Siem Reap travel blog — The fullest Siem Reap travel guide for first-timers

May 1, 2023

Ta Prohm Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a bit difficult to come here because the temple is located in the middle of the jungle and seems to be invaded by forests. But it made the temple become special because the old trees are trying to put their roots into the splits of stones of the temple. Here is the context of the film about her Lara Croft – the famous movie of Angelina Jolie.

The group temples in the East of Baray

Ta Keo Temple – the temple was dubbed as Angkor Wat miniature

The East of Baray, not far from Angkor Wat – Angkor Thom complex, is a series of large and small temples. From Ta Keo – the miniature model of Angkor Wat, to Pre Rup – the crematorium where take the Angkor emperors to heaven. Or Phnom Bakheng, which is famous as one of the most beautiful to watching sunrise / sunset viewpoints in Cambodia. Or Banteay Srei, the holy land of female warriors with exquisite carvings and characteristic red sandstone. Read more: Banteay Srei Temple — One of the most sacred temple you must visit in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Phnom Bakheng. Picture: siem reap travel blog.

Phnom Bakheng sunset — Phnom Bakheng at sunset

Another_view_of_the_main_temple_at_Banteay_Srei,_its_small_compared_to_other_temples_(4187676057) — Another view of the main temple at Banteay Srei, its small compared to other temples of Angkor

Banteay Srei Temple Photos — Carving detail

Banteay Srei Temple, lost in a place like an oasis

The group temples in Roluos

It consists of 3 small temples: Bakong, Preah Ko, Lolei. The 3 temples of Roluos are also one of the places to visit when traveling to Siem Reap. Among them, Bakong is the largest temple and was built as a large pyramid between the water moats.

Aerial view of Bakong of the Roluos Group

Tonlé Sap

Tonle Sap is about 25km from the center of Siem Reap, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Southeast Asia. In the dry season, the lake area is only about 3000 km2 and the depth is 1 meter, but when the rainy season the lake area reaches more 10 times with a depth of 9 meters. Tonle Sap has the largest fish reserves on the Mekong river. On the lake are the floating villages of Vietnamese, Cambodians living together.

Kampong Phluk Floating Village

tonle sap lake siem reap cambodia — Tonle Sap Floating Village

Floating on the large lake Tonlé Sap. Try visiting the locals, explore the mangroves and take a boat ride on the lake. Feeling that life is immense, only water and the sky is definitely an enjoyable experience.

tonle sap lake siem reap cambodia Picture: siem reap blog. — Picture: siem reap travel blog.

Phnom Kulen National Park

One of the best places you must visit in Siem Reap is Phnom Kulen National Park. It is located 50km from the north of Siem Reap. Mount Kulen is considered to be the holy land of the Cambodian people, the original place of the great Angkorian empire. King Jayavarman II declared independence and gave birth to Great Angkor empire from this mountain. Moreover, in the bottoms of the streams are carved with many linga,
yoni, statue goddess Apsara, the goddess Laksmi very unique. The national park is a resort, as well as a historical cultural park marking the ancient Khmer civilization. Stretch on a land of 37,500 hectares with winding streams and spectacular waterfalls, the vehicles to get there is by car and tuk tuk.

River of 1000 Linga

Situated between the Kulen National Park, this small river is adorned with countless sculptures and carvings. And more specifically, the image of more than 1000 linga submerged under water. It symbolizes the grandeur and prosperity of the great Angkorian empire.

Angkor Wat Damnak

The Angkor Wat Damnak pagoda located in the center city is the premiere choice for your trip to Siem Reap. It was once a royal palace during the reign of King Sisowath Kossamak (1904-1927), before it served as the military headquarters for the Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia between 1975 and 1979.

Wat Damnak Pagoda siem reap — Picture: siem reap blog.

In addition to serving local Buddhist communities, Angkor Wat has more than 11,000 books, magazines, maps, English, French and Khmer languages. After exploring the temple, you can enjoy reading or walking through the gardens.

Angkor National Museum

If you love the culture and artistry of this country, then surely the national museum is where you should visit. Located along Charles de Gaulle Boulevard with more than 1000 artifacts on display. You not only had a chance to admire the symbols of Khmer culture but also to see collections from many countries around the world such as China, Korea, India.

Cambodian Cultural Village

To learn the culture and art of old Siem Reap, it will be the deficiency if you miss the lives of indigenous people. Here, you can get to know the national traditions such as: lifestyle, beliefs, and customs, as well as the daily routines of different ethnic groups who living in the same area. Strolling around the village to learn about the unique houses, the walkways, and the fields that bearing bold of the Khmer style that can not be found in anywhere.

Kampong Kdei Bridge (Spean Praptos Bridge)

Situated in the southeast and 50 km from Siem Reap, Kampong Kdei (Spean Praptos Bridge) is the oldest bridge in Southeast Asia. The bridge is made entirely of laterite stone with very unique architecture. Although it has been through thousands of years, the bridge has retained the certainty as well as the original beauty of it. At the head of the bridge there is the stone carving of a Naga (snake god), a sacred deity in Cambodian belief.

Preah Vihear

Preah Vihear temple is located on the border of Thailand and Cambodia, in the past there has been a dispute over ownership of the two countries and finally the temple belongs to Cambodia. Preah Vihear has a long history, unique architecture with sandstone reliefs. UNESCO has recognized this as a world cultural heritage.

Siem Reap travel blog: What and where to eat in Siem Reap?

Some dishes like Amok, Nom Banh Chok, Bai Sach Chrok … are so familiar to visitors because they are very popular in Cambodian cuisine. Siem Reap is not out of that trend, but visitors can enjoy some more attractive dishes as below.

Rice Jaggery Cake

Cambodia is a land of jaggery tree, the tree is everywhere and the jaggery is a very attractive specialty. If you visiting to Siem Reap, let’s try a rice jaggery cake, eye-catching yellow, light aroma with light sweetness.

Crispy marinated chilli and fried cricket insect

Siem Reap is an extremely famous place for food made from insects, especially grilled dishes. However, fried marinated chili Cricket bug gives visitors more enjoyment. This dish is tasty and fat, very different from meat or fish. Add it to the warmth of spicy chili pepper and served with herbs.

Phnom Penh Noodle Soup

Phnom Penh Noodle Soup is very familiar to Vietnamese tourists, especially those who live in the South of Vietnam. Many documents suggest that the clear rice noodle soup originated from the Cambodian and when visiting Siem Reap travelers should also enjoy to see what is different from the Vietnamese noodle soup? Similar ingredients: rice noodles, the broth made from the bone, liver, fresh shrimp peeled … but perhaps delicious or bad also depends on the skill of the owner.

Grilled Squid

This dish is extremely simple to process, fresh squid is cleaned and then grilled on charcoal until radiates fragrance and burning edge is edible. However, grill by this way maybe make a lot of tourists are afraid that it is not ripe, don’t worry, let’s put on it a little chili sauce and enjoy, surely you will want to call more.

Some best places to eat in Siem Reap

Pub Street: You can find anything here, just go out and enjoy it.
New Delhi India Restaurant: specializes in Indian dishes. Address: House# 070 Mondol 1, Svaydangkum communce, Siem Reap 14000, Cambodia / Phone: +855
16 840 326
Khmer House Restaurant: with hundreds of traditional Cambodian dishes. Address: Between Old Market and Pub Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia / Phone: +855 12
999 918
Bopha Angkor Restaurant: is famous for its Cambodian dishes prepared by famous chefs. Address: 0512 Acharsva Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia / Phone: +855 63
964 928
Marum Restaurant: with Spanish cuisine. Address: #8A, B Phum Slokram (Between Wat Polanka and Catholic Church), Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia / Phone:
+855 17 363 284
Cuisine Wat Damnak. Address: Wat Damnak Market Street, POBox 93108, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia / Phone: +855 77 347 762
Chanrey Tree Restaurant: specializes in Cambodian specialties. Address: Pokambor Ave, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia / Phone: +855 17 799 587
Soup Dragon Restaurant: with Vietnamese dishes. Address: 369 Street 8, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia / Phone: +855 12 731 152

Nightlife in Siem Reap, besides walking to enjoy Cambodian street food, tourists can visit the cafes or the bars to order an Angkor beer and watch the stream people on the street or watch the Apsara dance show, the traditional dance of Cambodian people, fish massage or shopping at night market area.

Pub Street Siem Reap — Pub Street. Credit image: siem reap travel blog.

angkor what bar siem reap one of the best bars in siem reap — Angkor What Bar. One of the best bars in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Siem Reap blog: What and where to buy in Siem Reap?

siem reap shopping guide — Picture: siem reap blog.

The products that are mainly sold in Siem Reap are handmade products such as handkerchiefs, bandana, brocade bags, silverware, silk, sculptures, dried beef,
jaggery tree sugar, dried fish, and plenty of other products you can buy.

The shopping places in Siem Reap you definitely have to visit are Old Market, night market (Noon night market, Angkor night market). Here will not lack the product for you to choose. If you have more time, you can visit the local markets such as: Phsar Chas Market, Phsar Leu Market or the floating market of the people here. Promise here will be interesting shopping places.

However, you should bargain when buying any product. Please boldly bargain down to the lowest possible price to buy the best product. The shops here are very comfortable so you can choose, take pictures without buying a product. Another point is to go shopping in Siem Reap, you can pay by USD, any stores, shops or even street vendors in Siem Reap are also happy to receive dollars. In case of emergency too, Vietnamese currency is accepted when shopping here.

We have listed the best shopping places and best items to buy through our Siem Reap shopping guide at here. Let’s check it out: Shopping in Siem Reap — Top 10 best shops, markets & shopping malls in Siem Reap you should visit.

Read more:

air-balloon-3siem reap1 — Hot Air Balloon in Siem Reap

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Siem Reap you can refer to

Are you looking for more Siem Reap travel guide and top things to do in Siem Reap: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Siem Reap itinerary 4 days — What to do in Siem Reap in 4 days? And Siem Reap travel guide here.