Asia’s Top 10 Backpacking Destinations

Southeast Asia’s lush tropical landscape and patchwork of ancient civilizations, combined with relatively low prices for western travelers, has drawn a steady stream of backpackers since the counter-cultural movement of the sixties. The current flows as strongly today as ever before and, as this list of the region’s gems attest, it’s easy to understand why. Climbing limestone cliffs from the soft sand of pristine beaches, diving into emerald waters to explore submarine worlds of colorful coral, and weaving handicrafts with a cosmopolitan population of ragged travelers are among the experiences these ten destinations have to offer.
Located on the tropical shores of the Railay peninsula, this stunning setting is among Thailand’s most picturesque white sand beaches, lapped by emerald tides and enclosed by towering limestone cliffs. These cliffs cut the peninsula off from the mainland, so it can only be reached by boat, which enhances its atmosphere of isle-like seclusion. Rock climbing up these jagged sentinels above the soft-sanded beach draws enthusiasts from around the world. And there are also plenty of bars and restaurants, at astonishingly low prices, for the more indolent to indulge in their own brand of pleasure. The accommodation is cheap too, and ranges from bamboo bungalows on the adjacent East Railay Beach, to the affordable and secluded Tonsai Bay Resort on neighboring Tonsai Beach.
The stunning Railay Beach is a true backpacker hot spot.
A small town in northern Laos, Luang Prabang weaves together natural and man-made beauty. It sits at the confluence of two rivers which girdle the town, beneath forest-swathed hills rising to rugged mountains. The town’s skyline is dominated by one steep hill topped with the gleaming spires of Wat Chom Si, one of many gold-hued wats sprinkled through the town, decorated with intricate mosaics depicting the life of Buddha. Each morning brings the sight of hundreds of monks wandering the town’s streets collecting alms. The town also has a long tradition of handicrafts, sold at the night market which runs until 10 at night.
Luang Prabang is sure to be a highlight of any Southeast Asian adventure.
A global backpacker Mecca, Bangkok’s budget travelers orbit around the hippie haven of Khao San Road, designated by one writer as “the place to disappear”. Handicrafts, food and fruit, pirated CDs and DVDs, and regional barbequed snacks join the jumble of bars and clubs that are filled with lounging travelers at any time of the day or night. Elsewhere in this buzzing, relentlessly eventful metropolis, travelers can step into relative peace in Buddhist temples such as Wat Pho, with its huge golden statue of a reclining Buddha, or explore the vast and labyrinthine Chatuchak Weekend Market.
If Bangkok has one truly must-see attraction, it’s the Grand Palace.
Sihanoukville’s latest incarnation as a budget traveler hub marks a fresh twist in its tragically eventful history. It is named after Norodom Sihanouk, a former King of Cambodia, under whom the town became a booming and glamorous port in the 1950s. But after the Khmer Rouge seized power the city was symbolically desecrated; the walls of its luxury Independence Hotel peppered with bullets. Through the past few decades, the town has been traveling the slow road to regeneration, helped in large part by intrepid backpackers who braved the journey’s dangerous reputation and brought back word of the area’s sublime beaches, such as the stunning 4km stretch of white sand, Otres Beach. The town is now the hub of Cambodia’s most vibrant backpacker scene, a chilled-out stretch of bars, restaurants, cheap lodging and tropical coastline, lively but relatively unswamped with travelers.
The beach is at the center of the low-key lifestyle of Sihanoukville.
There’s no denying that Goa’s soul has changed since it was first chosen by the hippies of the sixties as an exotic backdrop for exploration of self and consciousness, distanced from the psychic chains of western civilization and conveniently situated in lush tropical surroundings. There are still strong hippy communities in the area, and ragged westerners travel here to make and sell handicrafts. But these days they share the tourist space – including iconic beaches such as Calangute and Baga – with charter holidaymakers, a creeping quantity of upscale resorts, and Catholic and Hindu pilgrims. But a great backpacker scene cuts through all this, feasting on the fantastic cheap food and cavorting in the bars and on the beaches, and in many ways the area’s increasing diversity makes it all the more interesting to visit. Many budget airlines fly direct to Goa’s airport.
One of the many beautiful beaches in Goa.
The jagged archipelago of limestone islands that compose Halong Bay off Vietnam’s north coast have long been one of the country’s top backpacker attractions. As well as the ocean and beaches, there are mangrove forests, craggy peaks and enchanting caverns such as Song Sôt for tourists to explore. This environment is home to a unique world of flora and fauna, including some of the world’s rarest flowers as well as the golden Cat Ba langur. This endangered creature inhabits Cat Ba Island, one of the archipelago’s best stop-offs, an island of breathtaking beauty which packs the best of Halong Bay into one place and is a great base for kayaking, rock climbing, hiking and water sports.
Cat Ba Island is one of Vietnam’s up-and-coming destinations.
Bali’s volcanic landscape, fringed with world famous beaches and alternating barren and forest covered hillsides, attracts millions of tourists from all over the world, traveling on the whole spectrum of budgets. Famous backpacker sites such as Kuta Beach have now been infiltrated with wealthy resorts, top-end restaurants, and private developers who have chomped chunks of the white sand beach. But there is still a terrific budget scene and plenty of cheap and laid-back bars and cafes in which to meet locals and travelers alike. And you can meditate on the island’s spirituality at Tanah Lot Temple, spectacularly situated on a headland jutting out into the ocean.
There aren’t many places in the world better for relaxation than Bali.
The Gili Islands make up a small archipelago just north of Lombok in Indonesia. They became popular with backpackers in the ‘80s, looking for a remote experience of the Pacific isles that didn’t require a super-expensive flight to reach. Even two decades after the first intrepid budget travelers set foot on the island’s powdery sand, it remains relatively undeveloped – there’s no automated traffic, and people travel primarily by horse and cart. But there are a few indulgences to choose between, including a Japanese restaurant, good backpacker accommodation, and, inevitably, a lively Irish bar. The island is also famous for its hatching sea turtles, and there is a sanctuary which buys the eggs from the local population to prevent them being sold in the market. And there are some world-class, uncrowded dive sites, such as the ominously named Shark Point.
Just next to Bali, the Gili Islands offer a bit more serenity and just as much natural beauty.
Backpackers first flocked to Yangshuo in the ‘80s, set on the trail by a gushing recommendation in Lonely Planet. They discovered an entirely different China to the rapidly industrializing country depicted in the western press, a quiet, picturesque region spread from the banks of two great rivers, Li and Yulong. Strung between these rivers is a rolling landscape of bare karst peaks, green hills, deep sharp-sided caves and unique sights such as Yangshuo Moon Hill, a limestone pinnacle with a moon-shaped hole reached by over 800 marble stairs.
The karst mountains of Yangshuo are one of China’s most iconic sights.
Thailand’s rural north is far less infested with hordes of tourists than the resort-ridden south, and it makes a great escape from the crazy crowds that swarm Bangkok and Phuket during peak season. Chiang Mai is the region’s hub – founded in 1296, it was the capital of the ancient Lanna Kingdom and designed as the center of Buddhism in northern Thailand. This ancient heritage can be experienced at sites such as Wat Chedi Luang, a towering ruined temple in the center of the city, and the Bhubing Palace, surrounded by colorful gardens a few kilometers out of town. And the city’s cosmopolitan ex-pat population has given rise to a vibrant scene of restaurants, bars and nightlife.
A look at some golden statues in front of a temple in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.
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Europe’s Top 10 Backpacking Destinations

Europe’s varied terrain, vibrant history and wildly diverse cultures and cuisines make it a terrifically rich place for wanderers to explore. It’s also incredibly compact, a jigsaw of countries and cultures fitted tightly together, and it has pretty damn slick infrastructure when it comes to making your way around. Skeptics and hardcore backpackers often complain about the prices of backpacking through these first-rate cities, but in fact, Europe has the best hostel scene in the world, and whatever time you stumble into any reasonable-sized city, you’ll be able to find a cheap bed in a tightly-packed dorm room somewhere. Just take a look at these ten destinations, and imagine weaving them together into a single backpacking trip – you’ll be packing your bag in no time.
Let’s begin our exploration of Europe back where it all began, in Rome… Well this isn’t true, of course, the Romans were simply the continent’s first uber-successful imperialists, crushing other cultures beneath their leather-soled feet. History textbooks have been good to the Romans, and what remains is a phenomenal visible legacy. In the empire’s heart, visitors can visit the grand oculus-lit Pantheon, a homage to all the gods; they can wander the imposing ruins of the Roman Forum; and they can imagine the roar of lions and clash of weapons in the Colosseum. Then there’s the city’s other great power cult, Roman Catholicism, embodied in St. Peter’s Basilica and the bone-hung cellars of the Capuchin Crypt. After all this historic and architectural pondering, the city’s unmatched café and restaurant scene provides a welcome respite, and some sensual delight after a day of exploring. And being Italy, there are plenty of great and affordable little eateries where budget-conscious travelers can drop in to treat themselves.
The Colosseum is an impressive reminder of Rome’s glorious past.
London is by far Europe’s biggest city, and its sights, sounds, smells and tastes are immensely diverse – whatever your particular interests or preferred pleasures, you can pursue them here. For those excited by power politics, sites such as the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and the spiky gothic Houses of Parliament offer a feast of political history. For those more interested in social history – how ordinary people lived, worked, dreamt and thought – then the Dockland’s Museum, the Clink (a reconstructed medieval prison) and the Women’s Library evoke the lives of London’s less-chronicled inhabitants. Then there are some of the continent’s best art galleries, such as Tate Britain and Tate Modern; a thriving music and literary scene, with manifestations throughout the city’s many districts; one of the world’s most vibrant queer scenes; and superb restaurants showcasing pretty much every cuisine in the world. While booze is pretty damn pricey, many of the museums and art galleries are thankfully free, and although accommodation isn’t exactly cheap, there are plenty of reasonable hostels in which to lay your spinning head.
Big Ben and the Westminster Palace are London’s best known sights.
Ah Paris, the city of sophistication par excellence. Site of the da Vinci-hoarding Louvre and the world’s most famous Boulevard, the Champs-Élysées, framed by grand Napoleonic buildings and the Arc de Triomphe. Literature lovers can sit by the banks of the Seine where Sartre, Camus and de Beauvoir thrashed out their diverging views on existentialism, or slouch through Saint-Germain de Prés, hot on the heels of ragamuffin writers such as Rimbaud and Henry Miller. Modern-day highlights include Shakespeare & Co, the vast second-hand bookshop with frequent live music. Then there are classic, unmissable sights such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. Oh, and of course Paris has its very own Disneyland. While the rich and reckless can blow huge quantities of money on a sheen of Parisian glam, plenty of penniless writers, artists and travelers have carved out some kind of life here over the past century. Vive la France! Vive la France!
Paris isn’t called the most romantic city in the world for no reason.
Barcelona has drawn the ragged and the broke, the artistic and the dissolute for many decades, and upon setting foot in the city’s center, it’s not difficult to see why. The grand central thoroughfare, Las Ramblas, may be flanked these days by nothing more Catalan than chain stores and designer clothes shops, but it still manages to cling to some semblance of distinctive character. Even better is to dart off this main artery into the labyrinthine districts of Barri Gòtic and El Raval, picturesque warrens of bars, cafes and restaurants which, during spring and summer, it’s simply glorious to wander aimlessly around, dropping in and out of whatever bars takes your fancy. Later on, Barcelona’s legendary nightlife is concentrated around bigger squares such as the Plaça Reial. If you’re after something more substantial than such drink-fuelled meanderings, then the city has plenty to satisfy you, too: take in the Gaudi architecture at Parc Güell, visit the terrific Picasso Museum, or head down to the beach at Barceloneta. Wait, that last one’s a little leisurely too… Well, I guess that’s just Barcelona for you…
Parc Guell is just one of the wild and innovative designs in Barcelona of architect Antoni Gaudi.
Athens, more than Rome, can claim to be the city that spawned western civilization. Its ancient world, famed for its philosophy, literature and pederasty, today composes some of Europe’s most evocative and thought-provoking sights. Most spectacular is of course the Acropolis, perched on a plateau of rock and containing an amazing wealth of classical Ancient Greek architecture. This includes the huge Parthenon, temple to Athena, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, which is still used for performances today. At the foot of the Acropolis, you’ll find the pretty, winding districts of Plaka, Monastiraki and Thissio, strung with 19th century Neoclassical homes, Roman ruins, and endless small cafes and restaurants. Recommended backpacker hostels located centrally include AthenStyle and Athens Backpacker.
The Acropolis has been at the center of the Athenian skyline for 2,500 years.
Known as the crossroads of Europe, Prague is a beautiful city that has slightly rusted around the edges, which from certain angles only adds to its charms. At its heart, arching across the Vltava River, is the historic Charles Bridge, completed in the 15th century, which contributed to Prague’s role as a key city on the trade route between western and eastern Europe. With its stunning gothic bridge tower and its decorative series of baroque statues, it’s a fabulous introduction to Prague’s fairytale architecture. This is continued in the Old Town itself, with its fabled Astronomical Clock and the sharp black spikes of the dramatically Gothic Tyn Church. A bit of background to these sights can be gained at the National Museum, which overlooks Wenceslas Square, the center of the New Town and the launching point for many a wild adventure through Prague’s chaotic nightlife. An old classic of Prague’s cheap and cheerful hostel scene is the Clown and Bard, which has its own lively wood-walled pub downstairs.
Prague is a bit like the Paris of Eastern Europe: artistic, historic and always charming.
Amsterdam packs a diversity of attractions into its compact center, threaded through by lamplit canalways. Fans of expressionist art could lose themselves for days in the fantastic Van Gogh Museum, Dutch Golden Age art is displayed at the Rijksmuseum, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer, while the pulse of Amsterdam’s current art scene can be felt at the Nieuw Dakota contemporary art gallery. Amsterdam was also Anne Frank’s hometown, and visiting the secret room where she hid from the Gestapo in an inconspicuous townhouse will be a deeply moving experience for anyone who has read her diaries, written in that very space. And then of course there are the baser pleasures, for those of you who feel the need – take in a tour round the Heineken Brewery, a furtive trip to the Red Light District, or a couple of spliffs in one of Amsterdam’s famous coffee houses.
The canals and historic buildings of Amsterdam on a normal, non-celebratory day.
Budapest is divided in two by the Danube River. On one side there’s hilly, wooded Buda, dominated by Castle Hill. Here you’ll find the Royal Palace, with a set of museums on Hungarian national history and a National Gallery displaying the country’s finest art collection. Beside the Royal Palace, atop a plateau overlooking the city, there’s a series of gardens, squares and terraces, bedecked with plants, fountains and cafes, which together form a lovely place to while away an afternoon during the warmer months. From this vantage point you can see down onto the city’s parliament building, perching on the far bank of the Danube, which takes the Gothic Revivalism of the UK’s Houses of Parliament and pushes it to a far wilder and grander conclusion. Delve into Pest, then, on that opposite bank, and you’ll plunge into a fabulously lively city. There are many bars, restaurants and pubs with a distinctive interior decor, friendly atmosphere and (for western pockets) exceptionally cheap alcohol, making them a delightful place to sit down and sup through a few drinks. This is another city flooded with cheap hostels, of which The Loft and Maverick are among the best.
Built at the turn of the 20th century, the Hungarian Parliament Building is a Budapest landmark.
Sometimes a tumultuous history can make for an exceptionally vibrant cultural scene, and this has definitely been the case with Berlin. Ever since its reunification, it’s been one of Europe’s best cities for backpackers, far cheaper than its counterpart capitals across the rest of western Europe. This scene is concentrated in the south-east of the city center, spread across the districts of Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Neukölln, which mix hip art galleries, music venues and bars with the best of the city’s Turkish street food. And if you want to delve into Berlin’s turbulent recent past, there are a host of really excellent museums at which to do so. The best of these cover the Soviet era (the Berlin Wall Monument, the Museum at Checkpoint Charlie); Nazism and WW2 (the Topography of Terror, the Berlin-Karlshorst Museum); and the experiences of Jewish people through that conflict and the centuries preceding it (the Jüdisches Museum, the Wannsee Conference Center).
The Berlin Cathedral, in the trendy neighborhood of Mitte, lit up in a colorful light display. Photo credit Gertrud K. CC SA.
Ios, one of the sun-drenched isles of the Cyclades group just off the south coast of Greece, has all the stunning scenery that you’d expect: rugged cliffs, rolling green hills, white-hued villages, and a fringe of sandy beaches, all encircled by the blue-green Mediterranean. But of its 2000 neighbors, Ios has long been the most popular destination with backpackers, known as a party island where the young and the broke can take advantage of the cheap and excellent food and alcohol. This party scene is concentrated in the main town of Hora – start in the main square, then let the currents of the night carry you through the winding streets and the plethora of bars surrounding it. The Greek Islands don’t have the array of low-price dorm-bed hostels characteristic of much of Europe, but there are some cheap hotels, and when it’s warm enough – that is, most of the year – then there are a handful of campsites, too.
A windmill on the Greek island of Ios.
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