How to visit Siem Reap, Cambodia
If there’s one place that every tourist visits in Cambodia, it’s Siem Reap.
Why? This city is the closest to Angkor Wat, one of the biggest attractions in South East Asia, and is the gateway for any tours there.
However, Siem Reap isn’t all about archaeology. There are plenty of other attractions to explore, plus the range of different activities, nightlife and hotspots you’d expect from such a popular city.
In this guide, I’ll tell you more about how to visit Siem Reap. It has information on what the city is like to visit, what to do, where to stay and how to go about your visit. It’s tailored to a backpacker viewpoint, so don’t expect ultra-fancy hotels or expensive tours to feature; but if you’re into affordable fun, you’re in the right place.
Ratings
Accessibility: 5/5 • Safety: 4/5 • Enjoyment: 5/5 • Value: 3/5 • Overall: 4.25/5
Where is Siem Reap?
Siem Reap is the second biggest city in Cambodia. You’ll find it in the north west of the country.
What is Siem Reap like?
Siem Reap is an unusual city, but mostly in a good way. It’s located only 5 km from Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s most popular attraction, and therefore is a major tourist hotspot.
The centre of the city is incredibly touristy, which I found to be both a good thing and a bad thing. There are tons of amenities aimed at tourists, with an explosion of restaurants, markets, bars and tour agencies. However, that can make it feel a bit less authentic than other places.
This isn’t to say there is no Khmer culture though. I visited during Water Festival (Bon Om Touk), a major holiday in Cambodia, so there was a large local presence in the city, with a lot of domestic tourists around. The soul of the city really shone through!
Siem Reap: home to Angkor Wat
Siem Reap has grown as a tourist destination due of its proximity to the Angkor Wat Archaeological Complex.
Angkor Wat was once the capital of the Khmer empire until it moved to its present day location (Phnom Penh) in the 15th century. After 800 years or so of abandonment, not much remains from the city, but you’ll still find more than 1000 temples, 72 of which are considered significant.
The most well known of these temples is also called Angkor Wat, and photographs of its towers are instantly recognisable. However, there are plenty of others to explore; I spent three days exploring the temples and still missed a bunch of them. The architecture is stunning and I loved learning about the history behind the stones.
More than just temples
But there’s more to Siem Reap than Angkor Wat. The city is fairly clean and accommodating, and there are other things to explore, such as modern temples and artisanal markets, which can easily take up your time if you need a break from archaeology.
Much of the action is right next to the main river, with a night market on one of its banks. When I visited, plenty of teams were there to practise their rowing in time for a competition during the Water Festival, so this area of the city hummed with activity. I doubt it would be quite as busy during other periods of the year, but I’m sure it never gets that quiet.
Ratings
As part of this blog, I give every place I visit a rating so that I can easily compare destinations and decide whether they’re worth a visit. Those are the scores you see at the top of the page!
This is how Siem Reap rated:
- Accessibility: 5/5 – it’s easy to get to Siem Reap, and given the popularity of Angkor Wat, there’s a tour or experience tailored to everyone.
- Safety: 4/5 – Siem Reap is very safe. I have marked it down slightly due to an incident I saw, where a backpacker got knocked off their bike by a tuk tuk; it was a stark reminder that driving standards and accountability are not as high as in the UK. But generally I would say the city is safe for the average traveller.
- Enjoyment: 5/5 – I loved my visit to Siem Reap. Angkor Wat did not disappoint!
- Value: 3/5 – Cambodia is much cheaper than European or Western countries. However, it works out more expensive than its neighbours. The entrance fee for Angkor Wat, paired with accommodation, activities and food, can really add up.
If you’ve already visited, let me know if you agree with these ratings! Just to note, the ratings are my personal opinion based on my visit, so you might have a completely different experience.
How long should you spend in Siem Reap?
There is a lot to do in and around Siem Reap, so longer is better when visiting this city.
Possibly the biggest question to ask is how long you want to spend at Angkor Wat, as that determines the minimum amount of time to spend in Siem Reap. Visitors normally spend between one and three days exploring the archaeological complex. Not too bothered about history or ruins? One will probably be enough to hit the highlights. Find all that exciting? Budget two or three.
Personally, I went into Angkor Wat on three day trips and found that to be a good amount of time. I could visit most of the main temples (although still not all of them…) without having to worry about rushing around. I wouldn’t say I’m a history buff, but each temple was different and interesting in its own way.
Otherwise, you might want to budget a few days to break up your time at Angkor Wat, or just to explore other nearby attractions. I also had an extra day because I didn’t want to do anything too tiring after my night bus from Sihanoukville.
Overall, I’d suggest three to four nights if you’re in a rush, or five to six nights if you plan to visit Angkor Wat multiple times and want to take things slow. You’ll find other activities to do in the spare time, I promise!
How to get to Siem Reap
It’s very easy to get to Siem Reap. As Cambodia’s second biggest city, it’s well connected to other places in Cambodia as well as Bangkok.
Heading from Phnom Penh? Expect the bus to take 6 hours and cost $10 to $15 (£8 to £12).
Heading from Sihanoukville, the city closest to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem? Most buses run overnight and cost $22 to $28 (£17 to £21). We used Larryta, which was the nicest night bus and friendliest bus driver we had on our whole South-East Asia trip.
Heading from Bangkok? Buses run throughout the day and cost $20 to $30 (£20 to £23).
It’s easiest to book transport through your accommodation. 12go.asia is another option; however, if you have a particular bus company in mind, see if you can book directly, as 12go.asia can work out slightly more expensive once processing fees are added.
Where to eat in Siem Reap
Siem Reap is a city which heavily caters to tourists and expats in the centre, so you’ll find plenty of food options, with many international cuisines catered for across multiple restaurants. Do you fancy Indian? Mexican? Italian? American? BBQ?
Ironically we struggled to find affordable classic Khmer food. This seemed to be in short supply compared to the many Western options on offer!
However, we found Tevy’s Place, Our Place and Angkor Noodles & Dumplings to be good and affordable. Tevy’s Place does great sandwiches and Khmer food; Our Place offers affordable comfortable Khmer food with great coffee; and the food at Angkor Noodles & Dumplings is pretty tasty, especially their lemongrass chicken dumplings.
If you’re in the mood for Western food, check out the Jungle Burger Bar. It serves classic kiwi food with bar decor; I’d been craving pie for the two months before my visit, so their steak, cheese and bacon pie was a dream come true. Also check out Chubby Gonzo’s; they do $1 (£0.80) tacos, and I particularly liked the veggie sweet potato option.
Of course, you will find a range of other options in the city. There’s also decent street food, including $1 (£0.80) smoothies and snacks, on the stretch by the riverside.
Where to stay in Siem Reap
Siem Reap has everything, so where to stay is a completely individual decision. You don’t need to compromise here!
We stayed at Lub D, and I’d recommend it if plan to stay at a hostel. The dorms are well-structured, with a locker area which is separate to the sleeping area. Others will be excited to see hair dryers and straighteners in the bathroom! They organise a social event every night so there’s always an opportunity to meet other travellers.
I’d recommend staying within the vicinity of the centre so you have the widest range of options for food and drink at night.
What to do in Siem Reap
1. Go to Angkor Wat Archaeological Complex
You’re in Siem Reap for one reason, and that is Angkor Wat. This world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site is a dream for many to visit and is one of the jewels of South-East Asia.
I loved exploring Angkor Wat and think it’s thoroughly worth the time to get to know it. Make sure to visit the most popular temples – Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm – but, if you’ve got time, I’d definitely recommend branching out and exploring some of the others.
2. Meet the hero rats at APOPO Demining
Cambodia is a country that unfortunately has suffered a lot of hardships throughout its time. During the Vietnamese War it was heavily bombed by the USA, and it also suffered during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. As such there are many areas of the country with unexploded landmines, which cause injuries and deaths decades on.
One NGO that works to clear landmines in Cambodia is APOPO. They do this through the use of rats that are trained to detect TNT, a compound which landmines contain. At Siem Reap, they have a visitor centre where you can learn more and see a few of the rats in action!
I found my visit to APOPO super interesting and worthwhile. At $8 (£6) per person, it’s on the more expensive side for entrance fees in Cambodia, but it seems worth it to support such a great cause. And you get to hold an African rat… What more could you possibly want?
If you want to learn more about Cambodia’s sad history, also check out the Landmine Museum on the way to Banteay Srei.
3. Watch the Phare Cambodian Circus
In the evening, after a long day visiting temples, settle down to watch a circus performance at Phare. This is a circus group which supports a school of aspiring performers through the show.
With tickets starting at $18 (£14), depending on your viewpoint this could be a cheap or expensive circus performance. Don’t expect lots of apparatus or ridiculously daring tricks. However, the characters played by each performer are so entertaining. I’m glad I went!
Be sure to go a bit before at 7 pm, for the kids’ performance. Their show is super sweet and I was surprised at how good some of them are.
4. Admire Cambodia’s insects at a butterfly farm
Multiple butterfly farms are located near Siem Reap, all a tuk tuk ride away. If you’re all tempted out and looking for a break from temples, this is a potential option.
We went to the Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre, which gains its name from the nearby temple, also called Banteay Srei. I found it was a nice break in the middle of my day visiting the temples.
5. Visit Kulen National Park
Another option is to get out of the city and visit Kulen National Park on a day trip. Here you’ll find waterfalls, rivers and jungle trekking. The mountain around which the national park extends is sacred, so you’ll also find several temples and thousands of carved lingas on the riverbed.
It’s possible to visit Kulen National Park independently or on a tour from Siem Reap. The tours can sound quite expensive – in part due to the $20 (£16) fee to enter the park – so I ended up skipping this area. However, I heard great things about it, so it’s definitely worth considering if you have the time and money.
6. Take a trip to the floating markets
Near to Siem Reap, you’ll find Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in South-East Asia. Tonlé Sap is known to tourists for one main thing: its floating villages. These villages rely on the lake for their livelihoods.
Visiting the floating villages is a popular day trip for travellers, either via a tour or on a tuk tuk. They certainly look like a fascinating place to visit, and I’d hope they provide an insight into local life in these parts.
I chose not to visit Tonlé Sap as I heard many of the villages were super touristy and tours were a bit scammy. It does however sound like an interesting afternoon out!
7. Head to the Kulen Elephant Forest
Close to Kulen National Park, you’ll find an elephant sanctuary: the Kulen Elephant Forest. This sanctuary looks after elephants which have been retired from the Angkor tourist industry, allowing them to live out their days in their natural habitat.
Similar to the elephant tours in northern Thailand, it’s possible to visit the Kulen Elephant Forest on a day trip to meet the elephants, watching them, walking with them and preparing treats for them.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of the elephant sanctuary when visiting Siem Reap. It was advertised as though it was a tourist attraction rather than a sanctuary, and at $100 (£79) for a half day tour it is not exactly cheap. However, I ended up doing a very similar tour in Chiang Mai in Thailand, so I can’t talk!
8. Spend the evening along Pub Street
People who enjoy a tad bit of drinking will want to check out Pub Street. Officially called Street 8, Pub Street is Siem Reap’s hub for all things nightlife; it’s full of bars, clubs and restaurants.
I thought Pub Street looked on the tamer side compared to other South-East Asian cities, but it is a definite option if you’re looking for a place to wile the night away.
9. Go shopping
If you want to buy souvenirs to commemorate your trip to Angkor Wat, you can do so at the Old Market. As with most other touristy South-East Asian markets, this contains a variety of stalls offering the exact same tacky souvenir selection.
If you’re looking for something a bit different, head to the Made in Cambodia market, 10 mins’ walk from the river. This market sells primarily artisanal products made by local businesses. You’ll find inventive uses of material, like jewellery made from brass bullets or local sandstone, local herbs, spices, and liquors, and souvenirs prepared by people in need. I loved exploring this market; I was tempted to buy so many things!
10. Take a cooking class
Cooking classes are so popular for backpackers in Cambodia, and who can blame them? Khmer cuisine is delicious, so getting to make some of the traditional dishes yourself can be great, especially when you get the recipe to try at home.
I took a class appropriately named ‘Khmer Cooking Class at a Local’s Home’, and I really enjoyed it. I learned how to make Amok, Cambodia’s most famous dish. It was an enjoyable and very delicious afternoon.
Conclusion
Siem Reap, one of Cambodia’s largest cities, was a pleasure to visit. I adored exploring the Angkor Wat Archaeological Complex, but Siem Reap was so much more than that. I’m so glad I had some spare time to explore other attractions around the city!
What do you want to know about visiting Siem Reap? Let me know in the comments.
