September is an interesting month for traveling to Asia because many of the most popular destinations are in their monsoon season or at least have heavy rain. Still, you’ll see in the list below that there are plenty of great choices with very good weather for the month. Fortunately we do have some really interesting choices of places that have good or very good weather in September, and in 2024 many of them are very cheap as well.
You’ll find beaches, islands, big cities, and historical areas on the list. Some of these are just coming out of a scorching summer and September is the first good month since late spring, while others are well suited to wet seasons and they can be great to visit even if you might face a quick afternoon rain storm a few times a week. It’s also worth nothing that a few of the places on the list below are near the equator so they are warm or hot every day of the year, and they tend to be designed well to handle it so it’s not as bad as you might fear.
Important September 2024 holidays in Asia
- September 2 – National Day in Vietnam
- September 15 and 16 – Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (major public holiday in some Muslim countries)
- September 16 – Malaysia Day (major public holiday in Malaysia)
- September 17 – Mid-Autumn Festival in China
11 Best destinations in Asia for September
Bali, Indonesia
- September avg high: 85F/29C
- September avg low: 76F/24C
- September avg precip: 1.6″/4.0cm
Bali highlights
- Great sandy beaches and very good surfing in many areas around the island
- Amazing temples and monuments, even in some of the popular tourist areas
- Shockingly cheap hotels that have local crafts and designs and are nicer than you expect
- Fascinating Hindu culture and music, with frequent public performances
- Excellent resorts in the quiet and purpose-built Nusa Dua area
Unlike nearly all of the rest of southern Asia, Bali has its dry season during the northern hemisphere summer months. This helps make Bali very popular this time of year so you can expect large crowds, but still things here are quite cheap by international standards and there are so many hotels that you will find something.
Of course Bali is slightly south of the equator, but only slightly so it’s the same temperature pretty much year round. In September you’ll have smaller crowds than in July and August, so it’s really an ideal month for a visit. If you don’t want to be surrounded by young Australian surfers and party-goers, look outside of the Kuta/Legian/Seminyak area.
Bali really struggled during the pandemic and it was closed down for a long time. It’s a slow recovery for tourism there and hotel room rates are very low once again in 2024.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $13 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $21 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $5 per person
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Kuta, Bali
>>>Bali prices and travel tips
Seoul, South Korea
- September avg high: 78F/26C
- September avg low: 62F/17C
- September avg precip: 5.4″/13.5cm
Seoul highlights
- Gyeongbokgung Palace
- K-Star Road and pop culture sights, especially for younger visitors
- Day trip to the DMZ, reserve well in advance
- Amazing and varied food and trendy drinks
- Myeong-dong shopping district
It’s still a bit rainy in Seoul in September, but the worst of it for the year is over and the temperatures are at least pleasant. If you come later in September you’ll probably be dry, and this huge and modern city is used to dealing with the rain anyway.
Seoul doesn’t get as much attention as it probably deserves, and part of it is that there are only four months each year with decent weather. September is one of those four, and October is as well, so don’t wait too long to plan your trip here. With the success of many K-pop acts and the Korean food craze gripping the US and Europe, Seoul is definitely becoming much more popular and deservedly so.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $43 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $83 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $11 per person
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Seoul, South Korea
>>>Seoul prices and travel tips
Singapore
- September avg high: 87F/31C
- September avg low: 76F/24C
- September avg precip: 7.0″/17.5cm
Singapore highlights
- Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino with its infinity pool on the top deck
- Orchard Road shopping district
- Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel
- Raffles Hotel, which is gorgeous and home of the Singapore Sling
- Hawker food centers for cheap and excellent local cuisine
Singapore is just barely north of the equator, and it’s hot and fairly humid every day of the year. September is not one of the rainier months, although it’s not one of the dryer months either. The good news is that this is a very modern and well organized city that is built for the heat and rain, so it’s easy to stay dry and cool most of the time.
Hotels in Singapore are now the most expensive in Asia, but many other things are still quite reasonably priced. Budget travelers should be aware that most of the cheaper hotel room in Singapore are those with no windows at all, and I personally can’t stand those. Food is excellent and surprisingly cheap if you eat at the famous hawker stalls all over the city. Alcohol can be expensive at sit-down places, but you often get a view and atmosphere that makes it very worthwhile.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $104 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $119 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $17 per person
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Singapore
>>>Singapore prices and travel tips
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- September avg high: 90F/32C
- September avg low: 74F/23C
- September avg precip: 7.6″/19.0cm
Kuala Lumpur highlights
- Interesting mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures
- Modern business district with elevated and air-conditioned pedestrian bridges
- Surpringly cheap 4-star hotels for a large Asian city
- Excellent food at very good prices, even in the tourist areas
- Impressive temples and cultural sights that are easy to reach
Almost everything we said about Singapore (above) also applies to Kuala Lumpur as well. It’s a bit farther north of the equator, but it’s still hot and humid every day of the year and the city is well built for it. In fact you can get between many hotels and shopping malls through tunnels or elevated and air conditioned walkways, so it’s not difficult to avoid the outside all day if you want or need to.
Weather aside, Kuala Lumpur is an amazing city that is the favorite among many seasoned travelers to Asia. The mix of cultures here is fascinating, and the food scene reflects that as well. Better still, Kuala Lumpur is a shockingly cheap city considering how modern and pleasant it is. You can get 4-star or 5-star hotels here for less than you’d pay for a 2-star hotel in Singapore on the same day.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $26 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $45 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $7 per person
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Kuala Lumpur
>>>Kuala Lumpur prices and travel tips
Malé, Maldives
- September avg high: 84F/29C
- September avg low: 77F/25C
- September avg precip: 7.8″/19.5cm
Maldives highlights
- Malé itself is tiny and only worth a quick look
- The Maldives has over 80 private-island resorts with water villas
- Turquoise lagoons at most resorts are beyond amazing
- Most islands have sandy beaches all the way around
- Excellent diving, snorkeling and water sports
While it may look like Malé is very rainy in September, it’s not really an issue. You don’t really want to visit Malé itself, but rather one of the private-island resorts spread all over the Maldives. September is a typical month on those islands in that you might get a few afternoon downpours each week, but they are over in 30 minutes and leave a wonderful sunset behind.
The main reason any one comes to the Maldives is that it’s the water villa capital of the world. The cheapest of the water villas starts at around US$400 per night for two people, but you can get an amazing Jacuzzi Water Villa for around US$600 per night at a few of the larger resorts.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $68 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $119 for two people
>>>Malé prices and travel tips
Delhi/New Delhi, India
- September avg high: 93F/34C
- September avg low: 74F/23C
- September avg precip: 4.7″/11.8cm
Delhi/New Delhi highlights
- Red Fort complex – unmissable
- India Gate and Lotus Temple
- Gateway to Taj Mahal in Agra (better than staying in Agra itself)
- Excellent and cheap street food and restaurant food
- Spice markets and other markets
The summer months in Delhi are very hot and rainy, and the beginning of September is a bit that way as well. But by the middle of the month it starts to get dry again, so it’s a good time to visit. New Delhi is actually just a small district within the huge city of Delhi, and it’s also the national capital as well, so it’s confusing at first.
Delhi has a long list of its own must-see attractions, but if you haven’t heard of those you will still be happy to know that this is where you’ll want to stage your visit to the Taj Mahal from. The Taj is located in the city of Agra and you can do a pleasant day trip there and back if you book on one of the early trains. Agra itself is not one of India’s more charming cities, so it’s best to just visit the Taj and head out again.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $17 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $78 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $11 per person
>>>Delhi/New Delhi prices and travel tips
Goa, India
- September avg high: 85F/29C
- September avg low: 75F/24C
- September avg precip: 9.7″/24.3cm
Goa highlights
- Excellent beaches
- Old Goa historic area
- Anjuna Flea Market – Famous hippie market
- Great and cheap Portuguese-inspired cuisine
- Beach parties and some of India’s cheapest alcohol
The summer in Goa is so awesomely rainy that it’s hard to believe, and no sane person would visit then. But by the middle of September it dries out again, so it’s an ideal time to visit before the crowds roll in starting the following month. This is a collection of beach towns as far as tourists are concerned, and each town has its own look and personality.
Goa is an excellent bargain once you get here, and it’s one of the few places in India that alcohol is not only widely available, but also cheap. Many of the towns in Goa are known for their beach parties and dance music. Vagator and Anjuna are the most famous of those, but nearby towns such as Calangute are far more family oriented.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $29 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $44 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $7 per person
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Goa, India
>>>Goa prices and travel tips
Nha Trang, Vietnam
- September avg high: 87F/31C
- September avg low: 78F/26C
- September avg precip: 6.1″/15.3cm
Nha Trang highlights
- A long, sandy beach
- Beach massages at very affordable prices
- Long Son Pagoda and Long Son Pagoda
- Po Nagar Cham Towers
- Cheap hotels and excellent Vietnamese and international food
The main cities in Vietnam are just ending their rainy season in September, and the beach town of Nha Trang isn’t exactly dry, but this place is worth knowing about and considering. This might be the cheapest of Asia’s beach resort towns, at least among the ones with many hotels and a big sandy beach.
Nha Trang doesn’t offer many cultural sights, although it does have a few. This is really just a place to come to enjoy the warm weather on the beach while paying shockingly low hotel rates. There are even many expat restaurants near the beach for those who easily tire of the excellent Vietnamese food at every other place.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $15 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $20 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $6 per person
>>>Nha Trang prices and travel tips
Beijing, China
- September avg high: 78F/26C
- September avg low: 59F/15C
- September avg precip: 1.8″/4.5cm
Beijing highlights
- Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in the middle of the city
- Nearby sections of the Great Wall are easy to reach by bus or car
- Palace Museum is one of Asia’s finest
- Amazing and highly varied food and drink culture
- Hutongs (ancient alleyways) to see what Beijing used to be like
After a very hot and rainy summer, Beijing gets very nice all of a sudden in September. The air quality is a different matter, but at least the days are warm and the nights are mild. Many people visit China on package tours that also include Xi’an and Shanghai (both below), but you can visit Beijing pretty easily on your own if you want to.
Those tours of three or more cities do actually come out cheaper than an independent visit in most cases, including the small group tours that limit to no more than 18 people. Either way, Beijing is a travel bargain by international standards, and there are many checklist attractions here and nearby. Here’s how to decide whether to book a China tour or plan it yourself.
Tourism by foreigners into China is still way down since 2019, even though domestic tourism is doing well again. Visas for China are complicated and it sounds like most people are going elsewhere now that international tensions have risen in recent years.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $59 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $74 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $13 per person
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Beijing
>>>Beijing prices and travel tips
Shanghai, China
- September avg high: 81F/27C
- September avg low: 69F/21C
- September avg precip: 5.4″/13.5cm
Shanghai highlights
- Probably the world’s coolest and most interesting skyline
- The Bund (riverside walk) for river and skyline views
- Observation decks at a few different towers and skyscapers
- Nanjing Road shopping district and the French Concession
- Traditional Chinatown area (seriously)
Since Shanghai is south of Beijing and also on the water, the rainy season goes a little longer so early in September you might get a bit of rain here. Still, the city is used to it and it’s easy to find cover in a hurry if you need to.
Shanghai is famously much more modern than Beijing in many ways, so it’s best to visit both of them to get a glimpse of the older China and the newer China at the same time. Some things in Shanghai are a bit more expensive than in Beijing, especially when it comes to hotels, but it’s still cheap by most standards. Check our review of the Go Shanghai Card as a way to probably save money if you are doing the main attractions.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $43 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $54 for two people
- Hostel dorm beds in September from $14 per person
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Shanghai
>>>Shanghai prices and travel tips
Xi’an, China
- September avg high: 78F/26C
- September avg low: 60F/16C
- September avg precip: 3.5″/8.8cm
Xi’an highlights
- Terracotta Warriors tour
- City walls tour or walk
- Drum Tower and Bell Tower, both in the city center
- Great Mosque of Xi’an and cheap street food in Muslim Quarter
- Very reasonable hotels and food
Until you start researching a trip to China you might never have heard of Xi’an, unless you paid close attention when you saw a TV show about the famous Terracotta Warriors here. This is easily the third most visited destination in China by Western tourists, and the pleasant September weather should be another reason to add it to yours.
Most things in Xi’an are a bit cheaper than even in Beijing, but the admission to the Terracotta Warriors exhibition is justifiably a bit pricey. China is so large and diverse that it’s ideal to visit different areas on your first trip if you can, and Xi’an is the obvious third choice. By the way, don’t come to Xi’an to experience a smaller town in China, as this place has over 12 million people and it stretches on and on and on.
- Good 3-star hotels in September from $60 for two people
- Good 4-star hotels in September from $62 for two people
>>>Check current hotel promotions for Xi’an
>>>Xi’an prices and travel tips