A spectacular, serrated skyline of soaring towers and neon lights, Hong Kong is a vibrant, immersive metropolis and cultural hub. Dramatic harbour-front light shows transform the waterfront’s gleaming buildings into a colourful canvas – best seen from the Star Ferry, when the Symphony of Lights blares into life each evening. A city where future and tradition collides – perhaps best illustrated by the skyscrapers that feature gaping holes, designed to allow spirit dragons to soar from the hills to the waterfront unimpeded. View less Wander flowing shopping streets, wade through sprawling markets and soak up the neon glory of this one-of-a-kind city – which continues to reach for the sky. Hong Kong’s dense jumble of activity is one of its main appeals, but once you’ve felt the thrill of rising to towering observation decks, to see the soaring city from above, it’s surprisingly easy to find peace among Hong Kong’s intense urban wonders. Victoria Peak is the highest point and it offers staggering views down over the city and harbour. The Peak Tram funicular can ferry you to the top, to the vantage point which was historically adored by the rich for the cooler air found here, away from the busy bustle of the city streets. Many elaborate temples add a tranquil element to Hong Kong’s whirr, and Tin Hau temple has a surprisingly urban location, considering its dedication to the Goddess of the Sea. It did once occupy the shorefront, but the city’s growth saw land reclaimed from the sea around it, leaving the temple marooned inland. Having been leased to the British for 99 years, milky tea is a revered tradition here – enjoy your cup with a serving of local dim sum.While it’s easy to think all the bright lights are the sum of today’s Hong Kong, you need only walk or board a tram for the short jaunt west into Western to discover a side of Hong Kong that is more traditionally Chinese but no less high-energy. You’ll discover the real Hong Kong to the east of Central, too, in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and beyond. Amid the residential towers are restaurants, shopping malls, bars, convention centers, a nice smattering of museums, and—depending on fate and the horse you wager on—one of Hong Kong’s luckiest or unluckiest spots, the Happy Valley Racecourse. Kowloon sprawls across a generous swath of the Chinese mainland across Victoria Harbour from Central. Tsim Sha Tsui, at the tip of Kowloon peninsula, is packed with glitzy shops, first-rate museums, and eye-popping views of the skyline across the water. Just to the north are the teeming market streets of Mong Kok and in the dense residential neighborhoods beyond, two of Hong Kong’s most enchanting spiritual sights, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chi Lin Nunnery. As you navigate this huge metropolis (easy to do on the excellent transportation network), keep in mind that streets are usually numbered odd on one side, even on the other. There’s no baseline for street numbers and no block-based numbering system, but street signs indicate building numbers for any given block.

Located on the north coast of Taiwan, and embraced by lush green mountains, Keelung City is Taiwan’s second-biggest port and a major gateway to Taipei’s glittering lights and spectacular skyscrapers. It can get a little damp here at times – the city is known as the ‘Rainy Port’ after all – but even the elements fail to dampen the spirits in this Taiwanese hotbed of tradition, modernity and rich culture. View less Keelung is famous for its Mid-Summer Ghost festival – when dragons decorated with flowers and spitting pyrotechnics are paraded through the streets. Flickering lanterns glitter on the water’s waves, creating a beautiful, ethereal scene. If you do linger in Keelung, witness the city coming to life as the sun dips – and Keelung Miaokou night market floods with people below a blinding wash of lights. Most will choose to take the ride to the country’s capital, Taipei, and visit this mesmerising modern city, which blends influences from around the world. A quirky city of museums and countless bustling markets. Stands and stalls work late into the night, serving up every food you can imagine. Wander between the salivating smells and rising flames of open fires, which cook up everything from fried oysters to chicken and fish pastries – as you ride the all-out sensory assault of the city’s bustling markets. Incredible temples are sprinkled across Taipei, such as Bao-An Temple, a peaceful, incense-infused place of colourful artistry. The country’s heritage is reflected in towering new architecture like the tiered pagoda of the Taipei 101 skyscraper, which dominates the skyline from every angle.

The city sprawls eastward from Manila Bay. Its streets range from multi-lane boulevards to maze-like alleys. In this metropolis of 12 million, the contrast between spacious well-maintained elite communities like Forbes Park and overcrowded slum areas such as Tondo is immense. Occupied over the decades by the Spanish, Americans, British and Japanese, East now meets West, giving the city its unique character. The Walled City, a medieval fortified town, was the heart and soul of the country for more than 300 years. This city fortress, surrounded by moats and turreted walls 30 feet thick, was known as Intramuros. Only members of the Castilian upper class, friars, soldiers and government administrators were privileged to live inside the walls; natives had to live in the outlying boroughs.

The city sprawls eastward from Manila Bay. Its streets range from multi-lane boulevards to maze-like alleys. In this metropolis of 12 million, the contrast between spacious well-maintained elite communities like Forbes Park and overcrowded slum areas such as Tondo is immense. Occupied over the decades by the Spanish, Americans, British and Japanese, East now meets West, giving the city its unique character. The Walled City, a medieval fortified town, was the heart and soul of the country for more than 300 years. This city fortress, surrounded by moats and turreted walls 30 feet thick, was known as Intramuros. Only members of the Castilian upper class, friars, soldiers and government administrators were privileged to live inside the walls; natives had to live in the outlying boroughs.

“Dramatic rock protrusions rear from turquoise sea – while endless sweeps of golden sand, and underwater worlds of colourful life – make Coron a place that you can’t help but dive into. A snorkeler and scuba diver’s paradise, ghostly shipwrecks lie below the glorious waters here, swirling with life and stories. With complex coral reefs, towering cliffs, and turquoise waters blotched with emerald greens, Coron is a vibrant and revitalising escape of spectacular islands and pristine beaches. With limestone cliffs jutting into the air, Kayangan Lake is already beautiful enough from the surface – but it’s a whole other world in the depths of the freshwater lake. Dive in to see the underlying world in all of its colourful glory, or sail across the surface and observe the beauty through the glass-like water. Elsewhere, Lake Barracuda is a unique diving experience, where you can swim among a swirl of intertwining fresh and saltwater and feel the sudden shifts in temperature as you move. Experienced divers should head out to the dozens of ghostly Japanese wrecks that have lain still on these sea-beds ever since they were sunken by a US air assault, as the Pacific War raged. All of that swimming, diving and beachside relaxation is hard work – so visit Maquinit Hot Springs to dissolve any stresses in the thermally heated waters, which will poach any sore muscles back to health. A Buko Shake’s blend of coconut, milk and ice is always refreshing – especially when sipped on your choice of Coron’s isolated beach paradises.”

Home to a New Wonder of the World – the amazing underground river that flows close by – Palawan’s capital promises a relentless assault of natural glory. Founded by the Spanish in 1872, Puerto Princesa is one of the Philippines’s largest centres – but the Green City is also one of the country’s most spacious and lush. Whether it’s the innovative environmental credentials, or the dense vegetation clinging to scenic limestone cliffs nearby, Puerto Princesa welcomes you to a rich, green, and astonishingly beautiful corner of the world. View less The underground river of glowing emerald water slices into the limestone rock and runs through inky darkness for five miles, amid dark stalactites and elaborate natural rock sculptures. A subterranean wonder, sail into the cave in a canoe to witness this UNESCO World Heritage Site firsthand and explore a gaping interior, where bats flutter overhead. The scenery is just as impressive above the earth, with tropical beaches and rainforest-cloaked waterfalls nearby. Travel between attractive bays and islands, alive with diverse flora, as well as monkeys and monitor lizards wandering freely. Island hop the stunning sandy isles that pepper the turquoise water of Honda Bay, to investigate characterful idylls that beg to be snorkelled, surrounded by seawater stocked with starfish. Puerto Princesa itself is dotted with cultural and historical sites – including the harrowing World War II history of Plaza Cuartel. Where a massacre of American soldiers took place. Elsewhere, you can visit the thought-provoking Iwahig Prison and Penal Colony – which aims to reform prisoners through farming and agricultural practices. Head for the Baywalk to try some local foods, and to soak up the palm-lined waterfront atmosphere.