Visit Punakha

Majestic riverside fortress-monastery.

Visit Paro, a picturesque valley town in Bhutan. Explore the iconic Tiger's Nest Monastery (Taktsang Palphug) perched on a cliffside 900 meters above the valley floor, see the historic Paro Dzong (Rinpung Dzong) fortress-monastery built in 1644, and stroll through the National Museum of Bhutan housed in a former watchtower with traditional artifacts and art. Experience the Paro Tsechu festival if timed right, featuring masked dances and religious ceremonies.

Visit Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Explore the Tashichho Dzong (a fortress-monastery housing the throne room and government offices), see the Buddha Dordenma statue (a 51-meter bronze statue overlooking the valley), and stroll through the weekend market (offering local produce, handicrafts, and traditional Bhutanese items).

The "museum without walls": grassy royal burial mounds, the Cheomseongdae observatory and Silla-dynasty treasures across the town.

Japan's first capital: the Great Buddha of Todai-ji and 1,200 bowing deer in the park around it.

The Great Buddha sitting in the open air, Zen temples and a surf beach, an hour from Tokyo.

The Potala Palace at 3,650 metres, pilgrims prostrating around the Jokhang and the Barkhor market.

The Longmen Grottoes with 100,000 carved Buddhas, the first Buddhist temple in China and the April peony festival.