Siem Reap: 12 Things Actually Worth Doing

Siem Reap exists because of what’s next door: the Angkor Archaeological Park, the seat of the Khmer Empire from roughly the 9th to 15th centuries. The town is a base for the temples, not a destination in its own right, so plan it that way. Two important changes catch a lot of first-timers off guard: the old in-town airport closed in 2023, and the Thailand land border has been closed since June 2025, so fly in from Bangkok rather than planning a bus. Here’s what’s actually worth your time and money.

Siem Reap at a glance

Days needed Best months Daily budget One booking warning
2-3 for the core temples, 4-7 to add the far ruins and Tonle Sap Nov-Mar (dry, peak crowds) or Jun-Oct (wet, fewer crowds, cheaper) $25-35 budget, $60-100 mid-range Buy the Angkor Pass only from Angkor Enterprise , never a temple-side reseller

12 things actually worth doing in Siem Reap

  1. Angkor Wat at sunrise. The world’s largest religious monument, with a moat and reflecting pools that make the 5am wake-up worth it. Climbing to the upper level, the Bakan, means a strict dress code: real sleeves and knee-length coverage, not a draped scarf.
  2. Angkor Thom and the Bayon. The last walled capital of the Khmer Empire, with the Bayon’s 216 giant stone faces across 54 towers, the South Gate’s naga-tugging statues, the Terrace of the Elephants, and Baphuon.
  3. Ta Prohm. The so-called “Tomb Raider” temple, left deliberately half-consumed by strangler-fig and silk-cotton tree roots.
  4. Banteay Srei. About 37km out but still covered by the standard Angkor Pass, this pink-sandstone “citadel of women” has the finest, most detailed carving anywhere in the park.
  5. A sunset at Phnom Bakheng or Pre Rup. Phnom Bakheng is the famous hilltop view, but it has a hard cap of 300 visitors at the summit, so arrive by around 4pm in peak season. Pre Rup is the quieter alternative, and it’s a sunset spot, not a sunrise one.
  6. Beng Mealea. A separate $10 ticket (not covered by the Angkor Pass) buys you a jungle-swallowed ruin about 65km out, with trees growing straight through collapsed galleries and far fewer visitors than the main circuit.
  7. Psar Chas (the Old Market) and Pub Street. The Old Market is the real shopping and street-food scene; Pub Street next to it is the nightlife strip, worth an evening but not the whole trip.
  8. Phare, The Cambodian Circus. Acrobatics and live music performed by graduates of an NGO arts school for at-risk youth, roughly $18-35 a ticket. It’s a genuinely worthwhile evening, not a tourist gimmick.
  9. The Cambodia Landmine Museum and the APOPO Visitor Center. The Landmine Museum, founded by Aki Ra, a former child soldier who was forced to lay mines and now works to clear them, costs about $5. APOPO’s “HeroRATs,” trained to sniff out landmines, run about $8. Both sit alongside Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge history (1975-79) with real weight, not as dark-tourism novelty.
  10. A Tonle Sap floating village, chosen carefully. 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 itself changes dramatically by season, swollen in the wet months, stilts over mud in the dry ones.
  11. Artisans Angkor. A social enterprise reviving traditional Khmer crafts, silk weaving, stone carving, and lacquerware, with free workshop tours in town.
  12. Fish amok. The national dish, a coconut-fish mousse steamed in banana leaf, is worth seeking out specifically rather than settling for a generic “Khmer platter.” Marum and Khmer Kitchen are reliable, documented spots for it.

Getting there and the Angkor Pass, in plain numbers

The Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI), which opened in 2023, is roughly 45-75 minutes outside town; the old in-town airport is closed to commercial flights, so build the transfer time in. Overland from Phnom Penh runs about 5-6 hours. If you’re coming from Thailand, fly from Bangkok: the land border has been closed since June 2025, so don’t plan a bus or van across it.

The Angkor Pass is sold only by Angkor Enterprise , either at the official office or online, never at the temples themselves. A 1-day pass runs $37, a 3-day pass (usable across any 3 days within 10) runs $62, and a 7-day pass (any 7 within 30) runs $72; verify current pricing before you go. A photo is taken at purchase and printed on the pass itself, and children under 12 enter free. Beng Mealea ($10), Koh Ker ($15), and Phnom Kulen (~$20) all need separate tickets, since none of them are covered by the Angkor Pass.

Money, visa, and getting around

Cambodia is dollarized: prices, and most ATMs, run in US dollars, with riel (roughly 4,000 to the dollar) used only for small change under a dollar. Bring clean, undamaged notes, since torn or heavily marked bills are often refused, and expect ATMs to increasingly dispense only $100 bills. The e-Visa, at evisa.gov.kh ($36, watch for copycat sites), or a visa on arrival (~$30-35) both cover the standard 30-day stay; bring a passport with 6 months’ validity and a blank page.

Tuk-tuks are the standard way around, with a full-day Angkor circuit running about $20-25; agree the price before you set off. Grab and PassApp both operate here as ride-hailing apps (there’s no Uber in Cambodia), and either is a solid way to skip haggling. The temples are genuinely spread out, Angkor Wat is about 6km from town, Banteay Srei about 37km, so a car or tuk-tuk driver for the day beats trying to self-navigate on a bike in the heat.

Is Siem Reap safe in 2026?

Cambodia sits at US State Department Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), and Siem Reap itself is a normal, safe place to visit day to day. There was a serious 2025 border clash with Thailand near Preah Vihear, but it’s confined to a strip roughly 150km from Siem Reap, with a ceasefire holding since December 2025, and it has no practical effect on an Angkor trip. Petty crime (pickpocketing, bag-snatching) shows up mostly around Pub Street at night, and the tuk-tuk and floating-village scams above are worth knowing before you go. Landmines remain a real issue in remote rural provinces, but not inside the Angkor Park itself, which was cleared decades ago. One genuinely positive note: same-sex relationships have never been criminalized in Cambodia, a rarity in the region.

When to visit Siem Reap

November through March is dry, cooler, and the clear-sky window for that Angkor Wat sunrise, but it’s also peak season for crowds. March through May turns brutally hot. June through October is the wet season, and it’s a legitimately good option too: full reflecting pools, fewer crowds, and cheaper rates, offset by afternoon downpours and muddier roads to the far temples.

Where to stay in Siem Reap

Old Market and Pub Street is the walkable, central choice, close to everything but the busiest at night. Wat Bo is quieter and trendier, with a growing gallery scene; Wat Damnak is calmer still, along the riverside. Compare current Siem Reap hotel rates before booking, and base near the Old Market if you want to walk to dinner rather than arrange a tuk-tuk every night.

For the full day-by-day plan, see our 3-day itinerary for the core temples plus town, or the 7-day itinerary if you want the far temples and Tonle Sap worked in properly. For a closer look at Angkor Wat itself, read our honest take on whether it’s worth it .

Whatever else you cut, don’t cut the dress code check before the Bakan: it’s the one thing on this list that will turn you away at the door if you get it wrong, scarf or no scarf.