ASIA & SOUTHEAST ASIA
A Few Possibilities
Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Hanoi, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Dhaka, Jakarta, Mandalay, Mumbai, Denpaser, Hoi An, New Delhi, Shanghai, Makati, Manila, Batam, Osaka, Beijing, Hai Phong, Phnom Penh, Sai Gon, Hong Kong, Bali, Macao, Hue, Pokhara, Jaipur, Da Nang, Taipei, Fiji, Shenzhen, Guangzhou
Sights Worth Seeing
Where to begin in Asia? There is much to see and visit with lots of choices of things to do and places to explore. Most people will think of the Great Wall of China or Beijing's Tiananmen Square or Agra's Taj Mahal mausoleum. However, be sure to visit Bangkok's Grand Palace, Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) and gold-spired Wat Phra Kaew; Tokyo's Meiji Shinto Shrine, Imperial Palace, Tokyo National Museum and many museums and art galleries; Kyoto's Nijō Castle, Gion district geisha and many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines; and Hong Kong's Victoria Peak and Kowloon.
More sights to visit throughout Asia are: the Osaka Palace in Osaka; the Forbidden City palace complex in Beijing; Singapore's Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and its financial center to see the Padang; the Bach Ma Temple and neo-classical Hanoi Opera House in Hanoi; the French colonial landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral and War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City; the huge stone ruins of Angkor Wat in Krong Siem Reap; and the historic Ancient Town and Museum of Ceramics in Hoi An.
There is also Taipei's National Palace Museum and Seoul's Gyeonbokgung Palace, Sri Lanka's Buddhist ruins like Sigiriya and its elephants at Yala National Park. The infamous Terra Cotta Army of Xi'an and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, also in Xi'an. The Chinpracha House Museum and Thai Hua Museum in Phuket, and the Mughal Empire era Red Fort and Jama Masjid Mosque in Delhi. There are so many more sights to see and cities to explore that this is only a glimpse of what Asia, and all its beauty, has to offer. We haven't even mentioned the numerous sandy beaches and plush green gardens.
Shopaholics & Foodies
For the big shopper, the cities of Asia do not disappoint. In Tokyo, you have Ginza, truly a shopper's paradise with all types of storefronts from well-known retailers like H&M and Zara to luxury retail like Armani, Cartier and Gucci to specialty shops and boutique stores. In Tokyo, the fashion scene changes on a dime, so shopping "vintage" could be finding stylish outfits at second hand shops that are only a month off trend. Don't forget to visit Hakuhinkan Toy Park to buy most any toy your child desires.
In Hong Kong, get your bargaining on at the Ladies' Market on Tung Choi Street in the Mong Kok neighborhood, the numerous vendors at the Temple Street Night Market, a nocturnal marketplace bursting with activity and the Stanley Market. Orchad Road in Singapore is home to 47 shopping malls many with high end stores and pricey luxury items. To save money, you may want to venture to Little India or Chinatown to purchase souveniers and other trinkets. In Shanghai, visit the Bund to see the city's beautiful skyline and then walk over to Nanjing Road for six miles of shops and local retailers (although its said finding a bargain here can be difficult). Kuala Lumpur, also has several shopping options. For high-end fashion, the Bukit Bintang and KLCC areas provide the most variety, with luxury malls like the Pavilion KL and Suria KLCC home to many pricier brands like Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton. Or step over to Low Yat Plaza and Berjaya Times Square for tech-related products and indie fashion finds.
Bustling street markets are huge in Asia and a few notable ones are the markets of Hanoi (Dong Xuan Market), Kuala Lumpur's Petaling Street and handicraft emporium Central Market, the street markets of Ho Chi Minh City and Krong Siem Reap; the night markets in Taipei (like Shilin Night Market) and Chiang Mai, and the Russian Market and art deco Central Market in Phnom Penh , and Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market with 35 acres and approximately 15,000 shops and vendors.
With 160,000 restaurants, Tokyo might well be the foodie destination of the world. It houses many Michelin star restaurants including three-star Ginza Kojyu and is a huge influence on the culinary scene. Yet, Hong Kong boasts the most Michelin star restaurants globally and its food scene could give cities like Tokyo, Paris and New York a run for their money. Singapore offers an eclectic dining scene with delectable Chinese, Indian and Malay dishes found in Chinatown, Little India and hawker centers like Maxwell Food Centre which has more than 100 food stalls. From fine dining to street food, Bangkok is known as the street food capital of the world with more than 300,000 street vendors.
Nightlife
Great nightlife can be found in several Asian cities. Macao is known for its gambling, Pattaya City is known for Walking Street where you can find “Red Car Bar,” Mixx Discotheque, The Pier Disco Club, 808, Club Insomnia, Candyshop, Marine Disco, Play, and racier bars like the Airport Club, Alcatraz, Baccara, Iron Club and X Zone are all highly-rated gogo bars. Kuala Lumpur has Changkat Bukit Bintang, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bangsar and Ampang areas filled with nightclubs, cocktails bars, vibrant pubs with DJs spinning music, ranging from house and electro to remixed pop and hip-hop tunes. There are also several rooftop bars, speakeasies and karoake lounges. Some popular spots include Pisco Bar, Havana Bar & Grill, The Rabbit Hole, Como Bar Kuala Lumpur, Zouk KL, SIX Cocktail Lounge, Ril’s, The Social, and La Bodega.
Bangkok has no shortage of nightlife with chic rooftop bars galore accessing city-wide views like Vertigo-Banyan Tree Bangkok or Sky Bar-Iebua at State Tower. Clubs can be found on its main clubbing strip Royal City Avenue (RCA) like Live RCA, Level Club, and Insanity Nightclub. There's a big jazz scene here too, or you can catch a cultural show and dinner, float down the Chao Praya River on a dinner cruise or sneak off to the go-go trails for striptease and lustful dens of sin. Phuket has several nightclubs on Bangla Road like White Room Nightclub, Seduction Nightclub, Illuzion show & Discotecque, and New Tiger Disco. You can also find several beach bars. go-go bars and live music spots. Koh Samui in Thailand is also known for late night partying.
Hong Kong has several areas to party with nightclubs (Volar, Drop, CE LA VI, and Ozone), live music, go-gos and nightly entertainment in Kowloon, Central, Wan Chi, Causeway Bay and Hong Kong Island. Visit Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade for more bars. In Singapore, search Orchard Road and Marina Bay to find many clubs. Osaka has the National Bunraku Theater where master puppeteers handle nearly human-size puppets at nightly shows. Of course, you can also find all sorts of bars, nightclubs and live music venues from chic to grunge.
NOTE: This listing of nightclubs and lounges was created pre-pandemic and will be updated soon.