Overview
Siem Reap was our first stop in Cambodia after Vietnam during the 2026 Southeast Asia trip. It is the country's tourism capital and the gateway to Angkor, so much of the local economy revolves around visitors. We flew in from Da Nang.
Airport and Transport
The new airport opened in late 2023 and still felt brand new. Its design borrows temple motifs, but it sits far outside the city in open countryside. On arrival, nobody asked for our printed visa or arrival-card QR code; the system worked electronically for us. That is our experience, not a reason to travel without the required documents.
A pre-arranged transfer cost 35 USD and took more than an hour. The landscape looked dry and completely flat, partly because we visited during the dry season.
Departure was calm. A few airlines had long queues, but passport control and security moved quickly. The Angkor Lounge was good, although Da Nang's excellent lounge had spoiled us.
Tuk-tuks are comfortable and airy for exploring the temples. Hiring one driver for the day is the sensible option; we paid 30 USD. Our driver called himself Batman Tuk Tuk, and he lived up to the name. He planned routes like a guide, drove us everywhere, and even recommended food.
The City
Traffic was far calmer than Vietnam and drivers showed more respect for pedestrians. The center was messy, but the main roads felt almost normal. The drive into town was extremely dark, with little street lighting. A driver attributed that to expensive electricity; I did not independently verify the explanation.
Pub Street is fun. There was none of the openly advertised ping-pong-show scene we later saw in Thailand, although the nightlife was not exactly innocent. The night market is large and has plenty to buy.
Police and security were very visible. That can be reassuring and also makes you wonder why so much is needed.
The city showed real poverty. We saw children working, barefoot and in dirty clothes. Even here, in the country's most tourist-oriented city, deprivation was impossible to ignore. Attention toward our baby sometimes became overwhelming. People meant affection, but the intensity made us uncomfortable.
Many young girls sell small goods. I had planned not to buy because child sales should not be rewarded, then failed to stick to the principle. They were going to be out there either way, which is exactly what makes the situation difficult.
Hotel service sometimes felt scripted: constant smiles, greetings, and repeated questions without staff following the answers. That may be training rather than personality. Hearing the call to prayer at 5 a.m. surprised me in Cambodia and reminded me that the country also has a Cham Muslim minority.
Draft beer at 0.50 USD felt unreal, especially when it came with salty peanuts.
Angkor: General Notes
Bring food and drink because cafes inside the archaeological park are limited, although tuk-tuk drivers usually carry water. Ruins and temples appear along the road everywhere, especially inside Angkor Thom. The tropical setting is superb: cicadas, giant trees, and stone structures merging into the forest. Rubbish still reaches parts of the historic area, unfortunately.
We saw monkey-warning signs but no monkeys. Guides told us tigers once lived in the wider forest. Cambodia's wild tiger population has been functionally extinct for years, so nobody needs to worry about a surprise attack.
Elephant rides at Angkor ended in 2019. The retired animals were moved to a sanctuary connected with Kulen Elephant Forest. The city office shown on Maps is not the forest itself; the site is roughly an hour away. Our quoted visit price was 110 USD per person, which is expensive for Cambodia.
The park has many dipterocarp trees whose winged seeds spin like helicopters. Throwing them from temple steps is embarrassingly entertaining. Their resin has also been used as torch fuel.
The vast geometric reservoirs around Angkor are human-made hydraulic works. It is difficult not to admire the precision. Temple entrances often have musicians playing nearby.
Heat and humidity became brutal on our final days. Cloudy mornings were pleasant, but by 10 a.m. we could be soaked while sitting at breakfast. Rural houses are commonly raised on stilts for a mix of flood protection, airflow, storage, and animals, rather than simply to keep wildlife away.
Temples We Visited
On day one we covered Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm. On day two, between roughly 8 a.m. and noon, we visited Pre Rup, Ta Som, Neak Pean, and Preah Khan.
Ta Prohm is excellent, with trees exploding through the stone. Restoration has deliberately preserved the feeling of nature taking over. The approach works with a stroller; the interior does not. Chickens wandered freely among the ruins.
Pre Rup is a striking red-brick temple often associated with funerary ritual, although calling it simply a crematorium is too certain. You can climb it, and 15 to 20 minutes is enough if time is short.
Ta Som was one of the weaker stops for us. We failed to find the famous tree-covered gate. It had Bayon-style faces and a giant ant nest, but little else that stayed with me.
Neak Pean, a small healing sanctuary in the middle of a reservoir, was one of our favorites.
Other Activities
The Angkor National Museum initially warns about limited air-conditioning, but the exhibition rooms were cool enough. The opening video looked as if it came from 1990. The first gallery holds a huge collection of Buddha images, followed by Khmer history and strong sections on Angkor Thom. It is a good escape from midday heat.
Phnom Bakheng is famous for sunset. Children under 12 were not allowed onto the temple, so we watched from a lower platform. The first part was mediocre, then the sky and city became beautiful. Plan your exact viewpoint in advance.
We tried an Apsara dance show with buffet. The buffet was excellent value at 18 USD. The dancing, with difficult hand positions and heavy symbolism, felt restrained compared with the dance traditions we know.
Food, Drink, and Hotels
The museum offered the best exchange rate we saw, around 4,100 riel to the dollar. Damnak Supermarket offered about 4,050 while ordinary exchangers were closer to 3,950. These are visit snapshots, not current advice.
Golden Temple Residence was a good hotel with excellent design and attentive staff, though sound insulation was weak. A massage and one lunch were included. Even arriving at breakfast at 10:25 did not reduce the service, and menu orders were included.
HAVEN was outstanding. Two mains, a salad, a starter, and two drinks cost 30 USD and felt high quality. Banana-flower salad, spring rolls, and Khmer curry were superb.
Hard Rock Cafe Angkor was expensive by Siem Reap standards. We went because visiting Hard Rocks is our tradition, but this branch felt unnecessary. Its Bangkok Shrimp was much hotter and spicier than elsewhere.
Amazon Angkor had varied, fresh food; the show could have been better. Damnak Mahob served a good 0.50 USD beer. Jomka had good fruit.
We stayed 10 to 15 minutes on foot from Pub Street. On Saturday the noise carried until 3 a.m., so choose accommodation carefully.