Asia
Discover Asia
Asia is the world's largest continent by land area and population, home to 4.6 billion people, which is more than half of the world's population. The continent is too massive and diverse to conceptualize as a single digestible travel "destination". Travel options range widely, from the desert ruins and modern mega-malls of the Middle East to the magnificent ancient monuments and giant mountains in South Asia, from the beach bungalows and jungle treks of Southeast Asia to the mega-cities and technology capitals of East Asia.
Taste of Asia...
Asian cuisine is incredibly diverse, from Turkish kebabs to Arabic pita bread to Indian curries and Chinese noodles, there is really no shortage of different food that you can try. Rice, in its many varieties, is a very common staple throughout Asia. Street food is also available almost anywhere in myriads of variations. Southeast Asia offers a great variety of tropical fruit and wonderful food at inexpensive prices. Wikivoyage has in-depth guides to various cuisines of the continent: see Middle Eastern cuisine, South Asian cuisine, Thai cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Korean cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Filipino cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, and Indonesian cuisine. Many parts of Asia have also developed their own unique takes on Western food that cannot be found in their respective areas of origin; most of these are covered in the respective regional cuisine articles, but see Western food in Asia for an overview of these. In East Asia and certain parts of Southeast Asia, chopsticks are used for eating. Although in hotels and restaurants with Western food and/or Western guests, cutlery will be an option. In South Asia, people eat with their hands. Tea is the most common beverage, especially in both South Asia and East Asia. In tropical areas, enjoy fresh fruit and coconut juices. Fresh sugar cane juice is readily available in many cities in India. It can be served plain or with ginger and lemon. In some areas, fresh water and clean drinking water may not easily be available.
Culture & Religion
Religion
Especially in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, people take their religion very seriously, and the rules at places of worship and holy places are to be followed. Considerations include coming to these buildings in modest clothing, taking pictures only where allowed, and not touching things that are considered sacred. The sanctions can be heavy. It is impossible to generalize about a dress code for all of Asia, but you will never go wrong by dressing modestly, which in most places means to wear pants that cover the knee and shirts with sleeves. Some particularly strict Muslim countries outright forbid immodest dress, which may require women to wear veils. In some regions where this isn't the law, locals may still look askance at women wearing short shorts and tank tops.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Asia into what it is today.
The history of Asia is long, complex and diverse enough that some universities have whole departments devoted to it and a full account would be a multi-volume work. Even a reasonable summary would be much more than a travel guide could sensibly attempt. Most of Wikivoyage's country articles, and some region or city articles, include summaries of the relevant history. Consult those for basic information, or see Wikipedia, other sites, or a library for more detail. Most articles include a link to the corresponding Wikipedia article; in the default skin, it is found in the In other projects section of the Tools menu in the page header. Also, Wikivoyage has some articles on related historical themes: All the UNESCO lists – World Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Biosphere reserves, Geology parks and Creative Cities – include sites in Asia. So do the Wikivoyage articles on Archaeological sites, Historical travel, Architecture, and Old towns. English proficiency varies widely between countries and regions. English is the main working language in Singapore, and widely spoken as a second language by educated people in many former British and American colonies such as Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Hong Kong, most of South Asia, the small Arab states of the Gulf, Jordan and Israel. Elsewhere, English proficiency is rudimentary at best. Refer to the guide for individual countries for how well you are likely to fare....
Location & Landscape
Asia is by far the largest continent and as such is extremely varied geographically. Asia contains virtually every possible climate and terrain from the frozen plains of Siberia to the jungles of Indonesia to the deserts of Arabia. Asia's (and the world's) highest point is Mount Everest, in the Himalayas along the border of Tibet and Nepal, which rises to 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level. Its lowest point is the Dead Sea, located at the meeting points of Israel, Palestine and Jordan, whose surface is 400 m (1,300 ft) below sea level. Asia's longest river is the Yangtze, which runs 6,300 km (3,900 mi) through China all the way from the high Tibetan Plateau to Shanghai. Its largest lake is the 386,400-km² (149,200-square mile) Caspian Sea, which is surrounded by several Central Asian nations. Asia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, by Australia to the southeast, and by the Indian Ocean to the south.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is a special type of visa that can be issued to business travellers from APEC countries (Australia, Brunei, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam). The application process varies by country and can be rather onerous, but once granted, the card acts as a business visa for all member countries and grants access to fast-track immigration line (typically the one for crews and diplomats) at major airports throughout the region, for a period of up to five years. Canada and the United States are "transitional" members, meaning their citizens can apply and make use of the fast-track immigration, but do not get visa rights. Asia's busiest airports include Hong Kong (HKG), Dubai (DXB), Beijing (PEK, PKX), Singapore (SIN), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Bangkok (BKK), Seoul (ICN), Tokyo (NRT, HND) and Jakarta (CGK)....
Regions
Explore AreasThe traditional Asia–Europe border through Russia is the Ural Mountains and the Ural River. For cultural and historical reasons, some parts of the Caucasus are considered European. The Bosphorus bisec…...
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Air travel is a good mode of transport between this large region's many travel destinations. Fares are lower on average than in Europe or America, and low-cost airlines in Asia are rapidly expanding their networks particularly in Southeast Asia. In addition, Asia is also home to some of the world's best regarded full service airlines, such as Singapore Airlines, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, South Korea's Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL), Taiwan's EVA Air and the big three Middle Eastern airlines Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, which make good options for those willing to spend some extra money to fly in relative comfort with better service. Ferry services connect China, South Korea and Japan in East Asia. There are also very many international and domestic ferry services for the island nations in South East Asia including the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Where to Stay
Depending on where you are everything from a tent with only the most basic facilities (if any) to a full blown five star hotel is available. Prices tend to reflect that. There are all kinds of traditional local lodging too: try a ryokan in Japan, a yurt in Mongolia, a caravanserai along the Silk Road, or a Bedouin tent in Israel. Any of these is not just a place to lay your head, but a unique cultural experience. Due to the vast size, safety in Asia varies wildly. It is a safe place in general and most tourist attractions on the continent are far from conflict, There are, however, some regions in which conflict and/or general lawlessness exists. The most obvious examples are Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and big parts of Iraq. Afghanistan's government controls only parts of the country and also Iraq is in a state of continued armed conflict. There are full-scale civil wars in Syria and Yemen.
Language & Talk
English proficiency varies widely between countries and regions. English is the main working language in Singapore, and widely spoken as a second language by educated people in many former British and American colonies such as Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Hong Kong, most of South Asia, the small Arab states of the Gulf, Jordan and Israel. Elsewhere, English proficiency is rudimentary at best. Refer to the guide for individual countries for how well you are likely to fare. It is not possible to list all the languages and dialects throughout Asia. We can however detail the major groups you are likely to encounter: Asia has a few significant isolated languages not proven to be related to others, including Korean and Georgian.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Due to the vast size, safety in Asia varies wildly. It is a safe place in general and most tourist attractions on the continent are far from conflict, There are, however, some regions in which conflict and/or general lawlessness exists. The most obvious examples are Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and big parts of Iraq. Afghanistan's government controls only parts of the country and also Iraq is in a state of continued armed conflict. There are full-scale civil wars in Syria and Yemen. These countries are considered no-go areas and should be completely avoided by travellers (if you absolutely must go, consult War zone safety and the authorities of your country beforehand). Although much of the Middle East can be visited without any major risks, it is known for its political tensions and there are no-go areas, for the moment especially Syria. The Gaza Strip is at times a war zone between Palestinian factions and the Israeli army, and kidnappings of foreigners have occurred.