Asia attractions

Meandering down to the golden sands of east coast Malaysia’s Cherating Beach, the Cherating River draws travelers with its rich coastal mangrove ecosystems, home to wildlife including crabs, lizards, snakes, and monkeys. The star attraction happens at night when the mangroves come alive with jewel-like streams of sparkling fireflies.

Situated on the outskirts of Bangalore (also known as Bengaluru), the Wonderla Amusement Park is a massive attraction featuring a waterpark with slides and pools as well as a huge variety of amusement park rides that range from thrilling to kid-friendly. There's also an on-site resort for guests who want to spend the night.

Built in 1636, today Thirumalai Nayak Palace may be just a quarter of the size of the original structure, but it’s still a vast complex that showcases grand Dravidian-Islamic architecture. From its large central courtyard flanked by huge 66-foot (20-meter) columns, to the throne room topped with a 70-foot (21-meter) dome, everything here is on a grand scale. The palace fell into disrepair not long after it was built, but was restored to its former glory in the 1860s.

One of the most atmospheric features of the fortifications of Corregidor Island, the Malinta Tunnel was built by American forces in 1932. It extends about 820 feet (250 meters) into a hill, with additional branches veering off. Part of it served as General Douglas MacArthur’s HQ before the American retreat from the Philippines in 1942.

Since it opened in 2007, Angkor Night Market has become one of Siem Reap’s most popular attractions. Cambodia’s first night market, the gigantic open-air venue has more than 240 shops, stalls, street food vendors, bars, and restaurants.

Nestled among the rolling green hills of the Cameron Highlands is BOH Tea Garden (BOH Tea Plantation), which encompasses a whopping 8,000 acres (3,250 hectares) of tea plantations and makes it the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. Onsite, you’ll find a tea factory and processing plant, and a tea shop that boasts some of the region’s best vistas.

Located in southwest Hokkaido, close to Sapporo, Lake Shikotsu (Shikotsuko) is the second-deepest lake and second-largest caldera lake in Japan. Surrounded by volcanoes on all sides, the lake is a popular recreation area for locals and visitors looking to enjoy the outdoors, wildlife, hot springs, and beautiful scenery.

Soi Cowboy Street is a vibrant nightlife hub in Bangkok that’s famous for its go-go bars, lively atmosphere, and appearance in the movie The Hangover Part II. Named after a retired American airman—T.G. “Cowboy” Edwards, who opened the first bar here in the 1970s—it’s now a bustling street lined with around 40 bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

Lake Manasarovar was once surrounded by eight Buddhist monasteries that represented the Wheel of Life. While many of these holy structures have now crumbled to the ground, the lake’s religious significance has not been lost, and Buddhists from across the globe still travel to this sky-high freshwater lake each year.

Tokyo Dome City is a massive entertainment complex in central Tokyo. It’s home to a baseball stadium, an amusement park, an arena for boxing and martial arts, a hotel with more than 1,000 guest rooms, a bowling alley, hundreds of shops and restaurants, and a spa complex. As well as being the home stadium of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, the Tokyo Dome—which can seat up to 55,000 people—regularly hosts touring musicians.

One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, Mt. Merapi’s name literally means “mountain of red fire.” The mountain, which looms over Borobudur, occupies a sacred place in the hearts and minds of many Javanese. When it’s not closed or partially closed due to volcanic activity, Merapi also makes for a spectacular volcano hike or climb.

Located in southern Vietnam—an hour’s drive from the White Sand Dunes of Mui Ne—Ta Cu Mountain offers a wealth of natural and spiritual delights. The giant statue of a reclining Buddha, which is a whopping 160 feet (49 meters) in length, has made the mountain a popular tourist destination and an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists.

One of the most recognizable buildings in all of Sabah, Sabah State Mosque (Masjid Negeri Sabah) combines contemporary architecture with traditional Islamic design. A gold, honeycombed main dome is reigned over by a 215-foot (65-meter) minaret, which was inspired by those found in the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina.

Constructed in the early 19th century by British architect Duncan Macleod, Hazarduari Palace is a gargantuan palace museum that showcases a variety of historic relics and art. It’s worth visiting for the grand architecture alone, though the interiors reveal a fine collection of royal treasures, from old weaponry to European oil paintings.

Discovering minority culture is a highlight of many visits to Chiang Mai, and Ban Hmong Mae Sa Mai village, located within Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, lets travelers do that with ease. Just an hour’s drive from downtown Chiang Mai, it’s home to people from the Hmong minority, an ethnic group with origins in southern China. Many villagers still wear traditional costumes.

Perched in the hills near the Taipei Zoo, Chih Nan Temple was founded in 1882, making it one of the oldest in the country. As with many of Taipei’s temples, Chih Nan blends Taoist, Confucian and Buddhist traditions within its four main halls and five smaller halls. The temple’s main deity, Lu Tang Pin, thought to dwell within one of the temple’s courtyards, was a Confucian scholar who became honored as the immortal Deliverer from Poverty. You’ll see many families bringing their young children to the temple, as offering a child as a foster son or daughter of Patriarch Lu is thought to help cure their ills.

Built in 1777, the Prince Gong Mansion (Gong Wang Fu) is one of the best preserved imperial mansions in Beijing, and it has been turned into an excellent museum. Be sure to visit the ornamental gardens, featuring pavilions, ponds, and winding paths. A central stage hosts Beijing opera and orchestral performances throughout the day.

A surfing hotspot in Thailand’s landlocked capital, Flow House Bangkok is an urban beach club that defies nature by creating ocean waves. As well as attracting surfers and bodyboarders with the FlowRider®, the club is a one-stop destination for drinking, dining, and even soaking up panoramic views of Bangkok.

Boasting an impressive 70 rides and attractions, Chimelong Paradise is China’s largest amusement park and holds numerous world records, with many of its rides imported from abroad and made with the latest amusement park technologies. Daily live performances and a 4D theater round out the entertainment offerings.

Tokyo Solamachi is a vibrant shopping and entertainment complex surrounding Tokyo Skytree, one of the world’s tallest towers. Visitors can enjoy panoramic city views from the Skytree observation decks, then explore over 300 shops, selling everything from fashion and character goods to homeware and souvenirs. The complex also features a large food market and diverse dining options, making it easy to spend an entire day shopping, snacking, and relaxing.

The Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden conducts research to conserve Thailand’s extensive natural plant resources. Visitors can walk through an indoor southern Thai forest, see the country’s largest public display of orchids (more than 400 species), and stroll footpaths past azaleas, rhododendrons, and many other flowering plants.

This towering, high-tech structure in the heart of downtown Singapore is the nation’s largest library. Seven floors of the 16-story building house the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, which focuses on Singapore; the Central Public Library (currently closed for renovations) occupies the basement.

The spiritual center of Vientiane, thanks to its sacred pillar, Wat Si Muang is the city’s busiest temple. Laos come from far and wide to pray for good luck and eliminate bad luck. Around November Wat Si Muang is also the starting point for the candle-lit procession that begins the nation’s biggest religious event, the That Luang Festival.

The National Theater and Concert Hall, located at the National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center, are two of Taiwan’s first, and premier, performing arts venues. Constructed in 1987, the twin buildings mirror one another and feature classical Chinese palace architecture. Both host a wide array of musical and theatrical performances.

Variously known as the Tigbao Hanging Bridge, Sipatan Twin Hanging Bridge, and Bamboo Hanging Bridge Sevilla, this pair of bamboo footbridges hang 82 feet (25 meters) above Bohol’s Loboc River. Steel cables have replaced the original rope, but the creaking, swaying, and wobbling as you cross is still unnerving.

Overlooking the sea on the eastern coast of the Gujarati island of Diu, Diu Fort offers a well-preserved glimpse into Diu's past. It was built in the 16th century following a joint alliance between Sultan Bahadur Shah and Portuguese colonialists, in a collective attempt to defend the territory from the Mughals.

Located in northeast New Territories, Sai Kung East Country Park is one of the most scenic parks in the city. A popular day trip destination, the park offers stunning scenery, numerous hiking trails, rugged peaks, unique rock formations, secluded beaches, pristine islands, and the largest reservoir in the city.

Jingjiang Wangcheng City, also called the Jingjiang Mansion, was the seat of the Jingjiang Family, who reigned in this part of China between 1368 and 1644. The mansion was designed to function as the inner city of Guilin, with extensive halls, pavilions, and more than 40 secondary buildings surrounding the main mansion.

Despite its conservative setting—housed in a pair of restored 19th-century Catholic school buildings—the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is anything but traditional. Focusing on contemporary art, exhibitions change regularly and feature innovative works from local creatives and artists across Asia.

Opening its doors in 2012, the Phuket Botanic Garden offers a collection of rare and exotic plants, with everything from tropical palms to colorful orchids, presented over a series of 12 landscaped gardens. Highlights of the small garden include the paddy field and the koi pond, where visitors can purchase pellets and feed the fish.