Ultimate Battambang Travel Guide – How to get there, where to stay & how many days are enough?

In this travel guide to the Cambodian city of Battambang, we give you all the planning details you might need to be aware of when including Battambang into your Cambodia itinerary.

Find our whether a trip to Battambang is worth it, how long you should stay, where to stay and how to get there and around! So, without further ado, let’s start planning your trip to Battambang!

A quick Travel Guide to Battambang, Cambodia

Battambang is a city in Cambodia and the capital of the Cambodian province of the same name. The latter is quite an important agricultural centre and therefore one of the best spots to explore the more rural side of Cambodia.

In this post we will tackle all the planning details surrounding a trip to Battambang. Which means that this post is dedicated to those of you that are currently in the planning and booking stages of their trip to Cambodia!

Is Battambang worth visiting?

The short answer is: Yes, Battambang is definitely worth visiting. Our time in Battambang entails two of our absolute Cambodia highlights! However, know that you don’t really visit Battambang for the city itself, but more so for the experiences you can have around the city.

When planning our route through Cambodia, we nearly skipped Battambang. Mostly, because we only ever read about the Bamboo train in relation to things to do in Battambang. And the latter did not really peak our interest.

If you are in the same boat, we can reassure you that there are some way more exciting experiences to be had in Battambang, which make a visit very much worth it! But more on that later.

How many days do you need in Battambang?

If you are travelling around Cambodia for 10-14 days, then we would recommend staying in Battambang for 2 days (48 hours). That way, you will have enough time to see the highlights of Battambang while not having to rush around town either.

If you are on more of a time-crunch and only intend to visit Battambang for the Bamboo train and/or the Phnom Sampov Bat Cave, then one day will be enough.

Can you visit Battambang as a day trip from Siem Reap?

Technically, you could. However, we would not necessarily recommend to do so. Mainly because one of the highlights in Battambang is the Phnom Sampov Bat Cave. And you will need to visit the latter at dusk in order to witness the bats leaving the cave.

Also, you will spend nearly 6 hours of your day commuting between Siem Reap and Battambang.

However, if a day trip from Siem Reap is your only option to visit Battambang, then consider booking a private tour:

🚗 The 'Battambang: Day Trip from Siem Reap*' tour for instance includes a private car to, from and around Battambang and visits most Battambang highlights, including the bat caves at dusk for 92€ per person.

How to get to Battambang

When travelling around Cambodia, you will quickly realise that public transport options are pretty limited. As such you are quite likely going to travel between the different Cambodian cities either via bus or mini-van.

Since Battambang has no operational airport, taking a bus or mini-van is the best way to get to Battambang. The only other options are either a private taxi or a very slow train. We would advise against the train, the private taxi is a matter of your budget😉.

Travelling to Battambang from Siem Reap

Battambang is located a little less than a 3 hour drive away from Siem Reap. In order to get to Battambang from Siem Reap, you roughly have the following options:

🚌 Bus or Minivan*. Travel Time: 3 hours. Price: ~10€ per person.
🚕 Private Taxi*. Travel Time: 2h45 minutes. Price: ~62€ for a 4 person vehicle.

Personally, we went with the bus company VET* for this route. And, everything went really smooth! For this short 3-hour drive most other bus companies should be fine as well though.

Travelling to Battambang from Phnom Penh

Battambang is located roughly a 5 hour drive away from Phnom Penh. In order to get to Battambang from Phnom Penh, you have the following options:

🚌 Bus or Minivan*. Travel Time: ~5 hours. Price: ~10€ per person.
🚕 Private Taxi*. Travel Time: 4 hours. Price: ~100€ for a 4 person vehicle.

There are a number of sleeper buses on this route. We would not necessarily advise taking one for this 5-hour drive if you have other options. However, in the end, that is your choice to make😉.

Book your transport via 12.go.asia!

In Southeast Asia, 12Go.Asia is the go-to website to book public transport for tourists. We used it to book all our many long bus trips through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam!

How to get around Battambang

Essentially, you have two options to get around Battambang.

• Either you can rent a scooter or a bike.
• Or, you hire a tuk-tuk to take you around.

We did the latter, and personally we would recommend you do too. Here is why:

• The roads around Battambang are in pretty rough shape.
• The Phnom Sampov Bat Cave is located quite far outside of Battambang. Too far to get there by bike. And, if you get there on your rental scooter, you will have to drive back in the dark. Therefore you should be confident in your driving skills if you opt for the scooter rental.
• The livelihood of most tuk-tuk drivers depends on tourists and we think it is always good to support the locals wherever you visit.
• The tuk-tuk drivers usually provide you with information on life in Cambodia and the different sights you visit. So, you basically get a guide as well.

Where to find a tuk-tuk driver for a tour in Battambang

For us it was more of a ‘we didn’t find them, they found us’ – situation. And that the second we stepped off the bus in Battambang. We were literally surrounded by a group of tuk-tuk drivers all trying to talk us into hiring them at the same time.

So, how did we choose? Well, in Battambang we didn’t😆. You need to know that we are the sort of people that, if completely overwhelmed, simply shut down. Luckily for us, our hostel had sent a tuk-tuk driver to come and pick us up as well and that is the driver we ultimately ended up hiring to take us around.

However, a little further into our trip we learned that there is actually a pattern to it and that there are ultimately four ways to find a tuk-tuk driver for a tour.

Where to stay in Battambang

The city centre of Battambang is actually quite small. As a consequence, if you wish to stay in the centre of Battambang, your options are pretty limited as well. Personally, we would recommend staying in the general area around the Battambang Central Market!

We stayed at ‘THE PLACE Hostel & Rooftop Bar Battambang*’ and really liked it there. Why stay here?

• Great location and price.
• You can book tours around Battambang directly with them.
• They have an awesome rooftop bar, where you can also grab a bite to eat if you are too tired to venture out at night.

For the most part they offer dorm beds (~5€/night). However they do have a few double rooms (~21€/night) as well. Be aware though, their double rooms are usually booked out quite quickly!

Battambang Highlights not to miss out on!

Battambang is home to a number of things that are definitely worth your time, including two of our absolute Cambodia highlights! So, what are these marvellous MUST-DO experiences we keep referring to?

🦇 Phom Sampov. The latter is most well known for its bat cave where thousands of bats leave each night to go on their nightly hunt. It is quite a spectacle! However, Phnom Sampov is also home to a few more sights that are definitely worth a visit, including a stunning temple and awesome views on the surrounding landscape.

🚲 The Soksabike Local Livelihood Half Day Bike Tour*. Explore the Cambodian countryside surrounding Battambang and learn more about the livelihood of the people living in this area.

You will be visiting a number of local family businesses, get to try some interesting snacks, experience the friendliness of the locals and get an insight into what Cambodia looks like off-the-beaten tourist path.

We loved this tour so, so much and can 100% recommend it to anyone who is even mildly intrigued by it.

Final thoughts on visiting Battambang

Battambang truly blew us away in the best way possible. Not only do you get to see some of the most amazing sights in all of Cambodia, i.e. Phnom Sampov. But you also get to experience rural life in Cambodia and meet some of the friendliest locals in the process.

In the end we can confidently say that for us, Battambang was definitely a highlight of our Cambodia trip and thus we highly recommend you add it to your Cambodia itinerary as well! Happy Travels!