The Very Best Things to do in Battambang – How to spend 2 amazing days in Battambang, Cambodia

Are you currently planning your trip to Cambodia and wondering whether Battambang is worth a visit? In this sightseeing guide to Battambang, we show you some of the very best things to see and do in Battambang and tell you exactly why a stop-over in Battambang is a must when travelling Cambodia.

Truthfully, we nearly skipped Battambang. We only ever heard about the Bamboo train when reading about this town and honestly, the latter did not really peak our interest. However, looking back, Battambang somehow ended up being one of our absolute highlights of our trip to Cambodia. And, in this post, you can find out why!

Best Things to do in Battambang, Cambodia (48 hours in Battambang Itinerary)

Battambang is quite rural and therefore the perfect location to explore a different side of Cambodia. While e.g. Siem Reap is known for its ancient ruins, Phnom Penh for being the capital city and Sihanoukville for its beaches, Battambang allows you to get a glimpse of what the rural everyday life in Cambodia looks like. And, not to forget, there is the bat cave you absolutely shouldn’t miss!

In this 2-day Battambang itinerary, we will show you the best way to explore Battambang and its sights and what not to miss out on when exploring this stunning area of Cambodia.

But, before we get into the itinerary itself, let’s first address two important questions when planning your trip to Battambang. How do you even get there? And how to get around?

How to get to Battambang?

Travelling to Battambang is likely part of your multi-day Cambodia itinerary. And in that case you are either going to travel to Battambang from Siem Reap or via Phnom Penh.

Intercity public transport in Cambodia is quite exclusively either by bus or mini-van. Alternatively you can also book a private taxi to take you from city to city if the latter is more comfortable for you.

Where to book transportation to Battambang?

Same as for most Southeast Asian countries, we booked our transportation in Cambodia mostly via 12go.asia*!

How to get around Battambang?

As a tourist, the easiest way to get around Battambang is by hiring a tuk-tuk driver for a day or half-day. This is a very common practise, which is why a lot of tuk-tuk drivers speak decent English and will offer tours to the main sights of a location to take you on!

Now you might ask yourself: How do I find a tuk-tuk driver to take me on a tour in Cambodia?

For instance, in Battambang we booked a tuk-tuk driver via our accommodation for a half-day to take us to a number of spots including Phnom Sampov (location of the bat cave), which is about a 25-minute drive outside of Battambang, for ~14€ for the both of us.

Ultimate 2-Day Battambang Itinerary – How to spend 48 hours in Battambang

Now that we got the planning details out of the way, let’s get into the itinerary itself!

Day 1: The one with the bats and stunning views

On your first day in Battambang, you will visit the most well known sites and attractions in Battambang. Fancy a ride on the Bamboo train? Witness thousands of bats leaving their cave at Phnom Sampov? Well, today is the day!

🚌 Arrival in Battambang

Ideally we would recommend arriving in Battambang by 11 a.m. That way you have enough time to get to your accommodation, grab lunch and organise a tuk-tuk driver for the afternoon.

As already mentioned above, we hired a tuk-tuk driver for the afternoon via our accommodation in Battambang*. However, there are other ways to find a tuk-tuk driver for your Battambang tour as well.

So, after everything is sorted out, let your afternoon of explorations in Battambang begin!

🎍 Ride the Bamboo Train

Your first stop is located only a short drive south of Battambang’s city centre: the famous Bamboo train. For most tourists, visiting Battambang is synonymous with riding the bamboo train. The latter is an improvised rail vehicle that was used by locals as a way of transportation on the largely abandoned railway network around Battambang.

Today the Bamboo train is not functional in its original state any longer. However there are still sites where tourists can experience the bamboo train for a small fee of 5 USD.

Note: We skipped the Bamboo train, partially because we were only semi-interested in it, partially because we visited Cambodia during rainy season and on that particular afternoon there was a downpour during the time we were supposed to visit. So, we decided to wait out the rain instead and head out a little later to explore the other sights.

🌉 Walk on the Hanging Bridge

The next stop is a hanging bridge that is suspended over the Sangker River and connects the people and localities on both sides of the watercourse. The bridge is quite narrow, however the Khmer people do not only use it for foot traffic. There are motorbikes crossing the bridge as well!

To get there you will be passing a number of local homes, gardens and plantations. On the way, our tuk-tuk driver would quiz us on the tropical fruit trees we passed to see how many we would be able to recognise😆.

The next stop is Phnom Sampov, a stunning limestone mountain that stands tall among the otherwise rather flat landscape of Battambang Province. Once there, your tuk-tuk driver is probably going to wait for you at the bottom, so you can explore the next few spots on you own at your own pace.

Phnom Sampov is home to three major sights, the first one being a rather sad one:

📍 The Killing Cave at Phnom Sampov

When walking up the steep road that leads to the top of Phnom Sampov, take a turn left at the first junction and you will reach a small temple complex and memorial site, built around the Killing Cave.

If you have some prior knowledge about the history of Cambodia, you will have heard about the Khmer Rouge and their gruesome reign. The Killing Cave at Phnom Sampov was but one of many execution grounds throughout the country during that time.

Today the cave is a memorial site for all the people that died during that horrid period. Truthfully, standing in the cave is somewhat eerie if you think about what happened there not that long ago.

⛰️ Enjoy the views from the temple atop Phnom Sampov

From the cave, make your way back to the junction in the road and continue your ascent to the top of Phnom Sampov. At the very top you will find yet another temple, however this one is bigger and honestly, rather stunning!

From gilded pagodas to colourful tiles, we found the aesthetics of this temple to be really beautiful. And the fact that the temple sits on top of Phnom Sampov with stunning views on the surrounding landscape in the background only makes it that much more worth a trip!

Also, there are monkeys on the temple grounds. They were quite uninterested in people though, which we always appreciate very much😆.

Our tip: Make sure to also visit Pkar Slar Cave! The latter can be found by descending a rather long staircase to the right of the temple (when walking up to the site). However, the views are definitely worth it and not that many people found their way here.

Note: The path through the cave will eventually lead you back up to the temple.

🦇 Witness thousands of bats leaving their cave at sunset!

For sunset, make your way back down the mountain. The best viewing point for the bats is down the road from the Buddha statues that are carved inside the limestone mountain. It is rather hard to miss the spot. At sunset there are always people gathering there. Chairs are set up, which you can sit on in exchange for buying a drink from the locals.

When we visited we expected the spectacle to be a quick one. However that was quite far from the truth. Thousands of bats are leaving their cave at sunset and the whole thing can take up anywhere from 30 minutes to more than an hour! This depends on the number of bats that currently reside within the cave, as our driver told us after.

As it gradually grows darker, it is time to make your way back to Battambang for dinner. There are a number of great and cheap restaurants to choose from in the city centre of Battambang.

We decided to eat on the rooftop terrace of our accommodation and unwind with a drink while processing the events of this great first day in Battambang!

Day 2: The one where you explore the Cambodian countryside

While the first day in Battambang focussed mostly on the sights, the second day is all about the people! You will be exploring the Cambodian countryside and get true insights into the everyday lives of the people living here.

From roaming around the markets, trying local Cambodian food to witnessing their craftsmanship, this day is one that we enjoyed so much, we are still regularly talking about it!

🚲 One of our all-time Cambodia highlights: The Soksabike Local Livelihood Half Day Bike Tour*!

This day starts by making your way towards the Soksabike headquarters, which is located in a side street not far away from Battambang Central Market. After meeting your guide and sorting the height of the bicycle you will be riding for the next few hours, you are off into the chaotic streets of Cambodia!

What is it like to ride a bike on the streets of Cambodia

This paragraph is for all of you that are maybe a little nervous to ride a bike on the streets of Cambodia. First of all, we were too😆. However, our concerns turned out to be unfounded. While the traffic in the city centre of Battambang is a bit more intense, you will be driving on quieter country roads for the most part.

The condition of the roads is not necessarily the best. Expect quite a bit of bumpy dirt roads. Our guide took pretty good care of us though. He made sure to always point out potholes beforehand and in general he looked out for us and made sure we were able to follow easily!

Highlights of the Soksabike Half Day Bike Tour

Your first stop is going to be a family business that focusses on producing rice paper. You get to see the processing steps for manufacturing rice paper close-up and they even let you try rolling out the rice paper yourself!

Then it is time to hop back on the bike and make your way down roads lined with palm trees and all sorts of tropical fruit trees until you reach your next destination. This stop was undeniably our favourite one: a lady that dries and sells a variety of banana snacks! And let me tell you, they are so, so good! We liked them so much that we bought some more to eat later at our accommodation.

Over the next four hours you will be riding through the Cambodian countryside from family business to family business and learn so much about the local people. Some of them even spoke a little English so we got to chat with them which was really nice.

Our guide spoke English really well and so we were able to talk to him about many things. He taught us some basic Khmer words en route, which unfortunately we have to admit have been forgotten completely since then. However, for the duration of the tour we were able to properly thank everyone in the Khmer language!

While on the tour we quickly realised that this bicycle tour would undeniably be one of our highlights in Cambodia and that sentiment has not changed since then! If this way of exploring the Cambodian countryside sounds even remotely interesting to you, then we highly, highly recommend you book the Soksabike Local Livelihood Half Day Bike Tour*!

Note: Soksabike also offers a Full-Day Tour. For us personally the half-day tour was enough, however if you have more stamina when it comes to riding a bike and would love to get even more insight into the local livelihood then maybe check out the Soksabike Local Livelihood Full Day Bike Tour*!

🍽️ Eat lunch at Kinyei Café

The Soksabike tour will end with a free drink at Kinyei Café, back at the Battambang city centre. We opted to also eat lunch here as well since the latter has quite good reviews. This is however no must.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Take it easy for the rest of the afternoon

Since your morning was quite an active one, we would suggest taking it easy for the rest of the afternoon. Take your time to explore the city centre of Battambang a little more and opt to relax at a café in between.

If like us, you visit during the rainy season, there is a high chance that it will pour rain for at least an hour in the afternoon anyway😆.

What to see and do in the city centre of Battambang?

Truthfully, the city of Battambang itself is not necessarily one we would describe as very picturesque or a must see. Down below, you will nonetheless find a few ideas on things to see and do while here.

🥭 Battambang Central Market. A local covered market in the city centre of Battambang. The latter is not touristy at all. It mostly caters to locals and what they purchase on a daily basis.

🖼️ HUMAN GALLERY - Joseba Etxebarria Photography. A photo gallery that exhibits portraits of a variety of people, whose often complicated backstories you can learn from the photographer if you ask. Part of the gallery funds go to a project that supports the education of children.

📿 Piphithearam Pagoda. A lovely Buddhist temple. Similar to the central market, this temple is mostly frequented by locals.

🧑🏻‍🍳 Cooking Class. If you do wish to do a little more than roaming around, doing a cooking class might be an option for you. We did one in Siem Reap and generally find them to be good fun! If we had done one in Battambang, it would probably have been at the Coconut Lyly Cooking School*.

Day 3: Departure – Travel to your next destination

And, just like that, your 48 hours in Battambang come to an end. No matter where your Cambodia Itinerary leads you next, you are going to hop on a bus to your next destination! Whether that is Siem Reap, Phnom Penh or maybe Kampot?

Final Thoughts on travelling Battambang

I guess it is needless to say that Battambang surprised us quite a bit. We nearly skipped coming here altogether and by the end of our trip, it ended up being the city that holds two of our Cambodia highlights.

So, if you yourself are still on the fence about whether to come here or not, I hope we were able to convince you that Battambang is well worth a trip! Happy Travels!