Siem Reap Travel Guide · Updated 2026

Siem Reap sits in the northwestern corner of Cambodia, roughly five hours from Phnom Penh by road. The old city has grown into one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant travel hubs — and while Angkor is the reason most people come, the surrounding town and countryside have quietly become destinations in their own right.

The activities below are ones we recommend to every guest, whether you have two days or two weeks. Some are best done as a complement to a morning at the temples. Others are worth planning your entire itinerary around. All of them will show you a side of Cambodia that most visitors never see.

How Long Should You Stay in Siem Reap?

A minimum of four days is what we recommend to experience Siem Reap properly – two days focused on the temples, and two days for everything else on this list. If you have more time, Siem Reap rewards it generously. Many visitors who plan three days end up extending their stay.

Angkor Pass Prices (2026)

Your temple pass is purchased at the official Angkor Enterprise ticket office or online in advance. Children under 12 enter free (proof of age may be requested).

Exciting things to do besides temples…

Table contents

Siem Reap Countryside Tour

Rice paddies, village life, and a sacred pagoda — the Cambodia most tourists never see

The landscape around Siem Reap is as compelling as anything inside the temple complex, but almost no independent traveler ventures into it without a guide. On our countryside tour, we pass through lush rice paddies, visit a working pagoda where locals come to pray for health, wealth, and good marriages, and stop at small villages that have changed little in generations.

If the timing is right, a fortune teller may read your future — one of the more unexpectedly moving experiences many guests take home from Cambodia. This is not a staged performance for tourists. It is a glimpse into everyday Khmer spiritual life.

We run the countryside tour by Vespa, vintage Jeep, and electric mountain bike — the mode of transport shapes the experience significantly. The e-bike version follows back roads and trails that no vehicle can reach, and is one of our most popular tours for exactly that reason.

APOPO HeroRATs Visitor Center

Meet the rats that are saving lives — and hold one yourself

Cambodia is one of the most landmine-affected countries on earth, a legacy of decades of war. APOPO is a Belgian NGO that has spent 25 years training African Giant Pouched Rats — called HeroRATs — to sniff out unexploded ordnance buried across the country. The rats are light enough not to detonate mines, and their sense of smell is precise enough to cover ground that would take a human deminer weeks.

The visitor center puts you face to face with this work. A guided tour explains Cambodia’s history of conflict, walks you through the training process, and ends with a live demonstration where a HeroRAT searches a test field and locates buried items by scent. You can hold one at the end. It is one of those experiences that stays with people long after the temple photographs have faded.

The center is conveniently located on the road between Siem Reap town and the Angkor Wat entrance — making it a natural stop before or after a morning at the temples.

Road 60 — Eat Like a Local After Dark

Road 60 is Siem Reap’s great equalizer. In the evenings, this stretch of street fills with locals finishing their workday over charcoal-grilled meats, fried noodles, and things that will challenge your comfort zone. This is not a tourist night market with English menus and air conditioning. It is exactly what it looks like: the place where real Siem Reap eats.

The most talked-about delicacy here is insects — fried tarantulas, crickets, silk worm larvae, and ant eggs. Cambodia’s insect cuisine is not a gimmick. It is a genuine part of Khmer food culture with roots in the scarcity of the Khmer Rouge era, when protein from any source was survival. Whether you try it or simply watch someone else try it, Road 60 is a completely different world from Pub Street two kilometers away.

Road 60 is a central stop on our After Dark Food Tour, where we guide you to the best vendors and make sure you know what you’re eating before you eat it.

Artisans Angkor — Khmer Craftsmanship Up Close

Watch master artisans at work, then take something real home

Artisans Angkor (also known as Artisans d’Angkor) is a social enterprise that trains young Cambodians from rural provinces in traditional crafts — silk weaving, lacquerwork, sandstone carving, silver work, and ceramics — preserving skills that came close to dying out during the Khmer Rouge period. A visit to their workshop is a genuinely moving experience: you walk through open studios where artisans work in silence and see, close up, how a piece of carved sandstone or hand-woven silk actually comes together.

The attached shop is one of the best places in Cambodia to buy quality souvenirs. Everything is made on-site by the artisans you just watched. Prices are fixed and fair, and every purchase supports the training program directly.

Kulen Mountain — Sacred Waterfalls and Hidden Temples

One of the few sacred mountains in Cambodia, and one of the least visited

Phnom Kulen (Kulen Mountain) sits about 50 km northeast of Siem Reap and holds a special place in Cambodian history — it is here, in 802 AD, that King Jayavarman II declared the independence of the Khmer Empire. The mountain is considered sacred to this day, and you will find Cambodian families making pilgrimages on weekends for its ancient rock carvings, hidden temples, and natural pools.

The waterfalls are the main draw for international visitors — a wide cascade with a deep natural pool at the base, surrounded by jungle. In the dry season the water is clear and the swimming is exceptional. There are also carved river beds with thousands of lingas (Hindu phallic symbols) submerged in the water, which can be seen when the river is low enough.

Restaurants, Bars and Nightlife

Siem Reap’s food scene has grown into one of the best in Southeast Asia

Siem Reap has been quietly building a serious culinary reputation. For elevated Khmer cuisine, Embassy (Chef Kimsan) is one of the most creative and ambitious Cambodian restaurants in the country — advance reservations are essential and worth every effort. If you cannot get a table, ask your hotel concierge to put you on the waiting list the moment you arrive.

For a more casual experience, the Old Market area (Phsar Chas) and the streets around it are full of strong options across every price range. The market itself sells everything from produce and street food to textiles and souvenirs — it is a genuinely local space that has not been entirely sanitized for tourism.

For nightlife, Pub Street is exactly what it sounds like — bright, loud, and international, open until dawn. If that is not your scene, the quieter bars and cocktail spots on the surrounding streets (Street 26, the Old Market area) offer far more atmosphere. Calao, which opened in late 2025, has already established itself as the bar for those who care about craft cocktails and exceptional ambience.

Massages a haven of peace and escape

From the dust and bustle outside. Take a break after a busy day of sightseeing at the temples in one of Siem Reap’s wellness centers. Spas such as Lemongrass Garden Spa and Bodia Spa offer a variety of massage treatments including a smooth relaxing oil massage and the popular traditional Khmer massage. Most hotels have in-house options! Booking in advance is always best but feel free to walk-in.

The Bong Pearaing Bird Sanctuary

Recently registered and recognized as an eco-tourism site in 2015. This natural dam was presumably a lake for elephants to get fresh water and cool down from the scorching heat. Today, it’s home to hundreds of species of freshwater fishes and water birds. It’s the ideal spot for those of you who love bird watching.

Yoga happens beyond the mat

Take advantage of Angkor’s peaceful atmosphere and give it a try. There are plenty of options but we especially love the sunrise yoga class at Srah Srang’s waterfront inside Angkor Archaeological Park. Make sure to get enough sleep and bring a temple pass with you! The experience is worthwhile.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there are many things to do while in Siem Reap. Combine these activities together, and you’ll have yourself a full-week holiday. There’s so much more to learn about the culturally-rich Cambodian city. At Adventures Cambodia, we’re more than happy to offer advice during our tours, including tips for your remaining days in Cambodia. If you are concerned about your health and safety, read our post: security, is Cambodia safe? And, we look forward to having you in Cambodia.