7 Best Sights in Cambodia

The famous Phare circus in Siem Reap actually originated in Battambang, and for more than 15 years, the Phare Ponleu Selpak center has offered quality arts training to locals. Their daily shows ($14) combine dance, theater, live music, and circus performances with Cambodian narratives. Shows start at 7 pm, and there are also guided visits of the campus ($5) from Monday to Friday until 3:30 pm.

The cluster of blocks between Street 1, parallel to the Sanker River, and Street 3, and all the way down to Street 127, house a great variety of historic architecture representing diverse phases of the city's legacy. Ask your hotel for one of the annotated walking maps by Khmer Architecture Tours and explore on foot.

Don't miss the very interesting and free museum at the Governor's Mansion, itself an exquisite piece of colonial architecture.

In the countryside 25 km (15 miles) south from the city, this 11th-century hilltop temple has five impressive towers and is sometimes referred to as "the mini Angkor Wat." Reaching the temple involves a hike up 350 or so steps, so go after lunch when it's less hot. Tuk-tuks from Battambang charge $10 to $15 for the round-trip. There is a mystical little cave round the side of the hill whose waters are supposed to induce visions.

In addition to being the site of a temple, this hill, 10 km (7 miles) southwest of Battambang, was also used by the Khmer Rouge to execute prisoners in a group of killing caves. In one, which contains the skeletal remains of some of the victims, you can stand on the eerily dark floor and look up to a hole in the cave roof, with sunlight streaming through. The Khmer Rouge reportedly pushed their victims through that hole to their deaths on the rocks below.

This historic central market, built in the art deco style during French rule, is a great spot to buy fresh foods, gems, and Battambang's famous fruit—lime-green oranges. Vendors sell everything from tourist souvenirs to electronics imported from China. Some stalls have textiles, but most of these are imported.

This hip art gallery hosts rotating exhibits of local artists on the ground floor. Upstairs a museum collects the best work from the four young co-founders, all graduates of the Phare Ponleu Selpak School, who were expelled from Thailand during childhood and shelterd by an NGO.

Long before the French arrived, Battambang was an important Khmer city, and among its many temples is this 11th-century Angkorian structure. Even though it has been heavily looted over the centuries, the temple still has a few fine stone carvings in excellent condition. In front of the ruins stands a newly built pagoda. It's 10 km (7 miles) north of the city and getting here via tuk-tuk or moto will cost around $10.

Admission is free with a ticket to Wat Banan, but only on the same day.