Late in the afternoon, fruit bats the size of your hand hang in the tall trees beside the Royal Residence, then drop into the air and circle above the parkland while the traffic moves on below. It is an odd, memorable sight in the middle of town, and a good introduction to a place that rewards looking up as much as looking around.
Siem Reap suits travellers who want the temples of Angkor as their centrepiece but are happy to spend the rest of their time in museums, working craft workshops, Buddhist temple grounds and evening performances. The city also works well for families, with gardens, a butterfly park and a circus that children can follow easily.
This guide covers the sights and experiences in and around Siem Reap that are worth building a day or two around, with practical notes on timing, tickets and what to combine with what.
Top things to do in Siem Reap
1. Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the central feature of the Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its rising series of five towers culminating in a central tower that symbolises the mythical Mount Meru. Thousands of feet of wall space are covered with carvings of scenes from Hindu mythology, and the carved bas-reliefs of the Hindu narratives are the most important of them.
Give the bas-reliefs real time rather than walking past them; the story they tell, of gods and demons working together to release the elixir of life and then battling to attain it, is easier to follow when you read the panels in sequence.
2. Angkor Thom
Angkor Thom is an inner royal city built by Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century, renowned for its temples, in particular the Bayon. Other notable sites within it are Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King.
The city can be accessed through five city gates, so plan your approach and exit rather than doubling back through the same one.
3. Angkor National Museum
A modern museum with exhibits covering the history of the Khmer Empire and the art, architecture, clothing and culture of Khmer civilisation, with a special focus on the Angkor complex. It is worth spending a couple of hours in the air-conditioned galleries as a break from visiting temples, and the collection of pre-Angkorian and Angkorian statues is accompanied by informative videos.
Visitors must check bags, water and hats at the entrance, free of charge, and photography is prohibited. The gift shop has fine souvenirs and books but they are very overpriced. A department store beside the museum runs a free shuttle, a little train, from the Old Market every 30 minutes from 10:30 except on Wednesdays.
4. APOPO
A demining organisation that uses trained rats to sniff out land mines, a strategy much faster and safer than metal detectors, since the rats are too light to set a mine off. The visitor centre runs guided tours that include examples of land mines and unexploded ordnance and a demonstration of how the rats find mines.
The tour takes about 45 minutes and is a fascinating way to learn about the problem of land mines in Cambodia and to support demining work. The guide's English may be hard to understand, but the demonstrations carry the tour. Tours run every half hour from 08:30 to 11:30 and from 13:00 to 16:30.
5. Angkor Botanical Garden
Beautifully kept gardens with a mini zoo, a playground, a café and restaurant and a kids' library. Entry is free.
The rear entrance is opposite APOPO, which makes it a natural pairing just after a tour there, and it gives children somewhere to run after a morning of sitting and listening.
6. Lotus Silk Farm
The farm offers guided tours every hour that explain the lotus silk production process from start to finish. For a more hands-on experience, it also runs handicraft workshops where participants learn Cambodian traditional handicraft techniques.
There is a shop with lotus silk products, cosmetics and jewels, and a tea lounge where you can try traditional lotus tea. Tours run daily from 08:00 to 18:00; entry is US$5 for adults and free for children under 12.
7. Phare The Cambodian Circus
Performers use theatre, music, dance, comedy and modern circus arts to tell uniquely Cambodian stories, both historical and folk and modern. Nightly performances last one hour and start at 20:00.
It is typically a 15-minute tuk-tuk ride from the town centre, costing about US$3. Tickets are US$18 to US$38 for adults and US$10 to US$18 for children aged 5 to 11.
8. Apsara Theatre
A showcase of Cambodia's traditional performing arts, with dancers, singers and musicians. The daily performance runs from 20:30 to 21:30.
Tickets are US$33. Because it starts late, it pairs well with an early dinner rather than a long afternoon of sightseeing.
9. Wat Preah Prom Rath
The glittering modern temple grounds give few hints of the site's 500-year history. The front gate integrates Bayon-style heads and a relief of the Buddha seated under a tree, with armies firing arrows on one side and people being eaten by crocodiles on the other, in a style that looks as though it could have come directly from an Angkorian mural.
Legend holds that the site was established around 1500 when a famous monk landed ashore on a piece of his sinking boat, and the boat wood was carved into the reclining Buddha installed in a pool-like pit behind the seated Buddha in the main hall. Look for the pair of small, weather-worn cannons on either side of the hall, of unknown origin but with an embossed crown-like seal and mysterious numbers that suggest a European source.
10. Wat Bo
One of the oldest temples, it makes a nice contrast with the glittering new ones, though the rough artwork would not match the craftsmen of Angkor. The ramshackle open-air hall next to the main building blends French-style arches and balustrades with Thai-influenced Buddhist details.
A forest of chedi surrounds the main hall, between frangipani trees and some fine topiary. It sits on the east side of the river, reached by following the road that continues from over Wat Bo Bridge.
11. Wat Damnak
A landscaped temple with many stupas, a small decorative pool and a school on the premises. Within the temple site is the Center for Khmer Studies, an open reading library with materials on the art, culture and history of Southeast Asia, with a particular interest in Cambodia.
It is on the east side of the Siem Reap River, just east of Art Night Market on Wat Damnak Road, so it slots easily into an evening of browsing nearby.
12. Flying Foxes
A large colony of daytime flying fruit bats, which unlike most smaller species can see, hangs around in some of the tall trees in the parkland adjacent to the Royal Residence. It is an unexpected sight in the centre of town.
Go late in the day, when the bats become active, and keep your distance from the trees rather than standing directly beneath the colony.
13. Angkor Eye
An 85-metre-high Ferris wheel with 48 four-person baskets, with a trip lasting 18 minutes. It is the third highest Ferris wheel in Asia.
It operates daily from 14:00 to 18:00, so treat it as a late-afternoon stop rather than a morning one. Tickets are US$12 for adults and US$6 for children, and it is a 15-minute drive north-west of town on Route 6.
14. Wat Thmei Temple & Stupa Memorial to the Killing Fields
A large Buddhist temple whose grounds contain a stupa with glass sides holding the bones and skulls of victims of Pol Pot's army. Entry is free, with donations welcome.
Be wary of people purporting to be guides or asking for donations, and note that several of the photographs on the display boards are actually of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, so take the displays with a pinch of salt.
15. Kampong Phluk Floating Village
A fishing village on stilts in a mangrove forest, reached by tuk-tuk, motorcycle or taxi from Siem Reap in about an hour, depending on the weather. In the dry season the village has the appearance of a row of houses on stilts over mud, but the structure of the houses is still interesting to see.
Beware of scams: beyond the tuk-tuk or taxi fare, the boat around the village costs US$25 per person, which drivers often conveniently forget to mention until you are almost there. After the tour you can eat in a floating restaurant with views of the lake.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Angkor Wat while the day is cool, giving proper time to the bas-reliefs, then continue to Angkor Thom and its temples, including the Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas and the terraces.
Afternoon: Spend a couple of hours in the air-conditioned galleries of the Angkor National Museum as a break from the temples, remembering that bags, water and hats must be checked at the entrance and photography is prohibited. If time allows, take the free shuttle from the Old Market, which runs every 30 minutes from 10:30 except on Wednesdays.
Evening: Walk the parkland beside the Royal Residence to watch the Flying Foxes become active, then choose between the 20:30 performance at Apsara Theatre and the 20:00 show at Phare The Cambodian Circus.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I allow for the Angkor National Museum?
It is worth spending a couple of hours in the air-conditioned galleries, which makes it a useful break from visiting temples.
When can I see the Flying Foxes?
The colony of daytime flying fruit bats hangs in the tall trees in the parkland adjacent to the Royal Residence in the centre of town, so you can look for them without leaving the city.
What should I know before visiting Kampong Phluk Floating Village?
The journey takes about an hour depending on the weather, and in addition to your tuk-tuk or taxi fare the boat around the village costs US$25 per person, which drivers often forget to mention until you are almost there.
Are there evening performances in Siem Reap?
Yes. Apsara Theatre stages traditional dance, song and music daily from 20:30 to 21:30, and Phare The Cambodian Circus performs nightly at 20:00.
Decide which of these fits your first free morning, check the timing that matters for it, and the rest of the trip will arrange itself around the temples.