A Complete 10-Day Plan for Cambodia

This ten-day route is for travelers who want Angkor, the capital and a taste of the south while keeping a sensible rhythm. It follows a western arc through Battambang, a city many trips skip, and the pace is moderate, with two or three nights in each base. You will rely on intercity buses and minivans for every transfer, plus tuk-tuks and rented scooters locally.

Days 1-3: Siem Reap

Three nights in Siem Reap covers the essentials of Angkor with a 1-day or 3-day pass (US$37 or US$62). Concentrate on Angkor Wat for the full length of its bas-relief galleries, then Ta Prohm Temple and Bayon Temple on the second temple day, using afternoons to rest out of the heat. Pub Street is the loud part of town; quieter guesthouses sit along the river in Wat Bo, with dorms for US$5 to 10.

Days 4-5: Battambang

A 3- to 4-hour bus takes you to Battambang, a riverside city of French-era shophouses and an easygoing art scene. Ride the Battambang Bamboo Train, a flat bamboo platform on rails, for US$5 to 10, then … read more 👉

This ten-day route is for travelers who want Angkor, the capital and a taste of the south while keeping a sensible rhythm. It follows a western arc through Battambang, a city many trips skip, and the pace is moderate, with two or three nights in each base. You will rely on intercity buses and minivans for every transfer, plus tuk-tuks and rented scooters locally.

Days 1-3: Siem Reap

Three nights in Siem Reap covers the essentials of Angkor with a 1-day or 3-day pass (US$37 or US$62). Concentrate on Angkor Wat for the full length of its bas-relief galleries, then Ta Prohm Temple and Bayon Temple on the second temple day, using afternoons to rest out of the heat. Pub Street is the loud part of town; quieter guesthouses sit along the river in Wat Bo, with dorms for US$5 to 10.

Days 4-5: Battambang

A 3- to 4-hour bus takes you to Battambang, a riverside city of French-era shophouses and an easygoing art scene. Ride the Battambang Bamboo Train, a flat bamboo platform on rails, for US$5 to 10, then head 12 km out of town to Phnom Sampeau. Climb past the Killing Caves to the hilltop temple, then wait at the base around dusk as millions of bats pour out of a cave mouth for 20 minutes or more.

Days 6-7: Phnom Penh

The 5- to 6-hour bus to Phnom Penh is the longest leg, so take it in the morning and spend the evening on the riverside. The next day, visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda before noon, when it closes for lunch, then the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the former S-21 prison, in the afternoon. It is a heavy visit, and the audio guide makes it a clearer one.

Days 8-10: Kampot and Kep

Head 3 to 4 hours south to Kampot, where the pace drops to a river-town shuffle. Rent a scooter and ride up Bokor Mountain to the cool plateau and the ruins of the French hill station, then spend the next day in Kep, 30 minutes away, eating crab cooked with fresh green pepper at the waterfront market. Day 10 is the bus back to Phnom Penh for your flight.

Before you leave Kampot, ride 10 km out to Phnom Chhnork, a limestone cave sheltering a 7th-century brick temple, reached by a short walk through rice fields.