Peak season
With its position near the Equator, Singapore experiences a generally hot and humid year round climate, with some variations in temperature and rainfall. Although visitor numbers to the city stay relatively uniform due to the amount of business travellers visiting the city, November through to June is generally classified as the peak season.
The Christmas holidays, combined with the Chinese New Year celebrations in early February, are particularly busy periods, when hotels get booked out well in advance and discounted deals are almost impossible to find. This also coincides with the Northeast Monsoon which dumps heavy loads of rain on Singapore between November and January. Things start to dry out from the beginning of February through to April and are quite pleasant before the rise in temperatures at the start of May.
Off season
The Southwest Monsoon arrives between June and September, but is not as pronounced as the Northeast Monsoon. With this also heralding in a quieter time in Singapore, it is a good time to visit if you want to escape the crowds and benefit from slightly reduced accommodation and flight deals. Shoppers can take advantage of the Great Singapore Sale in July when retailers across the city drop their prices, but unless you are a motorsports fan, try and avoid the Singapore Grand Prix in September when hotels are difficult to find and prices soar.
The best deals on flights to Singapore are always found by booking early, with a reduced chance of last minute deals due to the number of business travellers visiting the city. Keep in mind that many Asian countries are on holidays during Chinese New Year, making it almost impossible to find cheap flight tickets, and high demand for flights around Christmas and the Singapore Grand Prix means that good deals are rare during these periods also.
Flights from Auckland to Singapore - 10 hours 30 minutes.
Flights from Christchurch to Singapore - 10 hours 40 minutes.
Flights from Wellington to Singapore - 12 hours 40 minutes.
Flights from Queenstown to Singapore - 12 hours 55 minutes.
Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines both operate daily flights to Singapore from Auckland, with Singapore Airlines also offering flights to Singapore once daily from Christchurch. If you are flying from other New Zealand cities, including Wellington, your best option is to connect through either Auckland or Christchurch first, although there are cheaper, but longer, flight ticket routes available via the Australian East Coast.
Singapore Changi Airport is located around 17 kilometres to the northeast of downtown Singapore. The fastest route into the city from the airport is by train, with departures from both Terminal 2 and 3 throughout the day, connecting at Tanah Merah Station.
An alternative public transport option is by bus, with stops located in the basement area of all three airport terminals. It takes around one hour to travel into the city and you should have the exact fare ready as no change is given on board.
For those wanting to be dropped directly at their hotel, there are plenty of metered taxis available outside all of the airport’s terminals which take around 30 minutes, or you can opt to share in a shuttle taxi service for a more economic journey, with around six passengers sharing the costs.