When visiting Cambodia, Siem Reap is commonly thought of a stepping stone to Angkor Wat and the temples of the Angkor Archaeological Park. After all, in case you are questioning what to do in Siem Reap apart from temples, you will discover a metropolis with a wonderful assortment of sights of its personal.
In reality, in case you are searching for cultural and foodie experiences, good instances, and journey, Siem Reap is the place for you.
Get a glimpse of native life on a purchasing spree to the Previous Market. See the elegant actions and hanging costumes of the normal Apsara Dancers. Journey additional afield to discover the peaceable floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake.
Eager to know what to do in Siem Reap? All these and extra are ready for you on a visit to Siem Reap Cambodia.
How Lengthy to Keep in Siem Reap
After all, most individuals visiting Siem Reap come to see the temples of Angkor Wat. Deciding how lengthy to spend in Siem Reap will depend upon how a lot time you need to commit to exploring the Angkor Archaeological Park.
We propose staying in Siem Reap for at the very least three full days. This provides you time to go to Angkor Wat and uncover the sights of Siem Reap
Recommended 3 Day Itinerary
A 3-day itinerary will rely in your pursuits however might look one thing just like the examples under.
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
If you don’t plan to go to Angkor Wat, the Day One itinerary might be changed with a Cambodian cooking class or quad bike countryside tour with a go to to Pub Avenue within the night.
Day Excursions Siem Reap Cambodia
There’s a surprisingly giant variety of Siem Reap day journeys which may have you exploring the hidden gems of town and past. These excursions will take you to well-liked hotspots or out into the hanging surroundings of Siem Reap Provence.
If you’re an impartial traveller, these excursions might provide you with some itinerary concepts which you can customise to your wants.
Listed below are some examples of what Siem Reap has to supply.
Siem Reap Metropolis Strolling Tour
A strolling tour highlights a group of sights which embrace markets, Buddhist temples, royal residences and Siem Reap’s well-known Pub Avenue. This fascinating combine provides an excellent introduction into the historical past and charms of town.
- Royal Residence & Gardens
- Pub Avenue
- Wat Preah Promenade Rath
- Kandal Village Boutiques
- The Previous Market
TOP TIP
Cambodia will get scorching through the day, so be certain that to put on sunscreen and a hat. Put on snug footwear and drink loads of water to remain hydrated.
Click on right here for Metropolis Strolling tour
Siem Reap Metropolis Hidden Gems Tour
On a Siem Reap hidden gems tour you’ll learn the way a rat was skilled to detect landmines on the APOPO Customer Heart. Store for bargains and beautiful handicrafts on the Previous Market and Satcha – Cambodian Handicraft Heart. Embrace the tranquillity of the Buddhist temple and monastery.
This tour will make you realise that Siem Reap is value spending just a few further days after a go to to Angkor Wat.
- Previous Market
- Made in Cambodia Market
- Royal Residence
- Wat Preah Enkosey Monastery
- APOPO Customer Heart
- Satcha – Cambodian Handicraft Heart
Click on right here for metropolis hidden gems tour
Tonle Sap Lake & Kampong Phluk
A go to to Tonle Sap Lake and Kampong Phluk floating village is the second hottest tour in Siem Reap after Angkor Wat.
Tonle Sap Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Southest Asia and residential to all kinds of wildlife. The lake is legendary for the stilted homes of Kampong Phluk, “Harbor of the Tusks”. Right here you’ll be able to study in regards to the life-style of this fishing group and the measures they’re taking to protect their lifestyle.
Click on right here for Tonle Sap Lake & Kampong Phluk tour
Siem Reap Foodie Experiences
Khmer meals is well-known for its richness of flavour which includes a mixture of candy, salty, spicy, and bitter tastes. Cambodian meals isn’t as spicy as its Thai counterparts, permitting for these delicate flavours to shine by means of.
Siem Reap Meals Tour
Uncover the style of Cambodia by taking a meals tour. This tour will take you to a singular set of meals venues that embrace eating places and road meals stalls.
This tour permits you to pattern a number of the finest meals Siem Reap is understood for. You’ll attempt an fascinating number of dishes and shortly uncover that Khmer delicacies is a lot greater than fish amok and beef loklak.
Click on right here for meals tour
Khmer Cooking Class Siem Reap
Probably the greatest methods to study a rustic is thru its meals and Cambodia isn’t any exception. A Khmer cooking class will discover you purchasing with the locals at a contemporary produce market and studying the methods that go into cooking Cambodian delicacies.
End the day by having fun with the fruits of your labour as you tuck right into a Cambodian feast made with your individual palms.
Click on right here for Khmer cooking class
Sundown Dinner Cruise Round a Floating Village
Relish a Cambodian sundown with a dinner cruise round a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
Go to a lotus silk farm and study in regards to the fascinating makes use of of the lotus flower. Cruise the waterways previous the stilted houses, church, faculty, and police station of the village.
As soon as aboard the moored Queen Tara Riverboat, unwind with a drink, prepare for a scrumptious dinner, and watch the sky change color because the solar units over Tonle Sap Lake.
Click on right here for sundown dinner cruise
Siem Reap Cultural Performances
In the event you love tradition, fascinated with what to do in Siem Reap is simple. The town produces two unimaginable performances which spotlight conventional Apsara dance and all of the power and enjoyable of a Cambodian themed circus.
Phare – The Cambodian Circus Present
Phare – The Cambodian Circus function the gifted of artists of the Phare Ponleu Selpak Inventive Heart. This not-for-profit Cambodian arts faculty helps kids, youth and communities overcome social issues by means of the therapeutic energy of the humanities.
The circus efficiency is a glimpse into the Cambodian tradition, a narrative which unfolds by means of conventional music, breathtaking acrobatics and a humour which wants no translation.
Click on right here for Phare Circus Present tickets
Apsara Dance in Siem Reap
At Angkor Wat you will note gorgeous carvings of Apsara dancers etched into the temple partitions. If you go to a Siem Reap Apsara dance present these temple carvings out of the blue spring to life.
An Apsara dance efficiency showcases the swish Apsara dance actions, beautiful costumes, and melodic great thing about conventional Cambodian music.
Add a scrumptious buffet dinner of genuine Cambodian dishes, a lodge pickup and it’s time to get able to immerse your self in historic Cambodian tradition.
Click on right here for Apsara dancers present tickets
Artful Siem Reap
If you consider Siem Reap, the very last thing that involves thoughts is craft making experiences. The next day excursions mean you can indulge your artful aspect whereas getting a uncommon glimpse into Cambodian tradition.
Cambodian Pottery Class in Siem Reap
Are you looking for what to do in Siem Reap for households? This household pleasant Siem Reap tour permits you to take pleasure in a day of household enjoyable, studying the right way to make ceramics in a Cambodian pottery class.
Be part of an expert ceramic artist in making a hand thrown pottery bowl utilizing conventional Khmer designs and instruments. As soon as fired, choose up or have your personally handcrafted memento and Cambodian potter’s diploma shipped dwelling as a long-lasting reminiscence of your journey.
Click on right here for Cambodian pottery class tickets
Lotus Silk Farm Tour
Take a boat journey into the lotus fields and uncover the magical properties of this humble plant. Lotus is used for all kinds of merchandise together with lotus balm, lotus tea and recycled paper.
On the lotus silk farm you’ll study in regards to the prolonged course of of creating lotus silk, one of the crucial kind after textiles on this planet. Have enjoyable creating a spread of lotus-based handicrafts in your personal distinctive memento of Siem Reap Cambodia.
Click on right here for Lous farm tickets
Pub Avenue by Night time
Siem Reaps second hottest attraction is Pub Avenue. Because the solar units Pub Avenue comes alive with shiny vibrant lights and the rhythmic beat of music. Time to let the occasion start as you go to one of the best bars in Siem Reap.
That is the proper place to loosen up after a day of sightseeing. The bars snug lounge chairs invite you to unwind with a drink, hearken to the music and pattern the intensive vary of Cambodian and worldwide dishes obtainable in your favorite bar’s restaurant.
Pub Avenue has a energetic occasion environment and is a haven for night time owls with many golf equipment in Siem Reap staying open till daybreak.
Siem Reap Purchasing
Siem Reap is a client’s paradise with an enormous assortment of boutiques and outlets promoting clothes, jewelry, Cambodian artworks, and crafts scattered in and across the centre of town.
Whereas there don’t forget to discover the nooks and crannies of the small alleyways between Pub Avenue and the Previous Market.
The Previous Market
In the event you love purchasing top-of-the-line issues to do in Siem Reap is to go to the Psah Chas or the Previous Market which is close to Pub Avenue.
Of a morning this thriving market is a hive of exercise stuffed with native consumers shopping for contemporary fish and native produce. Right here you’ll be able to cease off for an genuine Cambodian breakfast or a fast chunk to eat at one of many meals stalls contained in the meals market.
This rabbit warren of market stalls has a treasure trove of outlets promoting a marvellous vary of clothes, Cambodian souvenirs, silver jewelry, and native handicrafts.
Riverside Night time Markets
Of a night you’ll be able to cross the river and go to the Riverside Night time Markets. Right here you’ll be able to cease off for a fast snack at one of many road meals stalls earlier than visiting this huge number of outlets which promote a wide array of wares.
Artwork Gallery Siem Reap
In the event you love artwork and are searching for an artwork gallery, Siem Reap will ship with galleries promoting a singular vary of artwork and conventional carvings which is able to improve any dwelling. You’ll find such galleries by simply exploring the streets across the Previous Market and Pub Avenue.
For extra real Cambodian artworks, ceramics and artisan handicrafts be certain that to go to the Satcha – Cambodian Handicraft Heart and Made in Cambodia Market.
Lodging in Siem Reap
If you’re searching for a lodge in Siem Reap you’ll be pleasantly stunned on the vary of lodging Siem Reap has to supply. Not solely are there a broad number of 5-star lodge in Siem Reap however an array of resorts, flats, and hostels to suit each price range.
Click on right here for costs and opinions of resorts
Ibis Types Siem Reap
Throughout our go to we loved a keep on the Ibis Types Siem Reap. This Accor Siem Reap lodge is centrally situated inside a brief stroll to Pub Avenue, the Previous Market and throughout the highway from the Riverside Night time Markets.
Our soundproofed room had a contemporary trendy décor, and the mattress and pillows have been snug. The lavatory had a selection of standard and rainwater bathe.
The lodge options an outside swimming pool. StrEats Cafe & Bar provided an excellent vary of native and worldwide buffet breakfast dishes.
Click on right here for Ibis Types costs
Journey to Siem Reap
There are many journey choices for attending to Siem Reap, they embrace flights, bus, boat, and taxi. Which you select will depend upon whether or not you’re travelling internationally or coming from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
Flights to Siem Reap
Essentially the most handy option to attain Siem Reap is by air. There are direct flights to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh and different worldwide flight hubs resembling Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, and Singapore.
Verify under for flight costs ⬇️
Bus to Siem Reap
Siem Reap might be reached by bus from Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh Metropolis in Vietnam, and Bangkok in Thailand.
- Phnom Penh to Siem Reap bus takes 6 hours
- Ho Chi Minh Metropolis to Siem Reap bus takes 6.5 hours
- Bangkok to Siem Reap bus takes 8.5 hours
Verify under for bus costs ⬇️
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap By Boat
If you’re starting your Cambodian journey in Phnom Penh, a novel option to journey to Siem Reap is to take a luxurious cruise and highway tour from Phnom Penh by way of the Mekong River and Tonle Sap River.
This nine-hour cruise gives you time to immerse your self in Cambodian river life. Alongside the best way you may even see fishing boats, houseboats, and stilted village homes. As you float alongside the river be looking out for water birds and wildlife.
This cruise and highway tour additionally departs from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh which is handy for these planning to go to the Killing Fields close to Phnom Penh Cambodia.
Click on right here for Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by boat tickets
Do You Want a Cambodian Visa?
You could be required to acquire a visa to journey to Cambodia. Our go to visa brokers for all our worldwide journey is iVisa. They’re specialists in all visas and can be found 24/7 to help with all visa functions.
Verify right here to see if you happen to want a visa to go to Cambodia
A fast Google search will sadly show many pretend or unscrupulous Cambodia visa websites, so our recommendation is to at all times use respected corporations resembling iVisa.
Forex for Cambodia
Cambodia has two currencies, the US Greenback (USD) and the native Cambodian Riel. If you go to you will discover that the popular forex is USD.
Remember that USD notes should be in pristine situation, or they won’t be accepted, so be certain that the forex you are taking has no defects.
Final Phrases on what to do in Siem Reap
There you’ve gotten it, now you realize what to do in Siem Reap. When you’ve got a go to to Angkor Wat in your bucket listing, be certain that to spend an additional few days extra exploring this fascinating a part of Southeast Asia.
We loved our time in Cambodia and I’m positive you’ll too. So, begin planning your dream journey to Cambodia now.
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