Siem Reap Province

In the north-west of Cambodia, by the ancient temples, nature, rice paddies and the great Tonle Sap lake, Siem Reap is small charming gateway town to the world famous heritage the Angkor temples. Thanks to those attractions, over the last decade Siem Reap has transformed itself from quiet villages into a major tourist hub. Siem Reap nowadays, is more like an international town with people from all over the world and modern hotels and architectures are trying to show-off themselves the same way the ancients temples have done for over 12 centuries. Despite international influences, Siem Reap and the people have conserved much of its image, culture and traditions.

The Wat and the river

The town is a cluster of small villages along the Siem Reap River. It is interesting to note that those villages are originally developed around Buddhist pagodas (Wat) which are almost evenly-spaced along the river from Wat Preah En Kau Sei in the north until Wat Phnom Krom in the south, where the Siem Reap River meets the great Tonle Sap Lake.

The main town is concentrated around Sivutha Street and the Psar Chas area (Old Market area) where you can find old colonial buildings, shopping and commercial districts. The Wat Bo area is now full with guesthouses and restaurants while the Psar Leu area is often crowd with local commerce. Other fast developing areas are the airport road and main road to Angkor where you can find a number of large upscale hotels and resorts.

For Map of Siem Reap, click here.

All things tourist

Siem Reap has seen an ever increasing number of visitors every year. In fact, the town has become so tourist-oriented that you will find all things tourist. There are a wide range of hotels ranging from several 5-star hotels and chic resorts, to hundreds of budget guesthouses. There are a large selection of restaurants which offer all kind of food including Italian, French, German, Russian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Burmese. Plenty of shopping opportunities are around the Psar Chas area while the nightlife is often vibrant with a number of western-styled pubs and bars.

Most tourists come to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor temples and the ancient ruins. While those are still the main attractions, there are plenty of other things to experience such as a dinner with an Apsara Dance performance, a trip to fishing villages and bird sanctuary, a visit to a craft workshop and silk farm, or a bicycle tour around the rice paddies in the country side and much more.

However, there is an increasing trend that some tourists just prefer to stay back, relax and enjoy the slow-paced life in this charming town. In fact, more and more foreigners are seeking residency in Siem Reap. Not surprisingly, most of permanent residents are in the tourist industry with some are owners of western bars or restaurants and some managers or chefs at big hotels.

Accessibility

The town is 7Km from the Angkor international airport and 6Km from the temples of Angkor. Siem Reap is accessible by air from Phnom Penh, Singapore, Bangkok, Kaula Lumpur, Vientaine, and Hanoi, and by land from Phnom Penh and Thai border. It’s also accessible by boats from Phnom Penh or Battambang.

Siem Reap tours

Siem Reap hotels