Cambodia attractions

Refurbished in 2018, the 5-acre (2-hectare) War Museum Cambodia is devoted to the weapons of Cambodia’s many conflicts. The collection, which you’re allowed to handle, runs from tanks and fighter planes to small arms and rocket launchers. One room focuses on the landmines that have caused such suffering in Cambodia.

One of the Roluos Group, a cluster of temples surrounding an early capital of the Khmer empire, Preah Ko is a small brick-built temple with six sanctuaries. Indravarman I built it in the late ninth century and originally dedicated it to Shiva. Its name means “sacred ox,” and you can still see statues of Nandi, the bull that Shiva rides.

Landmines left over from Cambodia’s many conflicts still kill dozens of locals a year. The Cambodia Landmine Museum, founded by former child soldier Aki Ra, shows the horrors of this national curse. The small, largely open-air museum reopened in January 2019 after a fire led to its closure.

Rising out of the jungle in remote northwestern Cambodia, the crumbling 12th-century temple of Banteay Chhmar is as mysterious as it is inaccessible. Located about 2.5 hours from Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Banteay Chhmar was built by King Jayarvarman VII, and bears more than a passing similarity to its sister temple, Bayon, though without any of the crowds.

South of Siem Reap and the major Angkor temples, hilltop Phnom Krom Temple (Prasat Phnom Krom) was built during the reign of Yasovarman I, who moved the Khmer capital to Angkor. Three ruined towers and an active monastery stand atop a hill with sweeping views across Tonlé Sap lake and the West Baray reservoir. It’s a popular sunset spot.

Lined with bars, clubs, and restaurants, Pub Street is Siem Reap’s after-dark hotspot. Here, tourists and locals sip Angkor beer, purchase Cambodian treats from street vendors, get their feet rubbed at roadside parlors, and dance the night away. It can be crowded, loud, and a little wild, but for many visitors that’s precisely the draw.

The 10th-century Khmer king Harshavarman I likely built the 43-foot-high (13-meter-high) brick pyramid temple Baksei Chamkrong in honor of his parents, who founded Phnom Bakheng. There’s not a great deal to see here, but the pyramid strikingly proportioned with four ascending tiers. The top sanctuary has finely detailed lintel carving and false doors.

Believed to have been built during King Suryavarman II’s reign in the first half of the 12th century, Wat Athvea is one of several Hindu temples around Siem Reap that remain shrouded in mystery. Less visited than the nearby temples of Angkor, it’s a worthwhile detour for those looking to escape the crowds.

One of a set of three early hilltop temples built by Yasovarman I, who reigned 889–910, Phnom Bok Temple sits away from the main Angkorian monuments, on the route to Banteay Srei. It’s a small temple with towers, the ruins of two libraries, and the remains of a 13-foot-tall (4-meter-tall) lingam (phallic symbol). Most people come here for the views.

With everything from handicrafts to fresh produce, Siem Reap’s Old Market (Phsar Chas draws a mixed crowd of locals and tourists. While there’s plenty of souvenir shopping to do here—look for hand-woven, colorful silks—the market is also a fascinating snapshot of daily life in Siem Reap, complete with vendors hawking deep-fried bugs.

Since it opened in 2007, Angkor Night Market has become one of Siem Reap’s most popular attractions. Cambodia’s first night market, the gigantic open-air venue has more than 240 shops, stalls, street food vendors, bars, and restaurants.

The Siem Reap Art Center Night Market is open from morning until late in the evening, but it is more of a night market than an art center. Close to the Old Market (Phsar Chaa or Phsar Chas), the site boasts a wealth of stalls selling crafts, souvenirs, the obligatory elephant pants, and snacks.

With programs to rescue and breed endangered wildlife, the nonprofit Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB has a mission to educate the local community and visitors alike. Knowledgeable staff share information about wildlife conservation and tend to rescue animals living in well-tended enclosures.

A somber, sacred spot, the Phnom Sampeau Killing Caves pay tribute to the victims of a Khmer Rouge massacre. Killers bludgeoned men, women, and children above, then hurled their bodies through a hole in the cave roof. Today, the main cave contains a tiled floor, a golden Buddha, and a glass-walled memorial housing skulls and bones.

Towards the top of Phnom Sampeau, the Battambang Bat Caves provide a spectacular sunset treat—swirling clouds of millions of bats stream out from the cliff like columns of smoke. Stallholders provide food, drink, chairs, and tables so you can sit back and enjoy the show. You’ll need to buy something to use their facilities, though.

A waterfront strip of tourist sites, shops, bars, and restaurants, Sisowath Quay is among the top areas in Phnom Penh for visitors. The street runs 1.9 miles (3 kilometers along the Tonle Sap River, passing the ferry terminal, markets, Riverside Park, Royal Palace, and more. For many travelers, it’s a good starting point for exploring the city.

The 46-foot (14-meter) Kbal Chhay Waterfall is a cascading terrace of waterfalls fed by several mountain sources. When there’s enough water flowing, it’s a nice place to swim in the surrounding pools or sit with a picnic and enjoy the views. Downstream, the falls flow into a reservoir that you can also visit.

An unspoiled isle in the Mekong, opposite Kratie, Koh Trong Island offers a taste of Cambodia that time forgot. Amid rice paddies, orchards, and sandbanks, there are a handful of homestays, a couple of resorts, some simple cafés, several temples, and a small floating village, plus a 6-mile (9-kilometer) trail around the island.

An airy stilt house built from now-rare tropical hardwoods in 1920, Mrs. Bun Roeung’s Ancient House is one of a few traditional houses that still stand in Wat Kor village. Although it was damaged when used as a communal kitchen during the Khmer Rouge period, vintage and antique furnishings add to its charm.

In a city better known for its beaches—and its Chinese casinos and high-rise development—Sihanoukville’s Wat Leu Temple is a peaceful Buddhist enclave. Set atop a forest-covered hill with sweeping views over the city, Wat Leu is especially good to visit around sunset. Visitors can also admire the ornate exterior and the colorful Theravada Buddhist murals inside.

Hundreds of stone steps lead up Phnom Banan hill to one of Battambang’s top ancient sites: the Angkorian temple known as Prasat Banan. Among the crumbling towers and ornate lintels are dazzling countryside views, while the base of the hill features eerie caves with Buddhist statues and a modern pagoda, Wat Banan.

On a twin-peaked hill outside Kratie, Phnom Sambok Pagoda is a traditional Buddhist monastery that houses an active meditation center and fragments of a temple that may date to the 7th century. A long staircase lined with colorful monk statues leads up to the pagoda, which offers epic views of the Mekong River and beyond on a clear day.

A beautiful Buddhist monastery dating back more than 300 years, Wat Samrong Knong is infamous for being one of the Khmer Rouge’s killing fields; more than 10,000 people died here. Shrines, stupas, memorials, and ancient ruins surround the main pagoda, but it’s the glazed tower housing bones, skulls, and grim reliefs of torture that pulls focus.

For about 500 years, a wooden palace stood near the center of the city of Angkor Thom, the former capital of the Angkor Empire. Today, a large walled area called the Royal Enclosure (or Royal Palace) is all that remains. It houses two bathing pools and the Phimeanakas, a small pyramid temple.

A colorful modern pagoda and a giant seated Buddha statue lead the way to Wat Ek Phnom’s star attraction—an 11th-century Angkorian Hindu temple with its own baray reservoir that blooms with lotus flowers in season. While small and tumbled compared to the splendors of Siem Reap, it’s Battambang’s top ancient sight.

Ta Dumbong Kro Nhong is a giant statue kneeling atop a downtown Battambang roundabout, which has come to stand as a symbol of the city. Depicting a man holding a golden cup with a big black stick, locals come to the statue day and night to leave offerings and to pray for luck.

Meet sun bears, pythons, and other rescued wildlife at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, which helps animals hurt by poachers and other mistreatment. Animals are released into the wild when possible, so there are no guarantees about the species you’ll see in the rehabilitation center, but it’s a fascinating stop for wildlife lovers.

A working Buddhist monastery, the White Elephant Pagoda (Wat Tahm-rai-saw or Wat Damrey Sor) is a downtown Battambang landmark. At the complex, you’re likely to see orange-clad monks, many of them students at the Buddhist university, come and go along the grounds, which are adorned with gilded stupas and colorful statues, including plenty of white elephants.

Often reached by crossing the river on the Plov Thmey hanging bridge, Kampong Pil Pagoda is an attractive modern Buddhist monastery and temple that provides insights into village life. Bell-shaped stupas, gilded shrines, and colorful statues, including a large seated Buddha, surround the main prayer hall, with its ornate eaves.

A set of two art deco modernist buildings from 1936, Phsar Nath Market—also known as Battambang Central Market—is a landmark of downtown Battambang. The east building topped with a clock tower, sells clothes, jewelry, and household goods; the west building houses a bustling wet market and features a modernist clock face.