Destination OS · Sunrise temples, midday pool
Siem Reapក្រុងសៀមរាប
Siem Reap is a sunrise-and-siesta town: Angkor Wat before 08:00, back to the hotel for the middle of the day, Bayon and the town in the late afternoon — and the airport is about 40 km away, so a late landing is the trap.
- Local time
- --:--
- Weather
- forecast below
- Currency
- KHR
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Nov · Dec
- Airport
- SAI
Cash need
3/5
Heat risk
5/5
Stroller
2/5
Friction
60/100
Rules in force · 6Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
- Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
- Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
- Cambodia ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra. Some nationalities can also get a visa on arrival.
- Cambodia ↗Angkor Wat and other active temples enforce a dress code: shoulders and knees covered, or you are turned away at the gate.
- Cambodia ↗US dollars are used for most tourist prices; carry clean, undamaged small notes and some riel for change under one dollar.
- Northwest Cambodia ↗Shoulders and knees covered at every Angkor temple; guards check at the main gates.
At a glance
- Clusters
- 4
- Places
- 2
- Day plans
- 1
- Places to eat
- 1
- Sleep areas
- 2
- Gateways
- REP
Right now
Checking the weather…
Working out what is open near you…
Decide
Who it suits, the trade-offs and when to go
Overview
The city in one paragraph, who it fits, and how many days it takes.
The town is small and flat, but the temples are 6–10 km out and the heat is heavy from about 10:00. The trips that go wrong are the ones that fight the sun: noon walks at Angkor, a one-day pass spent on the wrong temple, or a 21:00 landing at an airport that is far from any bed. Four clusters cover a first visit — two in the temples, two in town — with one kept bed.
Fits
- Temple travellers
- Early risers
- Short breaks with a pool break at noon
Does not fit
- Strollers and wheelchairs (steps at temples)
- Midday walkers in Mar–May
- Travellers who dislike hot, dusty roads
- 2 days
- Angkor Wat at sunrise, Bayon and Angkor Thom the next morning
- 3 days
- Four clusters, mornings and late afternoons only
- 4 days
- Four clusters + one farther temple by car + one slow day
- Don't confuse
- Angkor is a park of many temples, not one site: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (with the Bayon) and Ta Prohm are separate stops, 6–15 km from town.
Hover, tap or tab to an area to see what it is like. Pins are sleep areas; arrows at the edge point to the airport.
Off the map: Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (SAI) (50–75 min by the usual route).
Where’s what, as a list:
- Old Market & Pub Street: Evening and early-morning cluster: Old Market food and shopping, the Pub Street lanes after 17:00, Wat Damnak in the quiet hour; flat, hot, and full of tuk-tuk touts.
- Royal Gardens & Angkor National Museum: Late-morning or late-afternoon cluster: the national museum's air conditioning, the shrine of Preah Ang Chek and the shaded royal gardens; a good heat break.
- Angkor Wat: Sunrise-and-done cluster: arrive before first light, walk the west causeway, see the reliefs and the upper level in the cool, and leave before 09:30; shade is scarce and the steps are steep.
- Bayon & Angkor Thom: Morning cluster: the Bayon's carved faces in the low light, then the Baphuon and the walled city on foot; go before 09:30 or after 15:30.
- Sleep area Old Market & Pub Street: suits Families, older travellers, solo on a budget, price band $$.
- Sleep area Wat Damnak & the river's east bank: suits Families, older travellers, price band $$$.
- Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (SAI), 50–75 min by the usual route.
Decide
The honest trade-off: what you will enjoy, what will wear you down.
You will like
- Temples at dawn
- Cheap tuk-tuks
- Slow evenings in town
You will hate
- Heat and dust
- Crowds at sunrise
- Long airport transfers
When
Best months: Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec. Month-by-month verdicts below, with the live forecast first.
Siem Reap: next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Air quality
Loading…
Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.
Cool, dry; the busiest month.
Dry, warming; good visibility.
Hot; sunrise and late afternoon only.
Hottest month; Khmer New Year closes businesses mid-month.
Hot, humid, first storms.
Rain most afternoons; green and quieter.
Wet season; mornings are usually fine.
Wet; some roads flood.
Heavy rain; Pchum Ben near the end of the month.
Rain easing; Pchum Ben some years.
Dry, comfortable; water festival crowds.
Cool mornings; book ahead.
Arrive & move
Getting in, getting around, and your bags
Arrive
Each gateway has its own airport-to-bed page with timings and the last safe connection.
Move
The default way around, when a pass pays off, and when the last trains go.
- Default
- Walk inside the town; tuk-tuk or ride-hailing car to the temples and the airport.
- Passes
- No pass. A tuk-tuk for the day is cheaper than several short rides; agree the fare and the route first.
- Last trains
- No rail; ride-hailing runs late but availability drops in heavy rain.
- Other modes
- Other modes (Rome2Rio) ↗
Luggage
Where big bags are a problem, and how to get rid of them for the day.
Rule
- Lockers
- No public lockers; hotels hold bags after check-out.
- Forwarding
- No forwarding service culture; keep the big bag at the hotel for trips away.
- Dead zone
- Late departures: ask the hotel to hold bags and to arrange a car; the airport is 45–75 minutes away.
See & do
Walking clusters, day plans and the places worth the time
Clusters
Plan by cluster: each is a walkable area with a rescue point and a bag rule.
Evening and early-morning cluster: Old Market food and shopping, the Pub Street lanes after 17:00, Wat Damnak in the quiet hour; flat, hot, and full of tuk-tuk touts.
rescue 99% · max p90 6.8′ · half
Late-morning or late-afternoon cluster: the national museum's air conditioning, the shrine of Preah Ang Chek and the shaded royal gardens; a good heat break.
rescue 95% · max p90 7′ · half
Sunrise-and-done cluster: arrive before first light, walk the west causeway, see the reliefs and the upper level in the cool, and leave before 09:30; shade is scarce and the steps are steep.
rescue 100% · max p90 6.7′ · half
Morning cluster: the Bayon's carved faces in the low light, then the Baphuon and the walled city on foot; go before 09:30 or after 15:30.
rescue 92% · max p90 7′ · half
Days
Ready-made day plans, timed against opening hours and walking distances.
Places
Each place gets a verdict and the time to be there, not a star rating.
Eat & sleep
Where to eat and which area to sleep in
Eat
A short list of places worth crossing the city for, each with how to get a seat.
Vegetarian-friendly score
1.0 / 5 · Hard work
- Country diet noteOur country guide rates vegetarian eating as mixed.0.75 / 2
- Places to eat in this guideToo few places with a known answer (1) to judge.0 / 1.5
- Budget eating lines0 vegetarian lines in "Eat by budget".0 / 0.6
- Meat-free national dishes1 meat-free dish in the country food list.0.1 / 0.4
- Dedicated vegetarian kitchens0 mentions of vegetarian restaurants, Buddhist or fasting kitchens.0 / 0.5
Country note: Prahok and fish sauce are in most dishes; tourist towns have vegetarian cafés and many menus mark vegetarian versions.
Vegetarian places near me →Make a diet card →
How we score
- Country diet note (up to 2): easy 2, workable 1, mixed 0.75, hard 0; no note 0.5.
- City places to eat (up to 1.5): 1.5 × (vegetarian-friendly + half of partly friendly) ÷ places with a known answer; needs 3 or more known places.
- Budget eating lines marked vegetarian (up to 0.6): 0.2 each.
- Meat-free national dishes (up to 0.4): 0.1 each.
- Dedicated vegetarian kitchens mentioned — Buddhist chay, shōjin ryōri, Jain, fasting food, vegan cafés (up to 0.5): 0.1 each.
- Total rounded to the nearest half point, 0 to 5. Built from our own pages only, not from reviews.
Sleep
Pick the area first: it decides your walk home at night and your first morning.
Practical
Money, essentials, safety and the pocket card
Money
What a day costs at three comfort levels, and how to pay.
- Budget
- ៛60,000–120,000 excl. bed (about US$15–30) / day
- Mid
- ៛120,000–300,000 excl. bed (about US$30–75) / day
- High
- ៛300,000+ excl. bed (about US$75+) / day
- IC card
- No transit card: tuk-tuk, ride-hailing car or walking.
- Cash rule
- Keep ៛80,000 (about US$20) in small clean notes; withdraw at bank ATMs in daylight and expect a fee.
Survive
Safety basics, the lines not to cross, and practical habits that save the day.
Safety
- Heat: water, hat and an AC stop every 60–90 minutes; do not walk Angkor between 11:00 and 15:00 in the hot season.
- Bag snatching from tuk-tuks and motorbikes: carry the bag on the side away from the road.
- Traffic at night is unlit on the airport road; use a licensed car and wear the seat belt.
- Emergency: 117 police, 118 fire, 119 ambulance (draft figures).
Red lines
- Angkor temples: shoulders and knees covered, no climbing on fenced structures, no touching carvings.
- Monks: women do not touch or hand things directly to monks.
- Do not give money to begging children or visit orphanages.
Practical
- Toilets: cafés and temple stops (small fee at some); carry tissues and small notes.
- Tap water is not for drinking.
- Power: 230 V, plug types A, C and G.
Deep dive
History, reading, photos and every source
Sources
- officialMinistry of Tourism of Cambodia
- officialUNESCO — Angkor
- secondaryWikivoyage — Siem Reap