Battambang

Battambang is Cambodia's second city and its most liveable — a riverside colonial town that never quite made it onto the mass tourism route. The historic centre has some of the most intact French colonial architecture in Cambodia. Phare Ponleu Selpak, the circus school and arts organisation founded by refugees returning from Thai camps, runs performances several nights a week that are among the most memorable cultural experiences in Southeast Asia. The bamboo train — a DIY rail car on the old French railway — has been rebuilt and remains a genuine local experience.