Best Asian cities for a first trip: entry rules, getting around, money and what to book

💡 The Short Version: Our judgement, because it depends on what you want from a first trip. Easiest overall, Singapore: English is an official language, the MRT and buses take a contactless bank card at S$1.28 to S$2.57 a journey, and the only paperwork is the free SG Arrival Card. For food, Osaka: the yamaimo-yaki pancake at Mizuno is 1,700 yen, cash only, with Bangkok the alternative. For culture shock, Hanoi: the Temple of Literature is 70,000 VND and the Old Quarter’s traffic is crossed at a steady walk. For a tight budget, Kuala Lumpur: a MyCity Pass is RM10 a day and Batu Caves is free. For families, Osaka: the Osaka Castle keep is 1,200 yen and free under 15, and Universal Studios Japan has a Child Switch ride system. Also: Tokyo for teamLab Planets (from 3,800 yen), Seoul for the Huwon Secret Garden (5,000 KRW), Hong Kong for the Peak Tram (116 HKD return) and Bangkok for the Grand Palace (500 THB). The thing that ruins a first trip is an arrival card or an entry rule missed before the flight. Or book: the Asakusa and Senso-ji walking tour in Tokyoad is from 2,000 yen and the Beyond Michelin hawker tour in Singaporead is S$60 (GetYourGuide).

⚠️ Check the arrival card and the entry rule before you book the flights. Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia each want a free online arrival card, submitted within 3 days before you land; Japan and Hong Kong want none. Vietnam needs an e-visa for US, Canadian, Australian and Irish passports. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam want a passport valid for six months after you arrive. South Korea’s K-ETA waiver for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports ends on 31 December 2026, so check k-eta.go.kr for a 2027 trip. Then the weather: Bangkok reaches 37 to 40°C in April, Hong Kong’s typhoon season runs from May to September, and Hanoi is 35 to 40°C in summer. Then money: small shops and street stalls in Japan, Bangkok and Hanoi take cash only, and Seoul’s transit cards are topped up with cash.

Prices are each operator’s own, in local currency. The comparisons are our judgement.

The cities side by side

The cities are in the order of the entries below. Each is a link to the city’s own guide. Entry rules are for UK, US, Canadian, Australian and EU citizens on a tourist stay.

Getting in and paying

Getting around, language and when to go

For the easiest first trip

This grouping is our judgement. In both cities the transit pays on a contactless card or one stored-value card, the language is not a barrier and the paperwork is short.

Singapore

MRT and bus by card, S$1.28 to S$2.57 · Flower Dome and Cloud Forest S$46 · free SG Arrival Card

English is one of Singapore’s four official languages, and the MRT and the buses take a contactless bank card or phone, so there is nothing to buy at the gate. The Supertree Grove and the Garden Rhapsody light show (19:45 and 20:45 nightly) at Gardens by the Bay are free; the two glasshouses, the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, are S$46 together, and each shuts for one whole day a month (Gardens by the Bay tickets). Universal Studios Singapore is a dated ticket from S$76 on non-peak dates.

The Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay. Photo: Mustang Joe, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0.

Submit the free SG Arrival Card within 3 days before you land, which gives you the e-Pass by email. From Changi the MRT to the city is about S$2.30 until 25 December 2026, changing at Tanah Merah or Expo; the last train connecting west leaves at 23:18 (Changi to the city). What catches newcomers out: a menu price marked ++ is before a 10 per cent service charge and 9 per cent GST, so S$100 of food comes to S$119.90; vapes are banned, even for personal use; and foreign Visa and Mastercard cards pay a S$0.60 admin fee for each day of use on public transport (the rules and fines). Allow three days: 3 days in Singapore runs Chinatown and Marina Bay, Kampong Glam and Little India, then Sentosa. Stay at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, 400 rooms in a National Monument on Fullerton Square (Hotels.comad). Singapore has the rest.

Hong Kong

Octopus card 39 HKD · Peak Tram 116 HKD return · no arrival card

Chinese and English are Hong Kong’s official languages, and an Octopus card pays the MTR, the Ding Ding trams (3.00 HKD flat), the Star Ferry (5.00 to 6.50 HKD on the upper deck), buses and convenience stores. A tourist Octopus is 39 HKD with no deposit, topped up with cash at MTR kiosks (Octopus card guide). Entry is 180 days on a UK passport and 90 on the others, with no arrival card, only a small landing slip to keep in your passport.

Book the Peak Tram online: 116 HKD return, or 182 HKD with the Sky Terrace 428, and the turnstiles do not take Octopus. Queues reach 60 to 90 minutes on weekend afternoons from 16:00 to 19:30, so go on a weekday before 10:30 (Peak Tram tickets). The Airport Express takes 24 minutes to Central for 115 HKD (airport to the city). What catches newcomers out: a Typhoon Signal No. 8 suspends ferries, theme parks, above-ground trains and shops, and the season runs from May to September (weather and typhoons); eating or drinking on the MTR is a 5,000 HKD fine; and taxis must use the meter. Allow three days (3 days in Hong Kong); Macau is a day trip (Macau from Hong Kong). Stay at The Peninsula Hong Kong, 300 rooms on Salisbury Road, 2 minutes from East Tsim Sha Tsui Exit L3 (Hotels.comad). Hong Kong has the rest.

For the big-city culture of Japan and Korea

This grouping is our judgement. Both cities have a palace or a museum that sells timed tickets, a transit card that pays on everything and a street map that needs an app.

Tokyo

teamLab Planets from 3,800 yen · Suica or Pasmo card · no visa, 90 days

Trains run from about 5:00 to 24:00, and a Suica or Pasmo card pays the metro, the JR lines and buses, as well as lockers, vending machines and convenience stores; a contactless bank card pays on Tokyo Metro and Toei, but not on JR (Tokyo public transport). There is no arrival card. Book teamLab Planets in Toyosu, from 3,800 yen for a timed entry, with nothing sold at the door; Borderless in Azabudai Hills is from 3,400 yen. The Ghibli Museum is 1,000 yen, and its tickets for a month are released through Lawson Ticket at 10:00 Japan time on the 10th of the month before (Ghibli Museum tickets).

From Narita, the Keisei Skyliner takes 36 minutes to Nippori for 2,580 yen, and the Narita Express runs to Tokyo Station for 3,140 yen (Narita to Tokyo). What catches newcomers out: Tokyo is still largely cash-based, so carry yen and use a Seven Bank ATM in a 7-Eleven; the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Shinjuku Gyoen and the Tokyo National Museum are shut on Mondays; the police can ask for your passport, so carry it (money in Tokyo, is Tokyo safe?). Allow three days, or five to add the Ghibli Museum and sumo (3 days in Tokyo, 5 days in Tokyo). Stay at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, 970 rooms 5 minutes from the JR Shinjuku East Exit (Hotels.comad). Tokyo has the rest.

Seoul

Huwon Secret Garden 5,000 KRW · Climate Card from 5,000 KRW a day · AREX train 43 minutes

The subway has English signs and announcements, and a T-money card pays on every train, bus and taxi in the country; the Climate Card is a flat 5,000 KRW a day (plus 3,000 KRW for the card) on Seoul’s own subway lines and buses (Seoul public transport). Gyeongbokgung is 3,000 KRW, or free in a hanbok, and the changing of the guard at 10:00 and 14:00 is free. The booking that sells out is the Huwon Secret Garden at Changdeokgung: 5,000 KRW plus 3,000 KRW for the palace, a timed guided tour released exactly 6 days ahead at 10:00 Korean time, with the English tours gone in minutes (Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden).

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul. Photo: Frank Schulenburg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Submit the free e-Arrival Card at e-arrivalcard.go.kr within 3 days before you land. The AREX Express runs non-stop from Incheon to Seoul Station in 43 minutes for 13,000 KRW, and the all-stop train takes 59 minutes for 4,750 KRW from Terminal 1 (airport to the city). What catches newcomers out: Google Maps gives no turn-by-turn walking directions in South Korea, so use Naver Map or KakaoMap; the machines that top up transit cards take cash only; and Gyeongbokgung is shut on Tuesdays while Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung are shut on Mondays. Allow three days (3 days in Seoul). Stay at Lotte Hotel Seoul, by Euljiro 1-ga and City Hall (Hotels.comad). Seoul has the rest.

For food and families

This grouping is our judgement. Both cities are built round eating, and both put the big ticket in one place.

Osaka

Osaka Castle keep 1,200 yen · Universal Studios Japan, dated pass · Enjoy Eco Card 820 yen

Osaka is a compact city on one subway spine, the Midosuji Line, and an ICOCA card or a mobile Suica from Tokyo pays on the subway, JR and private railways; the Enjoy Eco Card is 820 yen on weekdays and 620 yen at weekends (Osaka public transport). For food, Mizuno in Dotonbori serves its yamaimo-yaki, a pancake made with grated mountain yam instead of flour, for 1,700 yen, cash only, open daily 11:00 to 21:30. For a family, the Osaka Castle keep is 1,200 yen and free under 15, and Universal Studios Japan needs a dated Studio Pass bought up to two months ahead, with its price set by date; a Child Switch lets two adults queue once for a ride a child is too small for (Osaka with kids).

From Kansai Airport, the Nankai Rapi:t takes 34 minutes to Namba for 1,490 yen with a reserved seat, and the JR Haruka takes 47 to 50 minutes to Tennoji, Osaka Station or Shin-Osaka for 1,800 to 2,600 yen (airport to the city). What catches newcomers out: the Dotonbori street food stalls, the Kuromon Market fishmongers and the Shinsekai standing bars take cash only, and public museums are shut on Mondays. Allow three days (3 days in Osaka), with Nara and Kyoto as day trips (day trips from Osaka). Stay at Swissotel Nankai Osaka, directly above Nankai Namba Station, where the Rapi:t arrives (Hotels.comad). Osaka has the rest.

Bangkok

Grand Palace 500 THB · Chao Phraya Express boat 19 THB · free Thailand Digital Arrival Card

Bangkok pairs the BTS Skytrain and the MRT with the Chao Phraya Express boat, a flat 19 THB between Sathorn pier and the old temples, and the MRT takes contactless bank cards at the gate. For a first stop, the Grand Palace is 500 THB, bought at the gate or online up to a month ahead, open 08:30 to 15:30; it refuses sleeveless tops, shorts, tight trousers and mini skirts. For food, where to eat in Bangkok names the Bib Gourmand stalls, most of which take cash only.

Complete the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card at tdac.immigration.go.th within 3 days before you land; the stay is 30 days, and immigration can ask for 20,000 THB in cash or equivalent and a ticket out. From Suvarnabhumi the Airport Rail Link costs 15 to 45 THB, and from Don Mueang the SRT Dark Red Line is 33 THB to Krung Thep Aphiwat (airport to the city). What catches newcomers out: tuk-tuk drivers outside a temple gate who say it is closed for a ceremony are steering you to a commission shop; ATMs charge 250 to 350 THB a withdrawal on a foreign card at Krungsri; vapes are illegal; and the rainy season runs from May to October (is Bangkok safe?, money in Bangkok). Allow three days (3 days in Bangkok). Stay at Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, 2 minutes from BTS Nana by skybridge (Hotels.comad). Bangkok has the rest.

For a tight budget and a culture shock

This grouping is our judgement. Our judgement on a tight budget rests on the transit and entry prices each guide prints, not on flights or beds, and each is in its own currency, so check the exchange rate before comparing.

Kuala Lumpur

MyCity Pass RM10 a day · Petronas Towers RM127 on a weekday · KLIA Ekspres RM55

A visitor’s MyCity Pass is RM10 for a day or RM25 for three, loaded on a Touch ‘n Go card, with unlimited rides on the MRT, LRT and Monorail; a single ride is RM1.20 to RM4.50 (Kuala Lumpur public transport). Batu Caves is free, reached by KTM Komuter train for RM2.60 (Batu Caves guide). Book the Petronas Twin Towers 1 to 2 weeks ahead: RM127 on a weekday and RM137 at a weekend for a 45-minute slot covering the Level 41 Skybridge and the Level 86 deck. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, and shut on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month.

Submit the free Malaysia Digital Arrival Card, the MDAC, within 3 days before you land. The KLIA Ekspres reaches KL Sentral in 28 minutes for RM55, rising to RM65 from 1 January 2027, and the airport bus is RM12 to RM15 in 60 to 75 minutes (airport to the city). What catches newcomers out: Batu Caves, the National Mosque and Thean Hou Temple need covered shoulders and knees; motorbike bag-snatching is the main street crime, so carry a bag on the side away from the road; hotels charge foreign guests a RM10 tourist tax per room per night; and hawker stalls and Jalan Alor are cash only (is Kuala Lumpur safe?). It is 31 to 33°C all year with afternoon downpours. Allow three days (3 days in Kuala Lumpur). Stay at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, on the south edge of KLCC Park with a sky lobby on the 38th floor (Hotels.comad). Kuala Lumpur has the rest.

Hanoi

Sapa sleeper train 650,000 to 1,200,000 VND · Express Bus 86 45,000 VND · e-visa US$25 for some passports

The Old Quarter and the Hoan Kiem Lake loop are walkable, though pavements hold parked motorbikes and plastic stools. To cross a street, step out and walk at a steady pace; riders steer round you, so never stop or step back. The Temple of Literature is 70,000 VND at the gate, and the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre runs a 50-minute show beside the lake. The long bookings are the Sapa sleeper train, 8 hours to Lao Cai for 650,000 to 1,200,000 VND, 1 to 3 weeks ahead, and an overnight Ha Long Bay cruise, 2 to 6 weeks ahead.

UK passports and those of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the other countries on Vietnam’s list enter visa-free for 45 days; US, Canadian, Australian and Irish passports need an e-visa from evisa.gov.vn before flying, US$25 for a single entry, and the passport must be valid for six months. Express Bus 86 from Noi Bai Airport is 45,000 VND a person, paid in cash, and a Grab car is 250,000 to 350,000 VND plus a 10,000 to 15,000 VND toll (airport to the city). What catches newcomers out: the 20,000 and 500,000 VND notes are both blue and one is worth 25 times the other; drinks can contain methanol, so buy from licensed bars; winter air quality is poor from October to March; and the emergency numbers are answered in Vietnamese only (money in Hanoi, is Hanoi safe?). Allow three days (3 days in Hanoi). Stay at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, open since 1901 (Hotels.comad). Hanoi has the rest.

How long to allow and how to combine cities

Our judgement: three days a city, because every guide above has a three-day itinerary. A first trip to Asia is easier as one city, or two cities in one country, than as a chain of countries, because each country has its own transit card, currency and arrival rule.

• Tokyo and Osaka: the Tokaido Shinkansen runs between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, and its seats can be reserved on SmartEX up to a month before departure. A 7-day Japan Rail Pass is 50,000 yen and does not cover the Nozomi; for Tokyo and day trips it rarely pays (is the Japan Rail Pass worth it?). Tokyo vs Osaka has the Nozomi’s 2 hour 21 minute journey and fare.
• Singapore and Kuala Lumpur: KL Sentral to JB Sentral alone is 4 hours 20 minutes on the KTM ETS train, so the two cities are a flight or an overnight apart; from JB the KTM Shuttle Tebrau reaches Woodlands in about 5 minutes for S$5 (why not Kuala Lumpur from Singapore). Each country has its own arrival card.
• Hong Kong and Macau: Macau is a day trip, not a second base (Macau from Hong Kong).

What to book before you go

Avoiding the heat and the rain

• Bangkok: April is the hottest month, at 37 to 40°C, with Songkran on 13 to 15 April 2027; the rainy season runs from May to October, and September and October bring flash floods (when to visit Bangkok).
• Hong Kong: May to September is hot and wet and is typhoon season; mid-October to December is the dry, sunny window (when to visit Hong Kong).
• Seoul: July and August bring the monsoon rains, and December to February is -10°C to 0°C (when to visit Seoul).
• Tokyo and Osaka: Golden Week (29 April and 3 to 5 May 2027) fills the sights in Tokyo, and typhoon season runs from June to December (when to visit Tokyo, when to visit Osaka).
• Hanoi: May to August is 35 to 40°C with monsoon downpours, and Tet in early February 2027 empties the Old Quarter (when to visit Hanoi).
• Singapore and Kuala Lumpur: both are 31 to 33°C all year, so choose by rain: Singapore’s driest month is February and its wettest December, and Kuala Lumpur’s drier stretch is June to August (when to visit Singapore, when to visit Kuala Lumpur).

Where to stay

Each hotel above links to Hotels.com for your dates. Each city’s stay guide compares the areas: Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Hanoi.

Other cities and other trips

For a trip with young children, see best city breaks with kids, and for the weather and what else is on in each month, see where to go each month. For the rest of the cities, see Compare cities.