Asia

Asia covers about 44 million km², roughly 30% of the planet’s land, and holds around 4.8 billion people. Distances are larger than most first-time visitors expect: Tokyo to Istanbul is further than London to New York, and Jakarta to Beijing is a five- to six-hour flight. Treat the continent as a set of separate trips that happen to share an air network, not as one destination you can sample in a fortnight. The single most common planning error is adding a third or fourth country to save a future flight.

Geographers usually split Asia into six subregions. East Asia is China, Japan, the Koreas, Taiwan, Mongolia, Hong Kong and Macau. Southeast Asia is the eleven ASEAN states from Myanmar to the Philippines and Timor-Leste. South Asia runs from Pakistan through India to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Central Asia is the five ‘-stans’ of the former Soviet south. West Asia covers Türkiye, the Caucasus, the Levant, Iran and the Gulf. North Asia is Siberia, part of Russia and usually planned from the Russian side.

Each subregion has its own travel grammar. East Asia is expensive or mid-priced, very safe, rail-based and runs on apps that often need a local phone number. Southeast Asia is cheap to mid-priced, humid, flight- and bus-based, with visa-on-arrival desks and bargaining. South Asia is dense, spiritual and logistically demanding, with long rail journeys and heavy paperwork. Central Asia is open and hospitable but thinly served. West Asia swings from the Gulf’s luxury hubs to countries under active government travel warnings.

Scale changes how you should count days. In Japan a 500 km hop takes two and a half hours by Shinkansen; in Laos the same distance can take a full day by road, though the railway has cut some journeys sharply. In India an overnight train is a normal way to move between cities. Plan in legs, not in countries: each leg should end somewhere you can stay three nights or more, and each should have a realistic travel time that includes getting to and from stations and airports.

Politics also shapes the map. Some borders that look short on a map are closed to foreigners or to everyone, such as those between India and China, the two Koreas, and Armenia and its neighbours Türkiye and Azerbaijan. Some countries sit under ‘do not travel’ advice from many governments: Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, North Korea and parts of Myanmar and Pakistan. Always read your own government’s travel advice before you book, and again the week you leave, because Asia’s advisory map changes several times a year.

The practical takeaway: choose a subregion, then one or two countries inside it, then a single corridor. A first trip that works might be Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka, Bangkok–Chiang Mai–Luang Prabang, or Delhi–Agra–Jaipur. Each can be done with one international arrival and one departure. The subregion pages on this site explain which country combinations share borders, visas and climate windows, and which ones only look close.

Asia holds several of the oldest river civilisations. Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates produced writing around 3200 BC. The Indus Valley cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro flourished about 2600–1900 BC with drains and grid streets. On the Yellow River, the Shang dynasty left oracle-bone inscriptions from around 1250 BC, the earliest Chinese writing. These early centres set patterns still visible today: irrigated rice and wheat, written law, divine or heaven-backed kingship, and cities built around temples and palaces.

In the first millennium BC the great belief systems took shape: the Upanishads and the Buddha in the Ganges plain, Confucius and Laozi in China, Zoroaster in Iran, and the Hebrew prophets in the Levant. Empires grew large enough to carry them. The Maurya ruler Ashoka spread Buddhism in the 3rd century BC; the Qin unified China in 221 BC; the Persian Achaemenids ruled from the Aegean to the Indus. Overland routes later called the Silk Roads, and sea lanes using the monsoon winds, moved goods, monks and ideas.

Islam, founded in Arabia in the 7th century, spread within a century from Spain to Central Asia and later, through traders rather than conquest, to the Malay world and Indonesia. The Mongols built the largest land empire in history in the 13th century, connecting China to Persia and Russia. Afterwards came the gunpowder empires: the Ottomans in Istanbul, the Safavids in Iran and the Mughals in India, alongside the Ming and Qing in China and Tokugawa Japan.

Europeans arrived by sea from 1498. The Portuguese took Goa and Melaka, the Dutch ran Indonesia from Batavia, Spain held the Philippines, Britain built the Raj and took Burma, Malaya and Hong Kong, and France assembled Indochina. Japan modernised rapidly after 1868 and became a colonial power itself, taking Taiwan and Korea. Thailand stayed formally independent. The Second World War in Asia, from Japan’s invasion of China in 1937 to 1945, broke the colonial order.

Independence came in a wave: the Philippines in 1946, India and Pakistan in 1947 with a violent partition, Burma and Sri Lanka in 1948, Indonesia recognised in 1949, and the People’s Republic of China proclaimed the same year. The Cold War then split Korea and Vietnam and fuelled long wars. In West Asia, Ottoman collapse after 1918 produced new states and borders that remain contested.

From the 1960s, growth moved east. Japan, then South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore industrialised within a generation. China’s reforms after 1978 and India’s after 1991 pulled hundreds of millions out of poverty. For travellers this history explains a lot: colonial-era rail lines and architecture, English as a working language in former British territories, very modern cities next to older quarters, and the national museums whose stories centre on independence.

Every major world religion began in Asia, and most travellers will walk into a temple, mosque or shrine within a day of arriving. Hinduism, with over a billion followers, is centred on India and Nepal and also shapes Bali. It has no single founder or church; worship focuses on deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and the goddess Devi, at home shrines and temples. Expect to remove shoes and leather in some temples, and note that many Indian temples bar non-Hindus from the inner sanctum.

Buddhism has three main schools. Theravada, the ‘way of the elders’, is dominant in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, with saffron-robed monks on morning alms rounds. Mahayana schools, including Chan, Zen and Pure Land, spread through China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Vajrayana, or Tibetan Buddhism, is practised in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia and parts of Nepal and Ladakh. In all of them, walk clockwise around stupas, do not point feet at images, and never climb on a Buddha statue for a photograph.

Islam is the largest faith across a wide arc: the Gulf, Iran, Türkiye, Central Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population of any country. India also has around 200 million Muslims. Most mosques welcome visitors outside prayer times if dressed modestly; women usually cover hair, and robes are often lent at the door. Friday midday prayers and the month of Ramadan change opening hours, restaurant service and the pace of daily life.

East Asia layers several traditions. Confucianism is less a religion than a social ethic of family duty, hierarchy and education. Taoism brings temples to local gods and ideas of harmony with nature. Shinto in Japan honours kami at shrines marked by torii gates, and most Japanese use both shrines and Buddhist temples for different life events. Folk religion, ancestor altars and fortune-telling are everywhere, from Taiwanese Mazu temples to Korean shamans.

Christianity is the majority faith in the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Georgia, Armenia and Cyprus, and a large minority in South Korea, where roughly three in ten people are Christian. Judaism is centred in Israel; Sikhism in the Indian Punjab, with the Golden Temple in Amritsar; Zoroastrianism survives among Parsis in Mumbai and in Iran. Animist and spirit beliefs sit alongside all of these, visible in spirit houses in Thailand, offerings in Bali and nat shrines in Myanmar.

What it means on the ground: cover shoulders and knees at almost every religious site, carry socks for hot temple floors, remove shoes where others do, keep voices low, ask before photographing worshippers, and never touch a monk if you are a woman in Theravada countries. Donation boxes are normal; entry fees are increasingly common at big sites. Religious holidays such as Diwali, Eid, Vesak and Lunar New Year can fill transport and close businesses for days.

Asia eats along belts that follow climate. The rice belt runs from southern China, Japan and Korea through all of Southeast Asia to Bangladesh, eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka, where paddy fields can be flooded. North of it, in northern China, Mongolia, Central Asia, Pakistan and north India, wheat and meat take over: noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, and in the west the flatbreads, naan, lavash and pide that run on to Türkiye and the Levant.

Utensils follow the same map. Chopsticks rule in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Most of Southeast Asia eats rice with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left, used only to push food onto the spoon; chopsticks there are for noodles. South Asia, Malaysia’s Indian and Malay communities and much of the Gulf eat with the right hand, often from shared platters. Korea is the outlier with metal chopsticks and a spoon for rice and soup.

Heat rises and falls in waves rather than one line. Sichuan and Hunan in China, Thailand, Laos, Korea, south India and Sri Lanka are the hottest belts. Japan, Taiwan, Cantonese cooking and most of Central Asia are mild. Vietnam and Indonesia put chilli on the side for you to add. If you cannot handle spice, learn the local phrase for ‘not spicy’ before arriving, and know that ‘a little spicy’ in Bangkok or Chengdu is still hot by European standards.

Fermentation is the backbone of flavour: fish sauce and shrimp paste in Southeast Asia, soy sauce, miso and bean pastes in East Asia, kimchi in Korea, dahi and pickles in South Asia. This matters for diets. Vegetarian dishes in Thailand or Vietnam often contain fish sauce, and a vegetable stir-fry in China may use lard or meat stock. India is the easiest large country for vegetarians; Taiwan and Buddhist temple restaurants across East Asia are also reliable.

Halal food is standard in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Gulf, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Central Asia, and easy to find in Singapore and Muslim quarters of Chinese cities. Pork is central in China, Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and Bali. Alcohol ranges from everywhere and cheap to illegal: it is banned in Brunei for Muslims and restricted in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iran, while Thailand limits sale hours.

Street food is the best-value eating on the continent and generally safe if you follow simple rules: pick stalls with a queue and high turnover, watch food cooked hot in front of you, and be careful with ice and raw herbs in rural areas. Hawker centres in Singapore and Malaysia are graded and inspected. Tap water is safe to drink in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan in most buildings; elsewhere use bottled or filtered water.

Much of Asia runs on monsoons: seasonal wind reversals driven by the temperature difference between the land and the ocean. From about May to October the southwest monsoon blows moist air off the Indian Ocean onto South Asia and mainland Southeast Asia, bringing the rainy season to India, Sri Lanka’s west, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and much of Vietnam. Rain usually comes in heavy afternoon bursts rather than all day, but flooding and landslides close roads.

From about November to March the northeast monsoon reverses the pattern. It is the dry, cooler high season for most of the mainland, but it brings rain to coasts that face northeast: Vietnam’s central coast around Huế and Hội An from September to December, the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, where islands such as the Perhentians close from about November to February, and southeast India and eastern Sri Lanka. That is why beaches on one side of a peninsula are wet while the other side is dry.

Typhoons, the Pacific name for tropical cyclones, form from about June to November, peaking August to October. They hit the Philippines, Taiwan, southern China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Okinawa and Japan, and sometimes Korea. A typhoon usually means one to three days of cancelled flights and ferries. The Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea have their own cyclone seasons around May and October–November. Build a spare day into any island or ferry leg in these months.

Other hazards are seasonal too. Haze from agricultural and forest fires hits northern Thailand, Laos and Myanmar from about February to April, and Sumatra, Borneo, Singapore and Malaysia in some years from August to October. The Gulf reaches 45 °C and above from June to September, when outdoor sightseeing is impractical by day. North India and Pakistan are over 40 °C in May and June before the rains arrive.

The north has real winters. Beijing, Seoul and northern Japan drop below freezing from December to February; Harbin and Mongolia fall below −20 °C, and Ulaanbaatar is the coldest national capital. Central Asia and the Tibetan plateau are cold and some high passes close. Japan and Korea also have a short early-summer rainy season, tsuyu and jangma, from about June to late July. East Asia’s best months are generally April–May and October–November.

Holidays matter as much as weather. Lunar New Year shuts much of China, Vietnam, Korea and Chinese communities for a week or more and fills every train and flight. Golden Week in China in early October and in Japan in late April–early May push prices up sharply. Ramadan changes hours across Muslim Asia, and Eid moves millions of people home. Check the holiday calendar on each country page before fixing dates.

Long distances in Asia are covered by air. The main connecting hubs are Singapore Changi, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul Incheon, Tokyo, Taipei, Delhi, and in the west Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul. Gulf and Istanbul carriers link Europe and Africa to South and Southeast Asia with one stop. From a hub, most secondary cities in the region are one to four hours away.

Low-cost carriers make short hops cheap. AirAsia, Scoot, VietJet, Cebu Pacific, Lion Air, IndiGo, Peach, Jeju Air and Spring Airlines are the big names. Headline fares exclude checked bags, seat selection and sometimes a card fee; buy bags in advance, because airport rates are several times higher. Some low-cost terminals are far from the city, and self-transfer between two separate tickets gives you no protection if the first flight is late.

High-speed rail now links much of East Asia. Japan’s Shinkansen opened in 1964; China’s network, the world’s largest by far, connects almost every major city; South Korea has KTX and SRT; Taiwan has its own high-speed line. Indonesia opened the Jakarta–Bandung line in 2023, and the Laos–China railway links Vientiane to Kunming. Elsewhere trains are slower but useful: Indian overnight sleepers, Thailand’s lines to Chiang Mai and the Malaysian border, and Vietnam’s north–south Reunification Express.

Land borders are a patchwork. Many work well, such as Thailand to Laos and Malaysia, Vietnam to Cambodia and Laos, and Singapore to Malaysia. Others are closed to foreigners or to everyone: India–China, India–Pakistan for most travel since 2025 (check), the two Koreas, Armenia–Türkiye and Armenia–Azerbaijan, and most crossings out of Myanmar. Some crossings require a visa bought in advance rather than on arrival. Check each crossing on the country page before planning an overland route.

Ferries matter in the archipelagos and on a few international routes. Indonesia and the Philippines run large inter-island ferry networks, and fast boats connect Thai islands, Bali to the Gilis and Lombok, Hong Kong to Macau, and Busan to Fukuoka. Safety standards vary; check the operator, avoid overloaded boats and do not sail in bad weather. For long routes, overnight buses remain a cheap option across Southeast and South Asia, but road accident rates are high.

Apps are the practical backbone. Grab covers most of Southeast Asia; Gojek works in Indonesia; Didi in China; Uber and Ola in India; Careem in parts of the Gulf. China, Korea and Japan have their own map apps that work better than Google’s locally: Amap or Baidu in China, Naver or KakaoMap in Korea. Buy train tickets on official apps such as 12306 in China or Korail, or through a reseller that shows the booking fee.

Costs vary more across Asia than on any other continent. Roughly: a cheap band covering Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia outside Bali’s resorts, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Central Asia, where a comfortable budget traveller spends around USD 30–50 a day; a middle band including Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Taiwan and Türkiye at USD 50–100; and an expensive band of Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel and the Gulf at USD 100–200 or more (2026 estimate).

Cash is still necessary in most places, but payment is moving fast to QR codes on phones. China runs almost entirely on Alipay and WeChat Pay, which now accept many foreign cards. Other systems include PromptPay in Thailand, QRIS in Indonesia, DuitNow in Malaysia, PayNow in Singapore, VietQR in Vietnam, GCash in the Philippines and UPI in India. Most of these need a local bank account, so foreigners use cash, cards or a linked wallet; check what works on each country page.

Cards work widely in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Gulf, Israel and Türkiye, and in hotels and malls elsewhere. Small restaurants, markets, local buses and temples in most countries want cash. Japan is more cash-based than its image suggests, though it is changing. Iran is the major exception: foreign cards do not work because of sanctions, so all money must be brought in as cash.

ATMs are everywhere in cities but often charge foreign cards a fixed fee on top of your own bank’s charges: Thailand’s is around THB 220 per withdrawal (check). Withdraw larger amounts less often, and always decline ‘dynamic currency conversion’, which bills you in your home currency at a poor rate. In rural Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Central Asia and outer islands, ATMs can be sparse or empty; carry enough cash for several days.

US dollars remain a second currency in parts of Asia. Cambodia uses dollars alongside riel for most prices. Visa-on-arrival fees are commonly quoted in dollars in Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Timor-Leste and the Maldives, often payable only in clean, new notes. Bring a small stock of undamaged USD notes printed after about 2013; torn or old notes are refused. Currency exchange booths in cities usually beat airport and hotel rates.

Price habits differ. Fixed prices are normal in East Asia, Singapore and malls everywhere. Bargaining is expected in markets and for unmetered transport across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and West Asian bazaars. Service charges of about 10% are often added in Singapore, Malaysia, the Gulf and upscale restaurants elsewhere. Tourist pricing, where foreigners pay more at monuments, is formal and legal in India, Thailand and several other countries.

Shoes come off in homes across almost all of Asia, and in many temples, mosques, some guesthouses, traditional restaurants and even a few shops. Watch for a row of shoes by the door and follow it. In Japan, special slippers are provided for toilets and must never be worn back into the main room; tatami mats are walked on in socks only.

Across Buddhist and Hindu Asia the head is considered the highest part of the body and the feet the lowest. Do not touch anyone’s head, including children’s, and do not point your feet at people or at religious images; sit with feet tucked to the side. In South Asia, the Muslim world and much of Southeast Asia, the left hand is traditionally used for toilet hygiene, so eat, pass money and hand over items with the right hand, or with both.

Greetings vary. Japan bows, with depth depending on rank; Thailand uses the wai, palms together, returned by equals; India and Nepal say namaste with pressed palms; Korea combines a slight bow with a handshake; China and most of the business world shake hands lightly. In conservative Muslim settings, men and women often do not shake hands; wait for the other person to offer.

Dress codes at religious sites are strict and enforced: shoulders and knees covered, no see-through or tight clothing, and headscarves for women in mosques. Thailand’s Grand Palace turns visitors away for bare shoulders or shorts. In Gulf states, Iran and parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, dress codes apply in public as well; Iran requires women to cover their hair by law. Beachwear belongs at the beach almost everywhere.

Face, the idea of public dignity and reputation, shapes behaviour from China to Indonesia. Losing your temper, raising your voice or pointing out someone’s mistake in front of others rarely gets results; it tends to end the conversation. A calm smile and an indirect request work better. ‘Yes’ can mean ‘I heard you’ rather than agreement, and a direct ‘no’ is often avoided.

Tipping is regional. Japan and Korea do not expect tips and may refuse them. China and Taiwan rarely tip outside international hotels. Southeast Asia appreciates small tips for guides, drivers and massage staff. India and the Gulf expect tips for many services, and West Asia treats a 10% tip as normal in restaurants. Bargaining is expected in markets but should stay friendly: settle on a price before any service begins, and do not haggle over a trivial amount.