Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Travel / Asia Pacific

One hundred and eleven new buildings were constructed in the downtown area between 1931 and 1933. The vast majority took their cues from Art Deco, the era’s cutting-edge architectural trend.

How an Earthquake Turned This New Zealand Town into the Art Deco Capital of the World

Napier turned its tragic past into an architectural wonder

Artist Jaroslaw Koziara grew different types of plants to create a fish "crop circle" between the Polish and Ukrainian border.

These Unusual Border Crossings Are Worth the Wait

From mountains to cafes, the world is full of strange and beautiful ways to cross into other countries

Otherworldly Photos From Inside One of the World’s Largest River Caves

Studded with cave pearls and home to elusive giant spiders, this cave is one of Laos’ hidden treasures

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: India

Nine Unique Gifts You Should Buy in Delhi

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: India

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: India

Explore India’s vibrant history, picturesque locales and delicious eats

A group enjoys an igloo hot tub at Iglu-dorf.

Immerse Yourself in the World’s Most Breathtaking Baths

From ice-encrusted hot tubs to baths made of beer, don’t miss these six spectacular soaks

The entrance to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall is covered with sparkling archways.

Giant Christmas Displays Are Taking Over Malls Throughout Asia

These malls know how to get into the holiday spirit

Hartsdale is the world's oldest operating pet cemetery.

Commune With Pets of the Past at These Five Pet Cemeteries

Far from scary, these burial sites can be relaxing, beautiful and even inspiring

A Bolivian farmer stands next to dinosaur footprints. Bolivia is home to thousands of dinosaur tracks.

Where Dinosaurs Walked: Eight of the Best Places to See Prehistoric Footprints

Step in the footprints of giants on “dinosaur highways”

A marionette performs atop a Matsuri float

In Japan, Autumn Means a Parade of (Not-at-All-Creepy) Robot Puppets

A 350-year-old festival in Takayama celebrates creativity — and contains the seeds of modern robotics

Haohan Qiao, a newly opened 984-foot-long bridge in China's Hunan province.

Look Down If You Dare: 14 of the World’s Most Terrifying (and Beautiful) Glass Skywalks

A new glass bridge in China is suspended 590 feet in the air — and visitors brave enough to cross it can see all the way down

The Plain of Jars in northeast Laos may be related to burial rituals dating back 2,000 years—but the site still proves a mystery to archeologists.

Ancient Urns or Drinking Vessels for Giants? Behind the Mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos

A grassy area studded with hulking, 2,000-year-old jars provides a surreal sight as well as an archeological puzzle

Ganden Sumtseling Monastery in Shangri-La was built in 1679 at the direction of the Fifth Dalai Lama.

Retracing the Footsteps of China’s Patron Saint of Tourism

Travelers are discovering the Ming dynasty’s own Indiana Jones, an adventurer who dedicated his life to exploring his country’s Shangri-Las

A man throws colored water as he celebrates Holi in Nandgaon, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, February 28, 2015.

Holi 2015: Stunning Photos of Holi, the Festival of Colors

Celebrated all over India and around the world, the Hindu festival heralds the beginning of spring

The Well of Death came from the American motordome racing popular in the early 1900s.

India’s Dying Well of Death

Brave stuntmen have long been riding the near-vertical walls of India’s Well of Death—but the popular spectacle is on the decline

A new hotel in Japan will have robots serving its front desks.

Japan Announces Plans for the First Hotel Run by Robots

Slated to open July 17, the hotel in a Japanese theme park will be staffed by “actroids”

Neuschwanstein Castle, the ultimate fairy-tale castle, is the 13th most visited castle in the world.

The World’s Most-Visited Castles and Palaces

From Paris to Beijing, these historic castles and palaces draw millions of visitors for a glimpse of the lifestyles of the rich and famous

The festival covers eight million square feet and uses over 1.9 million square feet of ice.

One of the World’s Largest Ice and Snow Carnivals Is Underway in China

The 31st Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival runs through February 25

“You could say that saving species is in my blood,” says Chris Darwin, a conservationist who lives in the mountains explored by his great-great-grandfather.

Evotourism ®

How Australia Put Evolution on Darwin’s Mind

The famous naturalist’s revolutionary theory first took shape not in the Galápagos but in the primeval Blue Mountains

"The Traveler's Eye: Scenes from Asia," at the Sackler Gallery through May 2015, features more than 100 mementos from travels around the Asian continent. This postcard is from early-20th-century China.

Before Instagram, Memorializing Asia’s Most Traveled Roads

From Moroccan postcards to Japanese scrolls, the Sackler Gallery explores five centuries of travel around the Asian continent

Page 6 of 12