The small town of Siem Reap will serve as your base camp for your visits to the surrounding temples.
Siem Reap has one airport. For the details when you arrive, you can check my previous article on the Temples of Angkor.
How to move?
The Tuk-Tuk is king in Siem Reap. I didn’t see any taxis or public transport on the streets. The town is rather small, the traffic is good, the prices are correct and the drivers are generally friendly. Quite the opposite of Tuk-Tuks in Bangkok!
A friend also pointed me to an app called “PassApp”, which works in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It is the equivalent of Uber or Grab for Cambodia. Probably more useful in Phnom Penh than in Siem Reap.
A must see
Old Market
It is a covered market in the center of Siem Reap.
There are mainly vegetables and fish but also lots of a little heterogeneous things.
I don’t remember seeing any meat, which isn’t bad because the hygiene in the market leaves something to be desired.
Pub Street
This is THE lively street in Siem Reap at night.
During the day it is a very quiet street, even a bit bland and boring.
As soon as night falls, everything comes to life and takes on color.
That said, it’s still one of those “hot” Asian streets, which all look a bit alike.
Omnipresent music, bars and of course girls…
The street is about 300 meters. It’s easy to find if you want to have fun, but also easy to avoid if it’s not your thing.
In conclusion
A super pleasant stay: Siem Reap is ideally placed to serve as a base camp for your visits; hotels and transport are financially very affordable.
Cambodia seems to be struggling to recover tourists from before the Covid, its tourism still seems to be idling (according to my interlocutors).
A good opportunity to visit unforgettable sites without too many crowds, and without breaking the bank!
CIAO !
