One Day in Siem Reap Itinerary for a Perfect Day in Temple Town

One day in Siem Reap isn’t nearly enough time to spend in Cambodia’s ‘Temple Town’, the departure point for excursions to nearby Angkor Wat and Angkor Archaeological Park. But if you’re in Siem Reap at the start or end of an organised tour and have only one day to fill at the beginning or end of your trip, or if you get bored in Bangkok or Saigon and have 24 hours to kill before your flight home, this is your itinerary for how to spend a perfect day in Siem Reap.

Our one day in Siem Reap itinerary takes in some of the very best things to do in Siem Reap, from the sublime experience of watching sunrise at Angkor Wat and slurping Siem Reap’s best breakfast to the liveliest local market for foodies to forage and where to savour Siem Reap’s most delicious Cambodian food.

Cambodia’s northern city of Siem Reap is one of Southeast Asia’s loveliest riverside cities, with the Siem Reap River snaking through the heart of town. Siem Reap is also the launching pad for explorations of Angkor Archaeological Park, home to the breathtaking Khmer Empire temple-city of Angkor Wat, one of Southeast Asia’s must-do UNESCO World Heritage listed sites.

One day in Siem Reap won’t give you enough time to explore the entire Angkor Archaeological Park, for which you’d need a week minimum – although I’ve been to Angkor hundreds of times in the 12 years we’ve lived here and I’m still discovering new things – let alone enough time to visit lesser-known archaeological sites such as Phnom Kulen, Banteay Chhmar and Sambor Prei Kuk.

But 24 hours in Siem Reap will give you a taste of what makes the charming city and UNESCO listed Angkor Park so special and help you plan your return trip. This is our idea of a perfect one day in Siem Reap and we’re professional food and travel writers who have lived in Siem Reap since 2013, so trust us on this: we know how best to spend the ultimate day in Siem Reap.

One Day in Siem Reap Itinerary for a Perfect Day in Cambodia’s Temple Town

Here’s our one day in Siem Reap itinerary for the perfect day in Cambodia’s Temple Town, but first some practical tips to how to get to Siem Reap and where to stay in Siem Reap if you only have one night.

How to Get to Siem Reap

The swanky new-ish Siem Reap-Angkor International (SAI) airport is one hour from Siem Reap. If you only have one day in Siem Reap it’s essential to book an airport transfer in advance of your flight to save money and time. There are plenty of flights to Siem Reap from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and loads of other Asian destinations with Vietnam Airlines, VietJet, Air Asia, Bangkok Airways, etc.

There are currently no direct long-haul flights to Siem Reap from Australia, USA and Europe. You’ll have to go via an Asian city. Airlines such as Etihad and Emirates fly via Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, which makes long haul flights from Europe and the Middle East more comfortable. It’s just a 55-minute flight from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap on Cambodian Angkor Air.

We prefer to travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap by road to take in the scenery en route of busy little towns with bustling markets and sleepy villages of traditional wooden houses set amongst rice fields. It’s a 4-hour transfer by private car or van from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. With just one day in Siem Reap, you could do as we often do and book a driver for a 3am or 4am pick-up and sleep in the car.

If you’re on a tight budget or have a bit more time, you can do the Phnom Penh to Siem Reap trip in 5 hours on the Giant Ibis bus. For information on overland travel from Thailand to Cambodia and flights from other Asian cities see our guide to How to Get to Siem Reap.

Where to Stay in Siem Reap

Siem Reap is home to some of Southeast Asia’s most beautiful and most affordable hotels and we’ve got Siem Reap accommodation recommendations for you for every budget, all tried and tested. If you’re only staying one day in Siem Reap it’s essential to choose the perfect hotel.

For centrally located accommodation, Viroth’s, in the heart of the increasingly cool Wat Bo neighbourhood, is a glam urban resort with retro-styled furniture, vintage design pieces, and a palm-fringed pool. More low-key, more affordable, and even more retro, nearby Viroth’s Villa is best suited to lovers of vintage style looking for a chilled stay.

If you’re on a budget, on Wat Bo Road, Maison 557 is a delightful 8-room bolthole with pretty rooms with four-poster beds, French-colonial touches such as grey shutters, two swimming pools, and two restaurants. Even more affordable, Pages Rooms, opposite Viroths, is a petite budget boutique hotel with a pool and cafe.

Located smack-bang on the riverside, Treeline was Siem Reap’s first contemporary design hotel with a sleek look and feel that’s all at once Cambodian and European. Most rooms have views of the stunning second-floor swimming pool.  In nearby Wat Damnak neighbourhood, charming Rambutan is gay-friendly with rooms with balconies dripping with bougainvillea around a pool.

Down the road is atmospheric Sala Lodges, with nine beautiful traditional timber houses on stilts with spacious verandas, furnished with rocking chairs and pretty quilts, with lush gardens and a stunning swimming pool. Next door, Hillock’s Hotel and Spa is a mid-range boutique resort with spacious villas with balconies or terraces and a swimming pool overlooking a rice field.

In the busy commercial centre, the luxurious Bill Bensley designed Park Hyatt Siem Reap is very comfortable, as is The Aviary, a stylish design hotel with a bird theme with two gorgeous swimming pools and a shopping arcade that’s home to some of the city’s most stylish shops.

Near the Royal Gardens, sumptuous Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, Siem Reap’s oldest hotel, built in 1932, oozes history and has a massive swimming pool. Still in the city, but closer to Angkor Archaeological Park is exclusive Maison Polanka, hidden behind high walls in traditional houses filled with antiques, art and design objects, with a striking palm-shaded swimming pool.

If you’re a fan of five-star hotel brands, there’s a Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort and Le Meridien Angkor located on the road to the temples. A more stylish choice nearby is Templation, a chic low-rise resort in sprawling gardens with another enormous swimming pool that’s the closest hotel to Angkor Wat.

A Morning in Siem Reap

For us, a perfect one day in Siem Reap itinerary begins before daylight with sunrise at Angkor Wat. You’ll need to wake in the darkness to see the sublime sunrise. With only one day, it’s best to visit Angkor Wat with an archaeological guide, either on a small group sunrise tour or by  hiring a guide for a private tour.

Take a tuk tuk to enjoy the breeze on your cheeks, but if you struggle with the heat and humidity you may prefer hiring a driver with air-conditioned vehicle. If you arrive the night before, you could have a tuk tuk driver take you to the Angkor Ticket Office, otherwise buy the Angkor Passes online (on the official website), so you don’t waste time in the morning.

Savour sunrise from the quieter pond on the right side, not with the crowds on the left. After the sun is up, stroll the road around the perimeter of the temple to the East Gate and enter the temple through the ‘back door’ to avoid the hoards for as long as you can. See our guide to Angkor Wat without the crowds for more tips. Make sure to get a blessing by a monk before you leave.

After, have your tuk tuk driver trundle to Angkor Thom, stopping at the South Gate for a photo. At Bayon temple, admire the lower gallery of bas reliefs with scenes of everyday life before climbing up to get close to those serene smiling face towers. Next, stop at Baphoun, where you should cross the causeway (pretty when filled with water) and climb to the top for lovely views. See the Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King before returning to town.

Also see our archaeologist’s guide to Angkor Archaeological Park and tips to how to get more out of your visit to Angkor Archaeological Park.

Breakfast in Siem Reap or Angkor

If you only see sunrise at Angkor Wat and visit Bayon and Baphoun you’ll be back in Siem Reap around 10-10.30am, in time for a late breakfast at one of the best local markets, and one of our favourites, Old Market (Psar Chas). With only one day in Siem Reap, you must try the quintessential local soup so order a bowl of Cambodian kuy teav, a classic pork or beef noodle broth, and an iced Cambodian coffee with condensed milk.

If you’ve become smitten with the temples and decide to stay out at Angkor Archaeological Park for longer than the morning, ask your guide to take you to a local food stall in Angkor Park not a tourist restaurant or cafe; we like the kuy teav eatery after the public toilet block on the Angkor Wat-Old Airport Road.

Mid Morning in Siem Reap

Wherever you breakfast, after Angkor have your driver take you to Old Market (Phsar Chas) to explore one of Siem Reap’s liveliest local markets. Once you get beyond the tourist stalls of the outer perimeter and into the centre, you’ll find vendors selling fantastic fresh local produce and will get a great insight into the local culinary culture. Don’t miss the stalls selling Siem Reap’s famous sausages, dried squid, smoked fish, buffalo and beef jerky, prahok, and fish sauce.

If you’re interested in fashion, design and arts and crafts, browse the best shops in the Old Market quarter, in the streets surrounding Psar Chas. Opposite the market entrance, Graines de Cambodge specialises in striking seeded jewellery and accessories; Senteurs d’Angkor sells wonderful fragrant things, from handmade soaps to incense made in their own workshops; nearby Garden of Desire, on The Passage, is the spot for hand-crafted jewellery that tells stories by designer Pisith Ly.

After, you could visit nearby Artisans d’Angkor for a short (free) guided tour to see artisans at work carving stone and wood into beautiful Buddha statues, as well as workshops specialising in silver plating, silk painting, and lacquerware among other traditional crafts.

Then, keeping in theme, you could have your tuk tuk driver take you to Theam’s House, which is the home of one of Cambodia’s finest artists and has a tranquil garden, small museum, art gallery, and more workshops where you can watch artisan’s working at their crafts. There are fantastic gift shops at both where you can buy quality souvenirs and be confident that they’re made in Cambodia.

Alternatively, you could make a beeline for the small but chic little shopping centre at The Aviary Hotel, where you can browse Ambre, the boutique of Cambodian fashion designer Romyda Keth, for gorgeous women’s frocks, gowns, shoes, and jewellery; Eric Raisina‘s boutique for exquisite silk clothes, scarves and handbags; the concept store of Cambodian-French designer Sirivan for lovely linen and cotton leisure wear and accessories; and Smateria, for eco-friendly hand-bags, day-packs, laptop cases, purses, and wallets made from recycled materials.

Lunch in Siem Reap

With only one day in Siem Reap, we recommend feasting on refined Cambodian food for lunch at riverside Chanrey Tree, set in a traditional-style house, with a more contemporary minimalist space out back. Book a table in the gorgeous garden out front so you can gaze up at the blue skies in between bites and sigh at the clarity of light.

Order the crispy rice cakes with natang (a dip of minced pork, shrimp, coconut milk, peanuts) and deep fried frangipani flowers, prahok k’tis (fermented fish, pork and coconut dip with vegetable crudités), fried prawns and calamari with kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass and basil, and honey-roasted Khmer chicken with young jackfruit and lemongrass.

Or, if giving back to the local community is more important than a riverside setting, lunch at one of Siem Reap’s best hospitality training restaurants, such as Spoons or Sala Bai, which prepare disadvantaged youths from poor rural villages for careers in the tourism and hospitality industry, helping to pull their families out of poverty in the process.

Coffee in Siem Reap

If you need a caffeine hit to perk you up after the early wake-up, it’s a short stroll from Chanrey Tree to nearby Kandal Village, a tiny shopping quarter centred around hip Hup Guan Street. There, Little Red Fox Espresso is easily the best café in Siem Reap for coffee. Owned by Aussies Adam Rodwell and David Stirling, the café has an Australian-infused Cambodian vibe.

Expect friendly local staff, outstanding coffee – from heady espressos to refreshing cold drips – and a short menu of delicious food. Try the moist carrot cake. After, browse the idiosyncratic shops in what has become one of Siem Reap’s hippest shopping destinations. Don’t miss Louise Loubatieres, Sirivan’s flagship store, and Garden of Desire.

Afternoon in Siem Reap

With only one day in Siem Reap, you could spend an afternoon trundling through the rice fields and villages or learning to cook Cambodian food. Fortunately this Cambodian cooking class enables you to do both. Set in a tranquil village 20 minutes outside Siem Reap, your instructor will take you on a village stroll and into a rustic local kitchen before you start the class.

Having done this cooking class a few times, we recommend the afternoon class as you’ll make a gentle Cambodian curry (Cambodian food is not as spicy as Thai food), along with delicious minced fish on sugar cane skewers, and sweet Cambodian brandy snaps for dessert. You’ll eat the dishes you make at the end of the class at a shaded table overlooking a fish-filled pond.

After the local, if you’re up for another local foodie experience, have your tuk tuk driver take you to Road 60 for a slow trundle down the centre of this market-cum-eat street, which should be just starting to set up. Then have your driver trundle along the parallel side lane and drop you near the tiny kid’s amusement park. Tell your driver to you at the other end.

Work up an appetite with a walk along this side street, which is lined with food stalls, to take in the smoky stalls of barbecued meats, crispy wok-fried insects, and aromatic Cambodian desserts. You’ll see families picnicking on mats as they dig into hot-pots, and stall after stall selling colourful floral pyjamas. Go on, buy a pair, you know you want to.

Sundowners in Siem Reap

Around 5pm, make a beeline for Asana, a bar in Siem Reap’s last traditional wooden house in the heart of the old town, where we recommend you snag a swinging lounge and recline on the recycled rice sack cushions for a bit. Order one of owner Pari’s Khmer cocktails, mixed with local herbs, spices and roots, or sip on one of her herbal teas.

If you have longer than one day in Siem Reap, or are already planning to return, ask about the Asana cocktail making class. We were lucky to test these out when Pari first started offering them many years ago, and I’ve taken lots of friends and clients to do them over the years and they are loads of fun.

Dinner in Siem Reap

Our one day in Siem Reap itinerary requires that you dine early, so book a table for 6pm at one of Siem Reap’s best restaurants for authentic home-style Cambodian cooking, Sugar Palm. The dishes are based on chef-owner Kethana Dunnett’s mother and grandmother’s recipes. Don’t miss the fish amok (amok trei), a steamed fish curry that is Cambodia’s finest rendition of this classic dish. Order it as soon as you sit down as it can take up to 40 minutes.

Alternatively, if you’d like to sample refined Cambodian food in an elegant dining space, then try Malis, the Siem Reap outpost of Phnom Penh based Cambodian celebrity chef Luu Meng. Here, the must-try dish is the Saraman curry. Click through to read more about both venues in our guide to Siem Reap’s best restaurants. Whichever restaurant you choose, let the waiter know that you need to leave at 7.15pm or so, because you’ve got a show to see…

A Night at the Circus in Siem Reap

This one day in Siem Reap itinerary wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include a night at the circus, Siem Reap’s Phare Cambodian Circus. This is the reason you needed to dine early, and trust us, it’s worth it. For most travellers, an hour at the circus is the best hour they spend in Cambodia, not just Siem Reap.

Firstly, there are no animals, no ringmaster, no clowns. This is circus arts. Expect incredibly charming, often hilarious, and massively talented young Cambodian performers who use acrobatics, aerial ballet, balancing acts, juggling, contortion, drama, music, dance, and comedy to tell distinctly Cambodian stories.

The closest comparison is Cirque du Soleil, only in our opinion the Phare circus is so much more enjoyable, real, raw, and entertaining. And we’ve seen Cirque du Soleil. With only one day in Siem Reap, it’s absolutely essential to book tickets in advance for Phare Circus.

Cocktails in Siem Reap

My idea of a perfect day in Siem Reap ends with a celebratory drink at my favourite bar. If you only get to one bar, make it Miss Wong, one of Siem Reap’s best bars and the makers of Temple Town’s finest cocktails, including the best martinis.

Miss Wong is located in the Wat Bo neighbourhood, on Street 26, which is home to several cool sipping spots if you’re up for a bar crawl. Look for the red Chinese lanterns outside. Inside, expect teal walls, Oriental bric-a-brac, lacquered screens, and the best bar staff in Siem Reap.

Up for more? Make a beeline for gay club Barcode for some of Siem Reap’s best negronis, massively entertaining nightly drag shows (9pm-late), and post-show dancing.

Staying longer than one day in Siem Reap? See our Guide to Things to Do in Siem Reap and during monsoon season, Things to Do in Siem Reap When it Rains. For families, we have a Siem Reap for Families Guide. Our Siem Reap Angkor Wat FAQs answers questions about visas, money, weather, what to wear, etc. Also see our guide to how to plan a perfect one day itinerary every day of your trip. 

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Have you spent time in Siem Reap? What’s your idea of a perfect day in Siem Reap? Let us know in the comments below and don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions. We’re here to help.