Things to do in  Siem Reap

Siem Reap is Cambodia’s second largest city. It’s the base for exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor, a vast expanse that was the capital of the Khmer kingdom from the ninth century to the 15th century. The most famous structure is the 401-acre (163-hectare) temple, Angkor Wat.

Siem Reap is about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. Siem Reap International Airport has flights from regional hubs and other Cambodian airports. But it’s cleaner, greener, and more scenic to take a boat from Phnom Penh, while buses and minivans are cheaper and more sustainable than flying.

Angkor Wat is the greatest of the temples that adorn the city of Angkor: highlights include the Churning of the Sea of Milk carving. As well as Angkor Wat, travelers flock to Ta Prohm, with its strangling tree roots, and Angkor Thom, a walled city that houses the Bayon temple, decked in giant faces.

Siem Reap is a lively city with street food, restaurants, nightlife, and shopping. It’s a center for artisan crafts and blind massage, with temples, gardens, a silk farm, a war museum, and a landmine museum. The Tonlé Sap floating villages and the waterfalls in Phnom Kulen National Park are popular trips.

No. It takes two days to cover the most famous Angkor monuments, but temples like Beng Mealea are a long way out of town. It’s worth taking the time to discover Cambodian food, crafts, culture, and rural life, learn about the war, and visit the national park and the lake.

Yes. Travelers come to Siem Reap for the UNESCO-listed ruins of Angkor, particularly the majestic spires of Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world. You could spend weeks exploring ancient Khmer monuments, but it’s also a good base to discover Cambodian crafts, culture, heritage, and rural lives.