4 Top Attractions in Asia

Planning a trip to Asia and just wondering where to go? I've done the same thing many many times. That's why I have made a short list of some of my favorite attractions around Asia just for you to pick from.

Here are my favorite Asian Attractions

1. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The main reason for visiting is, of course, Angkor Wat. 

A lot of us have a childhood longing for an Indiana Jones adventure and to maybe fall upon a hidden treasure. There are different means of transportation to get there and around, depending on your needs and sense of adventure. You can take a tuk-tuk for the day. They have fixed day-rates and you either do the big or small circuit trip. The small trip includes Angkor Wat, Bayan and 4 other temples, including the Tombraider temple. Meanwhile, the big trip takes you to a lot of smaller temples that are less crowded.  You can also rent a bicycle and enjoy the trip at your own pace. It might be a good idea to get a tour guide if you wanna do a bit of off-road since there are still land-mines in the countryside around Angkor tomb. 

Personally, I enjoyed my little Lara Croft adventure while cycling through the countryside and exploring the temples at sunset with no tourists on the temple ground. Walking into dark and half-collapsed corridors and trying to find secret doors to another world. Going through the hidden gates and the unspoiled nature was a very different experience from the trip with the tuk-tuk to the main temples. We did 3 days on the temple grounds. One day of tuk-tuk to the main temples and two days of cycling around the ground to see the “authentic” empty temples and get the feeling of what it was like before the tourist invasion. I would recommend a combination for those who have the time.

2. The Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an, China

Visit Xi’an where the Terracotta Warriors protects the final resting place of the mighty emperor Qin Shi Huang. These life-size soldiers are ready for the final and greatest battle of all time. Every single soldier is unique and build of clay with his individual facial expression and positioned according to rank. Over 2.000 years has taken its toll on them and the once bright colors have now faded and today the mighty soldiers stand dusty and clay-colored, but still guarding the first emperor of China. 

Most tourists travel the long way to Xi’an, the old Chinese capital, to see the famous Terracotta Warriors. This army of beautifully created sculptures was build to resemble the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang’s army. They were buried with the emperor in 210 BC to protect him in the afterlife. They are spectacular and a sight not to be missed. When you wander around in the huge halls you will be overwhelmed with the warriors, chariots, and horses counting more than 8.000 sculptures. 

The warriors are, primarily, located in underground corridors, or pits. In some of the corridors, clay horses are aligned with wooden chariots in real life size, ready for the battle. All three different pits that can be visited when entering the attraction. 

Who is Qin Shi Huang? The first emperor of China seized the throne at the age of 13 and is probably most famous for building the first version of the Great Wall of China.

He ordered the mausoleum build shortly after becoming emperor.

Getting there: From Beijing, you can either fly or hop on a train depending on your budget. Once in Xi’an, you have a couple of options, depending on whether you want to do a tour or do your own. DYO You can take a local bus or taxi there. The entry is 150 yuan and you can wander around with your own book as your guide.

3. The Great Wall of China, Beijing, China

Beijing is home to one of the seven wonders of the world, the great wall. A massive wall built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China, in part to protect the Chinese Empire against intrusions. 

This wall is an awe-striking piece of building that continues as far as the eye can see in both directions. The Great Wall started out as several walls, being built as early as 700 BC. These walls that were later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. The Great Wall itself stretches from Shanhaiguan in the East to Lop Lake in the West and was meant as a protection against invaders from Inner Mongolia. The length of the Wall is debatable, but a BBC archaeological survey has concluded that the Ming walls stretch for 8,850 km. Where 6.259 km is actually wall and the rest is trenches and/or natural defensive barriers like mountains and rivers. A recommendable part of the wall is Hiking Jinshanling great wall, located a few hours outside of Beijing. 

We had a bit of a special experience when we climbed the wall. We had booked a driver for the day and were paying him foreigner price. He drove us out into the middle of nowhere and stopped in the middle on the mountain-range. He led us to a narrow path and told us to follow it. It led us up and unto the wall. But not the wall we had imagined…much better… We had an empty wall all to ourselves. All we had to do was explore and enjoy (we had agreed that he would pick us up 6 hours later at the end of the cablecar station). For the first few hours, we were walking on an unrestored part of the Great Wall of China. It had big holes and in some places didn’t look very stable, but it was amazing. After several hours we met a soldier with a gun who very angrily told us this was a forbidden part of the wall. We apologized many times, and after some time, he lowered his voice and weapon and let us pass on to the ‘official’ and restored part of the wall where we, and several other people, continued our expedition.   

4. The Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Forbidden City is the ideal place for you to begin your exploration of Beijing. It was the home of the Ming and Qing dynasties and is a magnificent piece of architecture. The Palace park is located in the center of Beijing and was home to the royal family. 

It consists of over 9,000 rooms and more than 250 acres. It dates back to 1400 but the Forbidden City has burned down and been rebuilt, sacked and renovated several times. This makes most of the architecture around 250 years old and build in the Qing Dynasty. Insider tip, after visiting the city, run across the road and into Jingshan park and walk up the tallest hill. Here you will find the most amazing views of The Forbidden City. 

Another empirical home worth a visit is the Summer Palace located just outside Beijing. Here you could easily spend a day in beautiful nature and historical exciting surroundings. You can take a rest here or wander around old pavilions, buildings, temples, bridges and the huge lake. The Summer Palace is mainly comprised of Longevity Hill Summer Palace and Kunming Lake.

* All photos are private and taken by me.