Asia attractions

If you only see one temple during your time in Chiang Mai, Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan should be it. Set in the heart of the old city, the temple was founded in 1345 and is home to Chiang Mai’s most sacred relic—the Phra Singh, an image of the Lion Buddha housed within a golden shrine.

The lively KR Market (also known as City Market or Krishnarajendra City Market is Bangalore’s largest and most vibrant market, dating back to 1928. A visit here is a great way to get a taste of local life and experience the ambiance of a traditional local market.

Characterized by glittering stupas and fearsome green dragons, the Thai Buddhist Chayamangkalaram Buddhist Temple (Wat Chayamangkalaram) is one of the most ornate in Penang. The temple’s extravagant exterior alludes to the giant reclining Buddha statue inside, whose position signifies peace and freedom from the material world. Opposite the Thai temple sits a Burmese temple of similar grandeur.

Lining the Singapore River, the renovated riverside warehouses and “godown” shophouses of historic Clarke Quay comprise one of Singapore’s major wining and dining precincts. Now pedestrianized and home to shops, restaurants, nightclubs, river cruise bumboats, and floating cafés, Clarke Quay is a good place to look for varied cuisines—from Italian to brewhouse to fine French—and relaxed outdoor bars with riverfront views. It’s also where you’ll find Singapore’s wild Reverse Bungy adventure ride.

This cultural village looks like it was lifted straight from the Piedmont Alps of France and dropped in the middle of the South Korean countryside. The aptly named Petite France comprises over a dozen French-style buildings on a scenic hillside, housing shops, cafés, art galleries, and French restaurants within their colorful walls.

Set 16 feet (5 meters) below street level, the pedestrianized Cheonggyecheon stream runs east-west through the South Korean capital and ranks among the city’s best spots for walking and people watching. The 3.6-mile (5.8-kilometer) route through Seoul passes 22 bridges and several art installations and fountains (illuminated at night) along the way.

Uncrowded and off the beaten path, the Huanghuacheng Great Wall rewards hikers who want to experience part of the wall that is wilder and more private than the longer stretches. This is the only waterside portion that’s open to visitors, offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and reservoir.

Timur ordered this mausoleum to be built for his favorite grandson, Muhammad Sultan, and it was finished in 1404. When Timur died unexpectedly in 1405, he was interred here as well. This ornate tomb is on the tourist path for its ribbed azure copula and tiled minaret towers. The headstones are also beautifully decorated with tiles, gilt, and onyx.

Backed by the volcanic slabs of Mount Batur and Mount Abang, Lake Batur (Danau Batur) is a striking crater lake considered sacred by the Balinese. Besides sunrise trekking, Mount Batur offers hot springs, canoe trips, and tours of Trunyan village, where the local Bali Aga people expose their dead to rot in the open air.

Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Museum is part of the larger Peace Memorial Park, which commemorates the events of August 6, 1945. On this day, the USA dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima—leading to the end of World War II—but at the cost of around 80,000 lives in what was the world’s first nuclear bombing.

Housed in the beautiful Joseon dynasty Gyeongbokgung Palace, the National Folk Museum of Korea highlights the history, agriculture, and folk art of the Korean peninsula. The collection consists of nearly 100,000 artifacts, as well as some historical buildings and 20th-century structures in an open-air setting.

Lush, manicured, and impeccably feng shui-ed, Hong Kong Park is a rare oasis of green in one of the world’s most densely populated urban areas. A lake, an aviary, and an artificial waterfall combine with playgrounds, sports facilities, a conservatory, a teaware museum, and a visual arts space to create the perfect escape from city life.

In stark contrast to its famed northerly neighbor, tiny and sleepy Koh Tan tempts visitors with empty beaches and vehicle-less roads just three miles and a 15-minute boat ride south of Koh Samui’s southern tip. Koh Tan (also spelled Koh Taen, Ko Taen, and Ko Tan) is sometimes also called Coral Island for its diversity of colorful hard and soft corals, and it often serves as a popular day-long escape for snorkel or kayak excursions through its clear inshore waters. Though the island doesn’t have quite the aquatic diversity of other more remote locations, it still affords excellent snorkeling, relatively empty beaches and navigable mangrove swamps all very close to a major tourist hub. Longboats make the crossing daily and usually stop at several unique coral spots around the island. On land, Koh Tan spans only three square miles, and its population barely tops 30 people; their rustic lifestyle with limited electricity affords a glimpse of what much of Thai Island-living was like decades ago. Koh Tan also has a thriving population of monitor lizards, a boardwalk through a mangrove forest, a quaint local temple, a handful of local restaurants and a cluster of bungalow-style accommodations.

One of the most popular attractions in Yangshuo, Moon Hill (Yueliang Shan) is easily recognizable by its crescent-moon-shaped natural arch, the remnants of what was once a limestone cave (Moon Palace). Rising 750 feet (230 meters), Moon Hill offers stunning panoramic views of the countryside, which is dotted with unique karst formations.

Upper Lascar Row, also known as Cat Street, is a combination bazaar and flea market. Stretching for about 550 feet (168 meters), it’s jam-packed with more than 30 shops and stalls selling antiques, vintage items, secondhand goods, curios, Mao memorabilia, and souvenirs, as well as jade, silk, porcelain, and other products.

Khao Sok National Park is a secluded pocket of southern Thailand that contains one of the oldest rainforests on the planet. Rugged limestone formations, dense greenery, and turquoise waters characterize the area, which you can explore by boat, swim in, and camp overnight. The park also harbors a variety of wildlife, such as sambar deer, sun bears, Malayan tapirs, and around 200 species of birds.

Step into the tropical forests of Phang Nga to visit one of southern Thailand’s most important temples, Cave Temple (Wat Suwan Kuha). Commonly known as the Cave Temple, it sits inside a large cave complex and features many religious statues—the most prominent being the 50-foot (15-meter) golden reclining Buddha in the Tam Yai cave.

The world’s largest statue of a man riding a horse—and by far Mongolia’s most recognizable landmark—the 131-foot-tall (40-meter-tall) Genghis Khan statue stands atop a 33-foot (10-meter) base. Towering over the surrounding landscape, the Genghis Khan Statue Complex offers the chance to ride an elevator up inside the horse, learn about the Mongol Empire at the museum, and more.

Located in northeast Taiwan, the mountainside village of Jiufen was once the country's gold mining center. Today, it’s a popular tourist destination known for its quaint streets and lantern-lit alleyways; traditional teahouses; myriad food stalls and souvenir shops; and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and Pacific Ocean. It’s also said to have inspired the setting for the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away.

The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is one of the most prominent landmarks and popular attractions in Taipei, and sees thousands of visitors daily. Learn about the life of Chiang Kai-Shek and the history of Taiwan inside this impressive building set within a 62-acre (25-hectare) memorial park with gardens, pools, and walkways.

During the 1950s, refugees of war-torn Korea began opening small shops to try to earn a living. This modest collection of shops has since transformed into Gukje Market, Busan’s largest traditional market. Today, stalls sell everything from seaweed and street snacks to electronics and hanbok (Korean formalwear.

Built in 1864, Eden Gardens is the oldest cricket ground in India and one of the largest in India and in the world, with a seating capacity of 68,000. Cricket is very popular in India, so watching a match or taking a tour of Eden Gardens is a good way to get an insight into sports and popular culture in this country.

On the island of Bohol, the Chocolate Hills are hailed as one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the Philippines. The more than 1,260 mounds—which get their name from the rich, brown color they turn during the summer months—are a geological anomaly best seen from an elevated overlook in the town of Carmen.

Touted as the world’s most expensive casino complex—costing a cool $8 billion—Marina Bay Sands is Singapore’s most lavish resort, boasting a stunning waterfront location. Alongside the casino, there’s a 2,561-room hotel, luxury shopping mall, a giant rooftop infinity pool, and some of Singapore’s most exclusive bars, restaurants, and nightclubs.

Waterbom Bali provides water-themed activities for the whole family, with slides, saltwater pools, adrenaline-pumping rides, and kiddie pools—plus dining, shopping, and shaded gazebos. The park is set in a tropical garden and provides habitat for endangered species, with more than 50 percent of its area maintained as natural green space.

The narrow alleys, paper lanterns, and traditional tea houses of Hozenji Yokocho are a far cry from the neon lights and pulsing atmosphere of Dotonbori. The historic alley’s most famous attraction is the 17th-century Hozenji Temple, where devotees come to splash water over a moss-covered statue of the Buddha.

Jakarta’s old port, Sunda Kelapa is a popular stop on any tour of historic Jakarta (or Batavia, as it once was). Wooden 2-masted pinisi sailing ships still moor here, while porters move goods to and fro as they have since the 13th century. Converted warehouses hold the Maritime Museum, and a watchtower and lighthouses stand guard over the bustling harbor.

The architecture, infrastructure, and way of life in Wuzhen, one of the six famous ancient water towns south of the Yangtze River, hasn’t changed much over the centuries. Traditional houses, shops, and markets built along canals crossed by ancient bridges make the atmospheric town feel like a living history museum.

The star of Seoul’s five Joseon Dynasty palaces, Changdeokgung Palace was built by King Taejong in 1405 and designed to blend harmoniously with its natural surroundings. Today, the palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and famous for its ornate royal residence buildings and extensive tree-filled gardens.

Located on the grounds of a temple, this small museum showcases the plight of the Allied POWs who labored on the Thailand-Burma Railway (Death Railway). An acronym for the countries involved (Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland), the museum features three galleries, including a replica bamboo hut where prisoners lived.