A provincial market town until the tourism explosion of the post-Pol Pot era, Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor. Over a million visitors pour through here each year and most stay in or around the town. The upside is a wide choice of quality hotels, restaurants and bars, as well as a plethora of shopping opportunities.

A few pockets of authentic Cambodian atmosphere also survive in the local fresh produce market, and numerous performances of Khmer Apsara dance, music and shadow puppetry are staged in the evenings. Visitors interested in traditional Cambodian arts and crafts may also visit workshops of the renowned Artisans Angkor company, which has spearheaded the revival of silk-making, stone and wood carving, lacquering and painting in the area.

ANGKOR WAT

The greatest of all the shrines created by the Khmers – in fact, the single largest religious building anywhere in the world – is Angkor Wat. Dedicated to Vishnu, the temple is a vivid testament to the power, ambition and unbridled narcissism of the region’s ancient rulers.

ANGKOR THOM

The remains of the Khmers' last great city, Angkor Thom, stand just north of Angkor Wat, enclosed by massive laterite walls and a broad moat. From its centre soars the central sanctuary tower of the mighty Bayon temple, which is perhaps best known for the colossal face-towers that adorn it. No one knows for sure who, or what, the smiling faces represent: they may have been images of the emperor himself, or guardian deities.

BENG MEALEA

For the full Indiana Jones experience, Beng Mealea (40km/25 miles east of Angkor) is hard to beat. Here, the forest is still king: buttressed-root trees grow behind elaborately sculpted door lintels and the smiles of apsara maidens are glimpsed behind curtains of leaves – all achingly poignant, and splendid.

BANTEAY SREI

Made of salmon-hued sandstone, Banteay Srei, 17 miles (27km) north of Angkor Wat, impresses less by its scale than the great artistry of its carvings. Delicately sculpted scenes from Hindu mythology embellish the ornate shrines of the temple, dedicated to the God of Destruction and Preservation, Shiva.

TA PROHM

Restoration work has been kept to a minimum in this hauntingly beautiful temple, originally founded in the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. Like octopus tentacles enveloping their prey, the roots of giant banyans, strangler figs and kapok trees still enfold much of the stonework, creating scenes little changed since those that greeted the French adventurers who first rediscovered Angkor in the 1850s.

TONLE SAP LAKE

The largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, Tonle Sap, due south of Siem Reap, supports a population of over a million people, the majority of whom live from rice cultivation and fishing, in stilted or floating villages around its shoreline

The Cambodian capital doesn’t feel in quite so much of a rush to embrace the future as its counterparts elsewhere in Southeast Asia. High-rise buildings are beginning to spring up, but they’re still outnumbered by colonial-era shophouses and the flaking facades of French-style villas.

Begin your sightseeing with a visit to the splendid Royal Palace and adjacent Silver Pagoda, whose central shrine holds a Buddha made from an enormous emerald. Then admire the impressive collection of antiquities at the National Museum before joining our guided tour of Boeung Keng Kang Market, where you’ll sample local delicacies such as pungent durian, and dragon fruit. With its ranks of cafés, trinket sellers and strollers, breezy Sisowath Quay is the place to head as the shadows lengthen. At the Foreign Correspondents Club, enjoy a sundowner while savouring the views over the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers.

Such easy living is a far cry from the Pol Pot era of the mid-1970s, when a school in the centre of Phnom Penh housed the notorious S-21 prison. Now maintained as a memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge, the buildings today comprise the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, where exhibitions of clothing, human remains and photographs document the atrocities perpetrated within its walls – a sobering testament to the horrors of Cambodia’s recent history.

One of the most scenic drives in Cambodia leads from Siem Reap to Battambang, on the banks of the Sangker River. This venerable old city holds a bumper crop of colonial-era architecture, ranging from antique shophouses in the market district to stately French villas lining the broad, leafy boulevards on the south side of town.

Aside from the quirky ‘Bamboo train’ and a few picturesque temples, the other ‘must see’ in Battambang is the home of the Phare Ponleu Selpak troupe. Anyone who enjoyed this company’s dazzling circus performances in Siem Reap shouldn’t miss the chance to watch its trainees being put through their paces. Disadvantaged youngsters from across the region come here to be schooled in dance, acrobatics, juggling and music

There are some absolutely stunning vistas on Koh Rong, Koh Russey and Koh Krabey, just off Cambodia's southern coast. This is honeymoon heaven, certain to get pulses racing with anyone looking for sandy idylls and private ports to set sail to. Koh Rong has a relatively relaxed bohemian feel; you can see a thousand stars from the beaches each night, but there’s only a handful of 5-star properties. Travellers on a budget also head to neighbouring Koh Rong Samloem, which has become a haven for anyone wishing to rekindle the rustic ambiance of their backpacker days.

The coastal towns of Kep and Kampot don't boast brilliant beaches or fancy resorts (although the growing amount of  reclaimed coastal land is starting to challenge that), but you’ll find some of the freshest seafood in Asia alongside heavenly, family-run pepper plantations - not to be sneezed at! Give the generic seaside shops and quasi-bohemian bars of Sihanoukville a miss; Cambodia's southern coast has got a far simpler side to set your sights on. You'll discover a scattering of beautifully-revived heritage properties, as well as that old-fashioned, sleepy seaside charm that drew the French here in the first place.