Our main reason for visiting Siem Reap, Cambodia was visiting Angkor Wat and the other temples. I’m sure we aren’t alone with that. I’m the type of person that over researches every destination we’ve ever traveled to. This adventure we are on is changing my ability to do that because I’m too busy taking in the current location to worry too much about the next. We checked into our hotel in Siem Reap and instantly realized that there was so much more to this wonderful city than just the temples.
Itinerary Suggestions for Siem Reap, Cambodia
Go See Phare: The Cambodian Circus
This is one of the best experiences we’ve had on this entire trip. This circus is made up of local artists who produce these shows all themselves and also run a school in Battambang that teaches more children how to get into this creative field. They rotate the different shows so every few weeks, it changes. It is so much flipping and balancing and incredible talent. We wish we could have gone multiple nights.
Click here to see their website and get showtime information.
Visit Pub Street
Located right in the center of town, these few blocks are lined with different restaurants, pubs and great people watching. This area gets pretty busy later in the evening, but you can find a few good happy hours. Definitely check it out at least one evening while you’re in town.
Shop at the Night Market
If you are like me, you might need a good pair of temple pants to make sure you meet the dress code at Angkor Wat. I wandered through the night market until I found some pants that were a solid color. I bought some fun ones too. I realized the hard way that most of the vendors have all the same things (that you can also buy at H&M – boo), but I did find one small boutique shop that was amazing.
It’s worth just spending an hour or so wandering through the shops. It’s so colorful and there are tons of different kinds of gifts and pieces of art.
Taste the Local Fare
No, we did not try these. We are almost 100% vegetarian and have even managed to avoid fish most of this trip. We definitely weren’t going to eat snakes on a stick. That doesn’t mean I didn’t sit and watch other people eat them.
Try an Amazing Restaurant
We weren’t sure what to expect with the restaurants in Siem Reap, but we found some amazing places. There are a few that do some incredible work in the community as well as serve great food. Haven is the one I would recommend trying while there. We got a chance to meet the owner and their food was delicious. We also loved Artillery for great vegetarian options, Maybe Later for Mexican and Pizza Roma for pizza & pasta.
Check Out One of the Museums
There are two museums in town that can give you a better glimpse into the history of Cambodia. The Cambodian Landmine Museum covers a very specific topic and the National Museum is a little more general. The country has been through a lot of devastating events in the last century and it’s important to know as much as possible.
Explore Angkor Wat Obviously
You can’t really miss the main attraction of this cool city. Hire a guide, read our advice for visiting Angkor Wat, and plan your other activities around this.
More Details
We stayed at this hotel and LOVED it. It was walkable to tons of great restaurants and the river. They had a great pool and comfortable rooms with great WiFi and a great shower.
You can get a better glimpse of our time in Cambodia if you check out our video below.
Let us know if there are any sites in Siem Reap that we have missed. We are hoping to get back to Cambodia to explore more in the future, but I’m so happy we had a week to explore the capital city.
