Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Photo: Mark Bowyer
Battambang, Cambodia's second largest city is surprisingly quaint and low-key. There's plenty to do, but you needn't feel guilty if you miss something. A visit here is mainly about connecting with the real Cambodia, rural Cambodia.
Battambang town is located in Battambang province, 170 kilometres from Siem Reap and sits at the centre of the country's rural heartland. It's the most productive rice growing region in Cambodia.
While Siem Reap and the Angkor temples are the perfect tourism bubble, many travellers are finding Battambang's local feel to be the perfect antidote.
Downtown Battambang is home to a collection of French colonial era shophouses rivalled only by Kampot on Cambodia's southern coast. The surrounding countryside is alive with farming that's interrupted by small and refreshingly quiet Angkorian ruins.
A nice range of tasteful boutique accommodation adds to Battambang's charm.
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