August 21, 2023

Big Sights, Hidden Gems, and Lots of Luxury: The 14 Best Places to Visit in Cambodia

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Cambodia packs in much more excitement and adventure than most travelers expect—so it can be difficult to choose where to venture. So in this guide, we’ve helped you to do some planning: we’ve brought you the 14 best places to visit in Cambodia, along with information on what (and who) each one is best for. Expect famous destinations, luxury spots, under-the-radar choices, surprisingly-small towns, and lots of shores and sands. Come join the fun!

Best Places to Visit in Cambodia for People Who Like Tourist Sights

ANGKOR WAT

Best for: temple-hunters, those who like religious sites, and anyone keen to see the nation’s most famous attraction. The largest religious complex on the planet, some tourists spend an entire week roaming around the temples and towers of Angkor. And rightly so: the entire complex measures in at around 400 square kilometers (154 square miles). Expect an enticing combination of huge buildings, tiny details, and unexpected cultural insights. Enigmatic and unbelievable, you’ve never seen anything like this before. Just like most tourists do, make sure you head here for sunrise.

Pro tip: for something similar but lesser-known, you should try Koh Ker or Banteay Chhmar.

SIEM REAP

Best for: low-cost drinks in a low-cost city, close proximity to Angkor, and visiting the nation’s most touristy city. Siem Reap is most well-known for being the best base for Angkor Wat (the two destinations sit only 5km/3 miles) from one another. But there are many more great sights in and around the small city. Highlights include Pub Street, other pulsating nightlife, excellent night markets, the iconic Paper Tiger Cooking Class (operating since 1999), Phare circus, a load of backpacker hotspots, many yoga classes, and the Cambodian Landmine Museum. Siem Reap has a reputation for being the tourist epicenter of the country… and you’ll soon see why.

PHNOM PENH

Best for: people who like busy bustle, a trendier side to life, and learning about the harrowing atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. Much bigger than Siem Reap, Phnom Penh is still very touristy… but it feels a little more ‘real.’ A busy city of markets, motorbikes and mayhem, Phnom Penh is rapidly evolving into a pretty hip place. You get brunch-based eateries, trendy cafes, chic spots, and hidden pockets of luxury. But Phnom Penh is also one of the best places in Cambodia for learning about recent history. Both Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Killing Fields are horrifying but necessary, while The National Museum of Cambodia is equally important.

TONLE SAP

Best for: water-lovers, floating markets, and exploring unique lifestyles. The biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, Tonle Sap sits in the northeast of the nation. It has a length of 250km (155 miles), and a maximum width of 100 km (62 miles). Weirdly, its maximum depth sits at only 10 meters (32 feet). An officially-designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it’s home to boat trips, floating villages, endangered birds, colorful stilted homes, and on-water markets—and it’s very unique and unusual. There are many settlements dotted in and around the lake… but for overnight stays, your two best options are Kampong Chhnang, and surprisingly close-by Siem Reap.

Best Places to Visit in Cambodia for Those Who Like Luxury

KAMPOT

Best for: riverside relaxation, soaking up small-town charm, and enjoying one of Cambodia’s top resorts. Sleepy and serene, the riverside town of Kampot is endlessly endearing. Like all tourists, you’ll come for a couple of days, but want to stay forever. It serves up river cruises, nearby national parks, an inviting hilly backdrop, big slices of real local life, some of the best food in Cambodia, and our elegant luxury resort. That resort combines high-end modernity with jungle-inspired authenticity, offering 5-star service, fine-dining experiences, wellness packages, and lots of comfort and class.For luxury, Kampot is the best place to visit in Cambodia.

KEP

Best for: seafood fans, anyone who likes local markets, and quiet-beach seekers. Only around 20 kilometers from Kampot, Kep is like a seaside version of its nearby neighbor. Cozy, quaint and quiet, it’s vastly different to many other Cambodian seaside spots—while others are centered around late nights and long parties, Kep is more about lazy luxury. It offers pepper farms, high-end hotels, shoreside restaurants, quiet beaches, a tantalizing crab market, and very-nearby Rabbit Island.

Pro tip: it’s easy to use Kampot as a base for exploring Kep. Many of our guests overnight in Kampot while taking day trips to Kep’s shores, sands, and markets.

PHNOM PENH

Best for: elevated Cambodian food, lots of high-end hotels, and fantastic service. Because it’s the capital, surprisingly-modern Phnom Penh serves up the nation’s biggest concentration of luxury. You get swanky hangouts, world-class resorts, fancy shopping opportunities, and some of the best (but most affordable!) spas you’ve ever visited. If you want as much luxury as you can get in Cambodia, head to Phnom Penh. Two of the city’s best hotels include Rosewood Phnom Penh (recently voted as ‘best city hotel in Asia’ by Travel & Leisure), and the iconic Raffles Le Royal (which offers a lovely balance between retro charms and modern flourishes). Phnom Penh is also home to some of the region’s best high-end food. For getting the best luxury eats, we recommend starting with Le Gourmet, Malis, and Mealea. And as an alluring bonus, much of this luxury is relatively affordable. Okay, you’ll still be paying high prices—but Cambodian luxury is much more affordable than the luxury offered in many other parts of the world.

Best Places to Visit in Cambodia for People Who Like Hidden Gems

KRATIE

Best for: animal lovers, little-town-likers and anyone who wants to watch dolphins. Though Kratie isn’t as obscure as it once was, most travelers still don’t visit. But among those who know about the town, it’s most famous as a nearby base for Kampi—where you can watch endangered dolphins swim along the Mekong. A quiet rural town, Kratie also offers attractions and adventures of its own, including non-touristy markets, lesser-visited temples, lotus farms, a turtle conservation center, and the on-river shores of quiet Koh Trong island.

BATTAMBANG

Best for: small-city seekers, people who like underground art, and easy-to-access day trips. Despite being the third-biggest city in Cambodia (population around 120,000), not too many tourists come through Battambang. But there’s lots to love about the place—it offers cozy cafes, smiling locals, small-town charm, independent art galleries, tiny performance spots, French-colonial architecture, rural bicycle rides, and a surprisingly arty vibe. Other big draws include excellent circus shows, Banan Bat Cave (where you’ll watch millions of bats swoop and swarm), the bizarre Bamboo Railway, and riding a riverboat all the way to Siem Reap.

MONDULKIRI

Best for: engaging (ethically) with elephants, exploring hills and valleys, and anyone who really likes to get away from the tourist trail. An entire province (rather than a single destination), ’Mondulkiri’ translates to ‘Meeting of the Hills.’ And it offers exactly what you might expect from a place of that name. For outdoor-adventure lovers, it’s Cambodia’s last real frontier of untouched-by-tourism excitement. You get rolling hills, ethical elephant sanctuaries, ethnic groups, proud tribes, rudimentary homestays, ecotourism projects, and insights that few other tourists ever enjoy. It can be a little rough and rugged for some, but it’s as authentic as Cambodia gets.

KAMPOT & KEP

Best for: people who like finding luxury and convenience in lesser-known places. We’ve already brought you both Kampot and Kep—but, as we mentioned before, they’re both great choices for under-the-radar indulgence. Though they won’t stay this way forever, they’re two of Cambodia’s best destinations for enjoying peace and quiet, but without having to sacrifice comfort or luxury.

So our advice is: get to Kampot and Kep before everyone else does.

KOH KONG

Best for: guided boat trips, super-quiet shores, and a base for outdoor adventures. Another underrated spot, another beach-based option. Though Koh Kong is Cambodia’s biggest island, it’s also one of the nation’s most difficult-to-see destinations. It’s only accessible for half of the year (from October until May), and you can only reach the place on a guided boat trip (usually from the town of Koh Kong, also known as Khemara Phoumin). On a visit to the island, you can expect seven beaches, some of the clearest water you’ve ever seen, and a whole load of silence and seclusion. The town itself (that’s Khemara Phoumin) is also an underrated destination of its own. A laid-back hub for ecotourism, it’s a great base for lesser-known coastlines, mangrove forests, and heading into the peaks and valleys of the Cardamom Mountains. And on top of all that, the town is rough, rugged, charming, and full of friendly faces.

Best Places to Visit in Cambodia for Beach-Lovers

KOH RONG

Best for: younger travelers who want to combine partying with peace. Broadly speaking, iconic Koh Rong (the most famous island in Cambodia) is best-known for its nightlife. And that’s definitely partially justified. Some stretches of the island place a firm focus on pulsating parties, budget backpacking, and an anything-goes atmosphere. But look a little beyond that, and you’ll also find pockets of peace—the south side of Sok San Beach offers stunning sunsets and peaceful sands, while Long Set Beach is even quieter. And hotels like BeachWalk Koh Rong and Golden Beach Resort serve up plenty of appealing elegance. For even more luxury and seclusion, some head to the very-nearby (but often prohibitively expensive) Song Saa Private Island.

KOH RONG SAMLOEN

Best for: romantic vacations, quiet couples, and a semi-silent island retreat. Just a little south of its similarly-named neighbor, Koh Rong Samleon is much more serene and simple. A perfect choice for a shoreside romantic break, it offers quiet beaches, little villages, and a highly relaxing vibe. Other highlights include short hiking trails, cozy sand-side bars, beachfront massages, bioluminescent plankton, an almost-eerie abandoned lighthouse, and some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Cambodia. And because the island has a tiny perimeter of just 37 kilometers (23 miles), you can easily explore the entire place in just a few days. Though you won’t find any hugely-luxurious accommodation options on Koh Rong Samleon, on-beach spots like Eden Beach Resort and Sara Resort are quiet, cozy and welcoming.

14 BEST PLACES TO VISIT CAMBODIA: FINAL THOUGHTS

To sum up, our must-visit choices are… Siem Reap (for temples and tourist hordes), Koh Rong Samleon (for a relatively quiet island), and Kampot (for the allure of a small town, and staying in the private confines of our relaxing luxury resort). For more information, explore our guides to where to stay in Cambodia, the best times to visit Cambodia, and our top Cambodia travel tips. Thanks for reading, thanks for stopping by, and thanks for choosing Amber Kampot. We hope you have an incredible time in Cambodia!