Battambang is Cambodia’s second-largest city, a relaxed riverside town in the northwest that is one of the country’s best-preserved French colonial centers and a rising arts hub. Far quieter than Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, it rewards visitors with authentic provincial life, early-20th-century shophouses, and a creative spirit.
The town’s most iconic experience is the bamboo train (norry), a flat bamboo platform on rail wheels that rattles through rice paddies on disused colonial tracks. Nearby, the hilltop Phnom Sampeau is famous for its sobering Killing Caves and the nightly spectacle of millions of bats streaming from a cave at dusk, while the pre-Angkorian temple of Wat Banan crowns a hill 358 steps high. The acclaimed Phare Ponleu Selpak circus is a highlight.
The best time to visit is the cool, dry season from November to February.
