Region · 30 countries

Asia

Asia spans megacities, Himalayan trails, island coasts and Silk Road oases, so plan by subregion before you pick dates.

Asia is the largest continent on Earth, stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to Japan's Pacific coast and from Russia's Arctic shore south to the islands of Indonesia. Its routes range from Japan's rail network between dense cities to island-hopping in the Philippines, from the old caravan cities of Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan to trekking in the Himalayas of Nepal and Bhutan.

Asia does not follow one climate. The summer monsoon soaks South and Southeast Asia, while Central Asia is hot and dry in summer and cold in winter. Typhoons add a risk from roughly June to November in the Philippines, Taiwan, southern China and Japan. Choose the countries first and the dates second, because the right month depends on where you go. A first trip works best around one subregion, and two to three weeks leaves room to move without rushing across borders.

Top destinations in Asia

Asia travel guides

The questions every first trip to the region starts with.

China's visa-free entry

Who gets 30 days visa-free, and the 240-hour transit option for others.

Read the guide Thailand entry rules

The 30-day visa-free stay and the Digital Arrival Card.

Read the guide Vietnam e-visa and exemptions

Which passports need the e-visa and how long each can stay.

Read the guide India e-Visa

Types, validity and applying on the official site.

Read the guide K-ETA explained

South Korea's exemption for 22 countries until the end of 2026.

Read the guide Sri Lanka ETA

Free for tourists from 40 countries since May 2026.

Read the guide Is the JR Pass worth it?

Japan's rail pass priced against single tickets, route by route.

Read the guide Digital arrival cards in Asia

Singapore, Malaysia and Japan: the forms to file before you land.

Read the guide Scooters and travel insurance

What policies cover in Southeast Asia, line by line.

Read the guide

Where to stay in Asia

All stay guides

BangkokWhere to stay in Bangkok: five areas by train, boat and airport

Siem ReapWhere to stay in Siem Reap: four bases for the Angkor temples

OsakaWhere to stay in Osaka: six neighborhoods compared by trip type

Aerial view of the Sigiriya rock fortress rising above a dense green forest

SigiriyaWhere to stay near Sigiriya: village, Dambulla or Habarana

Itineraries across the region

3 daysBangkok in 3 days: the palace, the river and the weekend marketA three-day Bangkok plan: the Grand Palace and Wat Pho by river boat, Jim Thompson House and Lumphini Park, then Chatuchak market and Wat Arun, with prices.

the sun is setting over a large body of water

3 daysAngkor in 3 days: which pass to buy and the order of the templesA 3-day Angkor itinerary from Siem Reap: the US$62 pass, sunrise at Angkor Wat, the Small and Grand Circuits, Banteay Srei, midday breaks and the dress rule.

white and black concrete building near green trees during daytime

2 daysOsaka in 2 days: the south one day, the castle and Umeda the nextA two-day Osaka itinerary: Kuromon, Shinsekai and Dōtonbori on day 1, Osaka Castle, Tenma and Umeda on day 2, with a base for each night and a rain plan.

Before you go

For any trip in Asia

eSIM for AsiaRegional plans for several countriesRead the guide Travel insuranceMedical cover and evacuationRead the guide Visas and entryArrival cards and e-visas by countryRead the guide Money on the roadCash, cards and ATM feesRead the guide

All Asia destinations

CambodiaSiem Reap, Koh Rong, Kampot, Sihanoukville, Kep, Kratie, Phnom Penh, Mondulkiri Province, Battambang

SingaporeSentosa, Marina Bay, Pulau Ubin, Chinatown, Little India

TaiwanTaitung, Penghu Islands, Kaohsiung, Kenting National Park, Hualien, Taroko National Park, Tainan, Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei, Taichung, Alishan, Yilan, Sun Moon Lake, Jiufen, Green Island

TajikistanDushanbe

ChinaShanghai, Dunhuang, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Guizhou, Xishuangbanna Region, Xiamen, Dalian, Xi'an, Changsha, Guangxi, Beijing, Yunnan, Fujian, Nanjing, Sanya, Qingdao, Guiyang, Lhasa, Hunan, Wuhan, Chengdu, Lijiang, Gansu, Tibet, Guangdong, Kunming, Guilin, Zhejiang, Tianjin, Shangri-la, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shandong, Kashgar, Hainan, Shenzhen, Dali, Jiangsu, Inner Mongolia, Zhangjiajie, Yangshuo, Heilongjiang, Harbin

IndiaKovalam, Kolkata (Calcutta), Andaman Islands, Amritsar, Himachal Pradesh, Jodhpur, Chennai (Madras), Jaisalmer, Pushkar, Uttarakhand, Madurai, Sikkim, Udaipur, Kochi (Cochin), Delhi, Jaipur, Puducherry (Pondicherry), Goa, Rishikesh, Agra, Dharamsala, Odisha, Varanasi, Munnar, Fatehpur Sikri, Darjeeling, Mussoorie, Ooty (Udhagamandalam), Haridwar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Vrindavan, Kerala, Manali, Nashik, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Varkala, Mcleod Ganj, Karnataka, Leh, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Ranthambore National Park, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Pune, Panaji, Alappuzha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Mangaluru (Mangalore), Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Kannur, Srinagar, Ladakh, Orchha, Mahabalipuram, Assam, Punjab, Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep), Kashmir, Tiruvannamalai, Shimla, Hampi, Mumbai, Mysuru (Mysore), Diu, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Khajuraho, Puri

Hong KongHong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon

MaldivesMale, Maafushi

Timor-LesteJaco Island, Baucau, Dili, Atauro Island

UzbekistanNukus, Fergana Valley, Bukhara, Tashkent, Khiva, Samarkand

MongoliaUlaanbaatar

KyrgyzstanBishkek, Issyk-Kul, Karakol

MyanmarYangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake

KazakhstanAstana, Almaty

PakistanSkardu, Lahore, Hunza Valley, Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi

AfghanistanBamyan, Kandahar, Herat, Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif

LaosLuang Prabang, Vientiane, Vang Vieng

Brunei DarussalamUlu Temburong National Park, Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait

BangladeshDhaka

TurkmenistanAshgabat, Konye-Urgench, Merv, Darvaza, Türkmenbaşy

NepalPatan, Everest region, Bandipur, Nagarkot, Pokhara, Bardia National Park, Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Chitwan National Park, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur

BhutanPunakha, Phobjikha Valley, Thimphu, Paro, Bumthang

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Asia FAQ

Do I need a visa to travel in Asia?

It depends on the country and your passport. Japan and South Korea are visa-free for many Western passports, Thailand gives most 30 days visa-free, China offers 30 days to 50 countries including the UK and Canada, but not the US, and India, Cambodia and Laos need a visa or e-visa for most visitors.

Which Asian countries need an arrival card before I fly?

Several now use online forms: Thailand's TDAC, Malaysia's MDAC, Singapore's SG Arrival Card, the Philippines' eTravel, Cambodia's e-Arrival and the Maldives' IMUGA. They are free on the official sites and are not visas.

When is the best time to visit Southeast Asia?

November to February is dry and cooler across most of mainland Southeast Asia. The Philippines runs dry until about April, Bali is best from about April to October, and Malaysia's coasts swap seasons with the monsoons.

Can I use one eSIM across Asia?

Yes. Regional plans cover most of Southeast Asia and often Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. China usually needs a plan that lists it by name, so check the country list before you buy.

How do I travel overland between Southeast Asian countries?

Buses cross most land borders between Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia, and trains link Laos with China and Malaysia with Thailand. Check that your e-visa is valid at the crossing you plan to use.