Cheap flights to Asia

Given the climate variations across the continent, you need to check each country for the best time to visit. Tropical Southeast Asia is typically hot and sticky year-round, with plenty of rain and seasonal monsoons in different regions at different times. Stick to the dry season as much as possible. Generally speaking, the best months to visit India and Sri Lanka are from November to March – avoid the monsoon season (May to September). Japan is beautiful between March and May when cherry blossoms bloom. Although the weather is mostly pleasant late August and September, it is also their typhoon season. In the Philippines, it is also lovely March to May, but from June to October comes the wet monsoon season. Russia gets bitterly cold during the long winter (November to early April) and unbearably hot in summer. The UAE is generally warm year-round, except for August, when temperatures reach the mid-high 40s.

Since Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo are all coastal cities, you could consider a boat cruise around the various ports. In Tokyo, you'll find that it's well connected by public transport, especially by train, to the rest of the country. Mumbai is also well-connected to the rest of India by train, while Hong Kong has a fast link train to mainland China. The quickest way to travel between major cities is to fly, due to the long distances. Book in advance to find cheap flights to Asia so that you can plan journeys between cities with Asia airfares.

Where do you begin? Check out how much there is to do when you book flights to Asia. Even if you're a Jo'burger, the enormity of Tokyo will overwhelm you. Consider a trip in the northern hemisphere spring to take in the cherry blossoms that the country is famed for. If nuclear energy interests you, then the city of Hiroshima should be on your bucket list. The Genbaku (Atomic) Dome and surrounding peace park are meant to remind you of life's many blessings. Take a trip on the Shinkansen – the Japanese bullet train that was the first of its kind in the world.

When you're flying to Asia, most flights will have multiple stopovers due to the long distance from South Africa. You might consider visiting three cities when you book flights to Asia: Mumbai in India, Hong Kong, an SAR in China, and Tokyo in Japan. Apart from flights to Hong Kong, there are no direct flights to these cities from Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban. When you compare flights to Asia from Jozi, you can expect one stop in either Dubai or Doha. Emirates offers direct non-stop flights from OR Tambo (JNB), Cape Town International (CPT) and King Shaka (DUR) to Dubai International (DXB). From there, it's a flight to Mumbai, Tokyo or Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific offers direct flights from Johannesburg to Hong Kong and to Singapore with a single stopover at Changi (SIN). Using Emirates as your yardstick for calibrating your cheap flights to Asia, flight times to Tokyo will be about 22h 40min from JNB, approximately 25h from CPT, and around 22h from DUR.

In most cases, you will need a visa. Even though Hong Kong is part of China, it's a special administrative region, so Saffers don't need a visa to travel to Hong Kong. English is widely spoken as Hong Kong was a British colony for many years. If you plan to visit Macau, you won't need a visa, but you will need one to enter China. Japan and India also both require visas, and your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date of return.

Yes, flights with stopovers are often cheaper than direct flights. Keep an eye out for flight deals to Asia on Cheapflights that require 1 or 2 stops for potential cost savings.

Based on reviews from Cheapflights users, Singapore Airlines is rated the highest out of the airlines that fly to Asia.

Bangkok Don Mueang Intl is currently the cheapest airport to fly to in Asia. One-way flights to Bangkok Don Mueang Intl typically cost R235, while return flights cost around R718.

A return flight to Asia will typically cost around R1 268, however they can be found for as little as R962.

For those looking to save time traveling to Asia, Johannesburg offers the quickest one-way flight (10 hours 35 minutes).

Yes. Those touching down at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi can take advantage of the car hire services offered upon their arrival.

Yes. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi has hotels nearby for those requiring accommodations. Louis Tavern Dayrooms At Suvarnabhumi Airport is the closest property to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (0,0 km away from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi).