7 Best Sights in Battambang, Cambodia

The famous Phare Cambodian Circus in Siem Reap originated here in Battambang, where performers trained at the circus school that's a part of the non-profit Phare Ponleu Selpak, a visual and performing arts school. Their thrice-weekly shows (Monday, Thursday, and Saturday; $16) performed by students combine dance, theater, live music, and circus skills with Cambodian stories. Shows start at 7 pm, but plan to arrive an hour earlier if you want to see the campus, the photography and art exhibitions, and the shop. Guided campus tours are offered six times a day ($5), Monday to Friday; modest dress is required.

Battambang's compact historic center has the highest density of heritage buildings in Cambodia, including refurbished French colonial administrative buildings and banks, dilapidated art deco cinemas, Chinese shophouses, and gilded pagodas in leafy grounds. Focus your explorations on the cluster of blocks between Street 1, parallel to the Sanker River, and Street 3, all the way down to Street 127, which has the widest variety of architecture. Ask your hotel to print out the annotated walking map by Khmer Architecture Tours and explore on foot, punctuating your walk with food and drink stops.

Don't miss the fascinating 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 tranquil 11th-century hilltop temple has five impressive, albeit crumbling, towers. Reaching the temple involves a hike up 358 steps, and is best visited early in the morning or late afternoon. You'll often find Cambodians up here lighting candles and making offerings. Tuk-tuks from Battambang charge $17 to $25 for the round-trip depending on where you stop en route.

The site of a hill-top temple called Wat Sampeau, which offers jaw-dropping panoramic vistas of the surrounding countryside and rice paddies, Phnom Sampeau is located just off the Highway 57 on the way to Pailin and the Thai border, 10 km (7 miles) southwest of Battambang. Tragically, the mountain's caves were used by the Khmer Rouge to execute prisoners. In one, which contains the skeletal remains of victims, you can stand on the eerily dark floor and look up to a hole in the cave roof, with sunlight streaming through. Khmer Rouge cadres reportedly pushed their victims through the hole to their deaths on the rocks below. During sunset, you may be able to observe the spectacle of millions of bats flying from the caves to head out for their dinner.

This historic central market, built in the art deco style during the French protectorate, is a great spot to buy cooked street food and Battambang's famous fruit—green-skinned Pursat oranges. Inside, vendors sell everything from the colorful batik sarongs beloved by villagers to gold jewelry destined for dowries.

This hip art gallery run by a collective of young Cambodian artists hosts rotating exhibits of local art on the ground floor. Upstairs, an art museum collects the best work of the co-founders, all graduates of the Phare Ponleu Selpak visual arts and performing arts school. There's a lovely rooftop cafe that serves excellent coffee and dishes made from fresh produce grown in the property's garden.

Long before the French arrived to Battambang, the area around the present-day city was one of the Khmer Empire's most productive regions. Even though Wat Ek Phnom has been heavily looted over the centuries and is currently very dilapidated, there are still some fine stone carvings. In front of the ruins stands a more modern pagoda and an enormous Buddha. To travel here directly via tuk-tuk expect to pay around $10 to $12, however, it's mostly included on half-day excursions that can be arranged through your hotel or directly with drivers.

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