country
Cambodiaកម្ពុជា
First trip: base in Siem Reap for 3–4 nights, buy the Angkor pass at the official office, and start the temples before sunrise; check the Thailand land-border status and your own government's advice before you plan an overland leg.
Cambodia's first trip is Angkor, and Angkor is heat management: temples at dawn, a long lunch and a pool in the middle of the day, a second short visit at the end of the afternoon. The trips that fail try to fit Angkor, Phnom Penh and the coast into a week by bus, or arrive without knowing the airport is now about 40 km from town. Sleep in Siem Reap, go out early, and treat cash, dress and the border as rules that apply everywhere.
All regions, cities and parks in Cambodia (Atlas) →
Regions
Phnom Penh, Kampot and the coast
3–5 nights
Capital and major cities
Give Phnom Penh two nights for the Royal Palace and the sites of the Khmer Rouge period, then move on to Siem Reap or the coast.
Use Sihanoukville as a ferry port for the islands, not a destination: go straight to Koh Rong or Koh Rong Sanloem, or to Kampot and Kep.
Stop in Battambang for a night or two for its French-era streets and rural day trips, on the road between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.
Routes that work
Angkor, 4 nights
Keep one Siem Reap bed; go out by tuk-tuk or car with a day pack.
- Fly in and out of Siem Reap, or fly Siem Reap → Phnom Penh; the road takes most of a day.
- Angkor first, before the heat and crowds; do not stack a temple day on the day you land.
- Hot season (roughly Mar–May) makes afternoons unusable outdoors; the green season (roughly Jun–Oct) means showers and flooded roads.
- Check land-border status with Thailand before you plan an overland leg: crossings have been closed or restricted since the 2025 conflict.
Arrive
SAI
Siem Reap–Angkor International (formerly REP)
About 40 km from town; 45–75 minutes by car
PNH
Phnom Penh International
Planned
Time math
- 3 days
- Siem Reap 3: Angkor Wat sunrise, Bayon and Angkor Thom, town and museum
- 4 days
- Siem Reap 4: add Ta Prohm and a farther temple by car
- 7 days
- Siem Reap 4 + Phnom Penh 3 (fly, or about 6 h by road)
Country rules
- Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra. Some nationalities can also get a visa on arrival.
- Angkor Wat and other active temples enforce a dress code: shoulders and knees covered, or you are turned away at the gate.
- US dollars are used for most tourist prices; carry clean, undamaged small notes and some riel for change under one dollar.
Etiquette
- Cover shoulders and knees at Angkor and any pagoda; remove shoes and hats where there is a shoe rack.
- Do not touch anyone's head; do not point your feet at people or Buddha images; women should not touch monks.
- Do not climb on temple structures or step over fenced areas; stay on the paths at Angkor.
- Ask before photographing monks and people; greet with a slight bow and palms together (sampeah).
- Khmer New Year (about 13–16 Apr)
- Public holiday; many businesses close and locals travel.
- Pchum Ben (Sep–Oct, moves yearly)
- Three-day public holiday; transport and towns are busy and some shops close.
- Water Festival (Nov, moves yearly)
- Crowds in Phnom Penh; Siem Reap busy; book early.
- Green season (about Jun–Oct)
- Heavy afternoon rain; some rural roads flood.
Money & passes
Cash necessity: 3/5
- US dollars for hotels, tours and restaurants; riel (KHR, about 4,000 to the dollar) for change and small street purchases.
- Torn, dirty or old-looking dollar notes are often refused: keep clean small notes.
- ATMs dispense dollars and charge a fee; card payments work at hotels and larger restaurants.
Before you fly: eSIM before you fly · E-visa and entry
Safety
- Traffic: tuk-tuks, motorbikes and buses share the road with little discipline; use your seat belt in cars and never rent a motorbike without a licence and insurance.
- Heat: 35–40 °C in the hot season; carry water, wear a hat, and plan an AC stop at midday.
- Bag snatching from motorbikes and tuk-tuks happens in town: carry the bag on the side away from the road.
- Unexploded ordnance remains in parts of Cambodia: stay on marked paths and never touch metal objects in the ground.
- Do not accept job offers across the border: trafficking into online-scam compounds is a documented risk in the region.
- Do not visit orphanages or give to begging children; both feed exploitation.
- Emergency: 117 police, 118 fire, 119 ambulance (draft figures; also keep your hotel's number).
- Border and advisory: the Thailand–Cambodia land border has been closed or restricted since 2025. Check current status and your own government's travel advice before you book.
Cambodia is the southern end of the Southeast Asia corridor: Vietnam to the east, Laos to the north, Thailand to the west (check the border).
Sources
- Cambodia e-Visa (official portal) (official)
- Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia (official)
- Wikivoyage — Cambodia (secondary)