Cambodia family travel – destination Battambang (2024)
If you’re planning some family travel to Cambodia, you’ve probably got the likes of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and maybe the Koh Rong islands on your itinerary. But if you’re travelling to Cambodia with kids then Battambang should definitely be added to that list. Its a fab, chilled out spot with some great opportunities for educational (but fun!) activities. Read on for more info on this fab destination in Cambodia for family travel.
This post contains affiliate links. Making a booking via these links will mean that we receive a small fee but this is at absolutely no cost to you.
The price you pay will always remain the same.
Why include Cambodia on your family travel list?
We absolutely loved Cambodia. Like so many people, it was on our list primarily for Angkor Wat (see our full post here on visiting Angkor Wat with kids). But there is SO much more to Cambodia! It’s a fascinating country, having had to nearly entirely rebuild itself following the awful horrors of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. There’s jaw-dropping temples at Angkor Wat, desert islands off the coast, a bustling capital city in Phnom Penh, tons of family fun in Siem Reap and some of the cheapest food (and beer) you’ll come across anywhere in SE Asia.
Where is Battambang?
Battambang – Cambodia’s third largest city – is located in the North West of the country on the Sangkae River. Its around 2.5hours from Siem Reap and around 4-5hours from Phnom Penh.
The easiest way to get between Battambang and either of these cities is in a shared or private minivan. There are dozens of tour agencies that can sell you seats on these or you can arrange them through your accommodation (which is what we did).
We paid c. £40 (KHR 200,000) for both the journey from Siem Reap to Battambang and the onward journey from Battambang to Phnom Penh.
Why is Battambang, Cambodia so great for families?
Battambang is a relaxed little place, easy to walk around and with plenty to keep the kids entertained. It’s central area is quite compact so it’s easy to wander between your accommodation and any restaurants/sights. In the evenings the riverfront really comes to life – it’s a beautiful spot to walk along and enjoy the lights, grabbing dinner either from one of the roadside food stands or in one of the little restaurants.
When we were there the riverside areas were packed full of families in the evening. There were loads of kids in their PJs on rollerskates, people playing music, ad-hoc exercise classes going on. It really seemed like the hub of community life and it felt like a real Cambodian experience. We saw very, very few tourists during our stay.
As with everywhere in Cambodia, the people were incredibly warm and welcoming.
Where to stay in Battambang
There are a number of family-run homestays in and around Battambang. These are lovely little spots to stay in and meet local people but the majority are quite rustic/basic. Battambang isn’t really a place offering loads of luxury stays! But this worked really well for us as we love local-run smaller places.
We opted to stay at Lotus Blanc Homestay, which was around a 10-15minute walk from the riverside area of the city. The family made us feel really welcome and while the family room we had was basic, it was comfortable and had everything we needed. The owners offer a whole range of tuktuk tours so it’s a great base if you want to get out and explore Battambang.
What tours and activities should you do in and around Battambang?
One of the reasons Battambang is such a good place to visit with kids is the ease of tours and the educational nature of these. Almost all tours involve hiring a tuktuk and driver for the day/halfday and exploring the area. There are a couple of specific tours that are offered at most homestays/hotels or you can negotiate with any tuktuk driver. We got a cheaper price by doing this (and had a recommended tuktuk driver from others we’d met on the road) but the easiest way to do this is through your accommodation. Either way they are pretty great value for the amount that you get to see and do!
Bamboo Train
This is one of the most famous attractions in and around Battambang, and nearly everyone who visits will go for a ride! The bamboo train was built so that the people of Battambang could get around after the Khmer Rouge regime destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure. The trains run on the old tracks and are built from salvaged wheel axles from trucks, with a bamboo platform placed on top. All powered by a boat engine!
A ride through the Cambodian countryside is a real treat. They can pick up some speed so it’s exciting as well! And best of all, if you meet another bamboo carriage coming the other way, one of the groups has to get off and the driver’s dismantle the train carriage and take it off the tracks to let the other carriage past. It’s really awe-inspiring to think of the ingenuity that went into building the system and a reminder of how hard Cambodians have had to work to rebuild their country over the last few decades.
All tuktuk drivers in Battambang will be able to take you to the main bamboo train station where you can wait for a driver. It costs roughly £10/KHR 50,000 to ride the train and the journey to the end of line and back takes around 45mins (remember to tip your driver at the end). Be warned that at the stop at the far end there are stalls selling t shirts and cold drinks and some very cute (and persistent) kids who will try to sell you friendship bracelets and the like. Be prepared and take some cash with you (it’s all fairly cheap)
.
Be aware too that there is a newer version of the bamboo train that has popped up. If you want to see the real thing make sure your tuktuk driver knows this so you don’t get taken to the theme park style version!
Bat Caves (and Killing Cave/Temple)
One of the other popular trips from Battambang is a visit to the Bat Caves. These are around an hour via tuktuk from Battambang and are a very popular spot at sunset. The cave entrance is a huge slit in the cliff and as the sun sets (around 6pm) around 6million bats leave the cave to feed on the insects in the surrounding rice fields. It is a spectacular sight! The stream of bats seems to go on FOREVER.
There are rows of little food stands and plastic tables and chairs where you can settle down to watch the spectacle. If you do sit down you are very much expected to buy something! Which is pretty fair, and the snacks and cold drinks are cheap so it’s a nice way to chill and wait for the bats to emerge.
There is a temple you can also visit and a Killing Cave nearby too which was the site of Khmer Rouge atrocities. We had been backpacking around South East Asia for a few months by this point so opted not to visit the temple, and also gave the KIlling Cave a miss with the kids. We’d been to a number of memorial sites in Cambodia with the kids prior to this and they were feeling pretty overwhelmed by the horror of it all.
We combined the bamboo train in the afternoon with a visit to the Bat Cave at sunset and paid a total of £12/KHR 60,000 for our tuktuk for the whole trip.
Food Tour
This highly educational insight into the traditional foods in Cambodia was much more engaging than I had thought it might be!
Our tuktuk driver took us to see a local seller of bamboo sticky rice so we could see how this was made (and try some for ourselves!). We then paid a visit to a stall making rice paper for spring rolls – we watched the process of making and drying the rice paper then, again, got to try the finished spring rolls for ourselves.
The highlights for us though was definitely the visit to a local home to see how the packs of sundried fruits are produced. The boys got to slice up banana and mango and lay it out to dry in the sun (on huge long slabs). We tried loads of variations of sundried banana and mango. The local woman who ran the stall really welcomed us in to her home and was so wonderful and friendly with the boys. We bought piles of sundried mango and banana – such a great travel snack to have on the road!
We paid a total of £25 (KHR 135,000) for our half day food tour. We could have included a temple and a Killing Fields Memorial in the tour but again we opted not to do this with the kids.
With all of the tours by tuktuk, part of the joy is driving through the Cambodian countryside and seeing the real way of life for the people who live here. It was a great way to really start to understand the country. Plus travel by openair tuktuk is actually a great way to see the region with a bit of cool breeze washing over you, which is a treat in the heat and humidity of Cambodia!
Phare Circus School
This is simply an incredible show. The ‘main’ circus performs in Phnom Penh but here you can visit the circus school and watch the students perform (and the tickets are cheaper!). The students put on several different performances a week, all with a different theme. On the date that we visited the theme was ‘Rouge’ and the performance was based around the history of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Whilst this sounds like a bit of a sombre topic for a circus performance, the dance, music and gymnastics were fabulous and it was amazing to see them take such a disturbing topic and bring it to life in this way.
One of the really interesting bits of a trip to the Phare circus school though is the opportunity to learn about the history of the school and see some of the student art works. If you arrive early you can potter around the campus and see some incredible art and learn about the history of the school. This is fascinating in itself – the circus school was originally formed in the refugee camps following the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Over the years it expanded to offer performance arts, visual arts and music programmes and now has over 1,000 students a year.
There’s also a lovely little cafe (selling basic hot food and snacks for the performance) and a shop that stocks all kinds of souvenirs, mostly designed by the students themselves. Obviously all profits go back in to the school itself.
At the time of writing shows ran on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets are $16 for adults and $9 for kids (5-11years). Whilst the show is absolutely worth seeing, it’s also a great way to support an amazing non-profit initiative as well. Check out more info on TripAdvisor here.
Where to eat in Battambang
We found a few great little eateries in Battambang, from cafes to restaurants to food stalls along the river.
Green Mango Cafe & Bakery
This lovely little cafe was a short walk from Lotus Homestay (and the river coming the other way). It’s airconditioned (great in the Cambodian heat!) and has a great little menu with breakfast stuff and baked goods, plus some fab coffee. The Google Maps link is here.
Ti-NAAT
We stumbled upon this place by chance and it was one of the best meals we had in Cambodia! The tables are set in an outdoor courtyard area strung with fairy lights. They also have live bands on at certain times and there’s a great atmosphere to the whole place. We had some fab Cambodian food, plus some very welcome chicken strip type things for the boys!
Food stands along the river
If you wander along the riverside in the evening there are a number of food stalls selling all kinds of stuff. We had some delicious (but very spicy!) noodles, Cambodian amok (a kind of curry dish that can be fish, chicken or beef usually) and several snacks/cold drinks on our wanderings.
Top tips for a family trip to Battambang
- Wander around the riverfront in the evening to soak up the real family vibe
- Remember that part of the fun of the tuktuk tours is just enjoying the beautiful countryside
- Get to the Phare Circus show an hour before it starts so you have time to learn about this fab non-profit enterprise
Planning a family travel adventure to Cambodia?
If you’re thinking of travelling to Cambodia with kids, then check out some of our other posts below for more inspiration, reviews and tips!
