Cambodia in Style: 10 Days Grand Tour — Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap & the Mekong Islands

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1-2: Phnom Penh — Royalty & Resilience

Day 1: Arrive Phnom Penh, evening orientation. Day 2: Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, National Museum, Tuol Sleng Museum, Killing Fields, sunset Mekong cruise.

Day 3: Silk Island & Oudong

Morning: ferry to Koh Dach (Silk Island) to visit traditional silk weaving families. Afternoon: drive to Oudong (40km from Phnom Penh), the former royal capital of Cambodia from 1618 to 1866. Climb the stairway to the Oudong Mountain temple complex for a panoramic view across the plains — the stupas contain the ashes of several Khmer kings. Overnight in Phnom Penh.

Day 4: Phnom Penh to Battambang — The French Colonial City

Drive 5 hours northwest through the Cambodian countryside to Battambang, Cambodia’s second-largest city and its cultural heartland. Battambang province was the rice bowl of the Angkor Empire and retains a gentler pace. Afternoon: explore the well-preserved French colonial architecture along Street 1 and Street 2 — Battambang has Cambodia’s finest collection of early 20th-century colonial buildings. Ride the famous Bamboo Train (Norry) — a bamboo platform on wheels powered by a small engine, running on the old railway tracks through rice paddies and villages. The “train” can be disassembled in minutes when two meet from opposite directions. Evening: visit Phare Ponleu Selpak (the original circus school that supplies performers to Siem Reap’s venue) or simply enjoy Battambang’s emerging cafe culture. Overnight in Battambang.

Day 5: Battambang — Temples, Caves & Culture

Full day Battambang: Wat Banan (11th-century mountaintop temple, a miniature Angkor Wat with five towers and 358 steps to climb), Phnom Sampeau (a sacred hill with a temple, French colonial artillery positions from the war, and the notorious “Killing Caves” — a somber site where Khmer Rouge executions took place, now a memorial), and Wat Ek Phnom (an 11th-century Hindu temple with a giant modern Buddha statue adjacent). Evening: sunset at Phnom Sampeau — every evening, millions of bats emerge from a cave and stream across the sky in a black ribbon that lasts 20-30 minutes. Overnight in Battambang.

Day 6: Battambang to Siem Reap — The Rice Road

Morning drive to Siem Reap (3 hours) via Sisophon, passing through Cambodia’s rice-growing heartland. Stop at a local market en route to sample street food — grilled frogs (a Battambang specialty), fresh coconut, and kralan (sticky rice with coconut and beans cooked in bamboo tubes). Arrive Siem Reap by midday. Afternoon: orientation walk through Siem Reap’s Old Market and the riverfront. Evening: Night Market and Pub Street. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 7-8: Angkor — The World’s Greatest Temple Complex

Two full days exploring Angkor Archaeological Park: Angkor Wat sunrise, Angkor Thom (Bayon faces, Terrace of Elephants), Ta Prohm (jungle temple), Banteay Srei (pink sandstone masterpiece), Preah Khan, Neak Pean, and sunset from Pre Rup or Phnom Bakheng. Day 8 afternoon: optional Beng Mealea or Koh Ker excursion for those seeking deeper temple exploration. Evening: Apsara dance performance with dinner. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 9: Tonle Sap — The Great Lake

Full day on Tonle Sap: visit the floating villages of Kampong Khleang (the largest, with stilt houses rising 10m), explore the flooded mangrove forest, and visit a local school supported by sustainable tourism. Lunch at a floating restaurant. Afternoon: return to Siem Reap, free time for last explorations. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 10: Preah Vihear or Departure

Option 1 (recommended for temple enthusiasts): early morning departure for Preah Vihear Temple (UNESCO, 3.5 hours drive) — a spectacular clifftop temple on the Thailand border, built over 300 years by seven successive Khmer kings (9th-12th centuries). The temple sits atop a 525m cliff in the Dangrek Mountains, with a 800m-long causeway leading to the sanctuary. The view across the Cambodian plains to the south is breathtaking — you can see Thailand to the north and Cambodia stretching to the horizon. Preah Vihear was the subject of a International Court of Justice ruling in 1962 (awarding it to Cambodia) and was the site of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai forces as recently as 2011. Return to Siem Reap for evening departure, or continue to Thailand via the border crossing.

Option 2 (leisure): Morning free in Siem Reap — Artisans Angkor workshop, last-minute street food, final photographs. Afternoon transfer to airport for departure.

Included

• 9 nights: Phnom Penh(3), Battambang(2), Siem Reap(4)
• Daily breakfast
• Private English-speaking guide (all days)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle + driver
• Angkor 3-day pass
• All temple entries throughout Cambodia
• Bamboo Train ride (Battambang)
• Tonle Sap boat trip
• Apsara dance dinner
• All airport transfers