The largest city north of the Arctic Circle, the nuclear icebreaker Lenin and forty days of polar night.
The Bridge on the River Kwai, the Death Railway to Hellfire Pass and the Erawan waterfalls.
The first Thai kingdom’s capital: lotus ponds and walking Buddhas in a historical park best seen by bicycle.
Tsingtao beer in plastic bags, German colonial villas and beaches on the Yellow Sea.
The causeway city facing Singapore, Legoland Malaysia and an old town being rediscovered.
Russia's oldest city, the 11th-century St Sophia and the birch-bark letters of a medieval republic.
The Maratha capital and student city, Shaniwar Wada and the Osho ashram, two hours from Mumbai.
Sumatra's capital, the Maimun Palace and the gateway to Lake Toba and the Bukit Lawang orangutans.
India's first UNESCO city: Gandhi's Sabarmati ashram, stepwells, pols and the textile museum.
The Qissa Khwani storytellers bazaar, Gandhara art in the museum and the road to the Khyber Pass.
The Potala Palace at 3,650 metres, pilgrims prostrating around the Jokhang and the Barkhor market.
The white Lake Palace floating on Pichola, the City Palace and rooftop dinners over the water.
A fire-breathing Dragon Bridge, My Khe beach and the Golden Bridge held up by giant hands in the Ba Na hills.
The base for K2 and the Baltoro expeditions, cold desert dunes and Shangrila lake.
One of the deepest natural harbours in the world, Nilaveli beach and blue whales offshore.
Nine Arch Bridge, the train through the tea country and the hike up Little Adam’s Peak.
Tea gardens, the toy train and Kangchenjunga at sunrise from Tiger Hill.
A cool hill city of painted kampung villages and the closest base for the Bromo sunrise.
The Yellow Crane Tower on the Yangtze, hot dry noodles for breakfast and the Hubei bronze bells.
Island-hopping among the Bacuit lagoons of northern Palawan, limestone cliffs and turquoise water.
The harbour town on Flores where the Komodo dragon boats leave, with pink beaches and manta rays.
Kobe beef, a harbour between the mountains and the sea, and the night view from Mount Rokko.
Fort Rotterdam, the pinisi schooners at Paotere harbour and the road to Toraja.
The 2,000-year-old sacred city: giant brick stupas and the oldest planted tree with a known date.
Cobbled Calle Crisologo and Spanish colonial houses, the best-preserved colonial town in Asia.
The Meenakshi temple with 14 gopuram towers covered in painted gods, the heart of Tamil culture.
Penang's UNESCO capital: clan jetties, street art and the best hawker food in Malaysia.
The Bornean capital of Sabah, the base for Mount Kinabalu and the Tunku Abdul Rahman islands.
The Kul Sharif mosque inside a Kremlin, the capital of Tatarstan where minarets and domes share a skyline.
Edo-period merchant streets in the Japanese Alps, a morning market and the spring and autumn float festivals.
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