5 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Siem Reap, Cambodia

We spent 10 days in Siem Reap, Cambodia, our base for exploring the Angkor temples. Here are the 5 sites and experiences we’d recommend most, plus our itinerary, accommodation, transport and a full budget breakdown for a family of four (1,200 USD in total).

Cambodia holds a special place in my heart: it’s the country my parents fled to take refuge in France. So it was with great pleasure that I returned, after a first visit in 2011, this time with my own family.

Top-Rated Attractions in Siem Reap

Beng Mealea

In a setting reclaimed by the jungle, Beng Mealea is one of the most mysterious temples in Angkor. Built on the same scale as the famous Angkor Wat, it’s a little smaller, but no less impressive.

Banteay Srei

The temple of Banteay Srei, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, means “women’s citadel.” Carved with remarkable finesse in pink sandstone, this temple is considered the jewel of all the Angkor temples. Although it’s one of the oldest, it has withstood the passage of time better than any other.

The Grand Circuit

The visit to the main site of Angkor is divided into two circuits, the great and the small, each of which can be explored in a day by tuk-tuk. The main temples of the great circuit are Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rup and Banteay Kdei.

The Small Circuit

The small Angkor circuit is the most popular, since it includes the 3 most famous temples:

• Ta Prohm, the most photogenic of all the temples, made famous by the movie Tomb Raider;
• Bayon, known for its towers carved with multiple faces;
• Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s most iconic temple, which even appears on its flag.

Crafts and Tradition

We used some of our free time to visit Artisans d’Angkor, who keep traditional Khmer craftsmanship alive, such as wood and stone carving and silk weaving from yarn spun by silkworms.

Our time in Siem Reap was also marked by wonderful encounters with other travelers from around the world. To mix pleasure and tradition, we shared one of these evenings at a restaurant with a traditional Khmer dance show.

How to Plan Your Visit to Siem Reap

Itinerary: 10 Days in Siem Reap

Our visit to Cambodia lasted 10 days, which seemed to pass very (too) quickly. We stayed only in the Siem Reap region, combining 3 days of visits to the Angkor temples with city walks, meals with fellow travelers, and afternoons by the pool.

1. Beng Mealea
2. Banteay Srei
3. Preah Khan
4. Ta Som
5. East Mebon
6. Banteay Kdei
7. Srah Srang
8. Artisans d'Angkor
9. Artisans d'Angkor Silk Farm
10. Ta Prohm
11. Angkor Thom Victory Gate
12. Bayon
13. Terrace of the Leper King
14. Bugs Cafe
15. Angkor Wat

Visas and Everyday Life

Here’s a small anecdote that captures the spirit of corruption that prevails in Cambodia. During my first visit in 2011, the customs officer asked me if I was Khmer. Since I said yes, he trusted me and granted me free permanent residency in Cambodia. When I arrived this time with my family, my permanent visa was simply renewed on my new passport, and permanent visas were granted to Mateo and Luka too, after an exchange of “good practice.” “You help me, I help you,” said the customs officer. I never thought bribing an agent with a small $10 could make me so happy. Jessica, on the other hand, had to pay $30 for her visa, so I’d just saved 90, not counting free access to all the Angkor sites ($62 for a 3-day pass)! I’m quoting prices in dollars because in Cambodia, although the official currency is the riel, everything can be paid for in American dollars.

Accommodation

We stayed 10 nights at the PO Residence Siem Reap, an excellent hotel with breakfast included, a lovely pool, and warm, helpful staff.

Getting Around

For temple visits, a motorbike-pulled rickshaw with a driver can be rented at a fixed daily rate. For getting around town, we used tuk-tuks, which we booked with the Grab app.

What to Eat in Siem Reap

Since eating is part of travel, we ate scorpions, tarantulas, silkworms, crickets, ants and other insects at Bugs Cafe!

Cambodian cuisine wasn’t the most renowned, so we often fell back on Chinese food.

How Much Does a Trip to Siem Reap Cost?

We didn’t make any frivolous purchases. The cost of our stay for our family of 4 was:

• 1200.00 USD;
• 120.00 USD per day;
• 30.00 USD per person and per day.

In detail:

Expense Category	Amount Spent
Flight and Visa	346 USD
Accommodation	322 USD
Transport	109 USD
Food	355 USD
Activities	68 USD
Total	1200 USD

Conclusion

Since we’d visited the Bagan plain in Myanmar a week earlier, I’d hoped to relive the atmosphere of the temples I’d known in Angkor 7 years before. But once we arrived, that hope faded quickly: Angkor had changed a lot since 2011 — more developed, richer, more touristic, more organized, and unfortunately also less untouched, less picturesque, less peaceful, less enchanting. Despite all that, Angkor remains an incredible place to visit!

Next destination: Vietnam!