Asia attractions

The Ngong Ping 360 connects Tung Chung to Ngong Ping plateau, home to the iconic Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery, and Ngong Ping Village. Opened in 2006, the cable car provides easy access to the hillside attractions, and its views of Lantau Island and beyond have made the gondola journey itself a tourist attraction in its own right.

Pasar Badung (Badung Market) is Bali’s oldest and largest market, at the heart of the island’s capital, Denpasar. The 4-story structure burned down in 2016, and while a replacement is underway, most stallholders are housed in and around a converted supermarket. Besides being Bali’s number-one fruit and vegetable market, it’s great for street food.

Located in the heart of Denpasar, the Bali Museum (Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali) houses the island’s biggest and best collection of historic and cultural artifacts. Dark and hard to navigate, it’s home to precious textiles, ancient relics, dance costumes, masks, and everyday and ceremonial objects from across the island.

Located at the southern tip of Taiwan on the Hengchun Peninsula, Kenting National Park is home to some of the country’s loveliest white sand beaches. It’s also a popular destination for divers, thanks to its coral reefs and marine life, and hikers, who frequent its scenic mountains. Kenting Town is a primary jumping-off point for a visit.

Doi Suthep-Pui National Park protects a swath of verdant forest and mountain ranges in Northern Thailand near Chiang Mai. Named after a hermit who lived in the forest before it became a national park, Doi Suthep-Pui is perhaps most famous for the temple at the summit of Doi Suthep Peak (known for its stunning views of Chiang Mai).

Constructed in the 11th century under the auspices of Bhimdev I of the Solanki Dynasty, this monumental temple honors Surya, the deity manifestation of the sun. Many sections of the temple, and quite a few of its original carvings and statuary, remain in beautiful condition, a full millennium later.

The acid-green Pinang Peranakan Mansion offers insight into the culture of the Peranakans (Babas, a community from the China Straits. Inside, more than 1,000 items showcase the affluence of a typical Baba household, while cosmopolitan decor combines traditional Chinese-carved wood panels with English and Scottish features.

Just north of the resort town of Sapa, Tram Ton Pass (Deo Tram Ton) is Vietnam’s longest and highest mountain pass—and it’s a beauty. Snaking for 75 miles (120 kilometers) through the Hoang Lien Son Mountains, it peaks at roughly 6,200 feet (2,000 meters), where a lookout offers its travelers an aerial taste of the absolute wonders of northwestern Vietnam.

Flanked by the sacred Kaveri (AKA Cauvery River, this island town was the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore during the rule of Tipu Sultan and the site of many important historical buildings, including Daria Daulat Bagh, Tipu Sultan's summer palace, Sri Ranganathaswamy and the remains of Tipu’s Fort.

Devaraja Market is a bustling open-air shopping area full of colorful stalls that are loaded to the brim with fruits, vegetables, and flowers, along with incense, coffee beans, and heaping piles of spices. Though it's a great place to shop, Devaraja Market is equally worth visiting just to take photos and people watch.

As one of the most glamorous cabaret shows in southern Thailand, the Simon Cabaret is a must for fans of glitz and drama. Shows are a flamboyant combination of costumed transgender performers, traditional Thai dance and music, and comedy routines. After the show, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the stars and take photos.

Singapore’s largest Anglican place of worship, the pristine Victorian Gothic and dreamy spire of St. Andrew’s Cathedral nestles amid skyscrapers in the heart of the Civic District like a colonial wedding cake. Originally built in 1838, but rebuilt in 1856 after lightning struck not once but twice, it’s a Singapore landmark.

With its secluded forest location and elaborate network of tunnels, Tunnel Temple (Wat Umong) is unique among Chiang Mai temples. The 15-acre (6-hectare) temple complex is home to saffron-robed monks, as well as free-roaming deer and ponds full of fish and turtles. Signs painted with words of wisdom hang from the ‘talking trees.’

Take a step back in time at Daxu Old Town, one of the four ancient towns of Guangxi Province. Located on the eastern banks of the Li River, southeast of Guilin, the town is known for its cultural sights, historic architecture, and traditional artisan shops.

It might sound like one of the more offbeat things to see in Bangkok, but the Royal Barges National Museum is a fascinating collection of boats that will interest travelers with a range of interests. On display are eight ornately decorated barges that are used in royal processions (which are only held occasionally. Come here to learn more about Thai history and culture.

Set in the village of Jingsheng, not far from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pingyao, the Wang Family Courtyard is one of China’s largest non-royal historic residences. The sprawling complex, built by the Wang family in the 17th to 19th centuries, spans more than 60 acres (25 hectares), with ancestral halls, a temple, castles, a museum, and courtyard homes.

Surrounded by soaring rice terraces, Sin Chai Village offers almost everything travelers to Sapa are seeking. Water buffalo roam in reflecting rice paddies; women in vibrant headdresses and silver jewelry weave textiles; and homestays let you experience traditional Hmong lifestyles as you eat and sleep in authentic wooden homes.

The 197-foot-tall (60-meter) Hong Kong Observation Wheel, or Hong Kong Ferris Wheel, is the city’s answer to the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer. Located prominently at the Central Harbourfront, the wheel offers passengers sweeping views of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Victoria Harbour, and surrounding areas—day and night.

Chhatarpur Temple (Chhatarpur Mandir) is one of the largest such complexes in India, and it’s also relatively new by Indian standards, having been built in 1974. It’s dedicated to the goddess Katyayani, one of the nine forms of the warrior goddess Durga. The Hindu temple is made entirely of marble, and its intricately carved screens are especially impressive.

The lazy Yulong River winds through the heart of Baisha Ancient Town, a village dating back over 1,000 years set amid the spectacular karst landscape of the Guilin and Yangshuo area. In addition to occupying one of the most scenic points on the Yulong River, the town is known for its kumquats, exported throughout China.

Based on an original in Guangzhou, China, the Chan She Shu Yuen Clan House (or ancestral hall) is the Kuala Lumpur headquarters of the Chan (also written Tan or Chen) clan association. Unless your name is Chan, Tan, or Chen, you’ll likely visit the gorgeous heritage-listed temple with its gilded pillars, pottery-decked roof, and opulent altar.

A colonial-era hill station, Penang Hill sits behind George Town, about 2,733 feet (833 meters) above sea level. Visit in style on the Penang Hill Funicular Railway, a cliff-side railway dating back to 1924. The trains and tracks are modern, and the sheer ascents through the jungle and over bridges make for a spectacular journey.

At the southernmost tip of Mumbai, Colaba is a charming old neighborhood filled with colonial-era buildings, busy cafés, vibrant markets, and hotels for all budgets. It's one of the best parts of town to go for a stroll, and the craft stalls that line the main road ensure that most travelers won't leave empty-handed.

Adding to the variety of Vietnam’s natural landscape are the White Sand Dunes of Mui Ne, one of the only desert areas in Southeast Asia. Most commonly visited at sunrise or sunset, the dunes are inspiring to budding photographers, and the surrounding pine forest and freshwater lake only add to the visual drama.

Traffic whips past the gleaming spires at Sule Pagoda, a Yangon temple set in the center of a busy roundabout. Believed to be even older than the landmark Shwedagon Pagoda, Sule Pagoda is far less crowded and well worth the stop. Come to visit shrines, send a prayer card into the towering stupa, and see brightly painted Buddha statues.

About 1,500 years old, the Shuanglin Temple complex is home to China’s largest collection of painted Chinese clay sculptures, which are intricately decorated and well-preserved. To place each collection of sculptures in context, each chamber is painted with dramatic backdrops depicting China’s varied landscapes.

The extensive Seven Star Park (Qixing Gongyuan)—arranged around the seven peaks from which it derives its name—ranks among Guilin’s oldest attractions. A pavilion sits atop Putuo Mountain in the center of the park, while Seven Star Cliff contains several illuminated caves. A fish pond and the Guilin City Zoo are popular with kids.

Formerly a convent school, this century-old catholic monument now serves as a commercialized hub that combines history with modern amenities such as shops, fine-dining restaurants, and an entertainment center.

Thailand’s Similan Islands National Park (Mu Ko Similan National Park), a group of 11 islands in the Andaman Sea, is one of the most pristine places in the world for diving. The islands boast picturesque landscapes with white-sand beaches, large granite rocks jutting out from the earth, dense jungles teeming with diverse fauna and flora, and crystal-clear azure waters.

Thought to be the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, Wat Chiang Man is a typical Northern Thai temple, with massive teak columns holding aloft the central sanctuary. The wat has two important Buddha images—one on a marble bas-relief, the other a crystal seated Buddha—both of which are visible in a glass cabinet housed in a smaller sanctuary.