Siem Reap 4 Day Itinerary
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Four days is our 3-day itinerary plus a genuine far-temple day, Beng Mealea, on its own separate ticket. Less time and the far ruins get cut; more time, our 5-day itinerary adds an ethical Tonle Sap village on top of this.
Book these before you go
- The Angkor Pass , 3-day version, $62, only from Angkor Enterprise, plus a separate ~$10 Beng Mealea ticket for day 4.
- A tuk-tuk driver for the temple days, ~$20-25 a day; Beng Mealea’s ~65km distance needs a car, not a bike.
- Phare, The Cambodian Circus tickets for evening three, roughly $18-35.
Day 1: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm
Angkor Wat at sunrise first, budgeting for the strict Bakan dress code if you’re climbing to the upper level, real sleeves and knee coverage. Angkor Thom next: the Bayon’s 216 faces, the South Gate, the Terrace of the Elephants. Close at Ta Prohm, the root-choked “Tomb Raider” temple. A tuk-tuk for the day runs $20-25.
Day 2: Banteay Srei and the Grand Circuit
Banteay Srei, about 37km out but still on the standard pass, has the finest carving in the park, in pink sandstone. The Grand Circuit on the way back covers Preah Khan and Neak Pean. For sunset, Phnom Bakheng has a hard 300-person summit cap, arrive by around 4pm, or use the quieter Pre Rup instead.
Day 3: the town, with dignity
Angkor National Museum for context, then the Cambodia Landmine Museum, founded by Aki Ra, a former child soldier forced to lay mines who now works to clear them, and the APOPO Visitor Center’s landmine-sniffing “HeroRATs.” Both sit with real weight alongside Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge history, not as novelty stops. In the evening, Phare, The Cambodian Circus, run by graduates of an NGO arts school for at-risk youth, is worth the ticket. Marum or Khmer Kitchen cover dinner well.
Day 4: Beng Mealea, a separate ticket
Beng Mealea needs its own roughly $10 ticket, not covered by the Angkor Pass, and the drive out is about 65km, 1-1.5 hours each way. It’s a jungle-swallowed ruin, never fully restored, with trees growing straight through collapsed galleries and far fewer visitors than the main circuit. Head back to town for a last dinner and, if there’s time, a walk through Psar Chas (the Old Market) before your flight out.
Is 4 days enough for Siem Reap?
Four days fits the core temples, a meaningful town day, and one far-temple trip without feeling rushed. It’s not enough for Koh Ker or a Tonle Sap village on top of that; our 6-day itinerary works both in at a comfortable pace.