, so Causeway lines run much faster.

The frequency of the bus routes varies between 10 and 20 minutes.

You can conveniently payfares on both companies with your own contactless card - attach to the reader each time you board and alight on cross-border routes. Only use your card when you first board and only after the second exit (you must always get off at the border and continue on another bus - you must use the same company for the correct fare deduction).

• Causeway Link - Malaysian company, official website: causewaylink.com.my/routes-schedules
  • CW1: Johor Bahru Larkin - Johor Bahru Sentral - Larkin MRT (Metro Red Line stations towards Central and Marina Bay)
    • 2,60 myr
  • CW2: Johor Bahru Larkin - Johor Bahru Sentral - Queen Street (near downtown Singapore between Little India and Kampong Glam)
    • 4,80 myr
  • CW3: Bukit Indah (western suburb of JB) - Jurong East
    • this line is not much used by tourists
  • CW4: Pontian - Jurong East
    • This line is not much used by tourists
  • CW5: Johor Bahru Sentral - Newton Circus on the northern edge of the city centre (but does not connect to the Singapore Metro)
    • 4,60 myr
  • CW6: Bukit Indah (western suburb of JB) - Boon Lay
    • this line is not much used by tourists
  • CW7: Belang Patah (western suburbs of JB) - Tuas Link
    • This line is not much used by tourists
• SBSTransit - Singapore company, official website: sbstransit.com.sg
  • 160: Johor Bahru Larkin - Johor Bahru Sentral - Jurong East
    • 2,35 sgd
  • 170: Johor Bahru Larkin - Johor Bahru Sentral - Queen Street (near downtown Singapore between Little India and Kampong Glam)
    • 3 sgd
• SMRT - Singapore company, official website: smrt.com.sg
  • 950: Johor Bahru Sentral - Woodlands MRT (Red and Brown Metro Line stations towards downtown and Marina Bay)
    • 1,98 sgd

To search for transport in Singapore and for travel between Singapore and Johor Bahru, you can use the LUGO mobile app (Google Play / App Store).

Which way is the fastest and cheapest from the centre?

• 👉 The fastest is the CW2 line without transferring to the city centre (if you are heading to the Little India / Kampong Glam area
• 👉 The safest and cheapest is to take the metro to Woodlands station for 2,40 sgd and from there for 1,98 sgd continue by bus 950

Do I have to get off the bus at the border?

Yes.

You always go through two border crossings: on the Malaysian side, directly at JB Sentral station, where most tourists head anyway. So on the Malaysian side, you just go through the border and only after that you get on a particular bus.

At the Singapore Woodlands border crossing, you always have to get off, go through passport control, and then get back on any other bus of the same company on the other side.

So for example, if you are on the 950 line, after passing through the border crossing, you only need to continue on the 950 line again to get the correct fare.

If you are on lines 160 or 170, you can continue on any of these lines.

Finally, if you are on the "CW" lines, you can continue again on any of the "CW" lines after crossing the border.

Where do the long-distance buses from JB depart from?

If you want to continue straight from Johor Bahru to Malaysia, you need to go all the way to Larkin bus station, i.e. not JB Sentral.

Lines CW1, CW2, 160 and 170 run from Singapore to this station.

Book your ticket on 12go.asia

Train Shuttle Tebrau

The Tebrau Shuttle Train offers an alternative way to cross the border.

• Johor Bahru Sentral → Woodlands Train Checkpoint
• Travel time: 5 minutes
• Price: 5 sgd
• Frequency: 1-2 times per hour

Ticket must be booked online at least 1-2 days in advance, tickets sell out quickly. Book through the official website: shuttleonline.ktmb.com.my/ShuttleTrip.

From my point of view, the train doesn't have many advantages over buses:

• It doesn't connect to the subway.
• it doesn't go to the city centre
• need to book tickets in advance

Taxis to Johor Bahru

Regular taxis, Uber or Grab cannot take you across the border.

Taxi drivers will only take you to Woodlands border crossing (Singapore side) or JB Sentral (Malaysian side).

You then have to cross the bridge between the border crossings by either of the bus lines (you can always pay by card) and continue on by another Grab/taxi.

There are special taxis that also run across the border but have a fixed boarding point (destination can be anywhere in Singapore or Johor Bahru)

• Johor Bahru Sentral
• Singapore Ban San Street Terminal
• The price is flat rate and is 60 sgd (payable by card)

Ferries to Indonesia

From Singapore it is also very easy to get to the Indonesian islands of Batam or Bintan in particular .

Ferry ports in Singapore:

• HarbourFront - centre near Marina Bay
• Tanah Merah - near Singapore Changi SIN Airport

Regular passenger boats sail mainly to these locations:

• Batam
  • Batam Centre, Gold Coast Bengkong, Harbour Bay
  • Cruise time: approx. 1 hour
  • Frequency: several times per hour
  • Price: from 40 sgd
• Bintan
  • Cruisetime: approx. 1.5 hours
  • Frequency: 4-6 times a day
  • Price: from 55 sgd
• Tanjung Belai
  • Cruisetime: approx. 1.5 hours
  • Frequency: 2x daily
  • Price: from 57 sgd

Multiple shipping companies operate on most routes. You can compare prices and times in 1 click and buy directly, for example, via directferries.com or 12go.asia.

Book a ferry - directferries.com