Places to Visit in Asia

Known For : Grand Palace Wat Pho Bangkok Wat Arun

Bangkok is the easiest first trip abroad an Indian traveller can take. Four hours from Delhi or Mumbai, with the Grand Palace and Wat Arun on the river, Chatuchak market at the weekend and street food that costs less than lunch at home. Most people pair it with Pattaya, Phuket or Krabi rather than staying put. Packages average around Rs 41,000 per person. Visa on arrival is generally available for Indian passports, check current rules.

Best Time: November to February

137 Bangkok Attractions

Known For : Gardens by the Bay Universal Studios Singapore Marina Bay Sands

Singapore is the cleanest and simplest introduction to Asia for a family. Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay waterfront take an evening, Sentosa and Universal Studios take a day, and hawker centres like Maxwell and Lau Pa Sat keep food cheap in an otherwise expensive city. English is everywhere and the MRT reaches almost everything. Packages average around Rs 57,000 per person.

Best Time: February to September

273 Singapore Attractions

Known For : Tanah Lot Uluwatu Bali Swing

Bali works as two holidays in one. Ubud inland is green and quiet, with rice terraces, waterfalls and villas that come with a private pool, while Seminyak, Kuta and Nusa Dua on the coast bring beach clubs and long sunsets. A day boat to Nusa Penida adds the cliffs at Kelingking. The dry season runs May to October. Packages average around Rs 64,000 per person.

Best Time: April to October

302 Bali Attractions

Known For : Burj Khalifa Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo At the Top Burj Khalifa

Dubai is the shortest flight on this list, about three hours from most Indian metros, and the one that needs the least planning. The Burj Khalifa observation deck, a desert safari with dinner, the aquarium at Dubai Mall and the old gold and spice souks in Deira fill three days comfortably. Indian food is everywhere. Packages average around Rs 41,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

127 Dubai Attractions

Known For : Pashupatinath Temple Swayambhunath Temple Bhaktapur Durbar Square

Kathmandu is the cheapest trip out of India by a wide margin. Durbar Square, the Boudhanath stupa and Pashupatinath sit a short drive from each other, and Bhaktapur and Patan are day trips with their own old palace squares. Mountain flights along the Everest range leave early most mornings. Indian passports generally travel to Nepal without a visa, check current rules. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person.

Best Time: October to April

65 Kathmandu Attractions

Known For : Viharamahadevi Park Gangaramaya Temple Galle Face Green

Colombo is a two hour flight from Chennai and the usual starting point for a loop of Sri Lanka. Galle Face Green in the evening, the Pettah markets and the Gangaramaya temple are enough for a day before you move on to Kandy, the hill country and the south coast beaches. Packages average around Rs 50,000 per person and usually cover the whole island.

Best Time: December to April

69 Colombo Attractions

Known For : Big Buddha Patong Beach Phuket Old Town

Phuket is the beach half of a Thailand trip. Patong is the loud end with the nightlife, while Kata, Karon and Nai Harn are quieter and better for families. Boats leave daily for Phi Phi and James Bond Island, and Old Phuket Town has Sino Portuguese shophouses worth a morning. November to April is the dry stretch. Packages average around Rs 36,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

128 Phuket Attractions

Known For : Petronas Twin Towers Batu Caves KL Tower

Kuala Lumpur is cheap, easy and well connected, which makes it a sound base for a first Malaysia trip. The Petronas Towers skybridge, Batu Caves with its Murugan temple and the food stalls on Jalan Alor cover two days, and Genting Highlands or Malacca are short drives out. Vegetarian and Indian food is easy to find here. Packages average around Rs 45,000 per person.

Best Time: June to August, December to February

118 Kuala Lumpur Attractions

Known For : Sultan Park Sinamale Bridge Artificial Beach

The Maldives is the shortest flight to a proper island holiday from India, under three hours from Kochi or Bengaluru. Male is where you land before transferring by speedboat or seaplane to a resort island, and the guesthouse islands such as Maafushi and Thulusdhoo cost far less than the private resorts. Snorkelling is good all year. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

19 Male Attractions

Known For : Hoan Kiem Lake Old Quarter Hanoi Cruise to Halong Bay

Hanoi is where a Vietnam trip usually starts. The Old Quarter is a knot of narrow streets built around Hoan Kiem Lake, with egg coffee, bun cha and stalls set out on plastic stools, and the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum are close by. Most people use it as the jumping off point for Halong Bay. Packages average around Rs 48,000 per person.

Best Time: October to April

90 Hanoi Attractions

Known For : Overnight Cruise in Halong Bay Sung Sot Cave Day Cruise in Halong Bay

Halong Bay is a UNESCO listed bay of limestone karsts about four hours by road from Hanoi. Most visits are an overnight cruise, with kayaking between the islands, a stop at a cave such as Sung Sot and a night moored in a quiet cove. One night is the common choice, two if you want the emptier Bai Tu Long side. The name means descending dragon.

Best Time: March to May, October to November

53 Halong Bay Attractions

Known For : Phewa Lake Devi's Falls Sarangkot

Pokhara sits on Phewa Lake with the Annapurna range straight ahead on a clear morning. It is where treks to Ghorepani and Annapurna Base Camp start, but you can also just take a boat out, ride up to Sarangkot for sunrise and paraglide back down. Six hours by road from Kathmandu or a short flight. October and November are the clearest months.

Best Time: October to April

45 Pokhara Attractions

Known For : Kandy Esala Perehera Festival Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) Kandy Lake

Kandy holds the Temple of the Tooth, the most important Buddhist site in Sri Lanka, and sits around a lake in the hills where the air is cooler than the coast. It is the stop before the tea country, and the train onward to Ella through Nuwara Eliya is one of the best rail journeys in Asia. Two nights is enough.

Best Time: December to April

53 Kandy Attractions

Known For : Ao Nang Beach Railay Beach Phi Phi Islands

Krabi is the quieter alternative to Phuket, with limestone cliffs dropping straight into the sea. Railay is reached only by longtail boat and has the rock climbing, Ao Nang has the restaurants and the boat pier, and four island day trips run every morning. It is about an hour and a half from Phuket by road or ferry, so many people do both.

Best Time: November to April

46 Krabi Attractions

Known For : Angkor Wat Ta Prohm Temple Bayon Temple

Siem Reap is the base for Angkor, the largest religious complex in the world. A three day pass covers Angkor Wat at sunrise, the stone faces at Bayon and the tree roots at Ta Prohm without rushing. The town itself has a good night market and a walkable river front. Hire a tuk tuk driver for the full day rather than paying per temple.

Best Time: November to March

56 Siem Reap Attractions

Known For : War Remnants Museum Cu Chi Tunnels Ben Thanh Market

Ho Chi Minh City is the southern end of a Vietnam trip and the busier, hotter one. The War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi tunnels are the two things most people come for, and the Mekong Delta is an easy day out to Ben Tre or My Tho. Ben Thanh market and the rooftop bars around District 1 fill the evenings.

Best Time: December to April

91 Ho Chi Minh Attractions

Known For : Hoi An Old Town Japanese Bridge Hoi An Night Market

Hoi An was a working trading port from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century and its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, closed to cars and lit with silk lanterns after dark. Tailors here will make a suit or a dress in a day. An Bang beach is a short cycle away and Da Nang airport is 45 minutes by road.

Best Time: February to August

40 Hoi An Attractions

Known For : Tiger's Nest Monastery (Paro Taktsang) Rinpung Dzong Paro National Museum of Bhutan

Paro is where you land in Bhutan, at the country's only international airport, and where the Tiger's Nest monastery sits on a cliff above the valley. The walk up takes four to five hours return and is the reason most people come. The valley also has the Rinpung Dzong and the national museum. Bhutan charges a daily sustainable development fee, so check the current rate before you plan.

Best Time: October to April

37 Paro Attractions

Known For : Buddha Dordenma Tashichho Dzong Memorial Chorten

Thimphu is Bhutan's capital and an hour from Paro by road, a small city with no traffic lights and a giant seated Buddha Dordenma looking over it. The weekend market, the Tashichho Dzong and the takin preserve fill a day. Most itineraries put a night here before heading on to Punakha over the Dochula pass.

Best Time: March - May, September - November

45 Thimpu Attractions

Known For : Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Wat Chedi Luang Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan

Chiang Mai is northern Thailand and much calmer than Bangkok. The old walled city holds dozens of temples including Wat Chedi Luang, and Doi Suthep sits on the hill above with a view over the valley. Ethical elephant sanctuaries, cooking classes and the Sunday walking street are the usual reasons to stay three or four days.

Best Time: November to February

142 Chiang Mai Attractions

Known For : Nightlife in Phi Phi Island Maya Bay Koh Phi Phi Leh

Phi Phi is a group of six islands about 40 km from both Phuket and Krabi, reached by ferry in under two hours. Phi Phi Don is the only inhabited one and has the beaches and the nightlife. Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh reopened after a long closure and now runs on timed entry with no swimming, so book a slot in advance.

Best Time: November - April

24 Phi Phi Islands Attractions

Known For : Relax at the Beach in Gili Trawangan Snorkelling in Gili Trawangan Swim With Sea Turtles in Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan is the largest and liveliest of the three Gili islands off Lombok, and there are no cars or motorbikes on it. You walk or take a bicycle, and the loop around the island takes about two hours. Turtles are common on the snorkelling sites just off the beach. Boats run from Bali in around two hours.

Best Time: May - September

16 Gili Trawangan Attractions

Known For : Selong Belanak Beach Kuta Lombok Pink Beach

Lombok is the island next to Bali and quieter for it. Kuta Lombok in the south has the surf beaches, and Mount Rinjani in the north is one of the harder treks in Indonesia, a two or three day climb to a crater lake. Senggigi is the easy beach base. Ferries and short flights connect it to Bali daily.

Best Time: April - October

33 Lombok Attractions

Known For : Borobudur Temple Prambanan Temple Kraton Palace Taman Sari

Yogyakarta is the cultural centre of Java and the base for two of the biggest temples in Southeast Asia. Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world, is about 45 minutes away and best at sunrise, and the Hindu complex at Prambanan is closer still. The city itself has the Kraton palace, batik workshops and cheap food along Malioboro street.

Best Time: May - September

18 Jogja Attractions

Known For : Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge Marble Mountains

Da Nang sits between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with a long city beach and the Marble Mountains just south. The Golden Bridge, held up by two giant stone hands, is up at Ba Na Hills about an hour away. It is also the airport for Hoi An, 45 minutes down the coast, so most people fly here and split their nights between the two.

Best Time: February to August

50 Da Nang Attractions

Known For : Mount Kinabalu Mari Mari Cultural Village Lok Kawi Wildlife Park

Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah on Borneo and the gateway to Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Malaysia. The Tunku Abdul Rahman marine park is a 15 minute boat ride offshore for snorkelling, and the waterfront night market does grilled seafood. The orangutan centre at Sepilok is a longer trip inland from Sandakan.

Best Time: February - April

25 Kota Kinabalu Attractions

Komodo Island is one of the few places where Komodo dragons live in the wild, inside Komodo National Park. Visits are by boat from Labuan Bajo on Flores and you must go with a park ranger, which is both the rule and the sensible choice. The same trip usually takes in Padar Island and the pink sand beach. The park is open, though entry fees have changed more than once.

Best Time: September to November

Known For : Mount Phousi Palace museum Wat Xieng Thong

Luang Prabang is a small UNESCO listed town where the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers meet, made up of wooden Lao houses and French colonial buildings. Monks collect alms along the main street at dawn, which visitors are asked to watch quietly from a distance. The Kuang Si waterfalls are half an hour out and worth the morning.

Best Time: November to March

29 Luang Prabang Attractions

Known For : Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Royal Palace Cambodia National Museum of Cambodia

Phnom Penh is Cambodia's capital, where the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers meet. The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are the set piece, and the Tuol Sleng museum and the Choeung Ek memorial are a difficult but honest half day on the Khmer Rouge years. Most people stop for two nights between Siem Reap and the coast.

Best Time: October to May

30 Phnom Penh Attractions

Known For : Hagia Sophia Sultan Ahmed Mosque Topkapi Palace

Istanbul sits on two continents and is about six hours from Delhi. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace are within walking distance of each other in Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar has around 4,000 shops, and a ferry up the Bosphorus costs almost nothing. Turkish visas for Indian passports are generally handled online, check current rules.

Best Time: April to June, September to October

102 Istanbul Attractions

Known For : Hot Air Balloon Cappadocia Goreme Open Air Museum Uchisar Castle

Cappadocia is the balloon country, a landscape of soft volcanic rock cut into cones and carved into churches and whole underground cities at Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. Balloons lift at sunrise and are called off often for wind, so give yourself two or three mornings. Goreme is where most people stay, usually in a cave hotel.

Best Time: April to October

49 Cappadocia Attractions

Known For : Old Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral Narikala Fortress

Tbilisi has become one of the easiest and cheapest European feeling trips from India, about five hours from Delhi. The old town is sulphur baths, wooden balconies and wine bars under the Narikala fortress, and Kazbegi with its church on a ridge is a long day trip north. Georgian food suits Indian tastes and vegetarians manage well.

Best Time: March - November

44 Attractions

Known For : Heydar Aliyev Centre Flame Towers Baku Boulevard (Seaside Promenade)

Baku puts a walled medieval old city, the Maiden Tower and the glass Flame Towers into the same skyline, on the Caspian shore. The mud volcanoes and the burning hillside at Yanar Dag are half a day out, and Gabala and Sheki are worth a night if you have longer. Flights from Delhi and Mumbai run around four hours.

Best Time: March - November

29 Attractions

Known For : Registan Square Shah-i-zinda Gur Emir Mausoleum

Samarkand is the Silk Road at its most photogenic, built around the Registan, three tiled madrasas facing a single square. Shah-i-Zinda's avenue of tombs and the Gur-e-Amir, Timur's mausoleum, are close by. Bukhara and Khiva continue the same route west by fast train. Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons.

Best Time: March - May, September - November

11 Attractions

Known For : Medeu Cable Car Shymbulak Ski Resort Medeu Skating Rink

Almaty sits under the Tien Shan mountains, which means you can ski or hike at Shymbulak and be back in a city of cafes and Soviet era boulevards the same evening. Big Almaty Lake and the Charyn Canyon are the two day trips people take. Flights from Delhi run under four hours, which makes it one of the shorter long weekends here.

Best Time: March - November

29 Attractions

Known For : Mutrah Corniche Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque Mutrah Souk

Muscat is the calm Gulf alternative to Dubai, low rise and built between the mountains and the sea. The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the Mutrah souq and the corniche take a day, and wadi swimming at Wadi Shab or a night in the Wahiba sands takes another two. Turtles nest at Ras al Jinz. Best between November and March.

Best Time: October to March

20 Muscat Attractions

Known For : The Siq The Treasury Royal Tombs

Petra is a city carved into red sandstone by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago, entered through a narrow gorge a kilometre long that opens on the Treasury. The Monastery is 800 steps further up and quieter for it. Wadi Musa outside the gate is where you stay, and Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea are both a couple of hours away.

Best Time: March to May, September to November

25 Petra Attractions

Known For : Hong Kong Disneyland Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Tian Tan Buddha

Hong Kong is dense, fast and simple to get around on the MTR and the Star Ferry. The Peak tram gives you the skyline, the Big Buddha on Lantau gives you the cable car ride over the hills, and Disneyland and Ocean Park are why families come. Food runs from dim sum in old tea houses to the stalls of Mong Kok.

Best Time: October to December (Autumn)

337 Hong Kong Attractions

Known For : Senso-ji Temple (Asakusa) Shibuya Tokyo Sky Tree

Tokyo rewards a first visit with contrasts held close together, the Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, the crossing at Shibuya, the electronics floors of Akihabara and quiet gardens behind the Meiji shrine. Trains run to the minute and one IC card covers everything. Late March cherry blossom and November colour are the busiest windows, so book early.

Best Time: March to May, October to November

27 Tokyo Attractions

Known For : Fushimi Inari Taisha Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Arashiyama

Kyoto is where Japan keeps its temples, more than a thousand of them, including the golden Kinkaku-ji and the thousands of red gates climbing the hill at Fushimi Inari. The bamboo grove at Arashiyama is best before eight in the morning. It is two and a half hours from Tokyo on the Shinkansen, so most people do both on one trip.

Best Time: March to May, October to November

27 Kyoto Attractions

Known For : Gyeonbokgung War Memorial of Korea National Museum of Korea

Seoul mixes Joseon era palaces like Gyeongbokgung with the shopping and street food of Myeongdong and the cafes of Hongdae. The DMZ tour north of the city is the one thing most visitors book ahead. Korean food leans on beef and seafood, but temple cuisine restaurants serve full vegetarian meals. Spring and autumn are the best months.

Best Time: September to November

13 Seoul Attractions

Known For : National Palace Museum Taipei 101 Chaing Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Taipei is cheap, safe and easy to walk, with night markets at Shilin and Raohe that are reason enough to arrive hungry. Taipei 101 has the observatory, Beitou has hot springs inside the city, and Jiufen and the Pingxi rail line are short trips into the hills. Trains and metro are straightforward and signed in English.

Best Time: September to November

12 Taipei Attractions

Known For : Great Wall of China Forbidden City Temple of Heaven

Beijing is where the set pieces are. The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square take most of a day, the Temple of Heaven a morning, and the Great Wall a full day out to Mutianyu or Jinshanling rather than the crowded Badaling section. The hutong lanes around Houhai are where the city feels older and smaller.

Best Time: September to October (Autumn)

14 Beijing Attractions

Known For : White Beach Fly Fish Parasailing

Boracay is a small island, about seven kilometres long, with White Beach running most of its west side. The government closed it for six months in 2018 to rebuild the sewage system, and it now runs under tighter limits on numbers and building, which has kept it in better shape. You fly to Caticlan and take a short boat across.

Best Time: November to February

30 Boracay Attractions

Palawan is the long thin island south west of Manila with the clearest water in the Philippines. El Nido and Coron run island hopping boats through limestone lagoons, and the underground river at Puerto Princesa is a half day trip. It takes effort to reach from India, usually two connections, so give it four or five nights.

Best Time: November - April