How To Spend 3 Days In Siem Reap, Cambodia

If you are planning a trip to Cambodia, there is no way that you will want to miss out on visiting Siem Reap; the gateway to the infamous Angkor Wat ruins. I spent 3 days in the charming city of Siem Reap, and so I am armed with all the info you need to know about visiting.

This guide breaks down how to spend 3 days in Siem Reap with options for both avid tomb raiders and travellers looking to explore the cultural side of Siem Reap beyond the iconic temples.

_{This post may contain affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for qualifying purchases. For more information, read our disclaimer.}

3 Days in Siem Reap Itinerary

Here is a run down on what to do in Siem Reap in 3 days and how to best spend your time in this city..

No time to read this post now? PIN IT for later!

Day 1 in Siem Reap – Tonle Sap Lake

Morning in Siem Reap

Start your morning early, depending on the time you arrive in Siem Reap and explore the town first. Check in to your hotel and either walk or grab a tuk-tuk into the town to get a feel for the area.

Visit The Royal Residence, which is an interesting place to walk around. This is the Royal family’s holiday home away from their main residence in the capital; Phnom Penh. When the family aren’t staying here, you are able to walk around the grounds and marvel at the beautifully maintained grounds, architecture and look at the statues depicting ancient Khmer warriors.

If time allows, you can also visit a couple of museums in Siem Reap to be better able to understand the history and magnificence of Angkor.

Afternoon in Siem Reap

Spend time this afternoon experiencing a different way of life at the island’s famous floating village, Kompong Phluk on Tonle Sap Lake, Asia’s largest freshwater lake. This two hour boat trip takes you around the tall, stilted houses, floating hospital and fishery. You get to see the traditional lifestyle of the country and the natural landscape of the flooded Mangrove Forest, while ending your day by watching the sunset over the lake.

Child on a boat at the floating village on Tonle Sap lake

Houses on stilts at the floating village on Tonle Sap lake

I would advise booking this guided tour as it is much more difficult to make your own way there, not to mention more costly too. This tour is under £17 per person and includes hotel transfers and entrance fees to Kompong Phluk as well as a boat trip with a local guide. You honestly can’t ask for much better value than that.

Sadly, I have never done this tour as one of us were struck down with food poisoning the night before we arrived in Cambodia from Vietnam. I should add that I’ve heard some conflicting things about how these day trips are a tourist trap that don’t benefit the locals whose livelihoods run off the lake, but I shall leave that to your own judgement.

spicy stir fry of tofu, green beans and carrots with a portion of chips and grilled chicken in the background

Evening in Siem Reap

Walk around Pub Street in the evening and grab dinner at Khmer Kitchen. A great restaurant for not only their extensive menu of Thai and local Cambodian dishes on offer, but a fab spot for people watching too.

The food here is incredibly tasty, full of flavour and extremely great value too.

Have an early night, but not before purchasing your Angkor Pass for the following day. Here is everything you need to know about visiting Angkor Wat – I highly recommend booking tickets in advance to save a lot of time queuing on the day.

Set your alarm for 4am the following morning – trust me.

Day 2 in Siem Reap – Angkor Wat

Morning in Siem Reap

You won’t want to miss out on a magical tour of the sunrise at Angkor Wat today. Having woken up at 4am, we had arranged for a driver to take us to the complex for 5am – the best time to arrive and settle in to watch the sun rise.

nishi looking at at angkor wat, cambodia

I highly recommend arranging a driver the night before or booking on to a sunrise tour in advance. The streets are full of both car and tuk-tuk drivers eager to take your business, but a tour may be a better option for you if you want somebody to guide you, show you the best spots and give you some knowledge too. It’s always fun meeting new people and making friends on these tours too.

nishi looking out from a window at angkor wat with the intricate walls surrounding her

You won’t want to spend all your time at Angkor Wat; the complex is huge and there are numerous other temples to visit in the surrounding areas. You get free access into these with your Angkor Pass, and this is where having a driver comes in really handy to take the small circuit of Angkor.

The small circuit takes you through the most impressive temples of Angkor. If, like us, you only plan to spend one day exploring the temples, then this is the route to take! Here, you will explore Angkor Wat, drive through the dramatic Angkor Thom Gates, see the hundreds of Buddha faces carved into the stones of Bayon Temple and recreate Tomb Raider at Ta Phrom Temple (the iconic 12th Century temple that has been engulfed by a Bayan tree).

The iconic Ta Phrom Temple at Angkor Wat Cambodia

Read my Angkor Wat Guide: All You Need To Know Before Visiting Angkor Wat.

Evening in Siem Reap

If your weary legs will allow it, end your evening at Banlle vegetarian restaurant, followed by a stroll along the river/lake and grab an ice cream roll on Pub street. You could even ask your driver to drop you off at the restaurant instead of the hotel.

Banlle vegetarian restaurant interior in siem reap

vegetarian food in Siem Reap - amok, khmer curry and moringa soup

two pots of vegan ice cream rolls in cambodia

Day 3 in Siem Reap – spend time at Kandal Village

If you purchased a 3 day pass to Angkor Wat, you will likely want to head back there for another day of exploring. Personally, we’d had our fill of temples after one day having spent a considerable amount of time temple hopping in Southeast Asia. Temple fatigue is a very real thing – but don’t let that deter you from visiting Angkor Wat, the most iconic and largest temple in the world. It truly is magnificent.

If you head back to Angkor Wat, you’ll want to go on The Grand Circuit. Despite the name, it takes about the same amount of time to explore the Small circuit, taking you around the temples on the outskirts of Angkor. You will explore Neak Pean and its healing pools, Preah Khan Temple, the Terrace of the Elephants, Banteay Srei Temple and end the day with a climb up Phnom Bakheng to view the sunset.

Morning in Siem Reap

Given that you will probably be exhausted from walking about in Cambodia’s heat and racking up your step count, you will want a relaxing morning or afternoon by the pool. This is why (for me) it it crucial to stay in a nice hotel with a great pool and possibly a spa too.

nishi in the pool at borei angkor resort and spa

We spent the morning laying on sun loungers, reading and taking a dip in the pool on repeat – it was bliss.

Afternoon in Siem Reap

Once you’ve had your pool fix, you may want to grab some lunch. I am rarely hungry for lunch in hot countries, but here are some great vegetarian restaurants in Siem Reap that you may want to check out.

Grab a tuk-tuk and head to the trendy Kandal Village to mooch around a different neighbourhood. This quiet village has lots of independent shops and market stalls selling sustainable goods made by locals trying to get out of poverty. Evidently a more affluent area of the city, the prices are higher in comparison to the rest of Siem Reap, but for good reason.

vintage goods store in kandal village, siem reap

We popped into an amazing vintage store selling all sorts of items from leather accessories, printed shirts, trinkets and vintage typewriters and phones. A fab space to peruse.

nishi eating a bao bun at bao kandal in siem reap

vegan curry daikon bao bun in a bamboo steamer

I would urge you to have and early dinner at BAO Kandal, just across the street from the vintage store. A trendy little Taiwanese eatery serving some of the best bao buns I have ever eaten. With plenty of vegan and unusual items on the menu – it’s the kind of place where you want to try it all.

Evening in Siem Reap

You cannot visit Cambodia and miss out on the liveliness of Pub Street, All Cheers Street and the Night Markets. This fun street is located in the heart of Siem Reap’s town centre and it comes alive at night. Featuring neon signs, string lights, music blasting from restaurants and bars, karaoke, beautiful decorations, fun bars, outdoor restaurants, street food, local shops, market stalls and so much more.

Jass holding dragon's breath - a multicolour deep friend cereal dessert with liquid nitrogen to produce a vapour

Honestly, get the ice cream rolls again – or the dragon’s breath. This insanely weird looking dessert tastes as good as it looks. I believe it’s frozen cereal made from corn (correct me if I am wrong), dipped in liquid nitrogen which gives off that really cool vapour.

Essentially, it produces more vapour as you eat it, giving off the impression of dragon’s breath! Cool, right?

Other things to do in Siem Reap

In case you feel like 3 days in Siem Reap aren’t enough, here are some other things you can do during your stay:

Taking part in a cooking class abroad is always fun, and this Khmer Cooking Class is no exception. Shopping for ingredients in a local market and spending 3 hours in a local’s home learning how to cook Cambodian dishes is a great way to spend an afternoon. This class accomodates vegans and vegetarians too.
Visit the oldest market in Siem Reap; Psar Chaa Old Market for clothes and accessories. Locals go here every morning to shop for fresh produce and household items. You can also relieve your feet from all the walking with one of Siem Reaps famous foot massages; for only a couple of dollars. Fair warning, this might become a nightly routine during your time in Siem Reap, but I’m not judging you.
See an Apsara dance performance; a classical Khmer dance inspired by Hindu and Buddhist mythology that believes Apsaras are beautiful female creatures sent from heaven to enchant with their soft but mesmerising dance moves.
Cambodian Pottery Class – Create a ceramic bowl with Khmer carvings with the help of a local artist to take home with you. A really unusual, but fun thing to do in Siem Reap.
Food tours are always fun, and this evening tour takes you around the lively night markets, tasting authentic Cambodian foods and enjoying a local whisky tasting at Sombai.

How to get to Siem Reap

Flying to Siem Reap

A brand new international airport has just opened in Siem Reap (literally the week before we arrived). The airport is located a lot closer to the city than the previous one (around an hour away) and they have direct flights from around the world.

It will cost you around $20 upwards to travel to the city in a tuk-tuk or $30 or so in a car.

Ensure you have cash to pay your driver. The currency in Cambodia is USD or the Riel. Cambodian Riel is a closed currency – meaning you can’t buy or sell it outside of the country. Therefore it is advisable to carry USD with you. Note that your USD cannot be ripped or torn – in Cambodia, they only accept notes in perfect condition.

It was a real treat to be one of the first people to land at a brand new, shiny airport. Though I have to say it was pretty confusing to receive an email days before we departed for this trip telling us that the airport had moved(!).

This airport is called Siem Reap Angkor International Airport and the old airport was called Siem Reap International Airport.

We flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap and the flight took around an hour.

Taking a Bus to Siem Reap

If you’re travelling to Siem Reap from another part of Cambodia, the easiest way to arrive is by bus. You can book busses here. Many people also travel to Phnom Penh or Battambang while in Cambodia, so taking a bus from either of those destinations is easy.

Do you need a visa to enter Cambodia?

All British and US passport holders need a visa for entry into Cambodia and the easiest way to do this is apply for your visa on arrival in the country. Visas are issued for a 30 day stay.

visa information for arrivals into Siem Reap Angkor international airport, cambodia

Ensure you have USD (crisp, undamaged notes) in order to purchase a visa on arrival. Visas cost $30 and you need one recent passport photo for a single entry visa. If you do not have a passport photo with you, you can pay for them to take one of you on arrival too.

Alternatively, you can apply for an e-visa at least 4 days in advance.

Where to stay in Siem Reap

As far as 5 star hotels in Siem Reap go, the Borei Angkor Resort and Spa is a great place to stay.

hotel room at Borei Angkor Resort and Spa

Within close proximity to the airport, Angkor Wat and all the landmarks, it’s a wonderful resort with a fab outdoor pool and gym too. My advice would be to just not eat here – not only is it pricey, but there are virtually no vegan or vegetarian options available. Instead, I would suggest dining at one of these restaurants in Siem Reap instead.

Is 3 days in Siem Reap enough?

Yes. People have often ask me, how many days do you need in Siem Reap and I would say 3 days is plenty. It is enough time to see the highlights and get a feel for the culture without feeling as though you are rushing around.