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Back to Siem Reap

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Voykit pocket guide · Cambodia

Siem Reap

ក្រុងសៀមរាប

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.

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.

Old Market & Pub StreetRoyal Gardens & Angkor…Angkor WatBayon & Angkor ThomOld Market & Pub Stre…Wat Damnak & the rive…2.5 kmpins: sleep areas · dots: places
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Cambodia
Local name
ក្រុងសៀមរាប
Best months
Jan · Feb · Nov · Dec
Time zone
Asia/Phnom_Penh
Stay
2 days: Angkor Wat at sunrise, Bayon and Angkor Thom the next morning

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
KHR
Money
Keep ៛80,000 (about US$20) in small clean notes; withdraw at bank ATMs in daylight and expect a fee.
Daily spend
Budget ៛60,000–120,000 excl. bed (about US$15–30) · Mid ៛120,000–300,000 excl. bed (about US$30–75) · High ៛300,000+ excl. bed (about US$75+) (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Smart, Cellcard and Metfone sell tourist SIMs at the airports with passport registration; a week of data costs a few dollars.
Emergency
Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 119 · Tourist police Check locally
Plugs
Types A, C, G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US and round European pins; newer hotels have UK-style type G.
Tipping
Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Round up or leave US$1–2 where no service charge is added.; Tuk-tuk: Round up; US$2–5 extra for a full Angkor day.; Guide day: US$5–10 per person.; Massage: US$1–2 per hour.
Water
Not drinkable from the tap. Bottled water everywhere; many hotels have refill stations.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels, restaurants and at the Angkor ticket office and main temples; squat toilets with a hose or scoop on the road. Paper goes in the bin in older places.

Get in

By air

Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (SAI)
SAI to town: one licensed taxi, ride-hailing car or hotel car, 45–75 minutes over about 40 km — the risk is not the ride but a late landing and a hotel that cannot let you in.

Get around

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.
Late at night
No rail; ride-hailing runs late but availability drops in heavy rain.

See and do

  1. 01Angkor Watអង្គរវត្ត

    Sunrise or late afternoon, not midday: buy the Angkor pass at the official office the day before, dress covered, allow two hours, and leave by 09:30.

  2. 02Bayonបាយ័ន

    Go at first light or after 15:30: the carved faces work best in low sun; 60 minutes on the terraces, then the Baphuon on foot.

Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.

Eat

Old Market food stalls
Walk-in Khmer rice and noodle dishes at the market stalls: go before 11:30 or after 14:00 to avoid the heat and the tour groups.

Sleep

Old Market & Pub Street
First-timers: restaurants and tuk-tuks at the door, but pick a hotel on a side lane, not on Pub Street, and ask about a late arrival from the far airport.
Wat Damnak & the river's east bank
Quieter nights a 10-minute walk from Old Market: shade, small hotels and cafés, and a car ride for the temple mornings.

Language

Khmer is not tonal but has many vowels and its own script. English is common in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh tourist trades; French survives among older people. Taxi and tuk-tuk drivers work from map pins, not written addresses.

  • 'Suosdey' (hello), 'arkoun' (thank you), 'tlay ponmaan?' (how much?).
  • Telegram is the main messaging app for businesses, drivers and guides.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Sampeah (palms together, slight bow); higher hands for elders and monks; avoid: Firm handshakes with older women
  • Head and feet: Keep feet down and pointed away from people and Buddha images; avoid: Touching heads, even children's
  • Temples: Shoes and hat off inside, shoulders and knees covered; avoid: Sitting with feet toward the Buddha; women touching monks
  • Keeping face: Stay calm and smile when things go wrong; avoid: Shouting or public anger
  • Giving and receiving: Use the right hand or both hands; avoid: Tossing money or objects
  • Photos: Ask first, especially of monks and at memorials; avoid: Selfies at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek

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.

Scams (Cambodia page)

  • Fake e-visa sites: Only evisa.gov.kh; any site charging US$50–80 is an agent.
  • Border 'visa office' before the border: Buy the visa at the official post yourself; pay the posted price in dollars.
  • Milk-powder begging: The shop takes the milk back after you leave; give through registered NGOs instead.
  • Orphanage visits and 'volunteering': Many orphanages keep children to attract donors; do not visit or volunteer.
  • Unofficial Angkor ticket sellers: Buy only at the Angkor Enterprise ticket office or its official website.
  • Temple 'blessings' and incense fees: Polite no; a real monk does not demand money.

One and two days

1 day

The first day of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Angkor Wat at sunrise, a 12:30 lunch table

  1. 04:45Angkor Wat
  2. angkor wat stalls (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Old Market)
  4. Hotel pool or AC café 13:00–16:00; the market and Pub Street lanes after 17:00.

2 days

The first two days of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Angkor Wat at sunrise, a 12:30 lunch table

  1. 04:45Angkor Wat
  2. angkor wat stalls (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Old Market)
  4. Hotel pool or AC café 13:00–16:00; the market and Pub Street lanes after 17:00.

Day 2 — Bayon and Angkor Thom in the morning

  1. 06:30Bayon
  2. baphuon (optional)
  3. Midday back at the hotel; Old Market stalls after 17:00. Ta Prohm is a separate tuk-tuk stop east of Angkor Thom.

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Siem Reapក្រុងសៀមរាប

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Take me to

  • អង្គរវត្តAngkor Wat
  • បាយ័នBayon

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/siem-reap). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.