Asia attractions

Karakul Lake, set in front of the Pamir Mountains and surrounded by grasslands on the other sides, is one of the most visited attractions outside of Kashgar. The lake is often smooth, making for beautiful reflections. When it’s stormy, the lake is also impressive. There’s not much infrastructure around the lake, so it’s a peaceful spot to spend a day out.

Located on Port Island, Kobe Animal Kingdom offers up-close encounters with numerous varieties of animals and birds who roam the park freely. Visitors of all ages, including young children, will delight in seeing creatures from all around the world in recreations of their natural habitats.

A waterfront strip of tourist sites, shops, bars, and restaurants, Sisowath Quay is among the top areas in Phnom Penh for visitors. The street runs 1.9 miles (3 kilometers along the Tonle Sap River, passing the ferry terminal, markets, Riverside Park, Royal Palace, and more. For many travelers, it’s a good starting point for exploring the city.

Yangshuo is well-known for its limestone karst formations, which dominate the countryside. Less known are the numerous caves within these karst formations, formed by thousands of years of erosion. Explore Yangshuo’s Longmen Water Caves, and finish off with a mud bath and a swim in an underground pool.

For almost three centuries, Gangaikonda Cholapuram served as the capital of the Chola Empire, which once stretched from southern India to Sri Lanka. Today, this city in Tamil Nadu is known for the grandeur of its Chola-built architectural landmarks. Among them, the Brihadisvara Temple—still a place of active Shiva worship—is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and most revered.

The points where two rivers meet—the confluence, or sangam in Hindi and other South Asian languages—are considered holy in Hinduism. But you don’t need to be religious to enjoy the beauty of the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers, surrounded by mountains. A lookout point just off the Srinagar–Ladakh Road west of Leh is a great place to stop and admire the view.

Ahmedabad’s ornate Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kalupur temple belongs to the Swaminarayan Sampraday sect of Hinduism. It was built during the early 19th century and comprises several buildings, including the main temple, a women’s temple, mansions, and gateways. It’s a beautiful place to visit, whatever your culture or faith.

If you’ve ever paused mid-meal in India to admire the plates and bowls you’re eating from, check out Ahmedabad’s Veechar Cultural and Heritage Museum for Utensils. Located in a village hut-like setting, the museum was established in consultation with an anthropologist and presents an exciting array of antique vessels and utensils that reflect traditional Indian life.

Early human inhabitants of India sketched mythical animals, dance and battle scenes, Hindu gods, and human figures on the walls of the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprising about 700 caves and shelters in the Vindhyan Hills of west-central Madhya Pradesh. Some of the rock art, among the oldest in India, dates back to the Late Paleolithic Period, and is, by some accounts, roughly 30,000 years old.

Get a peek at the Japanese Imperial family’s art collection, including paintings, calligraphy scrolls, ceramics, and lacquerware, at this Tokyo museum. The nearly 10,000-strong collection spans artwork from around the world, but is primarily focused on Japan, with masterpieces from every era of the nation’s history.

The seat of West Java’s government, this architectural landmark in Bandung fuses neoclassical and Indonesian features. While you can’t enter the official government buildings, you can explore the Gedung Sate Museum, home to some interesting multimedia exhibitions that trace the city’s heritage and the construction of the building.

Travel in the Mekong Delta was simplified with the construction of the Can Tho Bridge in 2010, which stretches over the Hau River, connecting Can Tho and Vinh Long provinces. Prior to the major engineering project, much of Southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta—a watery network of rivers and islands—relied heavily on ferries for connection.

The neo-Renaissance, red-brick, bronze-domed Osaka City Central Hall, built between 1913 and 1918, rivals Osaka Castle in its architectural beauty. The Iwamoto Memorial Room in the basement of the building commemorates Einosuke Iwamoto, an Osaka stockbroker who funded the construction.

Nestled amidst breathtaking landscapes of South Korea’s Pyeongchang County, the Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm is a family-friendly attraction for nature enthusiasts and animal lovers. With its vast green pastures and hundreds of happy and hopelessly adorable sheep, the farm offers an immersive experience in a serene countryside setting.

Shrouded by the lush mountain scenery of the Son Tra Nature Reserve, Dong Dinh Museum—named after the type of tree that surrounds it—is one of Da Nang’s top cultural attractions. Inside, you’ll find antique treasures spanning Champa, Chinese, Sa Huynh, and Dai Viet cultures, some of which date back more than 2,500 years.

Located in south Xiamen at the base of Wulaofeng Mountain, South Putuo Temple (Nanputuo Temple) is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Xiamen and Fujian. The expansive temple complex features four main buildings and numerous smaller rooms built along the mountainside and is a popular attraction and pilgrimage site.

In Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood—a traveler favorite for its old temples and traditional charm—you’ll find this pedestrianized street that runs east–west, intersecting with the busier north–south Nakamise Shopping Street. Although this area was badly damaged during World War II, it’s been reconstructed in the loose style of Edo-era Tokyo (spanning the 17th-19th centuries).

Located along the southern coast of Hokkaido, Cape Chikyu is considered one of the most scenic spots on the island. Towering 328-foot (100-meter) cliffs wind around Uchiura Bay, while an observation deck offers panoramic views of the ocean and an expansive sightline that shows the curvature of the Earth.

Nestled amid jagged limestone, tropical forest, and clear azure waters, Smith Beach—also known as Smith Point Beach—is the type of tiny white-sand gem for which the Philippines is famed. A couple of simple beach shacks provide space to eat lunch, while the pretty Smith Coral Garden reef awaits not far off shore.

Many underground caves were created at the foot of Mt. Fuji when the volcano erupted about 1,100 years ago. The Saiko Bat Cave is the largest of these, at over 380 yards (350 meters) long, and while you may not see a bat during your visit, you can admire the lava formations.

On a 1,100-foot (335-meter) hilltop overlooking Dal Lake, Srinagar's Shankaracharya Temple is believed to be the oldest shrine in the Kashmir Valley. Although it's dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, this temple is named after the Hindu sage Adi Shankara, also known as Shankaracharya, who was responsible for disseminating nondual Hindu beliefs throughout the subcontinent.

Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood is beloved for its traditional charm and historic temples and shrines. Adding another element of tradition is the Asakusa Engei Hall, one of only four theaters in Tokyo where rakugo comedy is performed. While the art form was especially popular during the Edo period (17th–19th centuries), rakugo has only been staged at Engei Hall since the 1960s.

Dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni Church is a Roman Catholic church located on the coast south of Tamil Nadu, in the town of Velankanni. The structure as it stands today was consecrated in 1962 and granted the status of a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII.

Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are in the Flaming Mountains near Turpan in Xinjiang, China. The journey to the caves goes through a dramatic landscape, which is part of the experience. Culture and history are part of a visit here, too—as the area was once a hot spot on the Silk Road, traders and pilgrims slept in the caves, often leaving gorgeous works of art.

Kampong Ayer Cultural and Tourism Gallery traces the history and traditions of Kampong Ayer, the largest stilt settlement in the world. The center features informative exhibits dedicated to the crafts and customs of the neighborhood, along with a tower offering views from the top.

Nestled within the mountains of the Seoraksan National Park, Gwongeumseong Fortress is the ruins of a natural stone castle from the Goryeo dynasty. You won’t find much of the former fortress remaining here, but visitors tend to come for the views alone—from its elevated position 2,624 feet (800 meters) above sea level, you can enjoy stunning vistas of the UNESCO-listed Biosphere Reserve below.

Jagged pinnacles and top-heavy flowers of dark karst surround white sand Payong-Payong Beach, making it one of the most beautiful beaches in El Nido’s Bacuit Archipelago. What it lacks in size it makes up for in atmosphere, with picturesque rock formations, brilliant turquoise water, and views across the small bay.

Mt. Fuji Children’s World is an expansive park below the famous peak, offering a range of activities for kids, mostly themed around nature, sports, and outdoor adventures. Kids can canoe on the lake, play a mini round of golf, meet farm animals on the pasture, fish for trout, and much more. The park provides a wholesome antidote to some of Japan’s more high-tech attractions.

Bali’s Museum Gedung Arca, also known as Museum Arkeologi or the Pejeng Archaeological Museum, stands in the village of Pejeng, not far from Ubud. Established in the mid-20th century and renovated in 2016, the museum boasts an eclectic collection that covers archaeological finds from millennia of human occupation on Bali.

Home to 24 themed gardens, the Jade Garden Arboretum in Chuncheon is an outdoor attraction inspired by European horticulture and architecture. More than 3,000 plant species range from maple trees to blueberry bushes and rhododendrons, and highlights include the English Border Garden and the Italian Wedding Garden.