Whether you start in Siem Reap and travel south, or head north to Angkor, this is the ultimate journey, via temples, beaches and the capital.

Hit the Phnom Penh for sights like the impressive National Museum with its excellent Angkorian sculpture collection, and the stunning Silver Pagoda with 5000 silver tiles. There is super shopping at the PsarTuol Tom Pong and a nightlife scene that rocks at all hours.

Take a speedboat to the Phnom Da temple, then go south to the colonial-era town of Kampot. From here, visit the abandoned Bokorhill station, the seaside town of Kep and the cave pagodas.

Go west to Sihanoukville, Cambodia's beach capital, to try the seafood, dive the nearby waters or just soak up the sun. Backtrack via Phnom Penh to Kompong Thorn and get a foretaste of what's to come by visiting the pre-Angkorian brick temples of Sambor Prei Kuk

Finish the trip at the temples of Angkor, a mind-blowing experience with which few sights on earth can compare. See the obvious-Angkor Wat, perfection in stone; Bayon weirdness in stone; and Ta Prohm, nature triumphing over stone-but venture further afield to Kbal Spean or the jungle-clad Beng Mealea .