With its magnificent temple ruins, lush jungles, and warm hospitality, Siem Reap easily figures a spot in many travel bucket lists. This is a place that fascinates and stands as an unforgettable travel destination. One that every Juan should take the time to visit.
But before you go, it's best to know a few of the basics. So here's our guide for first time travelers to Cambodia's center of tourism.
The City
What once was a quaint village, Siem Reap is now one of the fastest growing cities in Cambodia. It is known as the gateway to the World Heritage Site Angkor and is the capital of the northwest Cambodian province of the same name. It is located north of Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake.
The name Siem Reap literally means the "defeat of Siam" as a reference to a folk tale of the victory of the Khmer kingdom over the Siamese soldiers. In the early 1900s, Siem Reap was ceded to French Indochina. This coincided with the rediscovery of Angkor that stimulated tourism in the area. The city's more recent history, however, is characterized by the horrors of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. Although, it was one of the last places in Cambodia to experience peace, Siem Reap has recovered remarkably quickly. In a span of a decade, the city has been revived and now welcomes more than 2 million visitors a year.
Travel Requirements
For most tourists to Cambodia, visa is required, but for Filipinos and citizens of other ASEAN countries, visa exemptions apply. Filipinos can stay in the kingdom without the need for tourist visa for stays no longer than 21 days. Passports also need to be valid for at least six months at the time of entry.
For more details, visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa information website here.
Time Difference
Cambodia Standard Time, same as Indochina Time, is seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +7). This means that the Philippines is 1 hour ahead of Cambodia. Make sure to adjust your watch to ensure you do not miss your tours and return flight.
Currency
Cambodia has an unofficial dual currency system. This means that you can transact in both US Dollar and Cambodian Riel. For most tourist-oriented merchants and grocery stores within Siem Reap, prices are quoted in dollars so you don't need to be concerned about getting the local currency. Note that the lowest dollar denomination used is USD1. So for change less than USD1, you will get the equivalent in Riel. During our travel, the exchange rate was at around KHR4,100 to USD1.
Tip: Bring some small dollar denominations for small transactions like tuktuk rides. If you get stuck with 100s, it is easier to get change in restaurants, bars, hotels, and shops.
How to Get There
Siem Reap is 7 kilometers from Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport. It is accessible by direct flights from many Asian cities. So far, only Cebu Pacific fly direct to the city from Manila. Air Asia fly to Siem Reap from either Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, or Phuket while Jetstar fly to the city from Singapore. Since we also visited Malaysia, we flew there via Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur.
Siem Reap is also accessible by land travel. Direct bus services are available from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Travel time takes about 9-10 hours. Bus services are also available from Ho Chi Minh. However, the journey is not a direct bus service. You will be transferred to a van or bus in Phnom Penh and will have to wait between 1-2 hours for the transfer. Travel time takes about 12 hours.
When to Visit
Siem Reap features a tropical dry and wet season each differentiated by the amount of rainfall experienced. The dry season runs from November to April while the Monsoon or wet season falls from May until October.
The cooler dry months are December to February, making this period the most popular for tourists and the most expensive. The hottest months are April and May with temperatures getting uncomfortably hot above 38 degrees and roads becoming dry and dusty.
The wettest months are September and October making the city vulnerable to flooding and overflows from the river or lake. Some suggest that the remaining wet months of June to August are good alternative times to visit. During these months, the landscapes are green and lush, the moats are full, the temples are less crowded, and the views are picturesque.
Where to Stay
Hotels in Siem Reap range from inexpensive guesthouses for the budget conscious to five-star hotels for the affluent - and everything in between. When booking, we always compare rates from the hotel websites to booking sites like Agoda or Hotels.com. This way we are able check for the best deals.
We stayed at a relatively new property named Mei Mei Da Hotel. The hotel is about 700 meters from the Cambodian Cultural Village, 2 kilometers from the popular Pub Street, 5.4 kilometers from the airport, and 5 kilometers from Angkor Wat.
The hotel features an outdoor pool, garden, and rooms with balcony or terrace. We booked a Deluxe Double Room with Balcony for PHP1,324.28 per night via Agoda as it offered the lowest price with additional discounts through BPI credit cards.
However, we were downgraded to a Superior Room without any valid reason. So avoid this property and choose from hundreds of other hotels in Siem Reap. Read: Mei Mei Da Hotel: Unbelievably Poor Customer Service
Cambodia Electricity
In Cambodia the power sockets are type A, C, and G. The standard voltage is 230V and the standard frequency is 50Hz.
Many of today's devices such as mobile phone chargers will automatically switch to the network voltage and will work fine. However, always check your device's voltage before traveling as connecting it to the wrong voltage might damage your device.
We were able to plug our mobile phone, laptop, and camera chargers directly in Mei Mei Da Hotel. You might need adapters in some other areas or hotels but these are readily available in mini marts and grocery stores in Siem Reap.
Getting Around
Getting around Siem Reap is fairly easy as the city is not that big. The most popular transportation option is the Cambodian tuk-tuk. It is basically a trailer attached to a motorcycle that can seat up to 4 people. Short journeys to and within the city would normally cost USD1 to USD3. Trips arranged by our hotel from and to the airport cost USD5.
Walking is also a great alternative but not recommended during the dry season and early afternoons. These are the sunniest time of the day and the heat becomes unbearable.
Other options include traveling by bicycle and motorcycle taxis. Rates vary according to duration and distance.
For our tour in the Angkor Archaeological Park, we booked via a small travel company named Angkor Tuk Tuk Travel. We started inquiring with them via email two weeks before our trip. Pin Ton was our main contact through email and he was also our driver. We highly recommend him as he was punctual, polite, and was always ready to offer cold water whenever we returned to our tuk tuk. He understood that we wanted to avoid the crowd and he came up with a sequence of temples where we'll avoid the big tour groups. Cost of the big circuit tour with sunrise is USD23. For more reviews about Angkor Tuk Tuk Travel, visit their TripAdvisor page here. For bookings, email info@angkortuktuktravel.com.
Tip: If you're going around the city to eat or shop, negotiate the price in advance with the drivers to avoid getting ripped off. Most hotels have reliable English-speaking drivers as staff so you can book them in advance. Just provide them the time you want to be picked up or dropped off.
What to Do
The temples of Angkor are the biggest draw of Cambodia and they are easily a must-see when visiting the country. If you are a first-timer, it's essential to understand that Angkor Wat is just one of the many temples spread across a complex covering an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers. Angkor Wat is the most famous of all temples but there are some 72 major temples and buildings within the area and hundreds of minor temple sites.
Read our posts about the temples of Angkor:
Seeing Angkor Wat for the First Time
Going Inside Ta Phrom Where Nature Has Taken Over
Bayon Temple: Face to Face with Giants
All foreign visitors are required to purchase an entrance ticket to the Angkor Archaeological Park. There are three types of tickets:
One Day Pass: USD37
Three Day Pass: USD62
Seven Day Pass: USD72
The tickets are exclusively issued by Angkor Enterprise located along Street 60, Krong Siem Reap. The tickets are non-transferable and is printed with the photo of the ticket holder. Purchasing tickets via other channels and/or transferring tickets are subject to a fine ranging from USD100 to USD300 depending on the ticket type.
The Angkor Enterprise Ticket Center is open from 5:00AM to 5:30PM daily. Cash and credit card payments are accepted. For more information, please visit the website here.
Tip: One Day Passes issued after 5:00PM are valid for the next day. You may want to do this on the day before your intended visit to get free entry into the park and watch the sunset from the temples.
Other suggested activities include watching an Apsara Dance, visiting Pub Street, exploring the Old Market and Night Market, discovering Tonle Sap, checking out the Cambodian Cultural Village, taking a cooking class, and visiting the Landmine Museum.
Where to Eat
Drop by the famous Pub Street, Siem Reap's central hub for food and nightlife. Officially named Street 8, Pub Street is located in the Old Market Area. Here, you'll find an assortment of restaurants and bars, as well as food and drink carts offering pancakes to fried ice cream to seasonal fruit shakes.
We ate at Monsoon Asian Fusion and Bistro in Pub Street. We tried the local food Beef Lok Lak and we loved it. Lok Lak means "shaking", which refers to the movement of the beef in the wok as it cooks. The beef was perfectly seared, had a slight tang of the marinade, and was served with a side of tuk meric. It reminded us of the Filipino favorite Bistek. Other Cambodian favorites include Phnom Pleung, Amok, and Stir-Fried Morning Glory. Prices range from an average of USD5.55 to USD10.95 per person.
We also ate at Lucky Burger which is a Cambodian homegrown fast-food chain similar to Jollibee. Their fried chicken was really good. Prices for items range from USD1.00 to USD6.00 per person. Lucky Burger is located inside Lucky Mall.
Budget
Usual tips online suggest a budget of around PHP9,000 or USD175 excluding airfare or train/bus fare to Siem Reap. Read our budget guide to know how we were able to travel to Siem Reap for less than PHP8,700 all in: Siem Reap: A Budget Guide for Juans.
This guide is designed based on our experience and we hope this is of use to Juans who plan to travel for the first time to Siem Reap. For comments and suggestions, please do so in the section below.
But before you go, it's best to know a few of the basics. So here's our guide for first time travelers to Cambodia's center of tourism.
 |
| Ta Som Temple in Angkor Archaeological Park |
What once was a quaint village, Siem Reap is now one of the fastest growing cities in Cambodia. It is known as the gateway to the World Heritage Site Angkor and is the capital of the northwest Cambodian province of the same name. It is located north of Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake.
The name Siem Reap literally means the "defeat of Siam" as a reference to a folk tale of the victory of the Khmer kingdom over the Siamese soldiers. In the early 1900s, Siem Reap was ceded to French Indochina. This coincided with the rediscovery of Angkor that stimulated tourism in the area. The city's more recent history, however, is characterized by the horrors of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. Although, it was one of the last places in Cambodia to experience peace, Siem Reap has recovered remarkably quickly. In a span of a decade, the city has been revived and now welcomes more than 2 million visitors a year.
Travel Requirements
For most tourists to Cambodia, visa is required, but for Filipinos and citizens of other ASEAN countries, visa exemptions apply. Filipinos can stay in the kingdom without the need for tourist visa for stays no longer than 21 days. Passports also need to be valid for at least six months at the time of entry.
For more details, visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa information website here.
Time Difference
Cambodia Standard Time, same as Indochina Time, is seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +7). This means that the Philippines is 1 hour ahead of Cambodia. Make sure to adjust your watch to ensure you do not miss your tours and return flight.
Currency
Cambodia has an unofficial dual currency system. This means that you can transact in both US Dollar and Cambodian Riel. For most tourist-oriented merchants and grocery stores within Siem Reap, prices are quoted in dollars so you don't need to be concerned about getting the local currency. Note that the lowest dollar denomination used is USD1. So for change less than USD1, you will get the equivalent in Riel. During our travel, the exchange rate was at around KHR4,100 to USD1.
 |
| The Cambodian Riel |
How to Get There
Siem Reap is 7 kilometers from Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport. It is accessible by direct flights from many Asian cities. So far, only Cebu Pacific fly direct to the city from Manila. Air Asia fly to Siem Reap from either Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, or Phuket while Jetstar fly to the city from Singapore. Since we also visited Malaysia, we flew there via Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur.
Siem Reap is also accessible by land travel. Direct bus services are available from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Travel time takes about 9-10 hours. Bus services are also available from Ho Chi Minh. However, the journey is not a direct bus service. You will be transferred to a van or bus in Phnom Penh and will have to wait between 1-2 hours for the transfer. Travel time takes about 12 hours.
When to Visit
Siem Reap features a tropical dry and wet season each differentiated by the amount of rainfall experienced. The dry season runs from November to April while the Monsoon or wet season falls from May until October.
The cooler dry months are December to February, making this period the most popular for tourists and the most expensive. The hottest months are April and May with temperatures getting uncomfortably hot above 38 degrees and roads becoming dry and dusty.
 |
| March is a hot and dry month so the best time to go around is in the morning |
Where to Stay
Hotels in Siem Reap range from inexpensive guesthouses for the budget conscious to five-star hotels for the affluent - and everything in between. When booking, we always compare rates from the hotel websites to booking sites like Agoda or Hotels.com. This way we are able check for the best deals.
We stayed at a relatively new property named Mei Mei Da Hotel. The hotel is about 700 meters from the Cambodian Cultural Village, 2 kilometers from the popular Pub Street, 5.4 kilometers from the airport, and 5 kilometers from Angkor Wat.
 |
| Mei Mei Da Hotel |
However, we were downgraded to a Superior Room without any valid reason. So avoid this property and choose from hundreds of other hotels in Siem Reap. Read: Mei Mei Da Hotel: Unbelievably Poor Customer Service
Cambodia Electricity
In Cambodia the power sockets are type A, C, and G. The standard voltage is 230V and the standard frequency is 50Hz.
Many of today's devices such as mobile phone chargers will automatically switch to the network voltage and will work fine. However, always check your device's voltage before traveling as connecting it to the wrong voltage might damage your device.
Getting Around
Getting around Siem Reap is fairly easy as the city is not that big. The most popular transportation option is the Cambodian tuk-tuk. It is basically a trailer attached to a motorcycle that can seat up to 4 people. Short journeys to and within the city would normally cost USD1 to USD3. Trips arranged by our hotel from and to the airport cost USD5.
Walking is also a great alternative but not recommended during the dry season and early afternoons. These are the sunniest time of the day and the heat becomes unbearable.
Other options include traveling by bicycle and motorcycle taxis. Rates vary according to duration and distance.
For our tour in the Angkor Archaeological Park, we booked via a small travel company named Angkor Tuk Tuk Travel. We started inquiring with them via email two weeks before our trip. Pin Ton was our main contact through email and he was also our driver. We highly recommend him as he was punctual, polite, and was always ready to offer cold water whenever we returned to our tuk tuk. He understood that we wanted to avoid the crowd and he came up with a sequence of temples where we'll avoid the big tour groups. Cost of the big circuit tour with sunrise is USD23. For more reviews about Angkor Tuk Tuk Travel, visit their TripAdvisor page here. For bookings, email info@angkortuktuktravel.com.
 |
| Pin Ton, our master tuk tuk driver |
What to Do
The temples of Angkor are the biggest draw of Cambodia and they are easily a must-see when visiting the country. If you are a first-timer, it's essential to understand that Angkor Wat is just one of the many temples spread across a complex covering an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers. Angkor Wat is the most famous of all temples but there are some 72 major temples and buildings within the area and hundreds of minor temple sites.
 |
| Early morning prayers in Angkor Wat |
 |
| Ta Phrom, characterized by trees growing out of the ruins, was used as a location in the film Tomb Raider |
Seeing Angkor Wat for the First Time
Going Inside Ta Phrom Where Nature Has Taken Over
Bayon Temple: Face to Face with Giants
All foreign visitors are required to purchase an entrance ticket to the Angkor Archaeological Park. There are three types of tickets:
One Day Pass: USD37
Three Day Pass: USD62
Seven Day Pass: USD72
The tickets are exclusively issued by Angkor Enterprise located along Street 60, Krong Siem Reap. The tickets are non-transferable and is printed with the photo of the ticket holder. Purchasing tickets via other channels and/or transferring tickets are subject to a fine ranging from USD100 to USD300 depending on the ticket type.
 |
| As early as 4:30AM, there are already lines of people wanting to buy tickets and see the sunrise at Angkor Wat |
Tip: One Day Passes issued after 5:00PM are valid for the next day. You may want to do this on the day before your intended visit to get free entry into the park and watch the sunset from the temples.
Other suggested activities include watching an Apsara Dance, visiting Pub Street, exploring the Old Market and Night Market, discovering Tonle Sap, checking out the Cambodian Cultural Village, taking a cooking class, and visiting the Landmine Museum.
Where to Eat
Drop by the famous Pub Street, Siem Reap's central hub for food and nightlife. Officially named Street 8, Pub Street is located in the Old Market Area. Here, you'll find an assortment of restaurants and bars, as well as food and drink carts offering pancakes to fried ice cream to seasonal fruit shakes.
 |
| Pub Street during the night |
 |
| The delicious Beef Lok Lak |
 |
| Ice cream rolls and fruit shake stands are a common sight in downtown Siem Reap |
Usual tips online suggest a budget of around PHP9,000 or USD175 excluding airfare or train/bus fare to Siem Reap. Read our budget guide to know how we were able to travel to Siem Reap for less than PHP8,700 all in: Siem Reap: A Budget Guide for Juans.
This guide is designed based on our experience and we hope this is of use to Juans who plan to travel for the first time to Siem Reap. For comments and suggestions, please do so in the section below.
So amazing guidance about Cambodia travel & I think this will be helpful for first timer with getting more tips about Siem Reap. Although I am not a first timer for Cambodia trip because I have a better experience of visiting this fantastic place & I went by Siem Reap Private Tours (siemreapprivatetour.com) which was really so wonderful trip for me. I got a better taxi service with more new place details in Cambodia.
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