🇰🇭 Cambodia · SE Asia
Siem Reap
The gateway to Angkor — sunrise over the world's largest temple, Pub Street after.
culturecityslow☀ best: Nov – Feb
SHOESTRING
€26/day
dorms, street plates, transit
COMFY
€56/day
private room, sit-down meals, a treat
FLASH
€122/day
nice hotel, good dinners, no maths
🧮 Trip maths
€395 total
What Siem Reap costs, day to day
🛵 Getting around
PassApp / Grab (tuk-tuk)
Private tuk-tuk (Angkor day)
Bicycle
App tuk-tuk hop€0.9–€2.6
Tuk-tuk Angkor day€13–€22
Bicycle / day€2.6–€4.3
Airport to town€6.9–€13
🛏 Stays
Per night
Hostel dorm bed€4.3–€10
Airbnb / guesthouse€22–€48
3-star hotel€22–€48
Boutique / resort€78–€191
Monthly
Studio€304–€564
1-BR, decent area€391–€694
🛒 Groceries & daily life
Local market (psar) — cheapest by far
Lucky Supermarket — the main chain
Chip Mong / Aeon — modern malls
Minimart — handy top-ups
Milk 1L€1.4
Bread€0.9
Eggs 12€1.6
Cheese 1kg€10
Chicken 1kg€3.5
Rice 1kg€0.9
Beer 0.5L€0.6
Coffee jar€4.3
🍜 Eating out
Market / street plate€1.3–€2.6
Khmer BBQ€3.5–€6.9
Fish amok / lok lak€3.5–€7.8
Restaurant dinner€6.9–€16
Fine Khmer tasting€30–€69
🎡 Things to do — with kids
Angkor (kids under 12 free)free
Phare Cambodian Circus€16–€33
Floating village boat trip€13–€22
🌙 Things to do — grown-ups
Angkor 1-day pass€32
Angkor 3-day pass€54
Sunrise at Angkor Watfree
Pub Street + night market€4.3–€17
🌤 Climate
Day °CRain
Best: Nov – Feb · Wet: May – Oct
Cool dry season Nov–Feb is best for temples. Mar–Apr is scorching; May–Oct is wet but green with lush moats and fewer crowds.
✈️ Getting there
Cambodia Angkor AirAirAsiaVietjetBangkok€35–€95
Ho Chi Minh City€43–€113
Singapore€78–€191
The new Siem Reap-Angkor (SAI) airport is ~45 min out. Cheap regional hops; overland buses link Phnom Penh and Bangkok.
🏧 ATMs & money
Fees: ATMs charge a flat $4–6 and, usefully, dispense US dollars (the de facto currency).
Limits: Often $500 per pull; some allow more.
Best machines: ABA BankAcledaCanadia Bank
Cambodia runs on US dollars — bring/withdraw clean USD and you'll rarely need riel (used only for small change). ABA has the best app and machines. Keep small, unmarked bills; torn notes get refused.
🩺 Health & safety
Vaccines: Routine, Hepatitis A, Typhoid. Japanese encephalitis and malaria pills for rural/jungle stays (not Siem Reap town). Rabies awareness.
Health: Bottled water only. Fierce sun at Angkor — start at dawn, hydrate, cover up. Dengue present, use repellent. Siem Reap has decent clinics (Royal Angkor); serious cases go to Bangkok.
Tap water: ❌ Don't drink the tap. Bottled water is cheap and everywhere; check the seal.
Safety: Siem Reap is a well-trodden, welcoming tourist town and generally very safe. Watch for bag-snatching from motorbikes (wear bags cross-body, away from the road), and only use reputable tuk-tuks/PassApp. Petty scams around temples are mild. Never touch unexploded-ordnance warning areas off the beaten path.
Emergency: 117 police · 119 ambulance
🛂 Visa & entry
For most short tourist trips, citizens of the US, UK, EU/Schengen, Canada, Australia and New Zealand either enter visa-free or get a simple online authorisation (an eVisa or eTA) before flying. Typical visa-free stays run 30–90 days. Some countries want a visa arranged in advance, and a growing number ask you to fill an online arrival or eVisa form even when 'visa-free' — so always check the official portal for your exact nationality before you book.
Rules change — always verify with an official source for your nationality before you book.
💬 Traveller tips & reports
Buy the 3-day Angkor pass, pace it — Angkor is vast — a single day is a sweaty blur. The 3-day pass ($62, usable over a week) lets you do sunrise at Angkor Wat, then explore Bayon, Ta Prohm and the quieter outer temples at a human pace, resting through the fierce midday. Buy it at the official ticket office, never from touts.
@temple.pace · Jun '26 · ▲ 94