Ko Chang & Eastern Seaboard
On the southwest side, Hat Tham Phang is the only sandy beach on the island and many day trippers make a beeline here (motorbike taxi from the main pier…
Must-see attractions in Southeast Asia
Kuching
It's easy to miss this temple, tucked away on the roof of the Kuching Hainan Association. Go up the staircase to the top floor and you'll come to a vivid…
Kuala Lumpur
Search out this handsome traditional Malay home of former school headmaster. Built in 1921, the blue-painted palladian style house is raised on stone…
Singapore
Dedicated to Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy, this beautiful Buddhist temple is home to many festivals throughout the year. Of particular interest to temple…
Hue
The father of the modern Vietnamese nation spent 10 years in Hue, and you’ll find intriguing photographs of Ho Chi Minh as well as a collection of his…
Ko Lanta
A large travellers’ village, with restaurants oriented to Western tastes, beach bars and tour offices, has grown up along sandy Hat Phra Ae. The beach has…
Phuket
Perched by the central section of the beach, Karon's golden statue is often thought to embody the fabled sleeping dragon that, according to local Chinese…
Nong Khai Province
Nam Tok Than Thong, 11km east of Sangkhom, is a wide short drop with a swimmable pool at the bottom, although it dries up by around March. A short nature…
Hoi An
Built for a wealthy Chinese merchant in the late 19th century, this old house looks like an apothecary from another era. The front room was once a…
Sarawak
One of Sibu’s 22 community parks – most donated by Chinese clan associations – this pleasant strip of riverfront grass affords views of the wide, muddy…
Bagan
There's very little left of Bagan's original palace complex. Just a few bits of wall protruding out of the ground and a few lumps and bumps indicating…
Vigan
The Museo San Pablo, behind the altar of St Paul Cathedral, is a good place to see old santos (religious statues). Make sure to have a look at the…
Phuket Town
Just beyond the northern end of beautiful Soi Romanee, Phuket Town's working main Buddhist temple is over 85 years old and is one of the island's four…
Danang
Despite its huge grounds, this museum is typically unenlightening for a site venerating Ho Chi Minh. At the front is a display of the usual US, Soviet and…
Sulawesi
Osango is the site of tedong-tedong (tiny structures over graves that look like houses), which are supposedly up to 200 years old. There are lots of paths…
Kalimantan
Though it marks the first Islamic place of worship in Borneo, the beautiful angular wooden building was reconstructed in 1746, leaving the oldest physical…
Banda Islands
Behind the main port are the eye-catching minarets of the Mesjid Hatta-Syahrir. Some locals claim this was converted into a mosque from the mansion that…
Ayuthaya
Less evocative than the Ayuthaya's other major temples, peaceful Wat Maheyong, built in 1438, sees more meditators than sightseers. The walled corridor…
Tana Toraja
On the outskirts of Rantepao, just off the road to Makale, Karassik holds an interesting array of obelisks moved here by the Dutch from Lantangin in 1906 …
Northwestern Cambodia
Tucked away at the back of a contemporary wat compound in Sneng, 20km southwest of Battambang, three brick sanctuaries have some beautifully preserved…
Sandakan
The Sam Sing Kung temple (also pronounced 'Sam Sing Gong') dates from 1887, making it the oldest building in Sandakan. The temple itself is a smallish, if…
Central Thailand
Wat Tham Sarika temple is noteworthy for a small cave where Ajahn Man, one of Thailand's most respected monks, lived and meditated between 1907 and 1910…
Northwestern Cambodia
At the base of Phnom Yat hill, an impressive gate dating to 1968 leads to Wat Khaong Kang, an important centre for Buddhist teaching before the Khmer…
Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi
This art centre in the Jim Thompson House compound hosts rotating exhibitions spanning a variety of media. Past exhibitions have seen contributions from…
East Bali
The name of this complex means 'Flower Garden Temple', but the surrounds are sadly lacking verisimilitude. The towering, 11-roofed meru indicates that…
Flores
History buffs can visit Sukarno’s wood-shuttered house of exile (1934–38). The minimal original period furnishings reflect his modest lifestyle at the…
Manado
The 19th-century Kienteng Ban Hian Kong is the oldest Buddhist temple in eastern Indonesia and it has been beautifully restored. The temple hosts a…
Museum Manusia Purbakala Gilimanuk
West Bali
This part of Bali has been occupied for thousands of years. The Museum Manusia Purbakala Gilimanuk is centred on a family of skeletons, thought to be 4000…
Pulau Ambon
Known to locals as the Australian Cemetery, this neatly manicured cemetery was designed by a British landscape architect in honour of Allied servicemen…
George Town
More than 120 science and technology exhibits form the basis of this highly interactive, educational museum aimed squarely at school kids. It's all pretty…
Camiguin
Heading west from Mambajao, just before Bonbon, you’ll pass the Old Camiguin Volcano, whose slopes have been turned into a steep and beautiful Stations of…
Mon State
Ye's principal shrine sits close to both the lake and the market, its golden pagoda easily visible. There are two main prayer halls, both in the Mon style…
Mandalay
This appealingly lived-in monastery has some photogenically dilapidated teak buildings. Tucked behind the tagondain (pillar topped with a golden duck) is…
Cameron Highlands
Learn about the life of bees and goggle at beehives from the small museum within this working apiary. Even more prominent than the museum is the large…
Phuket
Best reached from the west side of Khao Phra Thaew Royal Wildlife & Forest Reserve, this small waterfall is at its best between June and November. A few…
Ho Chi Minh City
While you’re roaming the area, stroll over to the strip of traditional herb shops between Ð Luong Nhu Hoc and Ð Trieu Quang Phuc for an olfactory…
Thailand Creative & Design Center
Bangkok
Taking up a sizeable chunk of Bangkok's art-deco main post office is this 'playground for creativity'. In practical terms, that means an art- and design…
Bagan
Off Anawrahta Rd, almost a mile east of Htilominlo, this temple from the early Bagan period has some excellent stucco carvings on the outside walls …
Nakhon Phanom Province
This riverside temple has a bóht built in 1921 and the original paintings inside are simple but interesting. They're central Thai-style rather than Isan…
Busuanga & the Calamian Islands
This 7m waterfall is a pleasant place for a swim if you're passing near the airport on a bike tour of the island. The turnoff to the falls in barangay…
