Can you explore
your layover city?

Visa rules are tied to your passport, not where you live. An Indian passport holder in Canada still needs a transit visa for some countries that a Canadian passport holder can enter freely — and vice versa. Layovr accounts for this precisely.

Airside means you stay within the secure terminal — no passport control, but limited to the airport. Landside means you exit the airport, pass immigration, and can explore the city. Layovr tells you which applies to your situation and what documents you need.

Layovr uses AI trained on current visa and transit data and is designed for general guidance. Visa rules change — always verify with the official embassy or IATA before travel, especially for complex itineraries. Never board based solely on any third-party tool.

As a rule of thumb: allow 45–60 minutes to exit immigration, 30–90 minutes transport each way, and 2 hours back at the airport before your gate. That means you need at least 5–6 hours to make any city exploration worthwhile. Layovr builds this buffer into every itinerary.

Yes, completely free. No ads, no sign-up, no hidden costs. Layovr is a passion project built to genuinely help travellers make the most of their time between flights.

Layovr uses Claude AI (Anthropic) trained on publicly available travel and immigration data, including IATA Travel Centre guidelines, official government immigration portals, and embassy documentation. Passport strength ordering follows the Henley Passport Index 2025. All results are for general guidance — always verify with the official embassy or consulate of the transit country before travel.

Passports are listed from strongest to weakest based on the Henley Passport Index 2025 — a global ranking of passports by the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. This ordering is useful because stronger passports typically face fewer layover restrictions, so the most relevant options for most users appear first.

The best layover cities combine easy visa access, fast transport to the centre, and genuine things to see. Istanbul (IST) is exceptional — visa-free for most passports, 45 minutes to the old city, and Turkish Airlines offers free tours and hotel stays for eligible passengers. Doha (DOH) offers visa-free access for most nationalities with Qatar Airways' Discover Qatar program. Dubai (DXB) is world-class if you've pre-arranged a transit visa. Singapore (SIN) is the gold standard for airport experience. Helsinki (HEL) is criminally underrated — Finnair offers free stopovers up to 5 days. Layovr will tell you exactly what's possible for your specific passport at any of these cities.

Yes — several airlines run formal stopover programs worth knowing about. Turkish Airlines offers free city tours and hotel stays in Istanbul for eligible long-layover passengers. Qatar Airways has the Discover Qatar program with discounted or complimentary hotels in Doha. Iberia runs "Hola Madrid" — free hotel and city tours for up to 9 nights. Finnair offers a free stopover program in Helsinki for up to 5 days. Emirates and flydubai offer special stopover hotel rates in Dubai. Ethiopian Airlines provides complimentary accommodation for long layover passengers in Addis Ababa. Layovr will flag these programs in your results when they apply to your itinerary.