Battambang Cambodia

Battambang Cambodia, the province is bordered by the Tonle Sap Lake, Pursat Province and Banteay Meanchey. Rubies and garnets are mined in this Province. Culturally, Battambang also has many ancient temples dating back to the 10th and 13th centuries. These are well worth visiting, both out of historical interest, and as a chance to view the countryside beyond Battambang City.

There’s something about Battambang that visitors just love. Forget the fact that there’s really not all that much to do in the city proper. The colonial architecture, the riverside setting, the laid-back cafes – they all make up for it. It’s the perfect blend of relatively urban modernity and small-town friendliness.

Outside the city’s confines, meanwhile, timeless hilltop temples and bucolic villages await. The most scenic river trip in the country links Battambang with Siem Reap.

That Cambodia’s best-known circus (the magnificent Phare Ponleu Selpak) is here is no coincidence: The city has an enduring tradition of producing many of Cambodia’s best-loved singers, actors and artists.

When the best time to visit Battambang

Any time in Battambang is a good time.

However, if you wish to avoid the heat then visit in November, December and January after these months it starts to warm up as any look at the WMO Cambodia website qv Google will show you plus a lot of other information for both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap which is the nearer to Battambang for weather statistics on a rolling five year basis. Early November may, in some years, still be quite wet but not a problem for most visitors as this is usually the tail end of the wet season.

Getting There & Away

Air

The best price found from Vietnam to Battambang is on May 26th, 2015, travelling with Vietnam Airlines

Please contact us to book flight ticket.

Motorbike & Bicycle

Chhaya Hotel and Royal Hotel rent out motorbikes for US$7 to US$8 per day. Bicycles are a great way to get around and can be ridden along both banks of the river in either direction. They can be rented at the Royal Hotel, Soksabike, Battambang Bike and several other guesthouses for about US$2 per day.

Bus

Like Phnom Penh, Battambang does not have a central bus station. However, most companies are clustered in the center just south of the intersection of NH5 and St 4.

Sleeper buses are popular to Phnom Penh but keep in mind it’s not a very long trip so arrival at an ungodly hour is a virtual certainty. Kampuchea Angkor Express does only night trips, including fully reclining sleepers. For quicker day travel to the capitol, consider an express minivan.

Buses to Bangkok involve a change at the border – usually to a minibus on the Thai side.

• Capitol Tour
• Golden Bayon
• Mekong Express
• Rith Mony

Boat

The riverboat to Siem Reap (US$20, 7am) squeezes through narrow waterways and passes by protected wetlands, taking from five hours in the wet season to nine or more hours in the height of the dry season. Cambodia’s most memorable boat trip, it’s operated on alternate days by Angkor Express and Chann Na. In the dry season, passengers are driven to a navigable section of the river. The best seats are away from the noisy motor. It may be possible to alight at the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary and then be picked up there the next day for US$5 extra. Be aware that these fast boats, while very scenic, are not always popular with local communities along the way, as the wake has caused small boats to capsize and fishing nets are regularly snagged. They can also be overcrowded and there are rarely enough life jackets to go around.

Sights & Activities

Wat Kor Village

About 2km south of the Riverside Balcony Bar, the village of Wat Kor is centred around the temple of the same name. It’s a great place to wander, especially late in the afternoon when the opposite (east) bank of the Sangker River is back-lit in amber tones by the sinking sun. Picturesque bridges span the river, the spires of Wat Kor glow bright platinum and Khmer village life is on full display.

About 1.5km beyond Wat Kor, you’ll encounter a cluster of Khmer heritage houses that the village is known for. Built of now-rare hardwoods almost a century ago and surrounded by orchard gardens, they have wide verandas and exude the ambience of another era.

Colonial-Era Architecture

Much of Battambang’s special charm lies in its early-20th-century French architecture. Some of the finest colonial buildings are along the waterfront (St 1), especially just south of Psar Nath , itself an architectural monument, albeit a modernist one. The two-storey Governor’s Residence , with its balconies and wooden shutters, is another handsome legacy of the early 1900s. Designed by an Italian architect for the last Thai governor, who departed in 1907, it has imposing balconies and a grand reception room with 5m ceilings.

Battambang Museum

This small museum displays fine Angkorian lintels and statuary from all over Battambang Province, including Phnom Banan and Sneng. Signs are in Khmer, English and French.

Arts Quarter

The name is not official yet, but all things point to the block of St 2½ that runs south of Psar Nath becoming Battambang’s first concentrated arts district. A gaggle of galleries, shops and funky bars have set up, including Lotus Bar and Make Maek, with more expected to follow. Make a point to have a stroll here and check out the latest happenings.

Lotus Bar owner Darren Swallow, who helped found the respected Sammaki Gallery a bit further south on St 2½, expects to inaugurate a ‘First Friday’ art market, which will see the street closed to vehicular traffic.

Governor’s Residence

The two-storey Governor’s Residence, with its balconies and wooden shutters, is another handsome legacy of very early 1900s. The interior is closed but it should be possible to stroll the grounds. Except for the neo-Khmer laterite gate, the intersection out front looks much as it did in the 1930s – check out the French-only distance marker, the neat lawns and the New Iron Bridge, now reserved for pedestrians and motorbikes.

Bamboo Train

The bamboo train is one of the world’s all-time classic rail journeys. From O Dambong, on the east bank 3.7km south of Battambang’s Old Stone Bridge, the train runs southeast to O Sra Lav, via half an hour of clicks and clacks along warped, misaligned rails and vertiginous bridges left by the French.

Eating

Fresh Eats Café: 47 1/2 Street, Battambang 053, Cambodia

The Bungalow Restaurant: #144, Group #4 Kamakor, Svaypor, Battambang (Phone: 855 12916123)

Green House Café: East Bank (Phone: 012 467313)

Psar Nat: City Centre

Smokin’ Pot: Battambang, Cambodia