A Quick Siem Reap Travel Guide – How to get there, where to stay and what to do apart from Angkor Wat?

Siem Reap is probably the most well-known city in Cambodia among travellers. If only, because it is the base for visiting Angkor Wat, the stunning Khmer temple that is also often referred to as the 8th world wonder! In this practical travel guide to Siem Reap, you will learn everything you need to know in order to easily plan your stay in Siem Reap.

We will cover all the planning details such as how to get there and around, where to stay as well as a few interesting ideas on what to do in Siem Reap apart from Angkor Wat!

Complete Siem Reap Travel Guide

Do note, in this travel guide, we will be tackling all the planning details for Siem Reap itself, however we won’t be covering the things you need to consider for your visit to Angkor Wat.

All the information necessary for a successful trip to the Angkor Wat, including how to get around, where to buy your tickets, what temples to visit and what scams you might want to be aware of can be found in our dedicated travel guide to the Angkor Archaeological Park!

Now, let’s get into planning your trip to Siem Reap. And, what better place to start than with the most delimiting factor when planning your stay:

How many days are enough for Siem Reap?

Truthfully, you could spend as much as a week in Siem Reap or as little as two days. However, personally, we would recommend staying in Siem Reap for at least 4 days. Thereof we recommend allocating 3 days mostly to exploring Angkor Wat and the Angkor Archaeological Park and 1 day for doing at least one of these other awesome activities in Siem Reap!

How to get to Siem Reap

Are you travelling to Siem Reap from abroad? Or, from another Cambodian city as part of a multi-day Cambodia itinerary? The best way to travel to Siem Reap will depend on where you are travelling from. So let’s look at your options down below.

✈️ Fly to Siem Reap from overseas

If you are travelling from overseas, you are most likely going to fly into Siem Reap. Direct flights to Siem Reap Angkor Airport exist from Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

• From Europe, East Asia or North America, you will most likely be travelling via Thailand (Bangkok) or Vietnam (Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City).
• From the Southern Hemisphere, e.g. Australia, Indonesia, etc., most connecting flights go via Singapore or Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur).

🚞 Travel to Siem Reap via land from Thailand, Laos or Vietnam

If you are travelling from one of Cambodia’s neighbouring countries, instead of flying, you can also travel to Siem Reap via land. This is what we did, we travelled from Bangkok to Siem Reap by bus and then onwards through Cambodia.

• From Bangkok, Thailand. Travel Time: 8h30; Price: 30-40€/31-42$ per person (excluding the fees for your Cambodia Visa). We went with Travel Bus Asia* and can definitely recommend them for the Thai-Cambodian border crossing.
• From Don Det, Laos. Travel Time: 8h; Price: 28-36€/30-38$ per person (excluding the fees for your Cambodia Visa). Check out your transport options for this route here*. Since we did not travel this route ourselves, we can’t give you any personal recommendation for what company to go with.
• From Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Truthfully, the most convenient way to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap is by plane*. However, if you are determined to travel via land, we would personally recommend travelling to Phnom Penh first and from there onwards to Siem Reap. Travel Time (Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh): 6h30; Price: 20-30€/21-31$ (excluding the fees for your Cambodia Visa). We went with Giant Ibis Transport* for the Cambodian-Vietnamese border crossing and everything went really smooth.

🚌 Take the Bus to Siem Reap from any other Cambodian city

If you are travelling to Siem Reap from another Cambodian city, you are quite likely going to travel either by bus or by private car, depending on your budget.

• From Battambang. Travel Time: 3h; Price: ~10€/11$ per person if you travel by bus* (we went with VET, there are a number of good bus companies to choose from though); ~62€/65$ for a 4 person vehicle if you travel by private car*.
• From Phnom Penh. Travel Time: 6h; Price: ~14€/15$ per person if you travel by bus* (Note: we would recommend taking a van/normal bus over a sleeper bus for this route); ~90€/94$ for a 4 person vehicle if you travel by private car*.

How to get around Siem Reap

In Siem Reap, you have two main options to get around.

• Either you rent a scooter/bike.
• Or, you hire a tuk-tuk to take you around.

Siem Reap is one of the few cities in Cambodia where the popular Southeast Asian taxi app Grab works, which makes it quite easy to book single rides from one place to another via the app.

In Cambodia, it is also common practice to hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you on a half-day, day or multi-day tour. In Siem Reap specifically quite a number of sights are located outside of the city.

For instance, in our Angkor Travel Guide, we tell you why we think you should hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you around the honestly gigantic Angkor Archaeological Park. We also tell you how you can contact the exact driver that took us around Angkor for three full days in case you are a bit unsure about finding a driver.

Where to stay in Siem Reap

If you look through hotel booking pages, you will quickly find that Siem Reap is home to quite a number of stunning hotels, a lot of them with pools, great reviews and at varying price points. However, you do not want to miss the one that we stayed at, it is quite a gem!

So, where did we stay? The hotel is called The Urban* and is located only a short distance away from Siem Reap’s Pub Street, Old Market and Night Market.

• The staff is super friendly and helpful. We were told they have a program where they help train new staff. If you like you can talk to them and help them practise their English. You don’t have to though if you don’t want to😉.
• There is complimentary tea each afternoon. After a long morning of exploring we always went there for a cup of ginger tea and a few snacks!
• The rooms were nice and clean.
• And, the hotel has a pool which we used quite a bit as well.
• Prices vary roughly from 33-40€ per night depending on the season and availability.

Sounds good?

What to do in Siem Reap … apart from Angkor Wat?

The main purpose for your stay in Siem Reap is likely going to be Angkor Wat and the Angkor Archaeological Park. And with good reason, there is hardly anything that could top exploring these stunning temples and ruins!

However, that does not mean that Siem Reap isn’t home to some other intriguing activities as well! Which is why, in this section, we want to share three unique experiences to be had in Siem Reap apart from Angkor Wat! And, who knows, maybe one or two will find their way into your Siem Reap Itinerary!

1. Visit APOPO’s Landmine Rats

About a 10-min tuk-tuk ride from downtown Siem Reap you’ll find the APOPO Visitor Center. The latter is home to the so-called HeroRATs, rats that have been trained to detect landmines and unexploded remnants from Cambodia’s gruesome past. With their work over the last 25 years they have literally made the world a safer place. And that truly makes them heroes!

• The visitor centre is open every day from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
• You will be taken along on an hour long guided tour where you can learn all about the rats, their training and the important work that they do.
• Find more info on the APOPO Visitor Center website. We highly recommend a visit!

2. Do a Khmer Cooking Class

Personally, we think that there is no better way to learn more about a country and its people than by doing a local cooking class*. Which is why we decided to do one in Siem Reap, right at the start of our Cambodia trip! And, honestly, we are so glad we did!

Highlights:

• Before cooking, we went to the nearby local market and our guide told us all about local produce, Cambodian everyday life and took us to her favourite stalls.
• She also showed us around her garden back at the cooking school and introduced us to herbs that are typical for Cambodian cuisine.
• Afterwards we were able to choose what we wanted to cook each.
• And, at the end of the class we were even given a PDF containing all the recipes from her cooking school to recreate and try back home!

In other words, if you are even remotely into cooking, we highly recommend the Khmer Cooking Class at a local’s home*! Plus, starting off your Cambodia trip with a cooking class also has the advantage that you’ll have so much more insight and appreciation for the Cambodian food for the rest of your trip👨‍🍳!

3. Visit Lotus Silk Farm

This one might not yet be on many peoples radars, but it sure is worth checking out! Lotus Silk Farm is a social enterprise in Cambodia that produces lotus-based fabrics with minimised environmental impact. Their work focusses on preserving traditional craftsmanship and empowering local communities.

They offer a variety of different packages from a simple Guided Tour at Lotus Silk Farm* to their Lotus Silk Farm Boat Ride & 3 DIY crafts tour* which also includes said guided tour, a boat-ride over lotus-covered waters and a workshop where you can learn 3 handicrafts yourself and then take home with you afterwards!

Note: We personally haven’t done this one because we unfortunately only learned about it from a fellow traveller after having left Siem Reap, which truthfully still bums us (mostly me – Florence😆) out a little.

Final Thoughts on travelling Siem Reap

Siem Reap is a very popular travel destination within Cambodia and as such you will find that you shouldn’t run into too many problems when sorting out your plans around Siem Reap😉.

For many travellers, Siem Reap is but the first stop on a 1-2 week trip around the whole country. For some it is the only stop in Cambodia, however we would highly recommend looking into some of the other amazing destinations within Cambodia as well!

We hope this Siem Reap Travel Guide made planning your stay more easy. If you have any further questions that need answering, let us know in the comments!

As always, we wish you safe and happy travels!🍀