Winter is approaching Asia, and with it the season of frozen lakes, steaming open-air baths, and towns that come alive once snow settles. According to digital travel platform Agoda, winter trips are shifting away from big-name resorts — where lift queues and lodging have both grown steeper — toward smaller places where the snow still feels like it belongs to the locals first. Agoda spotlights five spots across Asia where travelers can take in the season's sights, from fire festivals to frozen lakes.

Zao Onsen, Japan

Up in Yamagata, freezing wind and snow coat the conifers until they stand like hooded figures across the slopes — the juhyo, or snow monsters. On winter evenings they are lit from below, turning an ordinary ski field into something closer to a dream.

Taebaek, South Korea

Away from the Olympic crowds of Gangwon's better-known towns, Taebaek hosts a late-January snow festival built around hand-carved snow and ice sculptures, sledding hills, and mountain trails that lead to some of Korea's most reliable early-season powder.

Gulmarg, India

High in Kashmir, Gulmarg rides one of the world's loftiest cable cars up into wide, lightly tracked bowls. Mornings bring tea sellers and the smell of woodsmoke; afternoons bring long, quiet descents that few travelers outside the subcontinent have discovered.

Kanas, China

Tucked into the far north of Xinjiang near the Altai Mountains, Kanas turns almost silent in winter: a long glacial lake freezes over, snow piles onto the roofs of the old Tuvan villages, and smoke curls from log cabins where families still see out the season in the traditional way.

Sapa, Vietnam

Sapa is proof that snow in Southeast Asia isn't a myth. When cold air drops over the Hoàng Liên Son mountains, frost and the occasional dusting settle over the rice terraces, and the hill-tribe markets carry on trading in the mist, blankets and all.

Agoda's View

“Winter in Asia has so much to offer travelers willing to look a little further afield,” said Jay Lee, Regional Director, North Asia at Agoda. "From a snowy mountain village to a warming soak in an outdoor onsen, these destinations offer different ways to enjoy the season and experience local life. With Agoda's wide range of stays, travelers can find a base that suits their budget and make a winter escape their own."

Agoda says it offers over 6 million properties, more than 130,000 flight routes and a wide range of activities, which travelers can use to discover and plan their next winter escape on Agoda.com or the Agoda app.