Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Most history museums in Japan skirt the issue of WWII or focus on the burden of the common people. Not so here: Yūshū-kan begins with Japan's samurai…
Must-see attractions in Asia
Macau
Smack in the heart of Macau's historic centre, this sunny yellow baroque church with a beautiful altar and a timber roof was founded by three Spanish…
Suzhou
A haven of solitude and an oasis of peace in a busy town, the Confucian Temple is adorned with several ancient (one is 830 years old) gingkos and rows of…
Sichuan
Originally established in 1669, but much rebuilt, this collection of monastery buildings at the top end of town commands fine views of the surrounding…
Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley
The impressive ruins of this 8th-century Sun Temple built by King Lalitaditya sit in peaceful, well-tended gardens on a hill above Mattan. The site feels…
Guangdong
About 15 minutes by taxi west from Kaiping in Tangkou town (塘口镇, Tángkǒu zhèn), Li Garden has a fortified mansion built in 1936 by a wealthy Chinese…
Jeonju
This palace is home to shrines, storehouses and guardrooms relating to the Confucian rituals once held here. There is also a replica portrait of Yi Seong…
The East
Though relatively small, the main temple here has a colourful gopuram (gateway tower) and is a major point on the Pada Yatra pilgrimage to Kataragama…
Amritsar
Ram Bagh was the former palace grounds of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), who founded the Sikh empire. It now serves as a public park. At its heart,…
Gyeongju
A few minutes’ walk south through the trees from Cheomseongdae, Banwol-seong is the site of a once-fabled fortress. Now it’s attractive parkland, where…
Zhejiang
A blessed release from the suffocating summer torpor roasting north Zhejiang, this delightful hilltop resort (719m) was developed by 19th-century…
Sichuan
The best way of acclimatising and getting fit for adventures further west is to climb the beautiful Mt Jiulian. The trail rises steeply through forest but…
Sumatra
One of only five such surviving buildings on Pulau Nias, the Omo Hada is situated in the prestigious ‘upstream’ direction of the remote Hilinawalo Mazingo…
Jaisalmer
This private museum has an intriguing assortment of Jaisalmer artefacts, from turbans, musical instruments, fossils and kitchen equipment, to displays on…
Sikkim
A spectacular feast of coloured walls and gilded roofs, this 1995 monastery temple is set in a wide courtyard with swastika-patterned tiling and contains…
Sumba
It's a smooth road to get to this stunning, Sumbanese waterfall, followed by around 8km of bumps before arriving at the carpark. Pay a nominal fee for…
Tamil Nadu
The Tiger Cave, 5km north of Mamallapuram, is an unfinished but impressive rock-cut shrine, dedicated to Durga (a form of Devi, Shiva's wife), probably…
Mongolia
This scenic freshwater lake (7km long, 5km wide) is a listed-Ramsar site, and popular spot for birdwatchers and those wanting to do some fishing and pitch…
Hampi
The Mahanavami-diiba is a 12m-high, three-tiered platform with intricate carvings and panoramic vistas of the walled complex of ruined temples, stepped…
Kazakhstan
The ruins of the formerly prosperous Silk Road town of Otrar are located near the town of Shauildir. In its heyday Otrar spread over nearly 10 times the…
Lombok
A further 50 minutes or so uphill from the popular Air Terjun Sindang Gila is this waterfall with a swimming hole. The track is steep and guides are…
Pulau Bintan
When heading to Senggarang from Tanjung Pinang by boat, unless you ask to dock at the temples, you'll be dropped off at the jetties at Senggarang's so…
Shanghai Old City
Located at the former site of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, this museum showcases the history of world expositions. Using old video footage, interactive…
Central Java
This 8th-century temple has the three-part design of the larger Plaosan temple but is probably slightly older. Some experts believe that its 2nd floor may…
Karnataka
This park covers 880 sq km and was once the Mysore maharajas’ private wildlife reserve. It's noted for herds of gaurs (Indian bison), chitals (spotted…
Srinagar
Looking like the movie set for an imagined Central Asian castle, this mighty 1672 mosque (built on an earlier 1394 construction) forms a quadrangle around…
Thimphu
Simply Bhutan is an interactive 'living' museum that gives a quick introduction to various aspects of traditional life in Bhutan. Visitors are greeted…
Makha Bucha Buddhist Memorial Park
Central Thailand
Not yet a temple, this informal Buddhist centre's main attraction is a giant Buddha statue with his hands in 'setting the wheel in motion' posture, which…
Eastern Cambodia
The tallest and most spectacular of the three waterfalls west of town is 25m-high Chaa Ong. It's set in a jungle gorge and you can clamber behind the…
Manila
First built in 1581 (and rebuilt seven times since, most recently in 1951 following its destruction in WWII), Manila Cathedral's present edifice looks…
Sumba
Tarung is home to five tribes, each with their own small, thatched shrine where only the local ratu (priest) is allowed to pray and commune with the…
Bhaktapur
This impressive collection of chaitya, Shiva statues, Shaivite shrines and lingam in the town's southeast includes what could well be the two largest…
West Bali
You'll find this museum within a large complex devoted to Tabanan's subak organisations. It has displays about the irrigation and cultivation of rice, and…
Museum of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Nur-Sultan (Astana)
Inside the former presidential palace, a succession of lavish galleries display gifts to President Nazarbayev from foreign governments and grateful…
Udaipur
Houses rare crystal that Maharana Sajjan Singh (r 1874–84) ordered from F&C Osler & Co in England in 1877. The maharana died before it arrived, and all…
Kuala Lumpur
Founded in the late 1880s, this is Kampung Baru's principal mosque; it has been expanded and now sports a handsome gateway decorated with eye-catching…
Bhutan
To get well off the beaten track make the short 10-minute hike up to this sacred Guru Rinpoche cave, 2km past Thangbi. A series of ladders leads pilgrims…
Gujarat & Diu
Just down the road from the base of Girnar Hill is Damodar Kund, a sacred lake lined by ghats (landings) where people scatter the ashes and bones of…
Hong Kong
Dr Sun Yat-Sen was a key figure in the fight to establish a Chinese republic and served as its first president in the days after the revolution in 1911,…
Hualien
Designed like an antique Chinese palace, this colourfully gabled 1980s complex is set amid lush foliage on a small rise overlooking Hualien's single most…
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