Most tourists are in Siem Reap for only a few days. They’ll visit Angkor Wat and a few other sights, then head off to Phnom Penh. But we’re not most tourists and that’s not how we roll.
It only took a dirt-cheap fare on Air Asia to inspire us to spend 7 days in Siem Reap. Unfortunately, googling “Siem Reap itinerary” didn’t reveal enough to keep us busy for that long, so we asked a highly recommended local tour guide for advice.
He helped us fit a lot of Cambodia into one week. Take a look at this itinerary, then go ahead and feel sorry for people who only visit for a couple of days.
Or, you can pay it forward by sharing this article with your friends who dream of visiting Angkor Wat and Cambodia.
How to get to Siem Reap
Siem Reap International Airport—airport code REP—is a small airport. As such, it doesn’t have the capacity to handle those big, long-haul jets.
If you’re flying from overseas, you’ll have to connect through an Asian city. Most flights arrive from Phnom Penh or Bangkok. From Phnom Penh, you can take a boat (runs daily), bus/van, or a private taxi.
If you qualify, visas on arrival are available at the Siem Reap and Phnom Penh airports. If you’re not sure you qualify for a Cambodia visa on arrival, click here.
💡 PRO TIP: To get from the airport to your hotel with the least hassle, use a private shuttle service like KiwiTaxi or Holiday Taxis.
Where to stay in Siem Reap
We stayed in a charming private cabin at Palm Village Resort and Spa, which was located on a small side street between Siem Reap town and Angkor Wat. We enjoyed a couple’s massage at an incredibly low price, but my favorite memory is the beautiful instrumental music that came from a nearby monastery. It drifted through the air every morning, waking us into a different reality.
If a hostel is more your speed, Lub d Cambodia Siem Reap gets excellent reviews.
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7 day Siem Reap itinerary
To ensure a smooth travel experience, be sure to confirm the latest travel restrictions for your destination before finalizing your plans. We highly recommend getting travel insurance with COVID coverage for added protection in case of unexpected disruptions. You never know what might happen.
Day 1: Siem Reap city tour + traditional shows
Morning: Learn how silk is made at a local silk farm, see relics from the country’s wars at the Cambodia War Museum, then watch artisans create unique stone, wood, and textile crafts at the Artisans d’Angkor Khmer handicraft center.
Afternoon: See exhibits on Khmer history, civilization, and cultural heritage at Angkor National Museum, then enjoy some free time at the Old Market (Psar Chaa). Return to hotel for shower and relaxation.
Evening: Enjoy an expansive buffet dinner with traditional dance shows at Koulen II restaurant. After dinner, see Angkor Night Market.
ⓘ TIP: Reserve your dinner table ahead of time. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in the back with a poor view. Book as early as possible and ask for front-row, center seats.
Day 2: Angkor Thom (“smiling faces temple”) + Cambodian Circus
Morning: See the many-faced towers at Angkor Thom. Pass through the South Gate and tour the interior: Bayon, Baphuon, King Palace area, Phimean Akas, Terrace of Leper King, and Elephant Terrace.
Afternoon: Visit Angkor Wat, then watch the sunset at Bakheng mountain or Pre Rup temple.
Evening: Enjoy an after-dinner performance at Phare, Cambodian Circus. That was super fun—but I wish we’d known that open seating views are partially obstructed. We think it’s worth paying more for center seats. Get tickets here.
Day 3: Sunrise at Angkor Wat + Ta Prom Temple
Morning: Leave hotel at 4:30 am to see sunrise at the Angkor Wat. After sunrise, visit Ta Prom (“Tomb Raider”) temple before the crowds arrive.
Then continue to Preah Khan, Neak Pan, Ta Som, and East Mebon. Lunch at the Angkor Park.
Afternoon: Continue to Pre Rup, Prasat Kravan and Srah Srang.
Evening: Have dinner at Malis Restaurant, a 5-star dining establishment.
Angkor Archaeological Park visitor information
- Entrance fee: 1-day: $37, 3-day: $62 (valid for 1 week, any 3 days), 7-day: $72 (valid for 1 month). Always carry your ticket. It will be checked upon each park entry and at major temples.
- Visiting hours: 05:00 am – 18:00. Temples open at 5.30 am. All visitors must leave the Park after sunset.
- Note that two temples close early due to their distance from Siem Reap. Banteay Srei closes at 5pm and River of 1000 Lingas closes at 3 pm.
ⓘ PRO TIP: You may see vendors outside of the temple selling a guidebook called Ancient Angkor. But reading it onsite is impractical. Buy and read it before your trip if you want to be prepared for your visit. It’s available on Amazon.
Day 4: Banteay Srei + River of 1000 Lingas + Roluos Group
Morning: Leave early to visit Banteay Srei, “citadel of the women.” Then continue on to see the River of 1000 Lingas and the beautiful waterfall at Phnom Kulen mountain.
Lunch in Angkor Park.
Afternoon: Visit Roluos Group of temples, the first major capital of the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire. Then return to your hotel for some relaxation time. And a shower. You’re going to want one of those.
Day 5: Tonle Sap Lake + Beng Mealea temple
Morning: Depart at 8:00 am to see the lifestyle of Cambodians who live along the banks of Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in Southeast Asia. Explore Kampong Phluk floating village and/or Kampong Khleang stilt village.
Afternoon: Explore Beng Mealea, an especially beautiful temple that is being reclaimed by the jungle.
Evening: On your own.
Day 6: Prasat Preah Vihear & Koh Ker Temple
Morning: Depart before breakfast to visit Prasat Preah Vihear. This spectacular Hindu temple is perched atop a 525-metre-high clifftop on the Thai border.
Afternoon: Explore Koh Ker archaeological site. Khmer emperor Jayavarman IV built its 40 temples and reservoir nearly 1100 years ago (928 – 941).
Koh Ker is dominated by Prasat Thom, Prasat Linga, Prasat Pram and Prasat Neang Kamau. Among those, the most beautiful is “Prasat Thom,” which represents the sacred mountain of Hindu mythology. The giant pyramid temple has seven tiers and a 36-meter base.
Evening: Chill at the hotel or perhaps enjoy the vibrant nightlife along Pub Street in downtown Siem Reap.
Day 7: Cooking class + quad bike ride through the countryside
Morning: Cooking class! This was fun. Learn how to prepare traditional and delicious Khmer dishes under the guidance of a professional chef.
Begin with a walk through the local market, watch the action, and learn about the produce. Then return to the kitchen and get to work learning to prepare spring rolls, traditional amok fish, and fried bananas before enjoying your creation in the garden.
Afternoon: 4-hour off-road quad bike trip offers an insight into a different side of Cambodia: the countryside surrounding Siem Reap. A local guide will show you how locals live in rural areas and their daily lifestyle.
The trip begins with a full briefing on how to drive the quad bike as well as important safety instructions. Then, you’ll set off through the streets of Siem Reap to see villages, rice fields, a hidden temple, and Cambodians going about their daily lives, The final stop is at a rice paddy, with a beautiful view of the setting sun as it dips below the rice fields.
Trip planning resources
- Cambodia has many useful trip planning resources on their tourism website.
- Visas – Click here to see if you need a Cambodia visa.
- Transportation –This website shows how to get anywhere by plane, train, bus, ferry and car.
- For more sightseeing, our Cambodia photo gallery has more photos from our trip.
- If Sunny and Bunna are busy, use Get Your Guide to book your activities and tours in Siem Reap.
- It helps to know what you’re looking at. We bought a book called Guide to the Temples of Angkor and read it ahead of time. Very helpful!
- Scroll around Google’s satellite photo map. It takes you all the way from Angkor Park to Tonle Sap Lake.
Hi Linda,
Your blog has helped us plan our time in Siem Reap perfectly!
One quick question – which cookery school did you attend?
Thanks
Hi Charlotte,
We’re thrilled that we could help! Please let us know how everything works out. Here’s the link to the Champey Cooking Class: https://champeycookingclass.com/
Thanks,
Linda
thanks for putting this up…. it can be challenging to plan for siem reap specially if you intend to stay more than two or three days and you are not fond of to much temple hopping…. this sure gives us better ideas how to spend our time in SR!
To tell you the truth, this was an unexpected bonus from hiring a private guide. He suggested things we would never have known about otherwise. And we’ll confess that we were so busy that we never did get around to ending an evening on Pub Street.
Great post! Very cool way of experience nature adventure plus keeps you fit. Thanks for sharing!
Any time!
Dan took care of my first question – the cost of a private guide. That’s not too bad. Did they pick up and drop off at your hotel, you guys?
I also wanted to ask you about Laos and Vietnam. I know some people do one or both of those trips as a supplement when visiting Cambodia. Did you visit either? And if so, how were they, and if not, was it because of a time constraint or what?
I loved the blog, and I have a few weeks free before classes start!
That’s the beauty of a private tour, it’s door to door. Plus, they happily waited until we’d finished our breakfast coffee. 🙂
Haven’t made it to Laos or Vietnam yet. We’re going to do them each separately because you usually only see the tourist highlights with those whirlwind tours, and there are so many things we want to see in each country …. We stuck with Siem Reap because AirAsia had an amazing round-trip airfare deal. By the way, it’s become our favorite country, and with around 50 countries under our belts, that’s saying a lot.
Hi Linda! I was reading your blog about your visit to Clifden and your ancestral home of Kingstown. I take it you’re talking of Kingstown Glebe (AKA Ballymaconry)? So was your Nora Canavan’s related to Michael Canavan who lived in Knockavally in Griffiths valuation (1855)? Also, one of your photo’s was of your relative, a Berry. Is her family from the area? I’m just trying to connect some dots. My Berry’s left Kingstown Glebe in 1850 – I believe they were likely related to the 2 Berry’s in Kingstown in 1855. And I think they in turn may have been connected to the Canavan’s. Feel free to PM me if you can.
Hello Ann,
First, thanks for you comments. Second, this is Dan and I’m the blood relation to the family. Nora was my great grandmother and yes was related to Michael as you indicate. Also, yes my relative is a Berry and lives in the same area. We met her in Galway and then she took us to the family lands and relatives. Yes the Berry (Mary Berry) was a Canavan.
Hi Dan! Thank you so much for your reply – sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to you, but I couldn’t find the page again! I’ve saved it now! I don’t suppose any of you have done your DNA test yet have you – I wonder if we’re connected via the Berry line? Can you see my email address? If you can,please email me, I’d love to hear from you. Ann
Hi Ann, I’ve responded to you via email. Hope you got it. Linda
Oh no! I don’t think I did! Try again. I’ll check back in a few days to see whether you’ve seen this. Ann
Sometimes my email gets routed to spam folders so I tried it again. The subject line is The Berry Line – are we connected? Linda
Cambodia seems so beautiful! Do you have an idea what the budget should be going here? 🙂
Hi Jason, if you’re referring to private local guides with driver, I would budget about $100/day and try to negotiate a multiple-day discounts. You never know!
Hi Jason,
We spent about $800 for private tour guide and transportation. Food and entrance tickets was about another $400. Hotel was about $450. We stayed for 8 days and had a few upper-end meals and entertainment. Hope this helps.