Asia
Every V-TIMES guide across Asia.
Indonesia · multi city
10 Days in Bali
Four or five nights inland in Ubud for the rice terraces, temples and ridge walks, then four or five on the coast in Seminyak or the Bukit for surf, sunsets and clifftop temples, with day trips to Tanah Lot, Tirta Empul and the Jatiluwih terraces.
Thailand · multi city
10 Days in Thailand
Start in Bangkok for the Old City temples, street food and a day trip to Ayutthaya, fly north to Chiang Mai for the old-city temples, Doi Suthep and an ethical elephant sanctuary, then fly to Phuket or another southern island to finish on the beach.
Vietnam · multi city
10 Days in Vietnam
Three nights in and around Hanoi with a Halong Bay cruise, three in Hoi An for the Ancient Town and beach, and three in Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta or Cu Chi Tunnels, linked by two short flights.
Thailand · city
Bangkok
Base in Sukhumvit or along the river for easy transit, give a full morning to the Old City temples before the heat and crowds build, spend an evening on street food in Chinatown, and add one day trip out of the city.
Thailand · city
Chiang Mai
Stay in the Old City or along the Ping River rather than by the Night Bazaar, go up Doi Suthep at opening time, give a full day to a genuine elephant sanctuary in the Mae Taeng valley, eat khao soi at lunch because the good shops sell out by two, and plan the whole trip for November to early February, when the air is cool and clear.
India · region
Goa
Base north or south, not both at once. Give one full day to Old Goa's churches and Panjim's Latin Quarter, one to the Ponda spice country or Dudhsagar in season, and the rest to a short list of beaches you can reach without an hour in a taxi. Eat Goan at least once a day, book a car or scooter early, and read the drinking and bottle rules before your first sunset.
Vietnam · city
Hanoi
Come in October or November when the air is at its cleanest and the light is gold, sleep in the Old Quarter but a lane back from Ta Hien or Luong Ngoc Quyen, eat pho for breakfast and bun cha for lunch at shops that sell one dish each, give a full day to Ninh Binh and a night to Lan Ha Bay, and be here on a Friday evening when the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic.
Vietnam · city
Hoi An
Give the Ancient Town its heritage ticket and a full evening for the lanterns, split your days between the old streets and An Bang beach, and add the My Son Sanctuary and a river or Cham Islands trip if you have four days.
Japan · region
Hokkaido
Start in Sapporo for food and the city, add a night in canal-side Otaru, then choose a season-driven detour: Furano and Biei for summer flower fields, or Niseko for winter powder.
India · region
Kerala Backwaters
Come between November and February, fly into Kochi, base yourself at Kumarakom rather than in the Alappuzha boat queue, take one certified houseboat night with a village mooring, spend one dawn in a country canoe through the Kuttanad canals, give one morning to the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary or Pathiramanal island, eat karimeen grilled in a banana leaf and drink the tea, and finish with two flat days on Marari beach or a train up to the hills.
Thailand · island
Koh Samui
Pick a beach base (Chaweng for buzz, Bophut for character, Choeng Mon or Maenam for quiet), see the Big Buddha and Wat Plai Laem, wander Fisherman’s Village at Bophut, and give a day to the Angthong marine park by boat.
Malaysia · city
Kuala Lumpur
Come in the drier May-to-August window, sleep in Bukit Bintang or Chinatown, eat nasi lemak in the morning and banana leaf at lunch and Hokkien mee after dark, book the Petronas Skybridge for the icon and KL Tower for the view of the icon, give a morning to Batu Caves and an evening to Kampung Baru, and take the bus to Malacca if you have a day to spare.
Japan · city
Kyoto
Base downtown or near the station, spend a day each in Higashiyama (temples and Gion), Arashiyama (bamboo grove and river), and Fushimi/downtown (Fushimi Inari and Nishiki Market), then add a day trip to Nara.
Malaysia · island
Langkawi
Base at Pantai Cenang or on the north coast, ride the SkyCab to the Sky Bridge early, spend one morning deep in the Kilim mangroves with an operator that refuses eagle feeding, swim the lake at Dayang Bunting, and keep every evening for the west-facing sand. Add the seasonal ferry to Koh Lipe if the calendar cooperates.
Maldives · island
Maldives Overwater Villas
Choose an atoll based on what you want most: North Male Atoll for the shortest transfer, Baa Atoll for the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and manta season, or Ari Atoll for year-round whale shark snorkeling. Book an overwater villa with a west-facing deck if sunsets from your room matter to you.
Philippines · island
El Nido, Palawan
El Nido town for dinner and logistics; Corong-Corong, one bay south, for sunset-facing calm within a tricycle ride of everything; the Lio Estate by the airport for the planned, family-friendly version; Nacpan for four kilometres of bare sand 45 minutes north; and the island resorts out in the bay for the splurge. The boat tours (lettered A to D) are the point: Big Lagoon on Tour A, the hidden beaches of Matinloc on Tour C.
Thailand · region
Phuket
Pick a west-coast base for the beaches and sunsets, give a day to Old Phuket Town for the Sino-Portuguese streets and food, add the Big Buddha and a Promthep Cape sunset, and build in at least one boat day to Phang Nga Bay or the Similan Islands.
India · road trip
Rajasthan Golden Triangle
Base a day or two in each of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, then, if you have the days, push on to Udaipur or Jodhpur where the real soul of Rajasthan lives.
Indonesia · region
Seminyak
Time your days around the sunset: beach or pool by day, a spa or the boutiques in the afternoon, then a beach-bar sundowner and dinner, with day trips to Tanah Lot and Uluwatu for the temple sunsets.
South Korea · city
Seoul
Stay in or near Myeongdong or Jongno for the palaces and easy transit, spend a morning in Bukchon Hanok Village, an afternoon in Hongdae or Seongsu for contemporary Seoul, and a full day on a DMZ tour if history interests you.
Singapore · city
Singapore
Spend a day at Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay, a day between Chinatown and Little India for temples and hawker food, and a full day on Sentosa Island, with an optional day trip to Pulau Ubin or across to Malaysia.
Sri Lanka · road trip
Sri Lanka Round Trip
Start near Colombo, head to the cultural triangle for Sigiriya and Dambulla, continue to Kandy for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, climb into the hill country around Ella and Nuwara Eliya, then finish on the south coast at Galle.
Japan · city
Tokyo
Base near Shinjuku, Shibuya or Tokyo Station for rail access, spend a day each in old Tokyo (Asakusa, Ueno) and new Tokyo (Shibuya, Harajuku), and add one full-day trip out to Nikko, Kamakura or Hakone.
Japan · multi city
Two Weeks in Japan
Base 3 to 4 nights in Tokyo, 1 to 2 in Hakone for the onsen and Mount Fuji views, 2 to 3 in Kyoto, then 1 to 2 in Osaka, with Nara, Himeji and Hiroshima/Miyajima as day trips from the Kansai leg.
Indonesia · region
Ubud
Walk the Campuhan Ridge at dawn, see the Monkey Forest and Ubud Palace in town, and drive out to the Tegalalang terraces, Tirta Empul and the UNESCO Jatiluwih paddies, with time for a spa or yoga.