Ayuthaya
The little 'Dutch House' features a concise but informative exhibition of Dutch history in Thailand from 1604, when the Dutch East India Company (VOC)…
Must-see attractions in Asia
Xieng Khouang Provincial Museum
Northern Laos
One of the most interesting provincial museums in Laos, Xieng Khouang Provincial Museum was funded with help from the German government. Downstairs are…
Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum
Sumatra
Along the banks of the Sungai Musi is this museum inside an attractive 19th-century building that incorporates a mix of European and local architectural…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This three-storey building tucked on a backstreet near Roppongi Hills, is the shared location of three leading commercial galleries: Taka Ishii (www…
Rajasthan
Under the eaves on the external western wall of Bhagton ki Choti Haveli is a locomotive and a steamship. Above them, elephant-bodied gopis (milkmaids)…
Central Honshū
Listed as a World Heritage Site in 2014, Tomioka Silk Mill provides a look at the history of silk production, with some English-language narration…
Davao
Around 5km north of the city centre is this large complex spread out along the Davao River. A combination conservation centre and zoo, there are croc …
Kyūshū
This chill, seaside seahorse hatchery is unique, offering close-up looks at thousands of hatchling seahorses, plus information, videos, souvenirs and a…
Kashmir & Ladakh
This ancient Buddha carving is an impressive sight and all the more appealing for being unknown to most visitors. It's hardly a five-minute walk off the…
Ladakh
Over 200 years old, this beautifully preserved traditional house has been in the same family for six generations. Used until 2001, it remains almost fully…
Myanmar (Burma)
A mile around the west end of Lake Meiktila, Shwe Kyaung is a walled monastery on the inland side of the road with Japanese signs leading to a WWII…
Ueno & Yanesen
A key feature of Ueno-kōen is this large, natural pond, much of which is completely covered with giant lotuses that bloom in summer. Go bird- and botany…
West Timor
Just 3.5km from Kefamenanu is this traditional village and sonaf (palace). Made from wood carved with mythical birds and an imposing grass roof with…
Macau
A row of seven shophouses skirting the Inner Harbour has been renovated into an attractive public library. Built in the 1930s, the colourful two-storey…
Kuantan
The colossal Sleeping Buddha Cave at Gua Charas outside Panching is decorated with small altars to various Buddhist Bodhisattvas and leads ultimately to a…
Kii Peninsula
According to the Kumano faith, this large boulder, wedged on the side of Gongen-yama, was where the three principal gods descended to earth. It was the…
St Mary’s Syrian Knanaya Church
Kerala
Perched on a low-lying riverside hill 2km northwest of central Kottayam, this bright-white church was founded in 1550 by Syrian Knanaya Christians (the…
Delhi
On the way to Gurgaon, this little-known, well-kept place contains museums devoted to 'everyday art' and Indian terracotta and textiles. Much of the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Maheshwar is dominated by its fort, whose huge ramparts, towering above the river ghats, were built by Emperor Akbar. The Maheshwar Palace and several…
Ko Samui
The shrine of the 3rd-century Chinese general, Guanyin (also called Yunchang), worshipped as a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, is dominated by a…
Myanmar (Burma)
This ‘Sacred Hall of Ordination’ was originally constructed in 1476 by Dhammazedi, the famous alchemist king and son of Queen Shinsawpu. Like almost…
Kii Peninsula
This is the final bridge inside Oku-no-in before Kōbō Daishi's mausoleum. It crosses the Tama-gawa, which runs down from Yōryū-san, the mountain behind…
Beijing
Founded by Chinese art collectors in 2014, M Woods stages meticulously curated themed art shows according to the gallery's founding principle of 'FAT' …
Danang Region
Across the Song Han Bridge, My Khe is fast becoming Danang’s easternmost suburb. In the early morning and evening, the beach fills up with city folk doing…
Banyak Islands
Covered in dense jungle, Pulau Tuangku is the largest of the Banyak Islands. Surfers head to Ujung Lolok, the headland at the south of the island,…
Kota Kinabalu
KK's Night Market is an unmissable immersion into local culture. It's authentic, bustling, aromatic and noisy. At the southwest end you will find stalls…
Pialungan Sandakan-Ranau Death March Memorial
Sabah
In 1945 Sabah-occupying Japanese sent 641 British and 1793 Australian POWs on a series of forced marches from Sandakan to Ranau. Only six – all…
Ko Pha-Ngan
Hat Thian is a pretty, relatively empty, back-to-nature beach in the southeast of the island, accessible either by boat or on foot trekking from Hat Rin…
Assam
The somewhat grandiose complex of Gauri Sagar comprises an attractive tank and a trio of distinctive 1720s temples – Vishnudol, Shivadol and Devidol –…
Ubon Ratchathani
Built during the reign of Rama III (1824–51), Wat Thung Si Meuang has a classic hŏr đrai (Tripitaka hall) in excellent shape. Like many hŏr đrai, it rests…
Con Dao Islands
This simply beautiful cove consists of a kilometre-long crescent of pale sand, fringed by wooded hills. The beach's profile is gently shelving and there's…
Shandong
You can ascend this scenic area by foot or cable car past wind- and water-carved granite. There’s a 30m scramble in total darkness up a crevice to the top…
Darjeeling
Yiga Choeling Gompa, the Darjeeling area's most famous monastery, founded in 1850, houses up to 40 monks of the Gelugpa school. The serene temple has…
Kashmir & Ladakh
The oldest section of Padum is a chaos of rocks, abandoned old buildings, shrines and large assorted kani (tunnel-stupas) climbing a modest hillock. The…
Papua
The finest stretch of beach is Pantai Segara Indah at the eastern end, where there's powdery sand, tall coconut palms and a string of relaxing gazebos. It…
Siem Reap
Angkor Conservation is a Ministry of Culture compound that houses more than 5000 statues, lingas (phallic symbols) and inscribed stelae, stored here to…
Radiation Safety & Ecology Institute Museum
Kazakhstan
The museum in the Institute of Radiation Safety & Ecology includes a chilling model of the Experimental Field (where aircraft, buildings and live animals…
Myanmar (Burma)
At Kyauktan, 12 miles southeast of Thanlyin, is a sparkling temple rising from an islet adrift on a chocolate river. You can feed the massive catfish…
Sichuan
Of all the pretty villages in the hills around here, Danba tourism’s pride and joy is Jiaju, 12km northwest of town and perched at the top of a…
Hat Yai
The most curious and beautiful of the mosques in Hat Yai, this green and purple monument echoes the Mughal-style of the Subcontinent with its onion domes…
