Siem Reap: Cambodia's Base Town for Angkor Wat

How Far to the Temples

Wikivoyage puts Siem Reap at about 6 km from Angkor Wat, which is roughly 20 minutes by car or motorbike. The official APSARA ticket office sits just off the highway from town, a couple of kilometres from the southern park entrance, where you can buy the Angkor Pass if you have not bought it online. The pass is never part of a tour price: on the Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour, for example, the $15 tour price becomes $52 once the $37 one-day pass is added. If you have longer, Banteay Srei lies about 30 km north-east of the city on Wikipedia's figure (Wikivoyage gives 37 km) and Phnom Kulen National Park about 48 km away, while Beng Mealea is 80 km east, about 1.5 hours by car on Wikivoyage's figures.

The airport is a different story. Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) opened on 16 October 2023 about 50 km east of the city, in Soutr Nikom District, and the old airport 7 km northwest of town is closed. Hello Angkor lists a fixed airport taxi at about $35 for a car of 1-3 passengers and about $45 for a minivan, while another source gives $25-30, and the shuttle bus is $8 one way.

Getting Around Town

The tuk-tuk is the town's default transport and Wikipedia estimates Siem Reap had about 6,000 tuk-tuk drivers in 2019. Wikivoyage lists a short trip in town at about $1.25 (5,000 riel), a motodop motorbike taxi at about $0.50, and a full-day hire for the temples at about $20, with sunrise or sunset starts a bit more. A second source, Wikivoyage's Angkor page, prices temple days at about $15 for the main temples and $20-30 for outlying temples, with a sunrise start adding about $3. Nomadic Matt puts a full day at about $25 for 3-4 people. Plan on $15-25 depending on the route and your bargaining.

Bicycle rental runs $1-8 a day depending on quality, and shops mostly do not open before 07:00. The Grab and PassApp apps can summon tuk-tuks. Helmets are legally required for motorbike riders, and inside the park drivers must wear a numbered vest.

A guided day does the driving for you. The Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset runs 9 hours from $14 per person, the Angkor Pass of $37 extra, for $51 in total. On your own, the homepage's going-on-your-own section lays out the cost sums.

Seasons and Climate

Siem Reap's average high never falls below 30 C in any month. January averages a high of 31.7 C with 3.7 mm of rain, and April is the hottest month at an average high of 35.8 C. The record high is 41.2 C. The wet season runs from May to October, and September is the wettest month at 287.7 mm of rain. The town averages about 1,406 mm of rain a year over about 124 rainy days.

The temple day starts before dawn in any season: the sun rises around 6:31 am in mid January and as early as 5:37 am in mid June, which is why listed sunrise pickups run from 4:00 to 4:45 AM.

The Main Areas

The larger hotels mostly line National Highway 6 west of the centre, which suits travelers who want pools, space and quiet over walkable nightlife. Backpacker hostels cluster around the Old Market, putting Pub Street and the night market on the doorstep at the lowest prices. Boutique hotels sit along Wat Bo Road on the far side of the river, a short walk from the centre with more calm. For the classic address, Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor stands at 1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle, on the road toward the temples. Wikivoyage dates its opening to 1932 while Wikipedia gives 1929, so the sources differ on the exact date.

There is a fourth practical option: the area along the road toward the temples, where you trade evening walks into town for the shortest morning run to the ticket gate. Since Angkor Wat is only 6 km from the centre, no area saves you more than a few minutes.

Which Area Suits You

If this is your first trip and the evenings matter as much as the temples, stay near the Old Market. If you are traveling as a couple and want quieter streets and restaurants, Wat Bo Road fits. Families and pool days suit the Highway 6 hotels.

Early risers on sunrise tours are picked up at their hotel door anyway: the Angkor Wat Highlights Sunrise Tour collects guests between 4:15 AM and 4:35 AM wherever they stay in town. That tour costs $19 per person plus the $37 Angkor Pass, $56 in total.

Hotel Areas Side by Side

The areas below follow Wikivoyage's notes on where Siem Reap's hotels cluster, with what each suits and how it sits for the drive out to Angkor Wat.

Daytime Sights and Prices

The Angkor National Museum on Vithei Preah Sihanouk Avenue opened on 12 November 2007 and works well the day before your first temple day. Its own site lists hours of 08:30-18:00 from April to September and 08:30-18:30 from October to March. Its site lists no price, and Wikivoyage lists entry at $12 plus $5 for an audio guide. The APOPO visitor centre, where trained rats clear landmines, is open daily 8:30 am to 5:00 pm with the last tour at 4:30 pm, costs $10 per person, with children under 10 free, and sits about 10 minutes by tuk-tuk from downtown. APOPO asks visitors to book online in advance.

On the road to Banteay Srei, the Cambodia Landmine Museum charges $7 for foreign adults and $2.50 for Khmer adults, with children under 13 free, open daily 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Wikivoyage separately lists $5, so the sources differ. Wikivoyage also lists the War Museum at $5, open 08:00-17:30, and a free guided workshop tour at Artisans d'Angkor, open daily 07:30-17:30, where silk and stone carving workshops end in showrooms.

Sights and Their Prices

Prices and hours below come from each venue's own site where it publishes them, and from Wikivoyage where it does not, attributed in the table.

Markets and Bargaining

The Old Market is the town's covered market and its prices are tourist-oriented. Wikivoyage suggests opening at about 20% of the asking price for art or cloth and settling somewhere in between. The Angkor Night Market runs in the evenings in the same quarter.

Expect to pay in dollars and receive riel coins and small notes as change.

Evenings: Pub Street and the Circus

Pub Street is the town's evening centre, a strip of bars and food stalls next to the Old Market. The structured alternative is Phare, The Cambodian Circus, which runs a nightly 8:00 pm show of about 1 hour year-round, plus 5:00 pm matinees on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the high season, with pre-show food and shopping from 5:30 pm. Tickets are priced by section: A (reserved) $38 adult and $18 child, B $28 and $15, C $18 and $10, with children aged 5-11.

A temple-free morning can become a second temple day. The Private Angkor Temple Highlights Tour runs 7 hours from $31 per person, with the $37 Angkor ticket paid onsite, $68 in total.

Day Trips Beyond the City

Wikivoyage prices several day trips outside the temples. The Cambodia Landmine Museum on the road to Banteay Srei charges US$7 for foreign adults per its own site, though Wikivoyage lists US$5, and children under 13 go free. The War Museum is listed at US$5, open 08:00-17:30, and a free guided workshop tour runs at Artisans Angkor daily 07:30-17:30.

Kampong Phluk on Tonle Sap is a boat day, and Phnom Kulen National Park lies about 48 km north of the city. Distances and passes for the far temples are covered on the Koh Ker, Beng Mealea and Phnom Kulen pages.

Eating Areas and Price Tiers

Wikivoyage lists the eating areas as the Old Market, Kandal Village, Taphul Road, Wat Bo Village and Wat Damnak Village. Its meal tiers per person with a soft drink are simple: under $5 counts as budget, $5-10 is mid-range and over $10 is a splurge. For a full day of temples first, the Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset has lunch paid at a local restaurant on top of the $14 tour price.

Dinner fits well after a Phare show or an evening on Pub Street.

Kampong Phluk and Chong Kneas

Kampong Phluk sits about 20 km south-east of Siem Reap, according to Wikivoyage. Experience Travel Group describes the stilted village soaring above the water in the dry season and sitting on top of it once the rainy season fills the lake. Wikivoyage lists a Kampong Phluk floating village boat tour at $25 per person. Agree the boat cost before you set off, because it is a separate fee that drivers may not mention until you arrive.

Chong Kneas is closer, about 15 km south of the city by paved road, but Wikivoyage carries a scam warning for it. Agree the price in advance and buy the Chong Kneas boat ticket at the counter rather than through a middleman.

The Angkor Wat and Floating Village 2-Day Tour pairs a temple day with Beng Mealea and the Kampong Phluk floating village on day two, with the boat fee listed as extra. More lake detail is on the Tonle Sap page.

Dollars and Riel

US dollars are widely used in the city and tourist areas, and ATMs dispense dollars. Wikivoyage puts $1 at about 4,000 riel, with the central bank rate near 4,100, and the riel is pegged unofficially at about 4,100 per dollar while shops commonly use 4,000. Riel is used only for small amounts, and change under a dollar usually arrives in riel. ATMs dispense up to $500 per withdrawal with a $5 fee, usually as $50 and $20 notes.

Two money warnings matter. Torn dollar bills may be refused, so keep your notes clean and unfold them. Fake $50 and $100 notes exist in circulation, including notes from ATMs, and the FCDO says fake dollar bills have been given as change in Cambodia. Check larger notes when you receive them.

Bag Snatching and Tuk-tuks

The FCDO says most theft in Cambodia involves motorbike thieves cutting bag straps, so carry bags on the side of your body away from the road, never on the roadside shoulder. Its advice for tuk-tuks is specific: use tuk-tuks with metal grills on the back and sides where possible, as they give some protection against bag snatching.

Roads and Helmets

The FCDO considers motorcycle taxis dangerous and says travel after dark significantly increases accident risk. Helmets are legally required for motorbike riders in Cambodia, so if you rent a scooter or ride a motodop, wear one. Inside the Angkor park, drivers and riders must also wear a numbered vest.

In town the tuk-tuk remains the sane default, and at 6 km from Angkor Wat the main temples are a short ride away.

Visas and Arrival

The tourist visa on arrival costs $30 and allows up to 30 days, and the tourist e-visa also costs $30, single entry, applied for online at least 4 days ahead. Wikivoyage warns that border staff often ask $35-40 for the visa on arrival, so the e-visa avoids the haggling. Air arrivals must also complete the free Cambodia e-arrival card online at arrival.gov.kh within 7 days before arrival.

A tourist visa extension in Phnom Penh costs $30 and is allowed once.

What Things Cost

The table collects the day-to-day prices from the sources, so you can budget the town and the temple days together. Tuk-tuk day figures differ by source and both are shown.

Costs at a Glance

Everyday costs below come from Wikivoyage and the official sites named in the last column, so you can see where each figure comes from.

Budgeting a Temple Day

Add the pass to whatever transport you choose and the sums stay simple. A self-organised day is a $20 tuk-tuk plus the $37 pass. A guided group day such as the Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour costs $15 with the pass extra, $52 in total, and covers 8 to 9 hours with hotel pickup and a guide.

For three days, the three-day pass at $62 is the one to buy.

Thai Border Advisory

Two advisories disagree on the exclusion zone along the Thai border. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of parts of the border, while Wikivoyage advises avoiding all travel within 50 km. Check both advisories before planning any overland route to or from Thailand.

From the Airport

SAI is about 50 km east of the city, so transfers are longer than at the old airport. Wikivoyage lists a minibus seat at $8 and a private minivan at $40. Hello Angkor lists fixed taxi rates of about $35 for a car holding 1 to 3 passengers and about $45 for a minivan holding 1 to 5, available 6:30 to 23:00.

Angkor Photography Tours puts a typical taxi at $25-30 and a tuk-tuk at about $16 taking 1.5 to 2 hours. The full timetable and visa notes sit on the Siem Reap airport page.

By Bus and by Road

The bus from Phnom Penh takes about 5 hours, per Wikipedia. From the Poipet border with Thailand, Wikivoyage lists a shared car at $25-45 per car taking 2 to 3 hours. Note that Wikivoyage reports bus services from Thailand into Cambodia suspended, so check current operations before planning a border crossing.

There is no need to rent a car for the temples themselves, since a tuk-tuk day or a guided Angkor Wat tour covers the park roads.