East Java
Located in the same building as the tourist office, this small museum is devoted to culture from the area, with batik and traditional costumes, ceramics…
Must-see attractions in Southeast Asia
Maluku
Southwest of Elat, a lane through palm fronds and bougainvillea leads 6km to Pantai Daftel, 1.8km of shallow and slender white-sand beach that stretches…
West Java
The Garut region is famed for its dodol – a confectionery of coconut milk, palm sugar and sticky rice. The Picnic brand (from 30,000Rp) is the best…
Pu Ji Si Buddhist Research Centre
Singapore
Part educational facility, part house of worship, this five-storey spiritual sanctuary includes meditation halls and seemingly endless serenity. Take the…
Myanmar (Burma)
Magwe’s chief pagoda, the 1929 Mya Tha Lun Paya, is a mile north of the Magwe Bridge. It features a gilded stupa and occupies a hilltop site with great…
Luang Prabang
Wat Pha Mahathat is named for a venerable Lanna-style stupa erected in 1548. The 1910 sǐm (ordination hall) in front has carved wooden windows and portico…
Tana Toraja
High on the mountainside, this collection of rock tombs is unique for its location: bored into the sides of a giant round boulder about 3km northwest of…
West Bali
This modest old palace is currently undergoing renovation, but it's still possible to visit. There are cultural events and performances, and members of…
Ubon Ratchathani Province
The unique tile-encrusted bóht at Wat Phu Khao Kaew, on the west side of town, is covered with Khmer symbols, including apsara and dancing Shivas, on the…
Chau Doc
You need to get up at the crack of dawn to see the best of this floating market. The action is busiest around 5am to 6am, when locals gather to buy fresh…
Mekong Delta
Part of the old Cong Tu family house has been turned into the Cong Tu Bac Lieu Museum, which offers a mishmash collection of antique furniture, old…
Bicol
The lovely 19th-century facade of the Church of San Juan Bautista, with greenery growing out of the cracks in the mighty masonry, is a must for colonial…
Khon Kaen
This is Khon Kaen's biggest and most impressive Chinese temple. It's beautiful at night, and you can sometimes see people practising dragon and lion…
Myanmar (Burma)
Known to locals as Yei Kyi Oo, this temple, about 2½ mile directly south of central Pathein, was renovated in the early 1990s to create a facsimile of…
Battambang
Built in the early 19th century, Wat Kampheng was moved lock, stock and barrel to its present location in the 1920s. Most of the original has since been…
Sen Monorom
A 10m drop into a popular swimming hole, Monorom Falls is pretty if you can avoid the crowds and the attendant litter. From the west side of the airstrip,…
East Java
Near Arosbaya, 27km north of Kamal, the tombs of the Cakraningrat royalty are at Air Mata (Tears) cemetery, superbly situated on the edge of a small…
Udon Thani
Filling a 1920s colonial-style building that used to be a girls' school, this museum has a fairly interesting catch-all collection ranging from geology to…
Con Dao Islands
Built by the French in 1930, this crumbling complex was initially known as the 'pigsty' as prisoners were kept in farmyard-style quarters and fed like…
Sor Hong Daeng Ban Chiang Weaving Group
Udon Thani Province
This women's weaving group mostly makes indigo-dyed cotton fabric, including mát·mèe. Visitors are welcome. It's an 800m walk from the museum; turn left…
North Maluku
The 1540 Benteng Kalamata is dramatically situated on the waterfront 1km southwest of Bastiong, staring down Ternate's old foe, Tidore. You can wander the…
Loei Province
This 121-sq-km national park covering 'Boat Mountain' is mostly a place to enjoy a distant view of the surrounding farms from the summit (1365m) and…
Northeastern Thailand
This interesting museum gives equal billing to ancient artefacts and Isan culture. The 3rd floor features silk weaving, including a good display showing…
Luang Prabang
This vital office advises on how new developments must adhere to strict architectural guidelines in order to maintain the historical authenticity of the…
Myanmar (Burma)
Across the road from Mingun Paya lie two house-sized brick-and-stucco ruins, damaged in the 1838 earthquake. These are just the haunches of what would…
Mawlamyine
This rickety and dilapidated 100-year-old wooden monastery is famed for being the place where King Mindon's Mon queen, Seindon, sought refuge after…
Melaka Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary
Melaka
This is your chance to get up close and personal with more than 20 species of butterflies as well as a collection of exotic creepy-crawlies, snakes and…
Inle Lake Region
This tidy village of teak stilt houses is famous for its weaving workshops. Buildings across the village vibrate with the clatter of shuttles and the…
Ko Chang & Eastern Seaboard
Locals fill this well-maintained municipal park every evening to practise yoga, t'ai chi and skateboarding. The park includes a coffee shop, a jogging…
Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas
This fountain dating from 1904 is said to have been built in memory of an inspector of the Selangor Military; at one time horses would have lapped water…
Phuket Town
Built in 1934, this shrine honours Lao La as principal deity and is an important focus for festivities (and brutal self-mortification) during Phuket's…
Batanes
The Dipnaysupuan Tunnels were built deep into the rock face by the occupying Japanese during WWII using forced local labour; you can explore the tunnels…
Manila
At the northern end of Paredes St stands the attractive granite-stone bell tower of Binondo Church, an unusual octagonal structure dating back to 1596…
King Buddhalertla (Phuttha Loet La) Naphalai Memorial Park
Bangkok Region
This park is a museum housed in a collection of traditional central Thai–style houses set on 1.5 landscaped hectares. Dedicated to Rama II, who was born…
Sagada
You'll pass the Echo Valley lookout on the way to the Echo Valley Hanging Coffins. You'll probably hear people shouting into the valley before you get…
Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen's leading arts showcase is this two-storey gallery at Khon Kaen University. It features monthly installations of mostly professional artists…
Central Thailand
Lazy inner tubing is one of the most popular pastimes in these parts, and this expansive shady park stretching 1.5km along its eponymous stream is a good…
Puerto Princesa
Housed in the old City Hall building adjacent to Mendoza Park, this newly modernised museum has two floors of exhibits about the ethnological and…
East Java
The stunning white sands of Pantai Lombang, 30km northeast of Sumenep, make it the best beach in Madura; there’s no development here to spoil the idyllic…
