Top Travel Places in Asia

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Top Places to Visit in Asia 

If you have not done so already, it is time to start your bucket list on the place you wanted to go as your next travel destination. For this page, I am focusing only on countries in Asia - travel is still relatively affordable in the region due to cost of flight and hotel accommodations, but probably also due to the attractive exchange rate. esp. in countries such as Japan and China. 

The rest of the world will be next but probably just as FYI rather than a must do...simply because of the higher cost. Comparatively, tt's crazy expensive for a holiday Europe and America these days - prices went up after Covid, and it's not coming down. 

Take hotel rooms as an example: it is relatively simple find a room for 2 for SGD$130 (slightly below USD$100) for a night in a fairly good location next to a subway station. In the US, the same room will easily cost upwards of USD$150 or higher. Oh yes, most cities in the US has no subways so you have to add rentals car (and parking) to the total cost as well. It all adds up...

Cambodia

  • Angkor Wat, Siem Reap

China 

One thing to note, the list below is skewed based on the total number of visitors.

Because of the two Golden Weeks in China (May and Oct), this give the places in China a higher ratio of "local tourists" versus the other places which have to rely largely on foreign visitors. Compare this with Singapore which only has population of 5.5M. This is especially true for Sanya, a beach resort on Hainan island at South China which caters to mostly local tourists. 

Having said that, if you are travelling to China for the very 1st time, the best city to visit is none other than the capitol Beijing with a excellent combination of theme parks, history, hikes, etc. Also, because of the high-speed train network, one can travel to pretty much any city in the whole of China (also from Shanghai). 

Beijing

  • Universal Beijing Resort
  • The Palace Museum aka the Forbidden City 
  • Great Wall of China - Mutianyu, Badaling, Jiankou, Huanghuacheng, etc.
  • National Museum of China
  • The Summer Palace
  • Old Summer Palace
  • Prince Kung's Mansion
  • The Temple of Heaven

Hong Kong

  • The Peak 
  • Hong Kong Disneyland
  • Ocean Park
  • HK Palace Museum (newly opened in 2022)
  • Ngong Ping 360

Sanya

  • Wuzhizhou Island
  • Sanya Atlantis Resort
  • West Island
  • Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park
  • Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone

Shanghai

  • Shanghai Disney Resort
  • Oriental Pearl Radio and Television Tower
  • The Bund
  • Yu Garden + Yu Bazaar
  • Zhujiajiao Water Town 

Xi'an

  • Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site (Terracotta warriors)
  • Xi'an City Wall
  • Tang Paradise
  • Song of Everlasting Sorrow show
  • Mount Hua, Huayin (closest to Xi'an)

Rest of China 

  • Chengdu Research Base (home of the giant pandas), Chengdu
  • Huangshan Scenic Area, Huangshan
  • Juzhizhou (Orange Island), Changsha
  • Dujiangyan Scenic Spot, Dujiangyan
  • Jiuzhai Valley National Park, Jiuzhaigou
  • Tianmen Mountian National Park, Zhangjiajie
  • Zhangjiajie National Forst Park, Zhangjiajie
  • Yulong Snow Mountain, Yulong (nearest to Lijiang)
  • Guangzhou Chimelong Tourist Resort. Guangzhou
  • Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan
  • Kulangsu, Xiamen
  • Weizhou Island, Beihai
  • Harbin Ice and Snow World, Harbin (winter only)
  • Temple of Marquis Wu, Chengdu
  • Emei Mountain, Emeishan
  • Libo Xiao Qi Kong Scenic Area, Libo
  • Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Mengla
  • Zhuhai Chimelong International Ocean Resort, Zhuhai
  • Humble Administrator's' Garden, Suzhou
  • Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou
  • Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang
  • Hunan Museum, Changsha
  • Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan
  • Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, Leishan
  • Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum, Chengdu
  • Potala Palace, Lhasa
  • Dali Ancient City, Dali
  • Manting Park, Jinghong
  • Macau Tower, Macau

Japan

The absolute best time to visit Japan is now, with the good exchange rates. 
In addition to the major tourist spots, Japan is also a great place for a road-trips. They have really nice rest-stops along the major highways and driving is relatively simple. Just remember to get your International Driving Permit (IDP) before you arrive. 

  • Universal Studios Japan, Osaka
  • Tokyo Disneyland / DisneySea, Tokyo
  • Warner Bros Studio Tour - Harry Potter, Tokyo
  • teamlab Borderless, Tokyo
  • Osaka Castle Park, Osaka
  • Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo
  • Gion, Kyoto
  • Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium, Osaka
  • Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo
  • Arashiyama, Kyoto
  • Senso-ji, Tokyo 

Malaysia

  • Petronas Twin Towers
  • Legoland, Iskandar Puteri
  • Genting Highland, excursion from Kuala Lumpur
  • Melaka, UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak
  • Scuba-diving - Sipadan, Redang Island, Perhentian Islands, etc. 

Singapore

  • Universal Studios Singapore
  • Sentosa Island
  • Gardens by the Bay
  • Marina Bay Sands Skypark
  • SEA Aquarium
  • Night Safari
  • Singapore Zoo
  • River Wonders
  • Singapore Flyer
  • Skyline Luge
  • Singapore Cable Car
  • National Museum of Singapore

Thailand

  • The Grand Palace, Bangkok
  • Wat Arun, Bangkok
  • Simon Cabaret, Phuket
  • SEA Life Bangkok Ocean World, Bangkok
  • The Sanctuary of Truth, Pattaya
  • Floating Market, Pattaya
  • Tiffany Show, Pattaya

Turkiye

  • Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
  • The Blue Mosque, Istanbul
  • Goreme Open AIr Museum, Cappadocia
  • Basilica Cistern, Istanbul
  • Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul

United Arab Emirates

  • Burj Khalifa. Dubai
  • Louvre Aby Dhabi. Abu Dhabi
  • Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi
  • Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi
  • Museum of the Future, Dubai
  • Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
  • The Lost Chambers Aquarium, Dubai
  • Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi