Do you want visit Siem Reap in 3 or 4 days!? You want to know where to stay in Siem Reap? Where to go Do you know how to get to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh or from the airport? In this article I will tell you everything you need to know to discover Siem Reap and the wonderful temples of Angkor.
Here is the action plan for this article to save time (use the menu on the right to access the desired section):
- What to visit in Siem Reap with GoogleMaps to facilitate your planning
- Visit the temples of Angkor
- Where to sleep Siem ReapWhere to stay in Siem Reap?
- Where to go out in Siem Reap?
- How to get to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh or from the airport?
1) Visit Siem Reap
Before we begin, here is a GoogleMap of Siem Reap, just to have a global view of the geographical area ...
- Visit the temples of Angkor:
Temples, temples and more temples, for information when we talk about the Angkor temples, we are talking about all the temples built during the golden age of the Khmer between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, so not only the ones on the site, but in the whole country.
I recommend the 3 day pass at $ 62, yes it is expensive. Prices have risen dramatically recently to buy new luxury cars ... er to help preserve the temples. And to get around Angkor, it is best to rent a bike or a tuktuk, you decide!
Why 3 days to visit the temples of Angkor?
Because Angkor Wat has two circuits, a small one and a long one that take the day so it's already two days. On the third day we will visit the temples outside the city that are also impressive.
There is no 2-day pass anyway, or it takes 1 day at $ 40 or three days at $ 62.
Here is a map of the Angkor temples, so you understand how the circuits work (to enlarge this map of the Angkor temples circuit). As you can see, there is a red circuit (the small circuit that lasts one day) and the large circuit which is the red circuit + the blue circuit. It is about 26 km.
- The little circuit:
It houses several of the main temples in the region. Starting at Angkor Wat and traveling seventeen kilometers, the short tour includes the main elements of Angkor Thom, Ta Phrohm and BanteayKdei, as well as some of the lesser but interesting temples like the Baphoun, the Terrace of the Leper King, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Twelve Prasats, SpeanThma and SrasSrang before returning to Angkor Wat.
- The Great Circuit:
At XNUMX miles, it is an extension of the small loop, but it takes Preah Khan, PreahNeakPean east of Mebon and the various monuments such as Ta Som, PreahRup, before returning to Angkor Wat.
It is highly recommended for anyone spending three or more days at the resort. The Grand Circuit includes a good representation of the architectural wealth.
For the third day we will visit the temples outside the city. There I highly recommend a tuk-tuk or a taxi because there are several temples to see during the day.
Special mention to Kbal Spean because the temple is literally carved out of the river, it is really magical to see the faces of the Khmer dancers underwater and above all it is in the middle of the jungle.
What I missed in Angkor is having a guide to fully understand the richness of one of the most important places in the history of mankind. You can book one here: Full-Day Private Tour of Angkor Wat and Royal Temples from Siem Reap.
And finally, if you really want this trip to be unforgettable: a short helicopter tour (:
- What to do apart from the Angkor temples:
A short bike ride through the countryside is easy, but be careful when preparing your route. Of course, you can choose a guided bike tour (.
- Visit a floating town
- There are two floating villages:
- Chung Keas, which is the closest, is very tourist-oriented so avoid it.
- Kompong Phluk, further afield but much more authentic, which I highly recommend. The best way to get there is by booking a day trip (but you can do it without it. Anyway, I recommend it !!
For small budgets, you can book at a local travel agency, it will cost you around $ 18.
If you want to go alone. In Siem Reap, when you leave your hotel or guesthouse, you can easily find a tuk-tuk that will take you to the shores of the village.
- Siem Reap Markets:
There are two main ones:
The night market or the night market that opens from 17 pm where you will find everything you need to lighten your tourist wallet.
The PhsarChas (Old Market) market more geared towards locals, but again with a special souvenir section.
This daily market is quite complete and not too big. Negotiation is required (don't overdo it anyway, it is normal for their prices to go up…) but you will see that Cambodians are extremely nice and the negotiated prices are very interesting.
- Le North Korea Angkor Panorama Museum
North Korea's Angkor Panorama Museum. Having the opportunity to visit a North Korean museum should be enough to motivate you.
But above all, you will find there a giant panorama that represents a scene from the life of the Khmer at the time of the greatness of the temples of Angkor. So yes it is 20 euros, but who else will be able to say in the aperitif with the friends who visited a North Korean museum?
2) Where to sleep in Siem Reap
Looking to know where to stay in Siem Reap, here are some very well located addresses.
- The Apsara CentrePole is an excellent address, 100 meters from the night market.
- Chhay Long Angkor is also very well located, on a quiet street and close to restaurants and bars.
- Less expensive but well located, the Sun SengKy Guest House offers value for money rooms.
- Jérome hotel recommendation (see comment): Le Tigre: well located, beautiful rooms, small shaded pool and is run by a longtime Frenchman. We recommend
- Very very stylish but something for everyone, the Central Suite Residence, still located in the purple area on the map below, can offer discounted prices.
If you are looking for a very nice hotel, I recommend the Golden Temple Hotel, look at the map above for its location, although it is not in the purple area that I recommend, it is a 5 min walk. stay close to the city center, bars and restaurants.
3) Where to go out in Siem Reap
It is quite simple, a large number of bars and restaurants are concentrated around the main street, Pub Street, and its small adjacent streets (see the purple area on the map below). I don't have a special address to give you because everything is in this neighborhood and it's not super super big either ...
/! Anyway, above all don't be smart, be humble ...
You will find your happiness;)
4) How to get to Siem Reap
- Get to Siem Reap by bus from Phnom Penh:
There are several companies at different prices, I recommend Giantibis, the most reliable in my opinion. The price is € 15. Otherwise a friend tested VirakBuntham recently and very well too. On the other hand, do not go through the Capitol bus company (robberies, robberies ... etc, to avoid it !!
The trip lasts between 7 and 8 hours. Try to avoid the night buses that are quite dangerous unless you like the thrill. Waking up in the middle of the night to a steering wheel to dodge a cart gives you more sensations than the latest 4D cinema.
- To get to Siem Reap by plane:
There are more and more Phnom Penh-Siem Reap lines at very affordable prices, it will cost you 30 euros one way. Which can be very interesting especially for a two week trip. We save 7-8 hours of travel and the associated fatigue. I advise you to read my article "Finding a plane ticket".
But you should also know that you have flights from Bangkok in Thailand (more information in my article "visit Bangkok") and Saigon in Vietnam (here is my article "visit Ho Chi Minh") that go directly to Siem Reap.
- Flight time between Bangkok and Siem Reap: 50 min. Count € 40 with AirAsia and Bangkok Airways.
- Flight time between Bangkok and Phnom Penh: 1h20. Count € 40 with AirAsia, Bangkok Airways and FlexFlight (avoid FlexFlight).
- Flight time between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh: 40 min. Count € 80 with the only non-stopover company, FlexFlight.
- Flight time between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Phnom Penh: 45 min. Count € 60 with Qatar AirWays (, Cambodia Angkor Air, Vietnam Airlines
- Flight time between Ho Chi Minh and Siem Reap: 50 min. Count € 100 with Cambodia Angkor Air, Vietnam Airlines (if you can opt for Vietnam Airlines).
/! Even if it's 40 degrees outside, remember to wear a warm jacket to protect your face. The air conditioning is on full blast and it can get very cold, plus the air conditioning is very unpleasant to breathe ...
5) Get to downtown Siem Reap from the airport
- To get to Siem Reap from Siem Reap Airport:
Count $ 8 for the taxi (taxi price and not per person), otherwise you can find a tuk tuk that will suit you very well and cost less. You will find the tuk tuk when leaving the airport grounds.
Well there you go, I think you have all the keys in hand to visit Siem Reap as it should be
Do not hesitate to leave a comment at the bottom of the page to give me your impressions, share a good address, a hotel, a bar ... Sharing is good;)
- And what did you like the most about visiting Siem Reap?
- Do you have an interesting address to share?
- Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page!
See you soon!
Maxence
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