26 places to visit in Asia

The white marble mausoleum on the Yamuna is the image much of the world holds of Asia. Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, commissioned it in 1631 for his wife Mumtaz Mahal; the tomb was finished by 1648 and the mosque, guest house and gardens over the next five years. Marble inlaid with semi-precious stones covers the mausoleum, while the outer buildings use red sandstone. UNESCO listed the site in 1983 and it was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007. It opens from half an hour before sunrise until half an hour before sunset.

Commissioned: 1631 · Heritage: UNESCO listed in 1983

Location: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Access: Ticketed, with a separate ticket for the main mausoleum, closed on Fridays

No structure in Asia runs to the scale of the Great Wall, a chain of fortifications raised along the northern borders of Chinese states from the seventh century BC and joined together under the Qin dynasty. The sections most visitors walk today were built by the Ming dynasty between 1368 and 1644, with watchtowers along the ridgelines, and surveys put the whole system at more than 21,000 kilometres. UNESCO listed it in 1987. Badaling, about 80 kilometres northwest of Beijing, was the first stretch opened to tourism, in 1957, and remains the most visited.

Built: Ming sections 1368 to 1644 · Heritage: UNESCO listed in 1987

Location: Badaling and Mutianyu, north of Beijing, China

Access: Ticketed at each restored section, with a cable car at Badaling

The largest religious complex in the world stands in the old Khmer capital of Angkor, outside Siem Reap. King Suryavarman II built it between 1113 and 1150 as a Hindu temple to Vishnu, and from the late thirteenth century it passed gradually into Buddhist use. A moat and an outer wall enclose 162 hectares, and three galleries rise towards five central towers laid out as Mount Meru. Unusually for an Angkorian temple it faces west, which is why the sunrise view across the pool is the classic one. UNESCO listed Angkor in 1992, and the temple appears on the Cambodian flag.

Built: 1113 to 1150 · Heritage: Angkor, UNESCO listed in 1992

Location: Angkor Archaeological Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Access: Ticketed with the Angkor Pass, which covers the whole archaeological park

The Nabataeans carved their capital into the rose-coloured sandstone of southern Jordan, and the approach has not changed: a walk of about 1.2 kilometres through the Siq, a gorge narrowing to three metres in places, ends in front of Al-Khazneh, the Treasury. The city peaked in the first century AD, fell to Rome in 106 AD and declined after an earthquake in 363. Beyond the Treasury the valley opens to a theatre, royal tombs and the climb to the Monastery. UNESCO listed Petra in 1985 and it was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007.

Founded: Nabataean capital from the 2nd century BC · Heritage: UNESCO listed in 1985

Location: Wadi Musa, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan

Access: Ticketed, open from six in the morning in summer and half past six in winter

Nothing else on the continent stands as high. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the tower as three wings stepping back around a central core, a plan taken from a desert flower, and it has held the record for the tallest building in the world since its inauguration in January 2010, with the roof at 828 metres. Its observation decks look over Downtown Dubai, the fountain lake and the Dubai Mall at its foot, and out to the Gulf on one side and the desert on the other. It was called Burj Dubai until the opening morning, when it was renamed for the president of the United Arab Emirates.

Opened: 4 January 2010 · Height: 828 metres to the roof

Location: Downtown Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Access: Ticketed, with timed entry to the observation decks

The tunnels of vermilion torii climbing a wooded hill south of Kyoto have become one of the defining images of Japan. This is the head shrine of Inari, the kami of rice and harvests and, by extension, of business, and it has stood at the foot of Mount Inari since 711. Every gate on the trails was donated by a company or a family whose name is painted on the uprights, which is why the corridors keep growing. The full circuit to the 233 metre summit runs about four kilometres past hundreds of smaller altars and stone foxes, the messengers of Inari, and takes around two hours on foot.

Founded: 711 · Style: Shinto, with the Senbon Torii gate tunnels

Location: Fushimi ward, Kyoto, Japan

Access: Free to enter, with the grounds open day and night

The cone that stands for Japan rises between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures on Honshu, an active stratovolcano of 3,776 metres that last erupted in 1707. Pilgrims have climbed it for centuries and Hokusai fixed it in the world's imagination, which is why UNESCO listed it in 2013 as a sacred place and a source of artistic inspiration. Most visitors never climb. They photograph the mountain from the Fuji Five Lakes or from the Chureito Pagoda above Fujiyoshida. The climbing season opens in early July and closes in early September.

Height: 3,776 metres · Heritage: Fujisan, UNESCO listed in 2013

Location: Between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, Honshu, Japan

Access: Seen year round from the lakes, with the climbing trails open in summer only

Rama I laid out this walled compound beside the Chao Phraya in 1782, when he moved the Siamese capital across the river to Bangkok, and it remained the residence of the kings until 1925. Within the walls, Wat Phra Kaew holds the Emerald Buddha, the most revered image in Thailand, and the throne halls behind it set tiered Thai roofs on European facades. More than eight million people visit in a year, so the gates are busiest from mid-morning. The complex opens daily from half past eight to half past four, with tickets sold until half past three.

Built: from 1782 · Style: Rattanakosin

Location: Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand

Access: Ticketed for foreign visitors, open daily, with a dress code that rules out sleeveless tops and shorts

Two 88-storey towers linked by a double-deck Skybridge define Kuala Lumpur. Completed in 1998 at 451.9 metres, they were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 overtook them in 2004, and they remain the tallest twin towers anywhere. The floor plan draws on an eight-pointed Islamic star, and the facades catch the light at dusk, when the fountains of KLCC Park begin their show. Visits climb first to the Skybridge on the 41st and 42nd floors and then to the observation deck on the 86th floor. The towers anchor what to see in Kuala Lumpur, with the Suria KLCC mall at their base.

Completed: 1998 · Height: 451.9 metres, 88 storeys

Location: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Access: Ticketed, with timed entry slots

The first palace of the Joseon dynasty was founded in 1395, when Seoul became the new capital. King Sejong ruled here in the fifteenth century and oversaw the creation of the Korean alphabet. Japanese invaders burned the palace in 1592, it lay in ruins for three centuries, and most of its buildings were demolished again under colonial rule, so what stands today comes largely from restoration work since the 1990s. The Geunjeongjeon throne hall and the Gyeonghoeru pavilion over its lotus pond are the set pieces, and the changing of the royal guard at Gwanghwamun gate draws crowds in hanbok.

Founded: 1395 · Dynasty: Joseon

Location: Jongno district, Seoul, South Korea

Access: Ticketed, closed on Tuesdays, last admission an hour before closing