TRIP OVERVIEW
Day 1 – Angkor Wat · Bayon · Baphuon · Terrace of the Elephants
Day 2 – Ta Prohm · Preah Khan · Neak Pean · Ta Som
Day 3 – Pre Rup · East Mebon · Bakong · Banteay Samré
Day 4 – Banteay Srei · Phnom Kulen · Phnom Kulen Waterfall · Beng Mealea
Day 5 – Kampong Phluk · War Museum Cambodia · Angkor Silk Farm · Wat Preah Prom Rath
Day 1
1.Angkor Wat~2 hr 30 min
The largest religious monument on Earth, this 12th-century temple built by King Suryavarman II as a Hindu shrine to Vishnu later became a Buddhist site, its five lotus towers rising behind a moat nearly 200 meters wide.
Daily 5:00am - 5:30pm
40 steps · no lift
2.Bayon~1 hr
The state temple of King Jayavarman VII at the exact center of Angkor Thom, its 54 towers carved with 216 giant, serene stone faces looking out in every direction.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
3.Baphuon~45 min
A three-tiered pyramid temple built as Udayadityavarman II's state temple, painstakingly rebuilt after its sandstone core collapsed, with a giant reclining Buddha built into its western wall in the 16th century.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
4.Terrace of the Elephants~20 min
A 350-meter reviewing stand Jayavarman VII once used to watch royal ceremonies and army processions, its retaining wall carved with life-sized elephants and Garuda figures.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
Day 2
1.Ta Prohm~1 hr 30 min
A Buddhist monastery Jayavarman VII built for his mother, left deliberately half-swallowed by giant strangler fig and silk-cotton trees whose roots pry apart the sandstone galleries.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
2.Preah Khan~1 hr
Built by Jayavarman VII and dedicated to his father, this sprawling temple served as his temporary residence while Angkor Thom was under construction, its two-story hall of round columns unlike any other structure at Angkor.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
3.Neak Pean~30 min
A small artificial island temple set in a central pond ringed by four smaller pools, built to represent a mythical Himalayan lake believed to hold healing waters.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
4.Ta Som~30 min
A small Bayon-style temple whose eastern gate tower is almost entirely engulfed by the roots of a single giant strangler fig, one of the most striking tree-and-stone sights at Angkor.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
Day 3
1.Pre Rup~45 min
A brick-and-laterite temple-mountain built as Rajendravarman's state temple, its steep tiered pyramid long popular as a sunset viewpoint over the surrounding countryside.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
2.East Mebon~30 min
A temple-mountain built on an artificial island in the now-dry East Baray reservoir, its corner platforms guarded by large free-standing stone elephant statues at each level.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
3.Bakong~45 min
The state temple of King Indravarman I and the first sandstone temple-mountain the Khmer empire ever built, predating Angkor itself by more than a century and anchoring the older Roluos group of temples.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
4.Banteay Samré~45 min
A moated temple built in classic Angkor Wat style but on a far smaller scale, its sandstone galleries and carvings among the best-preserved anywhere in the Angkor Archaeological Park.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
Day 4
1.Banteay Srei~1 hr
A 10th-century temple dedicated to Shiva, built in pink sandstone with some of the deepest, most intricate carving anywhere at Angkor, on a scale far more intimate than the empire's later state temples.
Daily 7:30am - 5:00pm
2.Phnom Kulen~1 hr 30 min
The sacred mountain where King Jayavarman II declared himself universal monarch in 802 CE, founding the Khmer Empire, now home to a giant reclining Buddha carved into a single riverbed boulder and a river carved with hundreds of lingas.
Daily 7:00am - 5:00pm
3.Phnom Kulen Waterfall~45 min
A 15-meter waterfall inside the national park where the Kulen River drops into a swimmable pool, a shaded, cool break after the climb around the mountain's temple sites.
Daily 7:00am - 5:00pm
4.Beng Mealea~1 hr
A vast 12th-century temple built in the same style as Angkor Wat but never cleared or restored, its collapsed galleries and courtyards explored on wooden walkways threading through the rubble and jungle.
Day 5
1.Kampong Phluk~2 hr
A stilted fishing village on the Tonle Sap floodplain, its houses raised six to nine meters on wooden stilts to clear the lake's seasonal rise, reached by boat through a flooded mangrove forest.
Daily 7:00am - 6:00pm
2.War Museum Cambodia~1 hr
An outdoor collection of tanks, artillery and aircraft left over from three decades of war in Cambodia, with grounds staffed by former soldiers who guide visitors through the exhibits.
Daily 7:30am - 5:30pm
3.Angkor Silk Farm~45 min
Run by the social enterprise Artisans Angkor, this working farm walks visitors through the full process of Khmer silk-making, from mulberry leaves and silkworms to hand-dyeing and traditional looms.
4.Wat Preah Prom Rath~30 min
An active Buddhist temple on the Siem Reap River just north of Pub Street, its grounds mixing a giant reclining Buddha, brightly painted murals and a small monument built from an old fighter plane fuselage.
Tours
Viator
A full day covering Angkor Thom, Bayon and Ta Prohm with an English-speaking guide, timed for sunrise or sunset at Angkor Wat, with cold water and cool towels provided along the way.
8 hr · Small group
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A small-group cooking class inside a local home, capped at six travelers, shopping for ingredients by tuk-tuk before preparing and eating a four-course Khmer meal.
3 hr · Max 6 travelers
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An 8-hour guided sweep of Angkor's headline temples timed around sunrise, covering Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm with an English-speaking guide.
8 hr · Small group
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A hands-on Khmer cooking class at Paper Tiger Restaurant with a professional local teacher, covering technique and background before the group sits down to eat what they made.
3 hr · Small group
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GetYourGuide
A half-day visit to an elephant sanctuary outside Siem Reap, watching rescued elephants bathe and roam in a natural setting rather than perform, with round-trip transport included.
5 hr · Small group
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An evening tuk-tuk tour through Siem Reap's night market with ten stops for street food, including a cocktail tasting at Old Wooden House Cocktail Bar along the way.
4 hr · Small group
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A visit to a lotus silk workshop followed by a boat ride through lotus fields on the lake, with a stop for traditional tea and an explanation of how the rare fiber is hand-processed.
2 hr 30 min · Small group
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A full day pairing the pink sandstone carvings of Banteay Srei with the jungle-reclaimed ruins of Beng Mealea and a picnic lunch on Kulen Mountain.
10 hr · Small group
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A two-hour off-road ride through rural villages and rice paddies outside Siem Reap, stopping at a working fish farm and meeting locals along the way.
2 hr · Max 10 travelers
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TripAdvisor
A full-day shared minibus tour of Banteay Srei plus four lesser-visited temples — Pre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som and Preah Khan — with an Apsara Authority-certified English-speaking guide.
8 hr · Up to 10 travelers
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2. Kulen Mountain Waterfall Tour with Picnic Lunch from Siem Reap · TripAdvisor · 5.0 · 323+ reviews
A day trip to Phnom Kulen, hiking forest trails to the mountain's waterfalls and the reclining Buddha carving, with a picnic lunch included.
6 hr · Small group
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A boat tour through the stilted floating village of Kampong Phluk on the Tonle Sap, including a stop at a local school and a smaller boat ride into the mangroves.
6 hr · Small group
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A dinner-theater evening blending a Cambodian dance performance with fire dancing and staging and a full-course French-Khmer meal at The Labyrinth in Siem Reap.
2 hr · Small group
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A small-group day tour of Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples ending with sunset, lunch and a lava-cake dessert included, kept deliberately small.
6 hr · Small group
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Cappuccino
The Little Red Fox Espresso · 4.8 · 835+ reviews
New Leaf Eatery · 4.8 · 1000+ reviews
Sister Srey Cafe · 4.7 · 2339+ reviews
Brother Bong Cafe · 4.8 · 400+ reviews
Crane Cafe · 4.9 · 200+ reviews
Restaurants Near Hotel
Amara Dining Pub Street · 5.0 · 882+ reviews
European-Khmer fusion on the corner of Pub Street, with a lively street-view dining room and a menu blending Western and Cambodian dishes.
Daily 11:00am - 1:00am
V Design Restaurant · 4.8 · 1784+ reviews
A Pub Street favorite blending Japanese, Cambodian and European flavors in a stylish, relaxed dining room.
Daily 8:00am - 1:30am
Temple Skylounge Pubstreet · 5.0 · 405+ reviews
A rooftop bar and restaurant above Pub Street, pairing Khmer-international small plates with cocktails and panoramic views.
Daily 5:00pm - 5:00am
Khmer Kitchen Restaurant · 4.1 · 4594+ reviews
A Pub Street-area institution since 1999, run by a single Khmer cook serving home-style Cambodian classics at low prices.
Daily 9:00am - 11:00pm
Old Maison Eatery · 5.0 · 436+ reviews
An affordable Khmer and Western eatery near Wat Damnak known for its signature rice crackers and full bar.
Daily 3:00pm - 10:30pm
Downtown Restaurants
Sambo - Khmer & Thai Restaurant · 4.9 · 1133+ reviews
A tucked-away Khmer and Thai kitchen behind the Art Centre Night Market, run by owner-chef Sokha on fresh market produce.
Daily 12:00pm - 11:00pm
Amok by Chef Kimsan · 4.9 · 535+ reviews
A two-dish menu built entirely around Cambodia's signature fish amok curry and the breakfast noodle dish num banh chok.
Sunday - Friday 10:30am - 10:00pm · Saturday 11:30am - 10:00pm
Madam Moch Khmer Restaurant · 4.7 · 760+ reviews
Cambodian village-style home cooking and grilled dishes on Taphul Road, with a handful of Western options alongside.
Daily 11:00am - 10:00pm
Mealea Watbo · 5.0 · 756+ reviews
A fusion Khmer and Western kitchen in a garden setting on Wat Bo's Street 26, praised for polished service and evening atmosphere.
Daily 11:00am - 11:00pm
The Sugar Palm · 4.3 · 1865+ reviews
A long-running Khmer institution near Pannasastra University, its home-style recipes supervised by founder and chef Kethana.
Monday - Saturday 11:30am - 2:30pm · 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Closed Sunday
Dining Areas
Pub Street & Old Market
Local Tastes
Fish Amok
Cambodia's national dish — a silky fish curry steamed in banana leaf with coconut milk, kroeung spice paste and slivered kaffir lime leaf, traditionally served in the leaf itself.
Food Delivery
Foodpanda
Foreign number: accepted — the app takes a foreign country code at sign-up, but the verification SMS does not always reach a foreign carrier; a local SIM avoids the issue.
The widest restaurant coverage in Siem Reap and the cleanest app for non-Khmer speakers, with reliable delivery times inside the Pub Street and Old Market radius.
Grab Food
Foreign number: accepted — the app takes a foreign country code at sign-up, but the verification SMS does not always reach a foreign carrier; a local SIM avoids the issue.
A strong second app on the same driver network as Grab's ride-hailing service, occasionally listing a restaurant or promo that Foodpanda does not carry.
Shows, Performances & Concerts
Phare · The Cambodian Circus
A nightly hour-long circus blending acrobatics, music and theater to tell Cambodian folktales, performed by graduates of an arts school for at-risk youth.
Getting Around
PassApp
Foreign number: accepted — the app takes a foreign country code at sign-up, but the verification SMS does not always reach a foreign carrier; a local SIM avoids the issue.
The Cambodian-born app locals default to, with fixed fares and no haggling; it usually comes out cheaper than Grab for the same tuk-tuk or car route around town.
Grab
Foreign number: accepted — the app takes a foreign country code at sign-up, but the verification SMS does not always reach a foreign carrier; a local SIM avoids the issue.
The Southeast Asian super-app, running 20 to 50 percent pricier than PassApp on the same local route, but the same account works across Thailand, Vietnam and other border crossings.
Worth Knowing
The Angkor Pass has three tiers, and the 3-day option is the one built for a trip this length
The official Angkor Pass, sold only through Angkor Enterprise, comes in three tiers: a 1-day pass for US$37, a 3-day pass for US$62 that stays valid across any 7 days from first use, and a 7-day pass for US$72 valid across any 30 days. Temple entry opens at 5:00am and the park closes at 6:30pm. A passport photo is taken on-site for the pass, so there is no need to bring one, and the physical card doubles as the ticket at every gate for its whole validity window.
Buying the pass a day ahead removes the single biggest risk to a sunrise visit: showing up at 4:45am to find the ticket line still moving. The 3-day tier fits this itinerary's Angkor-heavy days with room to spare if a sunrise gets clouded out and is worth retrying.
Riel and US dollars circulate side by side in Siem Reap, and prices under a dollar are settled in riel as small change — ATMs across town dispense dollars, not riel. Carrying riel on purpose is unnecessary; it arrives as change and spends the same as a dollar bill everywhere it is handed over.
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