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 Traveller's Tales: Places to go and see in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Take a tour of the top places to go in Siem Reap, Cambodia. You may read about must see places and activities in the area. Also, you might want to read our
Angkor / Siem Reap city guide,
and Phnom Penh city guide.
Pages (6 of 19):
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| L Breeden |
12 February 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Cambodia is an amazing place with amazing people. Smiles and happiness, despite poverty and years of war. But it is a rough existance. Don't wear anything you hope to ever get clean again. But do experience the Cambodian service. Get a haircut (which includes a shave and ear-cleaning). Get massages. Hire a tour guide. You usually get more than your money's worth.
The temples are, of course, amazing. We also took a boat tour of Tonle Sap Lake. Quite an experience I'll never forget. (floating villages and smells of raw sewage/fish paste). We enjoyed the Soup Dragon Restaurant and had good massages at Dr. Feet. But beware of what you consume. It is a dirty place and my friend got sick for several days after eating a "bad" meal.
There are no ATMs in Cambodia, so we used only USD, which are widely excepted. But it was more expensive than I imagined... so take more than you think you'll need (entry visa, departure tax, temple entrance fees, tour guide & drivers, food = in 3 days I spent about $280 without hotel).
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| D Fralix |
07 February 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We were able to see all of the temples we wanted to see in two days, including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, and Banteay Srie. Ask for a guide with a car and expect to pay about $20-$25 per day. Otherwise, you may end up with a guide AND a driver which will cost about $20 extra. Overall, it's well worth the price. Otherwise, you'll just walk around the temples and not really know what you're looking at - much better to have a guide explain what you're seeing and point out the interesting things you might otherwise miss.
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| A Wargo |
29 January 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is very tourist friendly. Rent a car with air conditioning (USD 20.00 per day) and take a break and have a swim from 12:00 to 14:00 as it gets too hot. Don't go to sunrise at Angkor Wat as it is too crowded. Best time of the day to see (almost alone) the monuments is at 7:30 am to 9:00 when all the sunrise people got back to get breakfast. Do go the 40 km. out to see the jungle-covered ruins to the east of town.
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| D Yamolas |
26 January 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is a small town with an exotic look: palm trees, lots of vegetation, small river, thatch-roofed huts, monkeys walking over electricity wires (!), dusty roads, traditional markets, friendly local people. It's nice to have one more day to stroll and watch everyday life! The reason to visit the place is of course one: ANGKOR temple's area! Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom etc. are magnificent temples located in the world's largest temple site. Angkor Wat is one of the 7 wonders of the world! When I first saw a picture in a "World Culture" exhibition I promised myself I'll go and visit the place! It was impressive and the only negative thing was the huge tourist crowds.
The most comfortable way to visit the temples is an a/c car (from 20$ per day), but motorbikes and tuk tuks are available for less. If you want to go at the most quiet time try noon to 3pm, when everybody has a break (if you can stand the heat). This would be good for Bayon and Ta Phrom temples, which are the crowdiest! The others are fine any time. If you want to see Angkor Wat from above, try the "balloon ride" (11$ for 10') Everyone goes to Bakheng hill around sunset for that, but it's soooo crowded!
Apart from the temples, we visited the Old Market (Cambodian silk, cheap books about Angkor, a hammock for 2$!) and the "Crocodile farm" which was nothing special and too expensive (2$). In the city we walked or took a tuk tuk (1$ per ride, they ask more at first, but stick to the 1$). We had Khmer and Thai food in little restaurants on Wat Bo road (where "Angkor Village Resort", the hotel we stayed, is located), but for western food we'd like to recommend FCC (Pokambor Ave, near "Grand Hotel D'Angkor"), great ambience and food, but a little more expensive. The "Red Piano" bar & restaurant is also good and famous, since "Tomb Raider" film crew used it as headquarters. They offer "Tomb Raider" cocktail, "Lara's favourite". In high season it's hard to get a table there! We had a good time at the "Banana Leaf" bar; very friendly owner, but they need to improve the drinks' selection!
Don't miss the "Apsara Dance Show" (we went to "Angkor Village Resort's Apsara Theater"), it's really traditional! If you have time, it's good to visit also the capital city Phnom Penh. Most people stick to Siem Reap and Angkor, but without seeing Phnom Penh you haven't really seen Cambodia. The palace, the riverfront, the temples, the museums are a must! Especially the "Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum" where you learn how much the Cambodian people suffered. It's the "dark side" of Cambodia, given that the bright side is the historical greatness of Angkor Wat.
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| D Grant |
25 January 2004 |
Stayed at La Residence d' Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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As it was our second visit, we could avoid all the must-do temples. We concentrated on the smaller out of the way sites. The highlight was a visit to Bang Melia, which is just opening up to visitors. Totally unrestored andd way off the beaten track, it is a wonderful peaceful place.
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| A Yuen |
20 January 2004 |
Stayed at Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Angkor Wat is an incredible place. The jungle temple was by far the best. Strongly advise going to see the Floating Village. It was extremely interesting and although humbling very beautiful. Best advice we received before we left: take lots of passport photos, bring USD and bottled water.
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| T Langen |
16 January 2004 |
Stayed at Bopha Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Some very good restaurants are in the old market area of Siem Reap, we tried "Soup Dragon" and "Khmer Kitchen", both were excellent. Transport in Siem Reap and around the temples is easy by Motorbike taxis (short distances) or Tuk-Tuks (longer distances, they are not the noisy and smelly ones like in Thailand, very pleasant!) Always negotiate the price before!
95% of the cambodian population are very poor, you get an impression of this as you travel out of town into the countryside to see the more remote temples or on the trip to Tonle Sap Lake. But most were very friendly, you can find smiles everywere.
If you can, visit swiss medic Dr. Beat Richner in his new children's hospital Jayavarman VII. Every Saturday at 7:15 pm he plays cello, shows films about his work in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and talks about the medical situation for children in Cambodia. Very impressive and recommended. Free of charge.
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| E Morgan |
13 January 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We had 2 full days here, which is adequate if you want just a quick survey of the major Temples (we managed 9 or 10) but don't want to or can't explore the area in greater depth. Dinners were at the Red Piano (great) and the Barrio (ok). Lunches were at spots across from Angkor Wat - the Angkor Cafe and one of the more local eateries. The latter was probably a slightly better value, but the former has western-type toilets. :-) Our biggest surprise was how much only two days cost.
At a minimum, bring sufficient USD for your visa (20), exit fees (25), temple admission (20/day). After that, a guide and a car will also cost $40 minimum (20 each), with the car cost increasing if you want to visit outlying temples. You can save money by getting around with a tuk-tuk or moped taxi and staying in a guesthouse vs. a hotel, but the point being, if you're trying to keep your spending under control, plan carefully. At least the food is cheap!
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| K Tin mui |
13 January 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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As for the temples, Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei are not to be missed. The way to Tonle Sap and Tonle Sap itself is interesting too. By the way, massage centres in the old market area are not worth going.
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| B Hugman |
10 November 2003 |
Stayed at Mysteres d' Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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With only five days in Siem Reap, modest trips, but recommend - Terre Cambodge sampan trip on Tonle Sap (the great lake) with small boat trips through the flooded forest (seasonal only); obviously the whole temple complex, though we found a few hours in the morning, followed by a rest and two or three hours in the late afternoon more than enough for one day; The Old Market is great for all kinds of fabrics, clothes and handicrafts; for serious carving in stone and wood go somewhere like Khmer Angkor Art of Carving or the (excellent) Chantiers Ecoles Artisans d'Angkor. Food delightful - almost everything available, including, of course, great Khmer food, reminiscent of Thai food, but much less spicy. Lots of French and international cuisine available, and, unusually for parts of asia, lots of good bread and pastries. Generally very good value: main courses in decent restaurants $2; soft drinks about $1 and beer about $1.50.
Dollars main currency, though riels acceptable everywhere also ($1/4000 riels).
Friendly, safe town, as far as we could see, though some talk of pickpockets in crowded areas (well, where won't there be?)
Many people speak some English (including moto-drivers) and a few French, though they say all the old French speakers were killed because they represented the imperialist bourgeoisie. There are lots of very, very poor people and many, many amputees and disabled beggars; you have to steel yourself to ignoring 90% of them or your heart would break and you'd be broke. A lovely, friendly, deeply-disturbing place to go.
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