Top 8 Asian Travel Destinations with Travel Guide Videos

When you look at why people visit Thailand, three reasons usually top the list: beaches, nightlife, and food. Phuket is the best place to get all three.

The beaches are spectacular if occasionally crowded, the nightlife is everything you could ask for, and the food has all the hot-coconut-basil-spice flavors you expect. For a top-line Thai dining experience, try Suay, inland in Phuket Town; otherwise, the Natural Restaurant has a long menu and a Thai hippie vibe. For nightlife, head to Kalim Bay; for the most laid-back beaches, try Karon and Kata. To get away from it all, use Phuket as a jumping-off point for Thailand’s most scenic national parks.

Also read: Where to Go on Your Trip to Thailand

A cosmopolitan city in every sense of the word, Singapore is also one of the world’s cleanest cities and home to amazing architecture and the UNESCO-listed Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Add in festivals and fireworks at night, incredibly efficient public transport, shopping that’s second to none, and an incredible food scene from the street to the five-star restaurant (not to mention an original Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel), and Singapore City might be the only Asian megacity you’d ever need to visit. And did we mention the airport is annually voted the world’s best?

Also read: 7 of the World’s Most Beautiful Botanical Gardens

As more of the Chinese tech industry has gravitated to Shanghai, the city has taken on the mantle of China’s greatest business center as its most energetic and dynamic city. New hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues seem to be popping up every day, and the city has even taken steps to preserve some of its heritage, especially its amazing and whimsical architecture from the 1920s and ‘30s – not exactly what you’d expect from a fast-moving, forward looking city like Shanghai, but welcome nonetheless.

The name “Samarkand” conjures up images of Omar Khayyam and traders on the old Silk Road, but the city is emerging as a major tourist destination, both for its stunning Islamic architecture and its off-the-beaten-path vibe. A daunting destination for North American tourists for many years, Uzbekistan is easier than ever to get to and get around, thanks in part to a new network of high-speed trains that connect Samarkand to other major cities like Tashkent and Bukhara.

Kyoto is what most people think of when they think of “old” Japan: The misty, mysterious landscapes; the pagodas with their roofs curled up in enigmatic smiles; geishas in kimonos; fantastically manicured gardens; and houses made of bamboo and rice paper.

Modern Kyoto has much more than that, of course. But with 1,600 temples and 17 UNESCO sites, it’s about as close to the Japan of 300 years ago as you’re liable to find. It’s hard to pick out just a handful of must-sees in this city where you must see everything, but the Golden Pavilion, Fushimi Inari Shrine, and the Nanzen-ji Temple are the stuff of which Japanese dreams are made of.

Also read:
• Japan Travel Tips—Especially if it's Your First Time Visiting
• Japan Railways: Top Sights to See with a Japan Rail Pass

A true beachfront paradise, Bali combines numerous world-class resorts with astonishing biodiversity. Bali allows you to have it any way you like, to either hang by the beach for a week or explore the cliffs of Uluwatu or rainforests, rivers, and jungles in its still-wild inland. Also not to be missed: the stunning temples of Ulun Danu and Tanah Lot.

Also read: The 10 Best Tropical Vacation Spots with Travel Guide Videos

While all the tour-bus travelers head to the Taj Mahal, keep trekking north and you’ll eventually come to the legendary “land of kings,” where the ancient architecture is otherworldly and the colors take on a special intensity. Start in Jaipur, the “Pink City,” visit the UNESCO-listed Amber Fort, and head on from there to the province’s other “color cities”: Jodhpur (the “Blue City”) and Udaipur (the “Gold City”).

Most people automatically think of Seoul when they think of South Korean cities, but Busan is emerging as the hip alternative to Seoul, thanks to its incredible street food, world-renowned film festival, historic temples and shrines, and something most people don’t associate with South Korea: beaches. However, Busan doesn’t skimp on the shiny bits people associate with South Korea, from neon-lit downtowns to K-pop blasting from every doorway.

Find more travel destinations: 16 Best Places to Travel This Year

If you visit Asia, a travel protection plan is a must; the food is different, making connections can be hard, typhoons and earthquake are not uncommon, and you may not speak the language. Generali travel insurance and assistance services can help if you have a medical emergency (like a food-borne illness), your trip is interrupted because of a natural disaster, or you lose your luggage.

In addition, Generali’s 24/7 Global Travel Assistance includes translation services, and can help if you lose a passport or other important travel documents.

Explore Asia – but do it safely!