What To Do in Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

What To Do in Siem Reap

Siem Reap is a must-visit destination in Cambodia. This is because it is the base to visit the famous Angkor Wat and learn about this ancient site. This article gives some other ideas about what to do in Siem Reap to learn about the place.

South East Asia Backpacking Route

Where is Siem Reap?

Siem Reap is a city in the North-West of Cambodia and a popular destination for travellers in South East Asia. There is an international airport for Siem Reap and you can get public transport/taxi/tuk-tuk to your guesthouse. It is about 9 hours from Bangkok and about 14 hours from Ho Chi Minh plus border crossing times. Note: You can use USD in Cambodia.

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Where to Stay

I stayed in comfortable accommodation which was hidden away from main traffic and featured its own pool, bar and air conditioned rooms. My accommodation was about a 5 minute tuk-tuk ride from Pub Street and therefore was central enough for me.

My accommodation was Bou Savy Guesthouse and I can recommend this a great stay in Siem Reap, especially to follow the things to do as below. I used booking.com to book my stay. If you want to stay here too, click this link. 

Plan Your Days

Depending on your length of time in the city, you should plan what to do in Siem Reap each day, roughly. There’s a lot to do, and you could spend a week here exploring the entire city. I know a couple who lived here for 8 months. Alternatively, you could spend as little as two days here if Angkor Wat is your main priority.

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Learn History in Angkor Wat 

The ancient temple complex and surrounding temples such as Angkor Thom is a truly unique experience. Siem Reap is the gateway to the site and this is the ultimate Cambodia bucket list experience! The temple is so symbolic for Cambodia that it is even featured on the flag.

There’s lots to marvel at here as well as learn such as these fascinating facts about Angkor Wat. The architecture is impressive and the features inside remind you exactly of the movie that was filmed here (Tomb Raider). In addition, there are lots of monkeys climbing everywhere.

Whatever time you arrive in Siem Reap, ensure to sort your trip to the temples for the following morning (very early if you want to catch the iconic sunrise). You can organise a pre-booked Angkor Wat tour or you could speak to a tuk-tuk driver and arrange a time for them to collect you and take you to all of the sites. Angkor Wat passes are sold in one-day, three-day and seven-day combinations. We got one-day passes which seemed enough but we could definitely return and further our learning. 

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Pub Street

If you are looking for a good night out, music, street food and cheap beer, you should head for pub street. When I say cheap beer, I mean 25cent (17p) cold, fresh beer. There are also food stalls up and down the street where you can learn about Cambodian cuisine as well as try the famous insects seen around South East Asia. Bars here are open well in to the night, we were here for the football Euros in 2016 and watched Wales play in a sports bar until about 6am.

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Learn through an Activity

One of the best ways to learn the everyday occurrences of a city is to explore by bicycle. There are several places across the city where you can hire a bike but very often they can be found in your place of accommodation.  We took our bikes across the whole city, soaking in the atmosphere and learning how hectic the streets can be! We stopped along the day for coffee breaks, food and once stopped to observe children playing and having so much fun by swinging by rope into the lake.

Read Next: Top Places to Visit in Thailand

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Learn through Places

Learn how to haggle at the Siem Reap Night Market, located next to the river. Like any markets, you can find an array of items here such as textiles, hand-made goods, souvenirs and street food!

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Learn about jobs the people do at the Silk Farm

This particular activity isn’t as well known as other things in Siem Reap but is definitely worth taking a trip. The Silk Farm teaches you every stage of how silk is produced. This unique experience is completely free and in addition, will teach you about how people are making a living through this production. If you want more information, click here for the website.

Onward Travel

After you’ve figured out what to do in Siem Reap, there are many more places to visit in Cambodia and the easiest way to travel is via bus. I always use 12Go Asia to book my bus travel in South East Asia and I recommend you use the search box below:

Other Options

You can also:

• Visit the landmine museum and learn about the remaining danger.
• Explore the floating village and learn about another aspect of Khmer culture.
• Go to a local cinema.
• Lastly, you could taste something called ‘Happy Pizza’ or ‘Bob Marley Sauce’ that you can find on menus as below. This is your choice, you must always remain cautious and read warnings.

 

As well as these ideas, you can try the 8 things I recommend doing in every place you visit. 

 

Have you been to Siem Reap? Is there anything else you can add to this list?

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I have used booking.com for almost every trip I’ve ever taken. I use them to arrange my accommodation when I visit any place because I trust their services and they always give me the best deals in a place. 

To find your own accommodation in Siem Reap, use the search box below to take you straight to booking.com!

Booking.com