30 days in ASIA
 

Hi there! I am planing a trip to ASIA for aroind 30 days I need some advise:
-below is my whish list of countries and cities: I know that is a too much places for a month so that is why I wanted to know:
- are these the cities listed by country the most representative and accessible?
- which countries/cities would to priorize for a 30 days trip to the region?
- I am not a beach person, just I want to visit the MUST beach places.

Japan
Tokyo
Osaka
Kyoto
Hiroshima
Nagasaki

China
Pekin
Hong Kong
Shanghai

Thailand
Bankok
Puket

Malasya
Kualalumpur

Singapur

Indonesia
Bali
Jakarta

Vietnam
HoChiMin
Hanoi
Hue
Hoi An
Halong Bay

Cambodia
Phnom Penh
Siem Reap

-which is the best way to start the trip? from Noth tos South for viceversa?
thanks!!
Andrés.

i would pick a central place like bangkok and fan out from there.....you can skip kuala lumpur-- its boring...

i would save china for a whole trip of its own...

singapore and bali make a nice trip together and you could included malaysia in that trip too...

so imo, thailand, cambodia and vietnam would make a perfect one month trip...

japan is a trip unto itself also

It's wonderful to have 30 days in Asia. As you know, there is no way to come even close to covering all of this. At most, you may want 4 countries. If you have 30 days on the ground in Asia, you might - at most - make 8 stops. That's not 8 countries, but 8 stops. And that would be a busy itinerary.

Whether you go north to south or south to north makes no difference. You may want to consider the weather see www.weatherbase.com in your planning so you aren't packing both heavy winter clothing and clothing for the tropics. Let me also note that Asia is huge - a flight from, say, Japan to Singapore will take longer than a flight from LA to NYC or from Boston to Paris. So in the interests of spending your time in the places you want to be, rather than in transit, you might want to break up your choices into a northern group and a southern group and choose one group.

As far as whether you have covered the "most important places" in each country, I guess it depends on what you are looking for. Personally, in Indonesia, I'd include Central Java as one of the most important places and I'd say that you may not want to visit Jakarta. In Malaysia, Kuching and Penang (Georgetown) are places I'd recommend over Kuala Lumpur. In Thailand, you should add somewhere in the north like Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. I notice you didn't include Laos, but it is a fascinating country.

As you plan, consider that you will be visiting different countries with different histories and different cultures. I'd plan to visit at least two locations in each country you choose.

Do your research and decide which are the places you'd most like to visit. Once you've narrowed down your choices, we can be of more assistance.

You will spend at least a half day in transit each time you switch locations. I suggest that you spend the entire time in Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. This will use up the entire 30 days and allow you to relax and appreciate each location. Plus, it's almost always hot in SEA, so you can pack accordingly.

As Kathie mentions, you should look at the weather for the time of year you travel. The rainy season is in different parts of SEA depending on the month. Once you learn the weather, you can put together an itinerary in SEA that will work.

I agree with gpanda, a circuit of South East Asia would be ideal for a trip of 30 days as you could certainly see the highlights and maybe fit in some beach time along the way in some less visited locations. I would do some more research on Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and try and narrow it down to three of the four countries so as not to rush around two much. Lonely Planet have a guide covering SEA which includes some recommended itineraries of varying durations which could be a good starting point.

I agree that with 30 days you need to cut back. You could get a taste of Japan and China (two weeks each), but SEA would work. Do include Laos. No need to visit the beach at all if you're not a beach person.

hi everyone! thanks a lot the feedback. Still want to combine China and Japan with the SE. In Thailand still not sure if Puket is a must in my route to the south or should I do visit any other city/place around BKK. It is easy to travel from Puket to Kuala Lumpur or must be via BKK?

What about this itin?

Japan - 8 days?
Tokyo
Osaka
Kyoto
Hiroshima
Nagasaki

China - 1 week?
Pekin
Hong Kong
Shanghai

Thailand - 5 days?
Bankok
Puket

Malasya - 2 days?
Kualalumpur

Singapur - 3 days?

Indonesia - 5 days?
Jakarta
Bali

I'd suggest that you skip Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Cut Singapore to 2 days. You'll find you'll need the extra days when you start filling in the flights.

As a beach destination, Puket or Bali will be the best option?

You are trying to do way too much. You'll spend all of your time in transit. 5 stops in 8 days in Japan? You'll see the insides of trains, train stations and subways and won't see the cities you've named. 7 days for three stops in China? 5 days in Indonesia? Really, if you want to have any experience at all of Asia you'll have to prioritize.

I'd agree with Marmot, cut Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, and cut a day from Singapore. I'd cut Phuket since you say you aren't a beach person. Bali has beaches, but you go for the culture, not the beaches that are just ok. 5 days there is fine for Bali. 4-5 days in Bangkok will be a good introduction. Add the time you've saved (4 days) to China and Japan. It's still too busy, but better.

Just no!

First, you need to lay this out on a blank calendar, and include actual transit time, allowing for time to check out of your hotel, reach the station or airport, wait for the plane, etc. etc.

Second, you need to think in terms of nights rather than days. It takes two days in one place to get a full day's sightseeing. Unless you take night trains, which have their own trade-offs, and won't help with much of this marathon.

Japan - you could see Tokyo and Kyoto.
China - you could see Beijing and one other place, preferably Xi'an rather than Shanghai, and certainly not both HK and Shanghai, which will be too similar for a country with a great deal of variety.
Indonesia - drop Jakarta.
Malaysia - not worth it if you just see KL
I'd also drop Singapore and Phuket.

You need to ask yourself what you're trying to achieve. Do you just want to tick off a list of places, or do you want to actually get a feel for these countries? (And the "SE" is usually considered to include Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, more so than Indonesia.)