Nagoya is Japan’s fourth largest city, though it remains well off the radar of most tourists, overshadowed by nearby Tokyo and Kyoto. The city is an important manufacturing hub, home to companies including Toyota and Lexus, and sights include a fascinating railway museum featuring maglev and ‘shinkansen’ bullet trains.

Small in size and cosmopolitan in its outlook, Kobe is a thoroughly pleasant city with a long and distinguished history as one of Japan’s main trading ports. Kobe’s past as a commercial hub is reflected in its architecture, with a number of unusually European-looking houses, as well as a charming, if slightly touristy, Chinatown.

On 6 August 1945 the world witnessed the terrifying power of nuclear weapons for the first time, unleashed on the unsuspecting Japanese city of Hiroshima. The modern city's sobering Peace Memorial Park commemorates that fateful day, which left more than 140,000 dead.

The friendly southern Japanese city of Kagoshima enjoys a balmy climate, and sits just across the bay from the very active Sakurajima volcano, which erupts so regularly that an ‘ash forecast’ is included in local weather reports.

Booming Shanghai has long been China’s most outward-looking, cosmopolitan city, as evidenced by the fascinating mixture of European and Asian architecture. The Bund, a riverfront promenade flanked by grand colonial era buildings, is the city's most famous thoroughfare, while the Pudong financial district lights up the city skyline at night with its futuristic towers.

Naha is the capital of Okinawa prefecture, a subtropical region of southern Japan with its own distinct culture. The city is a bustling commercial centre despite being flattened during the Second World War, and the architectural highlight is the elegant Shuri Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Keelung is a fairly unremarkable port city close to Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. Taipei draws on an interesting mix of Chinese, Japanese and Western influences, and is home to attractive temples, a burgeoning street food scene and Taipei 101, which was the world's tallest building until it was eclipsed by Dubai's Burj Khalifa in 2010.

Kaohsiung is Taiwan’s second largest city and one of the world’s largest container ports, situated on the south west coast of the island. Formerly a rather grim industrial centre, the city has been transformed in recent years, with new parks, cafés, galleries and museums popping up all over the place.

Hong Kong is a striking mix of ancient and modern, Chinese and British, and there is a lot more to the city than just skyscrapers and high finance. It's also a fantastic destination for foodies, a melting pot of culinary influences from around Asia and beyond.

Wander along the perfumed streets of Hanoi’s atmospheric Old Quarter and you could almost forgive yourself for thinking you’d travelled back in time, were it not for the beeping, buzzing morass of motorcycles zipping past.

China is not usually associated with beach holidays, but the island of Hainan, billed as ‘China’s Hawaii’, aims to challenge those preconceptions. It’s fair to say that there’s still a fair way to go, but the beaches around Sanya are pleasant enough, and the rapidly developing skyline is a sight in itself.

The port of Chan May is close to a number of central Vietnam's star attractions. Just to the north lies Hue and its crumbling Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while to the south is the city of Da Nang, a major US airbase during the Vietnam War, and pretty Hoi An, a dreamy tropical haze of teetering merchant houses, bustling markets and Chinese temples.

Saigon, as it was known then, was the capital of the South during the Vietnam War, and American-style capitalism has been embraced more enthusiastically here than in the North, with a clutch of shining skyscrapers standing as testament to Vietnam’s surging economic growth.

Singapore’s heritage as an important trading post means that there is a real cultural mix, with four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Step away from the gleaming towers and you’ll find yourself transported into another world amongst the intoxicating streets of Chinatown and Little India.

Attracting everyone from budget backpackers to ostentatious oligarchs, Koh Samui is one of Thailand’s most popular islands. It’s no surprise, given the truly stunning beaches, but the more developed areas such as Chaweng have lost a lot of their charm, so head for the quieter south and west if you can.

Thailand’s sprawling capital is an assault on the senses, an invigorating blend of tradition and modernity. Soaring skyscrapers, air-conditioned shopping malls and an efficient public transport system combine with shimmering golden temples, ancient palaces, floating markets and at times gridlocked rush hour traffic.

Attracting everyone from budget backpackers to ostentatious oligarchs, Koh Samui is one of Thailand’s most popular islands. It’s no surprise, given the truly stunning beaches, but the more developed areas such as Chaweng have lost a lot of their charm, so head for the quieter south and west if you can.

The port of Malacca has a rich multicultural heritage, a product of its history as an important trading hub. Over the years the Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch and British all held sway here, which is reflected today in the city’s eclectic architecture and unique cuisine.

Malaysia’s capital is a hot and humid cultural melting pot, defined by its distinctive Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. The dazzling Petronas Towers are KL’s most recognisable landmark, while at street level you’ll find temples and mosques, elegant colonial buildings and bustling markets.

The Malaysian island of Penang is a fascinating blend of East and West, far more than just a beach destination. Lovely Georgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to British colonial architecture, crumbling Chinese shophouses and incense-perfumed temples.

Laid-back Langkawi boasts some of Malaysia’s finest beaches, and it’s a place where the traditional kampung (village) way of life survives in spite of the island’s development as a tourist destination. It’s also a popular spot for snorkelling and scuba diving thanks to the clarity of the surrounding waters.

As well as a plethora of luxury resorts, Phuket has a charming old town replete with pretty Sino-Portuguese architecture, and acts as a jump-off point for exploring nearby islands and coastline. Koh Phing Pan, better known as James Bond Island, and Ko Phi Phi are breathtakingly beautiful, as are the limestone formations that surround Krabi.

Singapore’s heritage as an important trading post means that there is a real cultural mix, with four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Step away from the gleaming towers and you’ll find yourself transported into another world amongst the intoxicating streets of Chinatown and Little India.

Surabaya, situated on the northeast coast of Java, is Indonesia’s second largest city and the place where the country’s struggle for independence began. The warren-like Arab Quarter is worth exploring, though many visitors use the city as a base for visiting nearby Mount Bromo.

The beaches, spectacular volcanic scenery and lush green rice terraces lend Bali a natural beauty that seems to dovetail perfectly with the island’s distinct Hindu culture, which adorns the landscape with stunning temples.

Komodo Island is situated within an area of spectacular natural beauty, home to the famous Komodo dragon. The stunning beaches are tinged with pink thanks to the high concentration of red coral just offshore, and the waters draw intrepid divers from all over the world.

For travellers by ship, Broome is the gateway to the extraordinary Kimberley region, but that’s not all. It is also the pearling capital of Australia and boasts fantastic white sand beaches and memorable sunsets.

Situated at the tip of the North West Cape in Western Australia, the tourist town of Exmouth is the gateway to the Ningaloo Reef marine reserve. This is a spectacular place to snorkel, and the reef’s most famous visitors are the whale sharks that pass through here between April and July.

The capital of Western Australia, Perth sits in glorious isolation on the shores of the Indian Ocean, where the Swan River meets the sea. Laid back and relaxed, this must be one of the most easy-going capital cities in the world, with everything within easy reach.

Situated to the south of Perth on the west coast of Australia, the seaside town of Busselton is the gateway to the Margaret River wine region. Situated on the sandy shores of Geographe Bay, the town is best known for its remarkable wooden jetty, which stretches over a mile out to sea.

The historic port of Albany was the first European settlement in Western Australia, and the town still has plenty of photogenically faded colonial architecture. Albany sits on Princess Royal Harbour, one of the world’s best natural deep water harbours, and the surrounding coastline is spectacular.

Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third biggest island, situated to the south west of Adelaide. It’s a rural and underdeveloped place, with an abundance of wildlife and some spectacular scenery, such as the weird, weather-sculpted boulders of Flinders Chase National Park.

Residents of Adelaide still take pride in the fact that their city was freely settled rather than founded as a penal colony, and the city traditionally had a reputation as a stuffy and pious sort of place. Adelaide has moved on, however, and these days it’s a thriving cultural hub with a superb culinary scene.

Culturally sophisticated and fashionably hip, Melbourne combines edgy street art with gold rush era architecture while offering excellent restaurants and top museums. If you have time, check out some of Victoria's other attractions, including the beautiful 12 Apostles and the excellent wines of the Yarra Valley.

Situated on Tasmania’s northwest coast, Burnie is an important industrial centre, though in recent years the city has been reinventing itself as a creative hub. Watch local artisans at work at the Makers Workshop, learn about the city’s industrial history at the Burnie Regional Museum, or take a trip out into the scenic surrounding countryside.

One or our favourite cities in the world, we love pretty much everything about Sydney. Offering outdoor living at its best, the city is known for the excellent beaches but offers so much more, including a thriving and varied food scene inspired by Asian and European flavours.

Nouméa is the capital of New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific. The city is cosmopolitan and sophisticated, home to lovely little bistros and chic boutiques, providing quite a contrast to the rugged landscapes of the surrounding countryside.

Mystery Island, or Inyeug as it is known locally, is a small uninhabited island at the southern edge of the Vanuatu archipelago. There are no roads, no electricity and no hotels here, just idyllic white sands and tranquil tropical waters that are perfect for swimming and snorkelling.

Lautoka is Fiji’s second largest city, known as the ‘Sugar City’ due to its important role in the local sugarcane industry. The waterfront area is pleasant enough, but we’d recommend using Lautoka as a jumping off point to visit some of the smaller surrounding islands, or the forests and waterfalls of the interior.

Suva is Fiji’s bustling capital, situated on the southeast coast of Viti Levu on a fine natural harbour. This is one of the more attractive port cities in the South Pacific, with a handsome core of colonial buildings that hark back to the days when Fiji was an outpost of the British Empire. The colourful wooden buildings of Cumming Street are particularly pretty.

Nuku’Alofa, the ‘Abode of Love’, is the capital of Tonga, the last surviving Polynesian monarchy. The city's main attraction is the Royal Palace, an attractive wooden building dating back to 1867, while the island of Tongatapu offers wild beaches, cute villages and intriguing archaeological sites.

The Vava’u group of islands is part of the Kingdom of Tonga, the last surviving Polynesian monarchy and the only South Pacific nation never to have been colonised by Europeans. Vava’u is idyllic but also authentic, and is one of the best places in the region to see humpback whales during their annual migration between May and October.

Apia is the capital of Samoa, situated on the north coast of the island of Upolu. Highlights include the colourful markets and Robert Louis Stevenson's former house, now a museum, though you may just want to use the city as a jumping off point for the beautiful beaches located further along the coast.

The little fishing town of Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa, a rarely visited but utterly enchanting archipelago in the South Pacific. Pago Pago sits on a beautiful natural bay on the island of Tutuila, a lush and mountainous place where Polynesian traditions remain strong.

Surrounded by kaleidoscopic reefs, white sand beaches and beautifully blue waters, Rarotonga is exactly what most of us picture when we think of the South Pacific. The lagoon is ideally suited to snorkelling and scuba diving, while the island itself is home to ancient sacred sites and pretty coral churches.

Bora Bora is the very definition of idyllic, a diminutive Polynesian island dominated by rainforest-clad volcanic peaks, overlooking an electric blue lagoon ringed by coral reefs. The beaches and over-water bungalows are particularly popular with honeymooners, and the clear waters of the lagoon are perfect for snorkelling.

Huahine is perhaps the most beautiful of the Society Islands, and one of the least developed too. The laid back ambience means it’s impossible not to relax here, whether you’re on one of the gorgeous beaches or taking a stroll around the friendly village of Fare.

Mo’orea is one of the real highlights of the South Pacific, a picture perfect landscape of jagged green mountains and dazzling cobalt bays. The warm waters of the lagoon are perfect for a host of watersports, while the lush island interior can be easily explored by scooter or bicycle.