Asia Cruise Destinations

Asia cruise holidays offer something far beyond the norms of western life; a true taste of an entirely different culture (or even several). Asia cruises offer exotic foods, breathtaking sights and sounds and an experience that won't be forgotten in a hurry. But where exactly does an "Asia cruise" go to? Asia is a big place! Well, the truth is that Asia cruises are more of a category than a specific holiday and the range of destinations and different adventures available is limited almost exclusively by which cities a cruise ship can dock at. Some extended Asia cruises even include destinations not usually considered Asia at all such as Australia!

Asia cruise destinations usually include primarily areas in the Far East. These are places such as China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea.

China: Hong Kong, Shanghai

Experience the real China with a cruise to Hong Kong or Shanghai. These bustling cities offer a taste of the Far East like no others. Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial capitals, functioning with it's own political system relatively separate from the rest of China and even it's own money (the Hong Kong dollar). Due to the extremely dense population, Hong Kong is also the world's most vertical city, with more sky scrapers than New York. The views at night with Hong Kong's expansive skyline and vertical structures blooming with lights is absolutely breathtaking.

Shanghai is another of the world's most populous cities, even more so than Hong Kong, which makes it a kind of epicenter for commerce, fashion and culture, throughout China and worldwide. Often described as the "show piece" of China, Shanghai is a hot spot for tourism thanks in large part to it's world famous landmarks such as the City God Temple.

Japan: Yokohama, Hiroshima

The Japanese have until very recently been relatively closed off from the outside world and this shows in the rich cultural aspects of their towns and cities. Yokohama was originally just a small fishing village up until the mid-1800's and yet, thanks largely to the opening of a port for trading with America and Great Britain, is now by population the second largest city in Japan.

Hiroshima is a tribute to the perseverance of the Japanese having been rebuilt entirely after WWII when an atom bomb was dropped on it. Hiroshima and nearby city Nagasaki are the only cities in the world to quite literally have experienced an apocalyptic event. After the bombing the city of Hiroshima was declared a City of Peace and a memorial park was constructed. It is now one of the most favored places in the world for political summits and talks on social issues. There are many sights to be seen in Hiroshima including the memorial and several Art museums. The city also has a professional symphony orchestra.

Other Locations

Of course, this is just a small sampling of what China and Japan have to offer, and we haven't even started on Thailand or the many other popular Asia cruise destinations. The best thing to do is to seriously research each location mentioned on a particular cruise and weigh up which cities you would like to visit the most.