Most travelers rush past Battambang. They land in Siem Reap, tick off Angkor, and move on. That’s a mistake.This quiet riverside town holds some of the most intact Battambang colonial architecture, a raw slice of Cambodian history at Phnom Sampeou, and a bamboo train ride that’s far less “theme park” than people expect.If you want Cambodia beyond temple crowds, this is where it starts to feel real.