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Banteay Srei, Siem Reap
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Siem ReapTravel Guide

Cambodia4 stories

The gateway town to Angkor is worth slowing down for: outlying jungle temples, stilted villages on the Tonle Sap lake, and a creative cafe-and-circus scene beyond the tour-bus circuit.

Is Siem Reap right for you?

When to come

November to February — dry, relatively cool, and green from the receding rains

Around 36°C by day in April, 31°C in December — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.

Siem Reap is inWarm in JanuaryKind to a budgetAncient wonders
When to go
January: around 32 degrees by day, 20 at night, 4 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
February: around 34 degrees by day, 22 at night, 5 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
March: around 35 degrees by day, 24 at night, 29 millimetres of rain, dry and hot.
April: around 36 degrees by day, 25 at night, 57 millimetres of rain, some rain.
May: around 35 degrees by day, 25 at night, 150 millimetres of rain, very wet.
June: around 34 degrees by day, 25 at night, 214 millimetres of rain, very wet.
July: around 33 degrees by day, 25 at night, 193 millimetres of rain, very wet.
August: around 32 degrees by day, 25 at night, 209 millimetres of rain, very wet.
September: around 32 degrees by day, 25 at night, 288 millimetres of rain, very wet.
October: around 32 degrees by day, 25 at night, 200 millimetres of rain, very wet.
November: around 31 degrees by day, 23 at night, 51 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
December: around 31 degrees by day, 21 at night, 7 millimetres of rain, dry and hot. We recommend this month.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

November to February — dry, relatively cool, and green from the receding rains

Average daily highs, recorded at Siem Reap, Cambodia (averages 1997-2010).

Where this comes from

Deutscher Wetterdienst (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siem_Reap weather box)

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Siem Reapad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Siem Reap

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The stories

Reading Siem Reap

A resort swimming pool in Siem Reap ringed by travellers' palms and banana leaves, with white parasols, loungers and a thatched sala under a bright blue sky
01
Stays

Basing Yourself in Siem Reap: A First-Timer's Guide

The temples are a short drive north, so what your base really decides is your evenings. A guide to the riverside, the French Quarter, Wat Bo and the road to Angkor — with the landmark hotels on each.

Cambodia · 2 min
The main facade of Angkor Wat with its three lotus-bud towers under a bright blue sky, seen along the palm-lined stone causeway with scattered visitors
02
Hidden Gems

Siem Reap Beyond Angkor Wat: The Quieter Side

Skip the sunrise scrum. Pink sandstone carvings, jungle-swallowed ruins, floating villages, and a world-famous circus — Siem Reap rewards those who wander off the main circuit.

Cambodia · 2 min
The two-storey pillared pavilion at Preah Khan, its rare round stone columns standing in low morning sun against the surrounding jungle canopy
03
The List

The Most Photogenic Corners of Siem Reap, Ranked

Eight places around Siem Reap where the light, the stone and the composition do most of the work for you — ranked, with the timing that makes each of them.

Cambodia · 2 min
A long covered gallery inside an Angkor Thom temple, its corbelled stone vault running away into shadow above a row of carved pillars and a moss-stained wall
04
Itineraries

Rain in Siem Reap? The All-Indoor Route

Wet-season downpours here are short, warm and theatrical. A full day of museums, workshops, a covered market, a cooking class and a circus under a big top — no umbrella required.

Cambodia · 2 min
In pictures

Siem Reap, framed

Colossal carved stone faces on the lichen-covered towers of the Bayon temple at Angkor Thom, seen in profile against morning haze
Photo: Wei Gao / Unsplash
Angkor Wat and the palm trees along its causeway in flat silhouette against a burning orange sunrise sky, the temple's towers doubled in the still reflecting pond in front of it.
Photo: Michael Shtern / Unsplash
Banteay Srei, Siem Reap
Photo: Deepavali Gaind / Unsplash
Banteay Srei, Siem Reap
Photo: Renaud Confavreux / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Siem Reap

See and do

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for Cambodia

Money

Cambodian riel (KHR); US dollars circulate alongside it, though banks no longer issue $1, $2 and $5 notes and change comes in riel

Language

Khmer; English is widely spoken in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and anywhere used to visitors

Power

Type A/C/G, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Tuk-tuks booked through the Grab or PassApp phone apps are the everyday way around town; longer hops go by coach or domestic flight.

Tipping

Not a local tradition but now normal in tourist places — roughly 10% where no service charge appears, and a dollar or two for tuk-tuk drivers and guides.

Tap water

Tap water is not safe to drink; bottled and filtered water is cheap and sold everywhere.

Driving

Right-hand side; self-drive visitors need a 1949 International Driving Permit with their national licence, and most people hire a driver instead.

Emergency

117 (police), 119 (ambulance), 118 (fire)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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