Cambodia and Siem Reap have much more to offer than just the temples of Angkor. Admittedly, as the world’s largest city of antiquity Angkor is truly impressive. But it is worth taking a closer look at the city of Siem Reap, its surrounding area and its people. Many people still travel to Siem Reap for just a few days and usually only on a really tight program of visits to the Angkor Temple. Often by the 5th Temple onwards, and with what I refer to as a “glazed expression”, people are less receptive to the many stories the tour guides know from times long ago. Especially in the unfamiliar heat.

Here is a list of 100 things you can do in Siem Reap and the surrounding area!

To inspire you, here is a list of 100 things you should “do” in Siem Reap and the surrounding area. Why 100? Well, to begin with there were 15 points, and they were put together really quickly. And then there were 25 and even 30 that came to me quickly. So I decided instead to create a list of 100 things to do and publish it, even though it is not yet finished. There are still some of the things to do missing and it is far from being fully linked. But this will certainly change over time, so here is the plan, I wish you lots of fun browsing the list and maybe you will have a few of your own ultimate suggestions for me, if you do why not let me know in the comments and I can add your suggestions to the list.

  1. Visit the temples of Angkor during the equinox
    Angkor Wat Temple - sunrise
  2. Foster a close friendship with Cambodians
  3. Find yourself a favorite Tuk-Tuk driver
  4. Try an unusual breakfast at the Pshar Leu market in Siem Reap
  5. Show off your singing skills during a karaoke session
  6. Enjoy exquisite drinks at the Shinta Mani Hotel during happy hour
  7. Try Sampeah, the Cambodian way of greeting
  8. Buy souvenirs from adult street vendors to help support them and their families
  9. Visit the silk farm outside Siem Reap
  10. Enjoy Rocher chocolates in the Blue Pumpkin Cafe
  11. Enjoy your lunch in a hammock restaurant
  12. Go to a Dr. Beat Richner concert [update April 2017] Due to the illness of Dr. Beat Richner, there are no more concerts.
  13. Go and donate blood
  14. Be the guest of a Cambodian family in Siem Reap
  15. Enjoy Phare’s breathtaking circus performance
  16. Get a haircut at a small hairdresser
  17. Take a tour of Cambodia with the Bee doctorBugs Cafe Siem Reap - Seiyon with a scorpion
  18. Visit the Angkor National Museum
  19. Admire the beautiful butterflies in the butterfly garden
  20. Visit the Angkor Handicraft Association market
  21. Test your courage and order a meal with insects
  22. Take part in a cookery course and prepare your own food
  23. Take a trip to Phnom Kulen
  24. Climb Phnom Krom and admire the sunset
    Sunset Phnom Krom
  25. Take a bicycle tour
  26. Take a helicopter trip over Angkor and Siem Reap
  27. Quench your thirst with coconut water
  28. Try food from a small street vendor
  29. Take a Khmer massage course
  30. Buy your souvenirs at the “Made in Cambodia Market”
  31. Order Lok Lak and / or water spinach in a restaurant
    Beef Lok Lak with salad
  32. Take a journey on the Cambodian Bamboo train
  33. Go to Friends ‘N’ Stuff and buy something
  34. Treat yourself to a great meal in the Marum restaurant
  35. Visit the Hard Rock Café
  36. Give your feet a fish massage
  37. Visit a pagoda, for example the Po Banteaychey Pagoda to the south of Siem Reap
  38. Help with rice cultivation
  39. Ride a gondola through the jungle
  40. Look at the breathtaking sunrise from a hill
    Sunrise at Phnom Bakheng over Phnom Bok
  41. Travel during the Cambodian rainy season
  42. Take part in a food tour
  43. Visit the Angkor Center for Conservation and Biodiversity
  44. Learn about the tradition of Cambodian craftsmanship
  45. Take part in the potter’s hour at the Khmer Ceramics Fine Arts Center
  46. Walk along the Siem Reap river
  47. Go to a different restaurant every day
  48. Learn a few words of the Khmer language
  49. Go on a quad tour
  50. Play mini golf
  51. Go to the HAVEN restaurant for lunch or dinner and support the training of Cambodian youths
  52. Run in the Angkor Half Marathon
  53. Visit classes at a school or university
  54. Swing through the jungle with the Flight of the Gibbons
    Pagoda Siem Reap - colorful wall painting
  55. Go on a jeep tour
  56. Visit the “Smile of Angkor” show
  57. Go to the Landmine museum
  58. Let yourself be enchanted by the valley of the 1000 Lingas
  59. Visit the Beng Mealea Temple
  60. Join the “Angkor Wat Bike4Kids” bike spectacle in aid of a good cause
  61. Go swimming in the Western Baray
  62. Visit an Apsara show
  63. Celebrate the Cambodian new year Festival of Susdei Chnam Thmei
  64. Take a boat trip on the Tonle Sap Lake and watch the floating villages
    Man on a boat at Tonle Sap
  65. Treat yourself to a Cupcake at the Blossom Café and support the training concept for Cambodian youngsters
  66. Play a game with Cambodian children
  67. Visit the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary
  68. Take part in a tour of Artisans Angkor
  69. Visit the Wats in Siem Reap in just one day
  70. Visit the new Angkor Panorama Museum
  71. Get in touch with a local NGO and donate
  72. Visit the new Artbox Museum
  73. Buy a picture at the Khmer Kids Gallery
  74. Order Khmer Amok in a restaurant
  75. Book a Tuk Tuk driver for a countryside trip
  76. Enjoy nightlife at Pub-Street
  77. Visit the Angkor Night Market
  78. Visit the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation
  79. Enjoy a meal at New Hope Training Restaurant which also supports a health centre and a free community school
  80. Stay in Siem Reap for more than 3 days

More info for your stay in Siem Reap

In these articles, you can find further information here on Visit Angkor for your stay in Siem Reap:

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4 Comments

    1. Hi Lindsey,
      thank you for your nice comment! I think this must be a touching experience you’ve made at the Ceramics Center. And for sure, a visit is an important point on my bucket list as well. Thank you for the extra motivation :-)

      Btw: I fell in love with ceramics – my daughter made me a present with two little bowls. They are such pretty that I started to take nearly countless photos. You can watch some of them here on my instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/ingapalme/
      Best :) Inga

  1. Hi, how about eating the special rolled ice creams the street vendors make?
    Or visiting Gelato, also THE place to have ice creams.
    Another great thing to do is to visit the elephants sanctuary or even volunteer there for a few days to contribute to environmental sustainability, reforestation, teach English in the villages, and take care of the rescued elephants.
    I did this for 1 week when I spent a month in Chiang Mai, a life changing experience. The same famous lady opened a rehab center here in northern Cambodia and in Myanmar.
    Take part in an outdoor Zumba class near the Royal Palace.
    Take a yoga class or workshop with Navutu Dreams.
    Spend a day at Cambo Beach off Funky Lane, the only beach in SR; opened December 24, 2018.

    Thank you for quite an informative blog, I love the language section with its easy to learn sentences and counting. We have just settled down in SR so I’m already learning the Khmer language, but I appreciate listening to the spoken parts and the info about the apps.

    All the best,
    Myriam

    1. Dear Myriam,
      arkun chraaan <3 Thank you so much for your detailed comment and your feedback! Sounds fantastic! Will add some of them in my list. Only with teaching english by foreigners, I am not sure that's really good. In my home country Germany, for example, I am only allowed to teach at a school if I am officially trained and certified to do so. But in Cambodia I can go to school and teach whatever I want to without any documentation of my skills. Not sure, whether this is really helpful for the kids. However, I think there will be kind of a solution one day :-) Happy to hear that you have such a fantastic time in Cambodia! I'll back in Siem Reap this coming March. For how long are you going to stay in Siem Reap?
      Le Hai ;-) Inga

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