The staging ground for all visits to the amazing Angkor Wat temple complex next door, Siem Reap is a surprisingly lovely small city that is worth at least a few days of your trip. Especially if you are spending most of the rest of your Southeast Asia trip in larger cities, Siem Reap is a pleasant change of pace.
You will be coming to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor Wat temple complex, and it’s impossible to convey how impressive it all is until you see it with your own eyes.
Visiting the complex just before sunset on the evening before your main visit is free with a one-day ticket, and highly recommended.
Siem Reap itself is a very pleasant and easy-to-visit town, with very appealing prices on food, drinks, and hotels. Plan at least one day in Siem Reap itself, partly as a way to relax and restore before you head to Bangkok or Phnom Penh.
| Population | 140,000 |
| Area | 140,000 |
| Timezone | UTC+7 |
| Currency | US dollar |
| Airports | Siem Reap International Airport (REP) |
The main thing to do in Siem Reap is to visit the Angkor Wat temple complex, and it’s definitely worth it.
It’s true that visiting the temples is perhaps the highest priced tourist attraction in the whole region, but once you are inside you see why it costs what it does, and you’ll realize it’s well worth it. Budget minded travelers might prefer a one-day ticket that also allows for a sunset visit the day before as a great way to see more of the place without rushing too much.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 6.00 - 15.00 |
| 7.00 - 60.00 |
| 14.00 - 86.00 |
| 27.00 - 100.00 |
| 53.00 - 151.00 |
River Queen Guesthouse Doubles from US$17/night | |
Only 5 minutes by foot from Pub Street and the tourist center, this small guesthouse gets rave reviews for service and comfortable rooms. | |
Apsara Centrepole Hotel Doubles from US$52/night | |
This posh 3.5-star guesthouse with a swimming pool is on a quiet street just behind Pub Street and offers free breakfast and free wifi. | |
The Moon Boutique Hotel Doubles from US$81/night | |
Featuring free roundtrip airport transfer, this boutique hotel has a gorgeous pool & spa as well as 5-star service and large rooms. |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 6.00 - 8.80 |
Palm Garden Lodge Beds from US$3.93/night | |
This popular hostel gets excellent reviews for free breakfast, free wifi, great service, and Khmer-themed rooms. Privates are cheap as well. |
Food and drinks tend to be quite cheap and quality is fairly high, with an amazing assortment of places on Pub Street and the small alley nearby. Draft beer in particular is a great bargain, with happy hour deals at most places, but you can get wine, spirits, and exotic cocktails at decent prices as well.
| Budget breakfast | Some hotels include breakfast, but if not there are many cheap choices near budget hotels and in the city center. | $1.60 - $3.00 |
| Budget lunch | Khmer food is served alongside Western dishes at scores of restaurants, especially along Pub Street and nearby. | $2.70 - $4.50 |
| Budget dinner | Local dishes tend to be lighter and cheaper than burgers and pizza and whatnot. | $3.70 - $6.00 |
| Draft beer (glass) | Angkor Beer is served pretty much everywhere, with happy hour pricing almost always in effect. | $0.50 - $1.00 |
| Happy pizza | Several "happy pizza" places in the city will add cannabis to any pizza they make for no extra fee. | $4.50 - $10.00 |
A wide variety of tours of Angkor Wat are available. It’s surprisingly affordable to rent a tuk-tuk or taxi and driver for the day and then have them take you to the most interesting spots at your own pace.
| Month | High F | Low F | PRECIP (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 89 | 69 | 0.1 |
| February | 92 | 72 | 0.2 |
| March | 95 | 75 | 1.1 |
| April | 96 | 78 | 2.3 |
| May | 95 | 78 | 5.9 |
| June | 92 | 77 | 8.4 |
| July | 91 | 77 | 7.6 |
| August | 90 | 77 | 8.2 |
| September | 90 | 76 | 11.3 |
| October | 89 | 76 | 7.8 |
| November | 89 | 73 | 2.0 |
| December | 88 | 69 | 0.3 |
SIem Reap has a typical tropical weather pattern, with hot days all year round, with the main variance being the rainy season and dry season. The best weather by far is from mid November through February, and this is also the busy season. Starting in March and continuing through May the daytime temperatures can be scorching.
The rainy season usually only brings heavy rains for an hour or so every other day, but it can continue for hours if you get unlucky. There isn’t much good shelter out at the Angkor Wat temples, so visiting during the worst of the rainy season can be risky if your schedule is tight.
| 21 Mar | 6:08am | 6:15pm |
| 21 Jun | 5:39am | 6:34pm |
| 21 Sep | 5:54am | 6:02pm |
| 21 Dec | 6:22am | 5:43pm |
There are hotels all over Siem Reap, and since transportation is affordable and easy, you can stay almost anywhere. The heart of the restaurant scene is known as Pub Street, so staying fairly close to that is a good idea if you like to enjoy dinner and drinks with only a short walk home.
The range of accommodation in Siem Reap varies in price and quality more than almost anywhere in Asia. Outdoor hostel beds are $1 as decent budget hotels can be found around $20, while world-class resorts just outside the city center cater to the 5-star set. Prices are at their highest from November through February, though at cheaper places the prices only budge a little if at all. If coming during high season it’s best to book in advance, while during low season you can try to bargain once you arrive.
| Rating | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
 | 6.00 - 15.00 |
| 7.00 - 60.00 |
| 14.00 - 86.00 |
| 27.00 - 100.00 |
| 53.00 - 151.00 |
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Hostel Bed | 6.00 - 8.80 |
Siem Reap International Airport (REP) is Cambodia’s second largest airport and has flights to and from most large cities within Asia. A new airport is scheduled to open in 2023, which will be larger and more modern.
Many people come to Siem Reap in the middle of a southeast Asia tour. You can get very nice buses from Bangkok that will take you to the Cambodian border and then transfer you to a different bus on the other side all for one fare.
Bus service from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is frequent and cheap as well.
If you are staying near the city center then Siem Reap is a great city for walking. Taxis and a local version of tuk-tuks are also available at reasonable prices.
| Type | Price(USD) |
|---|---|
| Taxi from airport to city center | 11.00 |
| Motodop from airport to city center | 5.00 |
| All-day tuk-tuk in Angkor Wat | 15.00 |
| Sunset tuk-tuk visit to Angkor Wat | 6.00 |
| 3km tuk-tuk ride in Siem Reap | 1.00 - 2.00 |