Busan, South Korea – Best Destination in Asia, according to Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet have announced their Top Ten Asian destinations for 2018. Only one entry for Thailand – Chiang Mai.
The South Korean portside city of Busan has won the top gong as the best destination in Asia 2018 by the influential travel blog. Busan is described as a “confluence of scenery, culture and cuisine.”
It’s long been domestically lauded as the country’s best beach getaway, but South Korea’s second largest city packs an eclectic offering of activities to suit all travellers
This is the third edition of Lonely Planet’s “Best in Asia” list – a list of ten destinations it rates as worthy of your tourist money from right around the Asian sphere.
The city also tops the Best in Asia list for offering travelers an “eclectic offering of activities, from hikes up to Buddhist temples and hot springs to seafood feasts at the largest fish market in the country.”
Busan is the second-largest in South Korea after Seoul.
In second spot, a surprise emerging travel destination, is Uzbekistan, with its “dreamy mosaic-clad mosques and Silk Road lore.”
“In late 2017, Uzbekistan took huge strides in opening up to tourism, announcing visa-free and e-visa schemes, new air routes and also extensions to its shiny high-speed rail network, making access to its collection of jewelled architecture and ancient cities easier than ever.”
In third place is Vietnam’s southern capital, Ho Chi Minh City – no surprise to anyone who have visited it recently.
“Aging apartment blocks are being colonised by vintage clothes stores and independent coffee shops, innovative breweries like Heart of Darkness and East West Brewing are fuelling one of the best craft beer scenes in Southeast Asia, and a selection of eclectic venues are strengthening the local music scene.”
PHOTO: Lonely Planet
Here are the top 10 destinations in the Lonely Planet “Best in Asia 2018” list…
1. Busan, South Korea
2. Uzbekistan
3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
4. Western Ghats, India
5. Nagasaki, Japan
6. Chiang Mai, Thailand
7. Lumbini, Nepal
8. Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
9. Sichuan Province, China
10. Komodo National Park, Indonesia
For the full list visit the Lonely Planet story HERE.
