Cambodia: 5 days itinerary to Siem Reap
- twointour
- Aug 14
- 7 min read
A fascinating and authentic country that due to its troubled and difficult history it only opened to tourism in the early 1990s.
Cambodia lives mainly from agriculture and fishing and tourism represents an opportunity for the populations to develop the local economy.
It hosts one of the most impressive temple complexes in the world...so if you are a history lover and are looking for an authentic journey, hurry up and visit Cambodia and you will love it!
OUR ITINERARY IN CAMBODIA:
After visiting Vietnam (see the dedicated article to discover our itinerary in Vietnam): if you have time, we suggest you to continue your trip to Cambodia, as we did. Here below our itinerary:
DAY 1- flight HCM-Siem Reap (Cambodia Angkor Air Co h12-13.15)_ visit Siem Reap (monks singing at Wat Bo) - Apsara dance show dinner in Siem Reap (with civitatis)
Night in Siem Reap (Siem Reap Palace Hotel & Spa)
DAY 2– Angkor Inner Circuit – sunrise and visit of Angkor Wat and various temples: Ta Prohm, Ta Keo, Bayon Temple (private tour with GYG) -visit Siem Reap (Preah PromroathPagoda,Old Market, Pub’s Street)
Night in Siem Reap (Siem Reap Palace Hotel & Spa)
DAY 3- Angkor External Circuit - various temples (Pre Rup Temple, East Mebon Temple, Ta Som Temple, NeakPoan Temple, Preah Khan Temple and City)- Angkor Thom + sunset at PhonmBakheng (private tour with GYG)
Night in Siem Reap (Siem Reap Palace Hotel & Spa)
DAY 4- - Mount Kulen NP – Beng Mealea temple - Kompong Pluk floating village on Tonle Sap lake (tour with GYG/BREKSA TRAVEL)
Night in Siem Reap (Siem Reap Palace Hotel & Spa)
DAY 5– Banteay Srei Temple + 3 Roluos Temples ( Bakong- Prea Ko- Lolei) + Angkor Wat (visit with a driver organized with a local agency in Siem Reap) -Flight Siem Reap- Hanoi (h 17.55 – 19.50 Vietnam Airline) - Flight Hanoi - Bologna (via Istanbul) with Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines flight
Hanoi 22.30– Istanbul 5.50 am
Istanbul 9.10 am– Bologna 10 am
Place by Place
SIEM REAP& ANGKOR
With a flight from Ho Chi Min we reach Siem Reap, our base for 4 nights to see Angkor and the surrounding area.
Angkor is one of the most spectacular monuments in the world and it hosts:
- the largest religious building in the world (Angkor Wat),
- the majestic Royal Palace complex of the Khmer Empire (Angkor Tom)
- a multitude of temples, burial sites, ancient cities
Consider at least 2-3 days to visit the immense complex
The entrance ticket to Angkor can be purchased online at https://www.angkorenterprise.gov.kh/ or at the ticket office: the 3-day pass costs 62 usd/7days at 72usd and can also be used on non-consecutive days.
In Cambodia is no need to change money into local currency as it is very unstable, they accept USD everywhere.
Angkor Wat
It is the largest religious building in the world and the symbol of Cambodia!
In addition to the central temple surrounded by a moat, admire, the series of intricate and beautiful bas-reliefs
If it is open, climb the central tower of Angkor Wat 55m high, from which you can admire the site from above
A visit at dawn is a must: the sun rises from 5.30 to 6.45 depending on the season, but because it is quite crowded, it is advisable to arrive at 5am when the site opens to find a good observation point to see the magnificent central temple reflected in the lakes!
Consider a couple of hours for the visit.
Angkor - Inner circuit
In addition to Angkor Wat, if you only have one day, focus on the Inner circuit and visit:
-Bayon, the enigmatic temple decorated with 216 giant smiling faces inside Angkor Thom, the grandiose complex of the Royal Palace of the Khmer Empire
-Ta Prohm, the temple suffocated by the jungle and where the movie Tomb Raider was filmed
-The pyramid temple of Ta Keo
Angkor - External Circuit
If you have 2 days to dedicate to Angkor, in addition to the inner circuit, dedicate an entire second day to the magnificent external circuit:
-Pre Rup, the burial site of the royal family
-Eastern Mebon Temple
- Ta Som Temple
-The water temple of PreaNeakPoan-The ancient city of Preah Khan
- the majestic Royal Palace complex of the Khmer Empire (Angkor Tom)
-The mountain temple of PhomBakheng to admire the sunset in the distance over Angkor Wat
To see all the sites of the inner circuit ad of the external circuit and Angkor Wat (all included in the Angkor Pass), we recommend a guided tour to get an explanation and to move from one site to another, as the various temples are spread over several km. We booked a tour with GYG (no adv) and we had a great time!
Things to do around Siem Reap
1. A sunset boat ride at Kampong Phluk, a stilt village on Tonle Sap Lake
2. Sacred mountain of PhomKulen. In the park the main attractions are a giant reclining Buddha, the River of a Thousand Lingas characterized by bas-reliefs carved into the river-bed and a waterfall
3. The still unreconstructed temple suffocated in the jungle of Beng Mealea
We have seen all these places with a day tour (we took it on GYG and had a great time (no adv); the same tour can also be purchased on site through hotels and local agencies at the same price, if not even more expensive)
Entrance tickets:
- Mt Kulen NP 20 usd
- boat to Kampong Phluk 15usd
- Beng Malea: included in the Angkor Pass or 10usd
If you have another half day we recommend you also to see:
1. Banteay Srei, the pink stone temple decorated with beautiful bas-reliefs (it is located about 30 km from Siem Reap)
2. The 3 temples of Roluos
We have visited them with a driver in half a day (organized with a local agency: Angkor Wat Shared Tours) and the entrance tickets are included in the Angkor Pass: a perfect way to spend the last day, if you have the flight in the late afternoon!
In the center of Siem Reap, to see:
• The Buddhist temple of Wat Bo where you can listen to the suggestive chanting of the monks from 4:30 pm to 6 pm
• Preah Promroath Pagoda
• Angkor National Museum
• The market
• Pub’s Street
Carved on all the temples of Angkor, the Apsara are the court dancers of the Khmer empire.
One evening in Siem Reap we went to a dinner with a traditional Apsara dance show and it was nice!Tickets can be purchased on Civitatis or through local hotels/agencies.
Others Practical Info
Requirements to enter in Cambodia
All the information below was valid as of January 2025, therefore please check the official websites for any updates or changes
To enter in Cambodia, passport with at least six months of residual validity is required.
Additionnaly, for Italian citizens is required also:
- An entry visa for tourism: Visa “T” at cost of 36 USD per person, it is valid 3 months from the issuing date for 30 days: You can obtain it online on https://www.evisa.gov.kh/
- Arrival Card to be done online on www.arrival.gov.khstarting from 7 days before the arrival in Cambodia
When to go
A good period to visit Cambodia is from December to April when it's not too hot and it's the driest season. Summer, on the other hand, is very hot, humid and rainy.
Where to sleep
Accommodations in Cambodia are generally good and clean: the hotelin Siem Reap are in average not economic so we suggest you to book in advance to find the best price).
As usual we have booked the hotel on Booking.com (no adv)
Safety&Cleaning
We found Siem Reap quite safe on average, as it is very touristic. Whereas you need to pay more attention outside Siem Reap and especially inPhnom Penh
Hotels are generally quite clean, while the sanitary conditions are limited: therefore, it is strongly recommended to drink only bottled water as well as consume only well-cooked food.
Internet
When traveling independently we recommend having Internet available on your cell phone.
We opted for an e-sim with unlimited data: Holafly Asia
The alternative is a local sim with a voice and data package
Costs
Despite Cambodia is not a rich a country and it is opened to tourism only since early ‘90s, the services for tourists (hotels, eating, entrance fees, tours, transports) are quite expensive.
Vaccinations
For Cambodia, vaccination against yellow fever is mandatory for all travelers coming from countries at risk of transmission of the disease (not Italy) or who have transited in a country where the disease is endemic
In general, before embarking on this trip, we recommend that you consult the medical center for travelers to evaluate any additional optional, but recommended vaccinations
In Cambodia there is Malary and Dengue especially in the rainy season: therefore, if you are not vaccinated for Deengue/not made the profilassi for Malary, we recommend that you bring repellents (e.g. Jungle - very strong) and keep your arms and legs as covered as possible.
Others utility
-In Cambodia is no need to change money into local currency as it is very unstable, they accept USD and credit cards payments everywhere.So we suggest you to bring with you some USD cash only for tips, souvenirs and others small expenses
-The entrance ticket to Angkor can be purchased online at https://www.angkorenterprise.gov.kh/ or at the ticket office: the 3-day pass costs 62 usd/7days at 72usd and can also be used on non-consecutive days.
-The airport in Siem Reap is approx. 1h driving from the city center. We suggest to book the transfer from/to Airport/Hotel to GYG (no adv) that offer the best price (around 25 USD one way; in average a taxi or a private transfer organized by the hotel costs double and thus 50 usd)
-Always be sure to have a good health insurance against any eventuality.
To discover more about these places have a look to our posts and stories dedicated to Cambodiadated May 2025 on our Instagram page @2intour
Find info about Vietnam in the dedicated article to this country on the blog and in the posts/stories about Vietnam on our Instagram page @2intour dated March/April 2025
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