Cambodia · Local picks
100+ Places to Visit in Cambodia
These are the places worth your time in Cambodia, from the temples of Angkor and Phnom Penh's palaces and markets to Battambang's countryside, Kampot's pepper farms and the beaches of Koh Rong. Classics sit beside quiet corners many travellers miss, so every kind of visitor finds something to love.
Places to Visit in Siem Reap
Arts and Culture
- Angkor Wat (Angkor Archaeological Park)
The largest religious monument on earth, unforgettable at sunrise over the reflecting pools. - Bayon (Angkor Thom)
Over two hundred serene stone faces gaze from the towers at the heart of Angkor Thom. - Ta Prohm (Angkor Archaeological Park)
Giant silk cotton and strangler fig roots grip the ruins of this jungle temple. - Banteay Srei (Banteay Srei)
A small pink sandstone temple with the finest carving in the whole Angkor area. - Beng Mealea (Beng Mealea)
A collapsed, moss covered temple you explore on wooden walkways, far from the crowds. - Koh Ker (Preah Vihear province)
A remote former capital with a seven tiered pyramid temple, now a World Heritage Site. - Preah Khan (Angkor Archaeological Park)
A sprawling monastery temple of corridors and doorways, quieter than Ta Prohm. - Angkor National Museum (Charles de Gaulle Boulevard)
A clear introduction to Khmer history and art before you visit the temples. - Phare, the Cambodian Circus (Sok San Road)
Young Cambodian performers mix acrobatics, theatre and live music in an energetic big top show. - Cambodia Landmine Museum (Banteay Srei road)
Founded by a former child soldier who cleared mines, telling a hard but hopeful story.
Nature and Outdoors
- Kbal Spean (Phnom Kulen)
A jungle walk leads to a riverbed carved with a thousand lingas and Hindu gods. - Phnom Kulen National Park (Phnom Kulen)
Cambodia's sacred mountain, with a reclining Buddha, waterfalls and cool forest swimming. - Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary (Tonle Sap Lake)
A wetland reserve for storks, pelicans and rare waterbirds in the dry season.
Things to Do
- Kampong Phluk (Tonle Sap Lake)
A stilt village on the Tonle Sap where you glide through flooded forest by boat. - Pub Street (Old Market area)
Siem Reap's lively night street of bars, massage parlours and street food. - Siem Reap bicycle loop (Angkor Archaeological Park)
Cycling the shady roads between the temples is cheap, quiet and joyful.
Shopping and Markets
- Psar Chaa (Old Market area)
The old market for krama scarves, spices, silver and a quick bowl of noodles. - Artisans Angkor (Stung Thmey)
Workshops where young artisans carve stone and wood and weave silk, with a fine shop.
Restaurants
- Cuisine Wat Damnak (Wat Damnak)
Seasonal Khmer tasting menus built on local ingredients in a wooden house. - Marum (Wat Polanka)
A training restaurant for young people serving inventive Khmer dishes in a garden. - Khmer Kitchen Restaurant (Old Market area)
Reliable fish amok, lok lak and curries in a simple, friendly setting. - Mahob Khmer Cuisine (Wat Bo)
Traditional Khmer cooking in a garden house with a quietly elegant mood. - Haven (Sok San Road)
A training restaurant giving young adults a start in hospitality with honest food.
Bars and Nightlife
- Miss Wong (The Lane)
A tiny, glamorous cocktail bar styled after 1920s Shanghai.
Events
- Angkor Wat sunrise (Angkor Wat)
Arrive in the dark to watch the towers emerge as the sky turns pink.
Stays
- Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor (Charles de Gaulle Boulevard)
A grand 1932 hotel with gardens and a sense of old world travel. - Jaya House River Park (Riverside)
A boutique hotel known for its plastic free policy and local art.
Places to Visit in Phnom Penh
Arts and Culture
- Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (Sisowath Quay)
The gilded home of the king, with a pagoda floored in thousands of silver tiles. - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (Tuol Svay Prey)
A former school turned Khmer Rouge prison, a vital and deeply moving visit. - Choeung Ek Genocidal Center (Dangkao)
The Killing Fields memorial, best with the audio guide and time for reflection. - National Museum of Cambodia (Sothearos Boulevard)
The world's finest collection of Khmer sculpture in a red terracotta building. - Wat Phnom (Daun Penh)
The hilltop pagoda that gave the city its name, ringed by a small park. - Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center (Daun Penh)
A free archive of Cambodian film, photography and sound, founded by Rithy Panh.
Shopping and Markets
- Central Market (Daun Penh)
An art deco dome full of jewellery, fabrics, souvenirs and snack stalls. - Russian Market (Toul Tom Poung)
A warren of stalls for silk, handicrafts, spare parts and great food. - Orussey Market (7 Makara)
A huge local market where Phnom Penh families shop for everything.
Things to Do
- Sisowath Quay riverfront (Daun Penh)
Evening promenade by the river with families, aerobics groups and street food. - Mekong sunset cruise (Sisowath Quay)
Watch the skyline and the meeting of the rivers glow from a slow boat.
Nature and Outdoors
Restaurants
- Romdeng (Daun Penh)
A training restaurant in a colonial villa serving Khmer dishes, from amok to fried tarantula. - Malis (Norodom Boulevard)
Refined Khmer cuisine in an elegant garden setting. - Kravanh Restaurant (Daun Penh)
Khmer family recipes in a pretty house near the riverside. - Friends the Restaurant (Daun Penh)
A social enterprise restaurant serving creative Khmer tapas.
Cafés
- Brown Coffee (Boeung Keng Kang)
Cambodia's homegrown coffee chain, a cool place to recharge.
Bars and Nightlife
- Elephant Bar (Raffles Hotel Le Royal)
A classic hotel bar of the 1920s, ideal for a gin cocktail. - Bassac Lane (Boeung Keng Kang)
A narrow lane of tiny bars that draws the city's creative crowd.
Events
- Water Festival (Sisowath Quay)
Dragon boat races fill the riverfront for three days around the November full moon. - Khmer New Year (Citywide)
Mid April celebrations with water fights, games and pagoda visits.
Stays
- Raffles Hotel Le Royal (Daun Penh)
A grand colonial era hotel with a pool shaded by frangipani. - Rosewood Phnom Penh (Vattanac Capital)
A luxury tower hotel with sweeping views from the top floors.
Places to Visit in Battambang
Things to Do
- Bamboo train (O Dambong)
A bamboo platform on wheels rattling through rice fields, now rebuilt as a short loop. - Battambang countryside by bicycle (Rural villages)
Cycle past rice paper makers, fish paste producers and banana farms.
Arts and Culture
- Phnom Sampeau (Phnom Sampeau)
A hilltop temple and the killing caves, plus a sunset flight of millions of bats. - Phare Ponleu Selpak (Anchanh)
The arts school behind Phare circus, with shows by its students. - Wat Ek Phnom (Ek Phnom)
An eleventh century temple ruin beside a busy modern pagoda. - Prasat Banan (Banan)
A temple on a hilltop reached by hundreds of steps, with wide views. - Colonial shophouses (Street 2)
Walk the riverside streets of French era shophouses and art deco facades.
Shopping and Markets
- Psar Nath (City centre)
The art deco central market for food, fabrics and gold.
Restaurants
- Jaan Bai (Street 2)
A cafe restaurant training young people, with modern Khmer sharing plates.
Stays
- Maisons Wat Kor (Wat Kor village)
Traditional Khmer wooden houses set around a pool in the countryside. - Bambu Hotel (Riverside)
A peaceful boutique hotel with gardens and a pool.
Nature and Outdoors
- Kamping Puoy Reservoir (Kamping Puoy)
A Khmer Rouge era reservoir where locals picnic and take boat rides.
Places to Visit in Kampot
Nature and Outdoors
- Bokor National Park (Bokor Mountain)
A misty mountain plateau with an abandoned French hill station and old church. - Kampot salt fields (Kampot countryside)
Wide salt pans worked by hand in the dry season. - Teuk Chhou rapids (Kampot countryside)
Local picnic spot with bamboo platforms by a river.
Things to Do
- La Plantation (Kampot pepper country)
An organic pepper farm with free tours and tastings among the vines. - Kampot river sunset boat (Riverside)
Drift up the Praek Tuek Chhu as fireflies light the mangroves. - Kampot river kayaking (Riverside)
Paddle to the countryside past fishing boats and riverside bungalows.
Arts and Culture
- Phnom Chhnork (Kampot countryside)
A cave temple with a seventh century brick shrine inside the rock. - Durian Roundabout (Old town)
The town's quirky landmark fruit sculpture, a fun photo stop.
Restaurants
- Rikitikitavi (Riverside)
A riverside terrace restaurant famous for Kampot pepper dishes. - Kampot night market (Old town)
Grills, noodles and sugar cane juice in the evening. - Epic Arts Cafe (Old town)
A cafe run with deaf and disabled young people, with good breakfasts.
Shopping and Markets
- Kampot old market (Old town)
The restored art deco market with local produce and salt.
Places to Visit in Kep
Restaurants
- Kep Crab Market (Kep seafront)
Watch the catch landed and eat crab with green Kampot pepper by the sea. - Sailing Club (Kep seafront)
A beachfront restaurant and bar on a wooden jetty at sunset.
Nature and Outdoors
- Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island)
A short boat ride to a sleepy island of hammocks and simple beach huts. - Kep National Park (Kep hill)
A shady loop trail around the hill with sea views and monkeys. - Kep Beach (Kep seafront)
A small town beach where Cambodian families picnic at weekends.
Arts and Culture
- Kep modernist villas (Kep)
The ruins of 1960s New Khmer Architecture holiday villas.
Stays
- Knai Bang Chatt (Kep seafront)
A seaside boutique hotel built around modernist villas. - Veranda Natural Resort (Kep hill)
Wooden bungalows on a hillside with views over the sea.
Places to Visit in Koh Rong
Nature and Outdoors
- Long Set Beach (Koh Rong)
A long sweep of white sand and clear water on the island's east side. - Sok San Beach (Koh Rong)
A long remote beach on the west coast with soft sand and quiet waters. - Koh Rong jungle trek (Koh Toch to Long Beach)
Hike across the island through forest to a wild beach. - Saracen Bay (Koh Rong Samloem)
A crescent of white sand on the quieter sister island. - Lazy Beach (Koh Rong Samloem)
A secluded beach on the west coast for sunsets.
Things to Do
- Bioluminescent plankton swim (Koh Rong)
Swim at night when the sea sparkles with glowing plankton. - Snorkelling trips (Koh Toch)
Day boats to reefs around the islands.
Restaurants
- Koh Toch village restaurants (Koh Toch)
Simple seafood barbecues on the pier at sunset.
Bars and Nightlife
- Police Beach (Koh Toch)
The island's party beach for late night music.
Stays
- Lazy Beach Bungalows (Koh Rong Samloem)
Simple bungalows on a quiet beach.
Places to Visit in Mondulkiri
Nature and Outdoors
- Elephant Valley Project (Sen Monorom)
A sanctuary where you walk with retired elephants in the forest, with no riding. - Bou Sra Waterfall (Pech Chreada)
A wide two tiered waterfall in the highlands.
Places to Visit in Kratie
Nature and Outdoors
- Kampi Irrawaddy dolphin pools (Kampi)
Boat trips to see rare Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong. - Koh Trong (Mekong River)
A car free island to cycle past stilt houses and pomelo orchards.
More to Explore
We are still checking these with fresh sources, so confirm opening times before you go.
- Angkor Butterfly Centre (Banteay Srei road, Siem Reap)
Walk among native butterflies bred by local farmers in a small conservation project. - Footprint Cafe (Wat Bo, Siem Reap)
A social enterprise cafe with a bookshop, good coffee and proceeds to local education. - Asana Wooden House (The Lane, Siem Reap)
A traditional wooden house turned bar, with rice sack seats and Khmer herbal cocktails. - Cambodian Living Arts at the National Museum (Sothearos Boulevard, Phnom Penh)
Evening performances of classical and folk dance revived after the war. - Meta House (Sothearos Boulevard, Phnom Penh)
A German Cambodian cultural centre with film screenings and talks. - Sovanna BBQ (Boeung Keng Kang, Phnom Penh)
A buzzing barbecue joint where locals grill meat over coals with cold beer. - Psar Kandal noodle stalls (Daun Penh, Phnom Penh)
Morning kuy teav noodle soup at the market as locals start the day. - Feel Good Cafe (Daun Penh, Phnom Penh)
A cosy cafe roasting its own coffee and supporting local projects. - Eclipse Sky Bar (Daun Penh, Phnom Penh)
A rooftop bar with views over the city. - Long After Dark (Daun Penh, Phnom Penh)
A whisky and vinyl bar near the riverside. - White Mansion (Boeung Keng Kang, Phnom Penh)
A boutique hotel in the former US embassy building. - Battambang Museum (Riverside, Battambang)
A small museum of Angkorian sculpture from the province. - Lonely Tree Cafe (Street 121, Battambang)
A friendly spot serving Khmer and Spanish dishes and supporting disabled artisans. - Kinyei Cafe (Street 1/2, Battambang)
A tiny cafe with a big reputation for carefully made coffee. - Choco l'art Cafe (Street 117, Battambang)
A small creative cafe and gallery run by a local artist. - Here Be Dragons (Riverside, Battambang)
A relaxed guesthouse bar on the east bank of the river. - Romcheik 5 Artspace (Riverside, Battambang)
A gallery for works by young artists who grew up in Battambang. - Café Espresso (Kampot, Kampot)
A beloved roaster known for strong coffee and big brunches. - Karma Traders (Old town, Kampot)
A rooftop bar with sunset views, cocktails and a friendly crowd. - Rikitikitavi rooms (Riverside, Kampot)
Boutique rooms above the restaurant with river views. - Greenhouse (Riverside, Kampot)
Bungalows set in tropical gardens outside town. - Sothy's Pepper Farm (Kep countryside, Kep)
A family pepper farm with tours explaining how Kampot pepper grows. - Wat Samathi (Kep, Kep)
A hillside pagoda with sea views and a quiet atmosphere. - Koh Rong Sanctuary (Koh Rong, Koh Rong)
Bungalows on a remote bay. - Marine Fisheries Management Area (Koh Rong Samloem, Koh Rong)
Protected reefs where seahorses are monitored.