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Voykit pocket guide · Cambodia

Battambang

បាត់ដំបង

Stop in Battambang for a night or two for its French-era streets, the bamboo train and countryside day trips, on the road between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Battambang is Cambodia's second-largest city by population, set in the north-west rice-growing plain along the Sangkae river. Its riverside old quarter of French-colonial shophouses, a well-known bamboo train and nearby caves and temples make it a quieter, less touristed alternative to Siem Reap. Most visitors use it as an overnight stop rather than a base.

Phnom PenhSihanoukvilleBattambang100 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Cambodia
Local name
បាត់ដំបង
Best months
Nov–Feb (cooler and dry, best for the countryside day trips)
Avoid
Mar–May (very hot) and Jun–Oct (rain turns rural roads to mud)
Stay
1–2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
US dollars for hotels, tours and restaurants; riel (KHR, about 4,000 to the dollar) for change and small street purchases.
SIM and data
Smart, Cellcard and Metfone sell tourist SIMs at the airports with passport registration; a week of data costs a few dollars.
Emergency
Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 119 · Tourist police Check locally
Plugs
Types A, C, G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US and round European pins; newer hotels have UK-style type G.
Tipping
Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Round up or leave US$1–2 where no service charge is added.; Tuk-tuk: Round up; US$2–5 extra for a full Angkor day.; Guide day: US$5–10 per person.; Massage: US$1–2 per hour.
Water
Not drinkable from the tap. Bottled water everywhere; many hotels have refill stations.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels, restaurants and at the Angkor ticket office and main temples; squat toilets with a hose or scoop on the road. Paper goes in the bin in older places.

Get around

The old quarter is walkable; tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis (often arranged as a half-day countryside loop) reach the bamboo train, Phnom Sampov and the outlying temples. The nearest airport is at Siem Reap, about 3 hours away by road; buses and shared taxis connect Battambang to both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

See and do

Known for

  • French colonial shophouses along the riverside old quarter
  • The bamboo train (norry) at O Dambong
  • Phnom Sampov's caves and killing-cave memorial
  • The dusk bat exodus from Phnom Sampov's caves
  • Phare Ponleu Selpak circus performances
  • Countryside temples Wat Ek Phnom and Wat Banan

Sleep

Riverside old quarter
Walkable to cafes, galleries, the market and the night market.

Language

Khmer is not tonal but has many vowels and its own script. English is common in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh tourist trades; French survives among older people. Taxi and tuk-tuk drivers work from map pins, not written addresses.

  • 'Suosdey' (hello), 'arkoun' (thank you), 'tlay ponmaan?' (how much?).
  • Telegram is the main messaging app for businesses, drivers and guides.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Sampeah (palms together, slight bow); higher hands for elders and monks; avoid: Firm handshakes with older women
  • Head and feet: Keep feet down and pointed away from people and Buddha images; avoid: Touching heads, even children's
  • Temples: Shoes and hat off inside, shoulders and knees covered; avoid: Sitting with feet toward the Buddha; women touching monks
  • Keeping face: Stay calm and smile when things go wrong; avoid: Shouting or public anger
  • Giving and receiving: Use the right hand or both hands; avoid: Tossing money or objects
  • Photos: Ask first, especially of monks and at memorials; avoid: Selfies at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek

Scams and watch-outs

  • Countryside roads to the temples and caves turn muddy or become hard to pass in the rainy season.
  • Unexploded ordnance from past conflicts is still found in rural parts of Cambodia: stay on marked paths outside town.
  • Phare Ponleu Selpak's circus shows run on limited nights and sell out: book ahead rather than turning up.
  • ATMs are sparse outside the town centre: carry enough cash before a countryside day trip.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Battambang yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • French colonial shophouses along the riverside old quarter
  • The bamboo train (norry) at O Dambong
  • Phnom Sampov's caves and killing-cave memorial
  • The dusk bat exodus from Phnom Sampov's caves
  • Phare Ponleu Selpak circus performances
  • Countryside temples Wat Ek Phnom and Wat Banan

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Battambangបាត់ដំបង

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/battambang). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.