Summer in Siem Reap: Best Tours & Activities — Trip Planner

What's actually worth your time in Siem Reap

The Angkor pass costs US$37 for one day, US$62 for three and US$72 for seven, sold only at the official centre on Road 60 with your photograph taken there. Angkor Wat and Bayon justify it outright. Ta Prohm's tree roots are heavily propped and permanently crowded. Banteay Srei, an hour north, carries the finest carving of the lot and far thinner queues.

Siem Reap after dark

Pub Street is two blocks of bass, dollar draught and fish-foot spas, running to roughly two and later at weekends. The alleys either side, and Sok San Road, stay calmer. Phare, the Cambodian Circus is the genuinely good evening: a one-hour show at around US$18 to US$28 depending on seating. Nights end early because sunrise trips leave at half past four.

What things cost in Siem Reap

A dollar stretches further here than anywhere nearby: a market noodle bowl is US$2 to 3, a restaurant main US$6 to 9, and Pub Street draught under a dollar in happy hour. A full day of tuk-tuk on the small circuit runs US$18 to 25, more for the grand circuit. Guesthouses start near US$15 and the three-day pass is US$62.

Siem Reap's museums, and which one to pick

Angkor National Museum on Charles de Gaulle Boulevard charges around US$12, and its Gallery of a Thousand Buddhas alone justifies the stop; see it before the temples so the iconography lands. The Cambodia Landmine Museum near Banteay Srei is small and unsparing. Wat Bo's pagoda keeps nineteenth-century wall murals that almost no visitor sees, and asks nothing for the privilege.

What to eat in Siem Reap

Fish amok, a coconut and kroeung mousse steamed in banana leaf, is the dish to order, though Pub Street versions are diluted into curry. Kandal Village and Wat Bo Road hold the better kitchens. Look for prahok-based dips, nom banh chok rice noodles sold from morning shoulder baskets, and sugarcane juice at the Old Market. Beef lok lak with a fried egg is the everyday plate.

When to go to Siem Reap

The month to avoid is May — around 33°C (91°F) with roughly 23 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: December is the sweet spot, May the month most people skip.

Pack for peak season: Light, breathable clothing — linen and technical fabrics earn their keep, High-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and a refillable water bottle, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.