The Top Things To Do In Siem Reap (The Perfect Siem Reap Itinerary)
Last Updated: November 26 2020
Cambodia had always been on our list for our trip to Southeast Asia, and we were thrilled to finally make it to Siem Reap. The city sits right at the gate of the famous Angkor archaeological park. It is one of the biggest cities in the country and a must for any Cambodia itinerary.
In this post, we will go through the top things to do in Siem Reap and the temples that you need to visit within the Angkor complex. Without further ado here is all the information you’ll need to create the perfect Siem Reap itinerary.
Places To Include In Your Siem Reap Itinerary
There are so many things to see in Siem Reap, that we decided to stay for four nights. This gave us plenty of time to explore. There are plenty of things to do in Siem Reap, but we will start with the most famous one!
Angkor
Of course, the main thing to include in your Siem Reap itinerary is Angkor. This is where the world-famous Angkor Wat temple can be found. The complex was founded in the 12th century and is the largest religious monument in the world.
There are over 1,000 temples located in the Angkor area. For about $15 you can hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you around the complex. However, we wanted to just go on our own and take our time exploring. We hired bicycles and rented them for $2 for the whole day. Absolute bargain!
The company we hired them from were called ‘one dollar bikes’ and can be found on google maps. Although tiring, by using bikes to cycle around the complex we could pick the sites we wanted to see. Some of the temples are so close together, it may only take 10 minutes to get to the next one. Although it takes longer than in a tuk-tuk, we had a lot of fun!
Make sure you visit the Angkor Complex as it is one of the best things to do in Siem Reap.
Getting your tickets for Angkor
The ticket office for Angkor is actually away from the official complex.
This is because they don’t want large queues at the entrance. It took us around an hour to get to the ticket office from Siem Rep, and then to the complex by bicycle. It would probably take around 30 minutes by tuk-tuk.
The Angkor complex is a UNESCO world heritage site, so is very popular. You can get an Angkor Wat pass, and there are different ones to choose from. They are a 1-day pass, 3-day pass or a 7-day pass. The prices are as follows:
1-day pass – $37
3-day pass – $62
7-day pass – $72
We went for the 1-day pass because it was the cheapest option and we felt it was enough time. In reality, 2 or 3 days exploring Angkor would have been more realistic as there is so much to see.
Now we are going to go through the temples you need to visit throughout the complex!
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the main temple you need to see! Witnessing the sunrise at Angkor Wat is very popular among tourists. If you want to go when it is quieter you are best to head there for around 8 am. That is when people generally tend to leave for the other temples.
The temple is huge so you want to give yourself at least 1-2 hours to explore. You can head up to the top part of the temple too but the queue was really long so we didn’t bother. We left our bikes at the main entrance and walked through the grounds.
Bayon temple in Angkor Thom
After Angkor Wat, we headed for Angkor Thom; which is just a 20-minute cycle away. Angkor Thom was the last capital of the Khmer empire.
The main temple here is Bayon temple. However, it is also known as Jayavarman’s Temple to honour the Khmer King who ordered the construction of the temple. Make sure you add this temple to your itinerary for Siem Reap.
There are around 50 towers around Bayon temple which are home to over 200 smiling stone faces. You will want to give yourself at least 45 minutes to explore this temple.
Victory Gate and the Elephant Terrace
On the way to Ta Prohm Temple, we stopped at the Elephant Terrace and Victory Gate.
Victory Gate was probably one of our favourite spots in Siem Reap and really gave us those Indiana Jones vibes! It is a gateway to Bayon city and is an awesome spot to get great photographs. You can also walk up the banks at the side to get some great photos of stone faces amongst the jungle.
The Elephant Terrace is part of the wall to Angkor Thom and is one of the most popular tourist attractions within the Angkor complex. The terrace has stone sculptures of lions, horses and elephants!
Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm is the temple from the Tomb Raider film and is often known as the ‘Tomb Raider temple’. It looks as though it has been swallowed by the jungle, and has undergone restoration work to strengthen the structures of the temple.
Ta Prohm is one of the largest temples in the complex and there is a lot to see here. You will want to take at least 1-2 hours to explore the area.
It can get quite busy here, so you may have to wait at times to see certain parts of the temple. It is one of the most incredible temples in the complex, and one you don’t want to miss.
Now we have mentioned the amazing Angkor complex, we will talk about some of the other places to include on your Siem Reap itinerary!
Wat Preah Prom Rath
Wat Preah Prom Rath is another cool temple in Siem Reap. It is located in the centre of Siem Reap city and has all sorts of interesting statues within.
It is one of the best places to visit in Siem Reap, so make sure you check it out.
Siem Reap night market
There are plenty of markets in Siem Reap where you can get your hands on plenty of goodies! This ranges from art canvases, home decorations and plenty of clothes!
The night market is the biggest and is definitely worth an explore! Be prepared to haggle for the prices though. The old market is also located in Siem Reap so if you like markets, you should take a look here too.
Siem Reap Royal Gardens
Whilst staying in Siem Reap, make sure to visit the Siem Reap Royal Gardens! It is a nice spot to walk around and the Raffles grand hotel can also be found here.
You will also find a large colony of fruit bats here that call these gardens their home. They are huge, and a must-visit for any Siem Reap backpacking itinerary!
Angkor National museum
We didn’t get a chance to visit the Angkor national museum, but have read amazing things about it! The museum contains lots of artefacts centred around the Khmer rule, and Angkor Wat.
Other things to do in Siem Reap, Cambodia
If you have more time on your hands, here are some more things you may want to add to your Siem Reap itinerary. These are located further out of town, and we didn’t get a chance to do these in the end.
- Tonle Sap – Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Here you can see plenty of wildlife and Chong Khneas; the famous floating village at the end of the lake.
- Phluk floating village – located down the river from Tonle Sap
- Banteay Srei – a Cambodian temple located further out of the city
- Banteay Srey Butterfly centre
- Phnom Bok – A hill located outside of Siem Reap. It is known as one of the ‘trilogies of mountains’ which each have a temple at the top.
Food options in Siem Reap
We thought that the street food in Siem Reap was probably the best in all of Cambodia. There were so many options to choose from.
There are food stalls set all along the main road, laid out with tables and chairs. The food is cheap and yummy; some of it only costing $1. There are all sorts to choose from including traditional Cambodian dishes, curries, pizzas and fruit.
Aside from the main street, there is also the ‘pub street’. This street has lots of restaurants and bars, catering for lots of different cuisines. We had some good burgers here which were very reasonably priced. The street food is, of course, cheaper, but for a proper sit-down meal, pub street is the place to go.
Travelling to Siem Reap
Travelling to Siem Reap is relatively easy from most places. We got a bus from Bangkok that took us through the Cambodian border. It was super easy and cheap! You can find more information on this form of transport here.
It is really easy to get to Siem Reap from other places in Cambodia too. Many companies offer bus services around the country.
If you want to travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap there are plenty of bus services available. You can also get buses to Siem Reap from Battambang, Kampot, and Sihanoukville to name a few.
If you are flying into Siem Reap airport, there are plenty of ways to reach the city centre. The airport is only about 9km away from the centre and can be reached either by taxi, tuk-tuk or motorcycle taxi.
Where to stay in Siem Reap
There are plenty of places to stay in Siem Reap. We have included some accommodation options below for you.
Budget accommodation
The ’84 Hotel Siem Reap- £5 a night for a double room with a private bathroom.
Medium accommodation
Cambana Residence- £31 a night for a deluxe king room with a private balcony.
High budget/Luxury
Le Meridien Angkor- £97 a night for a superior twin room.
If you want to look at more places to stay in Siem Reap, you can find them here.
Hopefully, this post has shown you all the Siem Reap attractions you need to visit. We have tried to give you all the spots that you need to add to your Siem Reap itinerary.
We really enjoyed our time here, and would go again! Next time we visit we will make sure to spend a few more days exploring the incredible temples Angkor has to offer.
If you have been to Angkor, we would love to hear the names of the temples you have visited in the comments below!
Thanks For Reading,
Jack & Abbie
P.S. Why not follow our journey on Instagram here.
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I’m one half of Acouplescalling. I'm passionate about all things travel and photography and I love sharing my experiences with others. I've seen a lot of the world already and I want to help as many people as I can do the same thing!
