Quick answer: For a 3-day trip to Siem Reap, budget about EUR 40 per day (mid-range). Best time: November-February - dry season with cooler mornings; March-May is brutally hot. Visa: Most visitors need a visa on arrival or e-visa (roughly 30-35 EUR) - always check current rules for your passport.
Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor, the largest temple complex on earth. Watch sunrise over Angkor Wat's towers, find the tree-strangled ruins of Ta Prohm, then recover with a fish amok and a 0.50 EUR draft beer near Pub Street.
Best timeNovember-February - dry season with cooler mornings; March-May is brutally hot
Budget / day~EUR 40
Suggested length3 days
VisaMost visitors need a visa on arrival or e-visa (roughly 30-35 EUR) - always check current rules for your passport.
3-day Siem Reap itinerary
- Day 1: Small circuit - sunrise at Angkor Wat, the stone faces of Bayon in Angkor Thom, tree-covered Ta Prohm
- Day 2: Banteay Srei's pink sandstone carvings in the morning, Preah Khan, sunset from Pre Rup temple
- Day 3: Kampong Phluk stilted village boat trip on Tonle Sap lake, Angkor National Museum, Old Market and Pub Street in the evening
Where to stay: neighborhoods that make sense
- Old Market / Pub Street areathe nightlife and restaurant hub; convenient but loud at night
- Wat Boacross the river from Pub Street, boutique hotels and calmer streets 10 minutes' walk from the action
- Kandal Villagea small pocket of cafes, galleries and guesthouses with the most charm
- Sok San Roadbudget guesthouses and bars stretching west of Pub Street
What to eat in Siem Reap
- Fish amokcoconut fish curry steamed in banana leaf, about 4 EUR at a sit-down restaurant
- Beef lok lakpeppery stir-fried beef with lime dip, about 4 EUR
- Num banh chokmorning rice noodles with green fish curry from a street cart, about 1.50 EUR
- Khmer BBQ (phnom pleung)grill-your-own meat platter, about 6 EUR per person
- Marumtraining restaurant for disadvantaged youth, creative Khmer plates around 4-5 EUR
Mistakes most first-timers make
- Buying a 1-day Angkor pass (about 34 EUR) when the 3-day pass (about 57 EUR) is far better value even for two visits
- Not agreeing a tuk-tuk day rate upfronta full temple day should cost about 15-20 EUR, more for Banteay Srei
- Giving money or sweets to child beggars or visiting 'orphanages' - both fuel documented exploitation; support training restaurants and NGOs instead
- Doing temples straight through middaystart at sunrise, break at the pool from 11am to 3pm, return for sunset
Worth leaving the city for
- Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean (1 hour)the finest carvings at Angkor plus a riverbed of carved lingas after a jungle walk
- Kampong Phluk (45 minutes plus boat)stilted village on Tonle Sap lake, best in wet season when houses float above water
- Phnom Kulen (1.5 hours)sacred mountain with a giant reclining Buddha and swimmable waterfall
Getting around
Siem Reap Angkor International Airport lies about 45 minutes east; a taxi into town costs around 10 EUR. In town tuk-tuks cost 1.50-2 EUR per hop, and a tuk-tuk hired for a full temple day runs 15-20 EUR.
Why this plan won't send you to a closed café
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