Where to go
Where to go for culture
Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Vietnam, Serbia, Montenegro, Sri Lanka, India, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea
- ThailandBangkok and Phuket. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are the first pair, and Yaowarat is the night market after. Floating markets use more than one pier, so this plan does not pin them to a single stop.
- IndonesiaBali. Ubud is temples, rice terraces, and yoga. A volcano sunrise and the waterfalls are a separate outing. Seminyak is beaches and beach clubs, and Uluwatu is cliffs and surf.
- TurkeyIstanbul and Antalya. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque share Sultanahmet. The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market sit toward Eminönü, and the Bosphorus is the crossing to the Asian shore.
- GeorgiaTbilisi. The old town, Narikala, and the sulfur baths are in Tbilisi. Kakheti is the wine day, Mtskheta is the old-capital trip, and Rustaveli Avenue is the last supper.
- ArmeniaYerevan. Republic Square and the Cascade are in Yerevan, with Ararat behind them. Garni and Geghard are the monastery day, the brandy factory and Vernissage sit in the city, and Sevan is a lake trip.
- VietnamHanoi. The Old Quarter and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum are the Hanoi pair. Ha Long Bay is an overnight cruise, not a neighborhood, and Ninh Binh is the rice-paddy day.
- SerbiaBelgrade. Kalemegdan and Knez Mihailova are the center of Belgrade. Skadarlija is the bohemian quarter, the splavovi are floating clubs on the river, and Zemun is the quarter across the water.
- MontenegroKotor. The walled old town and the fortress climb are Kotor. Perast is a boat stop on the bay, Budva is the beach day, and Durmitor is a mountain trip, not a walk in the old town.
- Sri LankaColombo. Colombo is the arrival name. The days run through Sigiriya and Dambulla, Kandy and the tea train, Yala, then Galle — not a walk around the capital.
- IndiaGoa. North Goa beaches and the Anjuna market come first. Old Goa churches and spice plantations sit inland. South Goa is the quiet stretch, and Dudhsagar is a falls day.
- EgyptCairo and Hurghada. The Giza plateau is the pyramids and the Sphinx. Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili are another day. Luxor and Hurghada are in this plan, and they are not a walk across downtown.
- MalaysiaKuala Lumpur. The Petronas Towers and Batu Caves are the Kuala Lumpur pair. Chinatown is the food crawl. Langkawi and the Cameron Highlands are trips out of the city, not districts of it.
- SingaporeSingapore. Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay are one stop. Hawker centres sit in Chinatown and Little India. Sentosa is the island day, and Orchard Road is the shopping stretch.
- ChinaBeijing. The Forbidden City and Tiananmen are the first Beijing pair. Mutianyu is the Great Wall day. The Temple of Heaven and the hutongs are in the city, and 798 is the art district.
- JapanTokyo. Shibuya, Harajuku, and Meiji Shrine are in Tokyo. Tsukiji and Ginza are another day. Kyoto, Mount Fuji, and an onsen are trips out of the city.
- South KoreaSeoul. Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon are the palace day in Seoul. Myeongdong is shopping. The DMZ is a tour out of the city. Gangnam and Hongdae are the night.