Treasure of Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Battambang and Angkor in 8 Days

Your guide and driver meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. After time to settle in, head out to Wat Phnom, the hilltop pagoda that gave the city its name, then the Independence Monument and Wat Ounalom, the seat of Cambodian Buddhism since the 15th century. Take a relaxed walk along the riverfront, where the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers meet, and watch the city come out for the evening breeze. A welcome dinner at a local restaurant rounds off the day.Overnight: Phnom Penh · Meals: D

Begin at the Royal Palace, home of the King of Cambodia, and the neighboring Silver Pagoda with its gold and jeweled Buddhas. After lunch, your guide leads a quieter part of the day, visiting Tuol Sleng, the former school used as the S-21 prison, and the Choeung Ek memorial outside the city. Both explain the years of the Khmer Rouge with care and honesty. End at the Russian Market, a good place for silk, silver and handicrafts.Overnight: Phnom Penh · Meals: B, L

Leave the capital for Battambang, about 290 km to the northwest. Along the way, stop to watch silversmiths at Kampong Luong, see a floating village and visit a pottery village near Kampong Chhnang, where clay pots are still shaped by hand. After checking in and resting, a tuk tuk takes you around town to the 1907 Provincial Hall and the Wat Kor village, known for its old wooden Khmer houses, and to a small workshop making rice paper snacks. Dinner is at a local restaurant.Overnight: Battambang · Meals: B, D

Spend a full day around Battambang, a relaxed city of colonial houses along the Sangker River. Browse the local market, then visit Wat Ek Phnom, an 11th-century temple, and Prasat Banan, whose five towers sit on a hilltop with wide views over the rice plains. Continue to Phnom Sampeau, a hill of caves, shrines and stories. Finish with a ride on the bamboo train, a simple platform on rails that rattles through fields and villages, great fun for all ages.Overnight: Battambang · Meals: B, L

Board a local boat for the journey to Siem Reap along the Sangker River and across the edge of Tonle Sap, about six hours. You pass stilt houses, fishing villages and the pagoda of Wat Chheu Khmau, a slow window onto river life. Your guide and driver meet you at the Chong Khneas pier and take you to your hotel. In the evening, enjoy dinner with a performance of classical Apsara dance. When the river is too low, this leg is a three-hour drive.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, D

Rise early to watch sunrise over Angkor, then return for breakfast. Visit Ta Prohm, where giant roots pour over the walls, then pass through the South Gate of Angkor Thom with its rows of stone figures. Explore the Bayon and its calm stone faces, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas and the Terrace of the Leper King. In the afternoon, take your time at Angkor Wat, walking its galleries, libraries and courtyards and looking out over its reflecting pools.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, L

Drive out through the countryside to Banteay Srei, a 10th-century temple carved in pink sandstone and often called the jewel of Khmer art. Continue to Banteay Samre, with its fine reliefs and few visitors. In the afternoon, visit a group of temples closer to town: Banteay Kdei, the royal pool of Srah Srang, the temple-mountain of Ta Keo, and the twin shrines of Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda, before returning to your hotel.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, L

Enjoy a slow morning at your hotel or a last walk through the Old Market for souvenirs such as silk scarves, pepper and hand-carved wood. At the agreed time, your driver transfers you to Siem Reap airport for your flight home or on to your next destination.Meals: B