A country · 98 places · 17 regions

Cambodia, all of it.

98 curated places across 17 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Siem Reap · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Siem Reap Province, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville Province and Battambang Province — read below as chapters, with 13 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Siem Reap Province · 21 places

Siem Reap Province

The gateway city for the Angkor archaeological complex, Siem Reap lies on the Siem Reap River near the northwestern shore of Tonlé Sap Lake and has developed an extensive tourism infrastructure of guesthouses, restaurants, and cultural performance venues. The old French Quarter and the night market area around Pub Street retain some pre-boom architectural character, while the city's surrounding countryside includes silk weaving villages, rice paddies, and floating fishing communities on the lake. The city itself is the base for multi-day exploration of the broader Angkor region.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

✦ November to March · $

Angkor Wat

Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

✦ November to March · $

Angkor Thom

Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

✦ November to March · $

All 21 places in Siem Reap Province →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · Phnom Penh · 18 places

Phnom Penh

The capital and largest city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh sits at the confluence of the Mekong River, Tonlé Sap River, and Bassac River — a junction historically significant enough to have attracted settlement since at least the fourteenth century. The Royal Palace complex and the Silver Pagoda, with its floor of silver tiles and emerald Buddha, are the architectural centrepieces of the riverfront area. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, housed in the former S-21 prison facility, provides a sobering documentary record of the Khmer Rouge period.

✦ November to April · $

Meet Phnom Penh All 18 places in Phnom Penh →

Chapter III · Sihanoukville Province · 8 places

Sihanoukville Province

A coastal park near Sihanoukville combining mangroves, beaches and offshore islands. Its estuaries shelter dolphins and abundant birdlife, with boat trips through the mangrove channels.

Ream National Park

Sihanoukville Province, Cambodia

✦ November to April · $

Koh Rong

Sihanoukville Province, Cambodia

✦ November to April · $$

Koh Rong Sanloem

Sihanoukville Province, Cambodia

✦ November to April · $$

All 8 places in Sihanoukville Province →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Battambang Province · 5 places

Battambang Province

Cambodia's second-largest city, Battambang sits along the Sangkae River in the northwest of the country and is notable for its well-preserved French colonial streetscapes, which survived the Khmer Rouge period in better condition than much of the country. The Phare Ponleu Selpak circus school, which operates as both a social enterprise and a performance venue, presents nightly shows integrating acrobatics with narrative storytelling. The surrounding countryside contains a cluster of Angkorian temples and the bamboo train — a motorised bamboo platform that runs on disused railway tracks.

✦ November to March · $

Meet Battambang All 5 places in Battambang Province →