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 Traveller's Tales: Getting around in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Know the most popular landmarks in Siem Reap, Cambodia. You may read about best transportation, recommended travel itinerary, suggested routes and directions. Also, you might want to read our
Angkor / Siem Reap city guide,
and Phnom Penh city guide.
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| N Ng |
09 February 2005 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We didn't use a guide to see the temples, instead we just hired a tuk-tuk from a really nice Cambodian fellow, one Mr. Hang RA, tel (855) 12 732 211, email ra1_heng@yahoo.com. He was very friendly and suggested a list of temples we should see, all for $12 the entier day. Guides cost $20-25. Not having a guide gave us the freedom to spend as much or as little time at each temple. I also found that the Cambodian drivers haven't gotten as greedy nor pushy with tourists as those you might find in the more tourist-visited countries of Vietnam or Thailand. Try to get to Cambodia before this changes!
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| C Oliver |
31 January 2005 |
Stayed at Angkor Century Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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So much is said about the temples nothing more needs to be added - what I would strongly recommend is a visit to the floating village - truly an experience and one not to be missed. As for transport we would catch a tuk tuk at night when going out to eat as they as such good fun but during the day we hired a driver (arranged very efficiently by hotel - he was very good - spoke good english and made sure we got to see all the sites + a few other off the beaten track temples). I would thoroughly recommend both the hotel and the driver - his name was Mey-Buntheon, Bun for short and his email is buntheoun_mey@hotmail.com - he charged $25 per day and was worth it. He works independently of the hotel so you can contact him directly.
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| A Mccullen |
30 January 2005 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Moto-trailers and motorcycles are absolutely everywhere so you will have no problems in finding transport, though contact lens wearers, be warned - the roads are very very dusty! There are plenty of great restaurants around Siem Reap ranging from Khmer to Indian to French, or if you wanted to go local, you could always eat at one of the street stalls serving Khmer noodles, rice, and baguette sandwiches. We even saw fried beetles with garlic for those with a more adventurous palette! Although I only saw them being sold by one vendor on the East bank of the river, over the bridge from the Old Market.
There are loads of souvenir shops round the old market area as well as classy little boutiques that support local Cambodians like Rajana, Senteurs and Artisans D'Angkor which also had tours around their workshops if you wanted. The Khmer Kitchen is a gem - their amok is wonderful with the coconut milk made fresh (we could hear them grinding the coconuts!) and deservedly popular. It's tucked away in a small lane behind Bar Street so look out for its sign or you'll miss it! We also tried the Soup Dragon which serves a great pho (pronounced 'fur') noodle soup dish in the mornings and the Red Piano restaurant with international food and generous portions. Most of the restaurants have upstairs balcony seating, nice for the street views. The Blue Pumpkin cafe serves great pastries, breads and ice cream. If you wanted to visit some bars, there is 'Bar Street' with the very popular Angkor What?, Temple Bar, Buddha Lounge to name a few, and Linga bar just around the corner, a very trendy affair and SR's one and only gay bar.
One thing I would definitely recommend visitors go to is the Beatocello concert held every Friday and Saturday evening at the Jayavaraman VII pediatric hospital next to the Sofitel hotel. The founder and director, Dr. Beat Richner puts on informal concerts playing the cello (hence Beatocello) combined with talking about the hospital's activities. Their services are offered completely free and it is depends very much on donations. You can see that it is put to good use with world-class facilties having been built for the Cambodian children. Even if you can't give any money, you can give blood so I would urge visitors to support this project in either way.
If you hire a local guide, around lunchtime they will 'suggest' a Khmer restaurant for you to go to. As it was our first day, we thought why not? and were taken to a nice enough restaurant. We were the first customers, but one by one, we saw tour guides bringing in their guidees(?) until the whole restaurant was filled! It wasn't that the food was bad, it was alright but it was expensive by Siem Reap standards ($18 for three dishes) and we thought Khmer Kitchen and Soup Dragon were much much better. So insist that you go to a restaurant of your choice or just ask them to drop you off at the Old Market where you can walk around and pick for yourself where you want to eat. You'll spend less and get more authentic food!
There's a balloon ride that gives you a great view over Angkor Wat and Phnom Bakheng, $11 for 10 minutes but worth it! Would have been nice for sunset but book ahead because the tour groups often go for this option. There are also helicopter tours, I can't remember how much they were but it is very very expensive! Take a break in the middle of the day from touring the temples (we usually stopped from 12-2 or 3) because it was hot, hot, hot! However, if you can stand the heat, you'll be rewarded by an infinitely more peaceful wandering-round-the-temples experience! Have fun, we certainly did!
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| K Parker |
24 January 2005 |
Stayed at Mysteres d' Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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For anyone travelling overland between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and thinking about taking the boat, all I can say is DON'T DO IT!! We caught a bus up to Siem Reap and the boat back to Phnom Penh. The boat was an uncomfortable and unsafe 7 hour trip. It was packed full of tourists and I think nearly everyone had a look of disappointment on their face when they realised what they were in for. Inside the boat there were narrow seats with very little leg room. If you were sitting next to any wall you had to crick your neck for the whole journey. There were no windows at all and only two entry points both at the same end of the boat. If this boat had sunk anyone sitting inside wouldn't have a chance!
Additionally there was only one toilet for about 70 people for a 7 hour journey. When I enquired about it midway through the journey I was told not to go unless I was absolutely desperate. I held on!
We decided we’d rather sit on the roof, as did as many other people who could fit on the roof. It turned out to be a long, hot, uncomfortable journey which ended with a painful bout of sunburn. And all this was provided for the hefty price of US$25 each.
By contrast the bus was comfortable and there were regular stops for food and the toilet. Admittedly our bus did have to stop because of a problem with the radiator but this was quickly fixed. In the end the journey took the same amount of time as the boat but it only cost US$7.
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| A Farber |
16 January 2005 |
Stayed at Angkor Diamond Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Angkor wat and the surrounding temples are phenomenal. We had a guide ($20/day) and a car ($20/day) take us around; while that's not the cheapest way, it was the most informative because the guide knew all sorts of information and when you've seen that many temples, you don't want to inhale exhaust or feel the heat. We did two days, which we think was enough to see all of the 2stars + temples and more would be too much to remember anyway. We also had a really good meal at the Buddha Lounge and a really good massage at the Island Traditional Khmer Massage place catty-corner from the old market. Siem Reap is very walkable and cute, but again, for two days not more. Also, the guide told us that if you stay in a 5-star hotel, like the Raffles, you end up paying more for EVERYTHING!
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| M Fisken |
14 January 2005 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We were only in Siem Reap for 3 days and wanted to make sure we got to see the temples we wanted to see in this time without having to race around like headless chooks. We took the advice of many travellers comments on this website and also friends who have travelled to Siem Reap and booked a travel guide (Phan Virak phanvirak@yahoo.com) and driver organised by the guide. We decided to book before we arrived so we did not lose valuable time to see the temples, but could also take breaks during the heat of the day and have a swim at the hotel. We also read up on the temples and made a list of what we wanted to see. Our guide was recommended to us and he was very knowledgeable and interesting having worked with the Tomb Raider film crew. Some of the temples were a great distance across rough roads but we were so pleased that we chose to visit them as you could immerse yourself into the temple without being surrounded by tourists. We were told that we had chosen the best time to travel to Cambodia (mid January) as it was cooler (but still over 30 degrees Celsius) and the humidity was low.
Some of the temples we visited were in remote areas and we got to see how everyday villagers lived. These areas are very poor and parents struggle to send their children to school. Any assistance with pens, pencils, writing pads etc will be welcomed. We were so pleased that we still had pens and pencils left to hand out to these children and they were so excited when we gave them to them (they did have kiwi themes all over them as well).
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| L Langley |
10 January 2005 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We spent 3 nights in Siem Reap and would definitely recommend at least 4 or more if one has the time. We took a guide and driver recommended by the hotel and spent 2 days visiting the temples. It was completely fascinating and we were pleased that we had a guide as we felt we would have missed a lot had we done it alone. That said, we were exhausted at the end of each day. Extra days would have been good so that we could return to our favourite temples and just sit and soak up the atmosphere. Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor, was sold at all the temple complexes. This is a must read and we would highly recommend buying and reading it at home before your visit. Passes to the temple complex cost $20 for a 1-day pass and $40 for a three day. Passport photo required. Passport photo also needed at Siem Reap airport for a Cambodian visa which costs US$20. No autobanking machines in Siem Reap so we just ensured that we arrived with plenty of US$.
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| L Liang |
04 January 2005 |
Stayed at Ta Prohm - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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For a nice place to eat, boh pha hotel restaurant was very good...it was up the river about 10 minute walk from the hotel. It is about 10 dollars per person but it is a very nice restaurant and the food was very good! Do not go to la noria recommended by loney planet...the food was very bad. Be careful about tour guides as well...the hotel called a guide for us but his english was poor and accent difficult to understand. We had to pay him a lot just to ask him to leave after the initial 45minutes.
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| T Liow |
01 January 2005 |
Stayed at City River Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem reap is a great getaway from the urban hustle and bustle. With lush rainforest vegetation, temples dating back to 9th Century, rich history and friendly locals, it's a place you will not regret visiting.
MUST VISIT: Ankor Wat, Angkor Thom, Banteay Srei (if you can afford the time), Land Mine Museum, Tonle Sap River,
OK TO MISS: Siemreap Cultural Village (which is essentially a B-grade "theme park").
PREFERED TRANSPORTATION: a "tuk-tuk" which is a motorcyle driven "chariot" comfortable enough for 2 adults. During my entire stay in there, I hired the services of "Ryu-Gen", a warm and good natured tuk-tuk driver who not only provided great transportation service but acted as our "guide" as well. With an open air transport like a tuk-tuk, you are totally in touch with unique ambience of SiemReap - the sights, the sounds, the smell and the dust - awesome!
For those into fine dining, check out Bopha Ankor Restaurant (beside City River Hotel) which provide highly delectable authentic Khmer cuisines!
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| R Beale |
31 December 2004 |
Stayed at Victoria Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We arranged for a guide for 2 of the days that we were there and he was great. They arranges an air-conditioned car with a driver and a tour guide (at our hotel the price was $ 150 for 2 days). One can negotiate what kind of schedule you would like with the tour guide.
The first day we visited Angkot Thom in the morning - then came back to the hotel for a break and then went to Angkor Wat in the afternoon (my best temple.)
The following day we went to Banteay Srei which is further away but very pretty and then Ta Prohm which has been overgrown by huge tree roots - very interesting. We had a rest and then went to dinner and a show with typical Cambodian dancing. The day before the temples we went around the town of Siem Reap -to get the feel of the place. Everything is priced in dollars so you don't need local currency. You might be hounded by victims of landmines (once you give money to one person - more appear) but as there is no social security one can understand.
We did eat luch at a place near the hotel called FCC which was very nice and otherwise we ate in the hotel where the food was superb.
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