Siem Reap 7 Day Itinerary
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Seven days is our 6-day itinerary with Phnom Kulen added, plus a genuinely slower pace throughout since a week of heat and temples adds up. Less time, the 5-day itinerary drops Koh Ker and Kulen but keeps everything else.
Book these before you go
- The Angkor Pass , 7-day version, $72 for any 7 days within 30, only from Angkor Enterprise directly.
- Separate tickets for Beng Mealea (
$10), Koh Ker ($15), and Phnom Kulen (~$20); none are covered by the Angkor Pass.- A car or driver for the far-temple days; Phnom Kulen is a morning-ascent-only, one-way road, so plan the timing with your driver in advance.
Day 1: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm
Angkor Wat at sunrise, the moat and reflecting pools worth the early wake-up; the Bakan’s upper level enforces a strict dress code, real sleeves and knee coverage. Angkor Thom follows, the Bayon’s 216 faces, the South Gate, the Terrace of the Elephants, then Ta Prohm’s tree-choked ruins. A tuk-tuk for the day runs $20-25.
Day 2: Banteay Srei and the Grand Circuit
Banteay Srei, about 37km out and still on the standard pass, holds the finest carving anywhere at Angkor, in pink sandstone. The Grand Circuit back toward town covers Preah Khan and Neak Pean. Phnom Bakheng caps at 300 summit visitors for sunset, arrive by around 4pm, or use the quieter Pre Rup.
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 clears them, and the APOPO Visitor Center’s landmine-sniffing “HeroRATs,” both framing Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge history with real weight. Evening: Phare, The Cambodian Circus, staffed by graduates of an NGO arts school for at-risk youth. Marum or Cuisine Wat Damnak (verify it’s still open) for dinner.
Day 4: Beng Mealea, a separate ticket
Beng Mealea’s roughly $10 ticket isn’t covered by the Angkor Pass, and the drive is about 65km, 1-1.5 hours each way, into a genuinely jungle-swallowed ruin with far fewer visitors than the main circuit. Artisans Angkor’s free workshop tours fill the late afternoon back in town.
Day 5: Koh Ker, another separate ticket
Koh Ker needs its own roughly $15 ticket and a longer drive, about 110-120km, 2-2.5 hours each way, to the empire’s brief 10th-century capital, centered on a 7-tier pyramid. Start early and bring a packed lunch, since restaurant options out there are sparse.
Day 6: Phnom Kulen, a morning-only trip
Phnom Kulen, considered the birthplace of the Khmer Empire, needs its own roughly $20 ticket, and the ascent road runs one-way and morning-only, so this day starts early by design. A waterfall and a reclining Buddha carved into the hillside are the highlights. Back in town by afternoon, Psar Chas (the Old Market) is a good, low-effort way to close out the day.
Day 7: Tonle Sap, done ethically
Kampong Khleang or Kampong Phluk are the better picks over Chong Khneas, which is more scam-worn: fake-orphanage donation asks, inflated boat detours, and crocodile-farm add-ons are all documented there. The lake changes dramatically by season, swollen in the wet months, stilts over mud in the dry ones, so confirm what you’ll actually see with your operator. A last dinner at Malis or Pou Kitchen before your flight out.
Is 7 days enough for Siem Reap?
Seven days is enough to see every major temple circuit, all three far-flung ruins on their own separate tickets, and Tonle Sap, at a pace that respects the heat rather than fighting it. Fewer days, our 4-day and 5-day itineraries cut Koh Ker and Kulen first.