Top 10 Things to Do in Siem Reap

The state temple of Jayavarman VII is famous for its 216 gigantic stone faces smiling serenely in every direction — a haunting, layered ruin at the heart of Angkor Thom that grows more mysterious with every visit.

Left intentionally unrestored, Ta Prohm's sandstone galleries are being slowly swallowed by massive silk-cotton tree roots — a photogenic meditation on nature's indifference to human ambition and the passage of time.

Siem Reap's party district swings from afternoon cocktails to late-night dancing, while the adjacent Old Market and Night Market offer Cambodian silk, silver, and street food in a raucous but friendly atmosphere.

An hour from town, the villages of Kampong Phluk and Chong Khneas are built entirely on stilts or moored boats on Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake — a living, breathing community that rises and falls with the seasons.

Founded by survivors of a refugee camp arts programme, Phare's acrobats and performers blend circus arts with storytelling about Cambodian history and resilience — a jaw-dropping, life-affirming show that funds the school's training programmes.

The "Citadel of Women" — a 10th-century temple carved from pink sandstone with a level of intricate detail that surpasses anything else at Angkor — is a masterpiece of classical Khmer craftsmanship set amid jungle 38 km north of town.

This social enterprise trains disadvantaged rural Cambodians in traditional crafts — stone and wood carving, lacquer painting, silk weaving — and offers free tours of the workshop before selling the results at fair prices.

Learn to make amok, green papaya salad, and lok lak from scratch at one of Siem Reap's many cooking schools, which typically begin with a market tour to source ingredients and end with a feast you've cooked yourself.

Built by Jayavarman VII as a city-temple honouring his father, Preah Khan's long corridors and half-collapsed galleries covered in lichen offer a more atmospheric and less-crowded Angkor experience than the main sites.

The state temple of Jayavarman VII is famous for its 216 gigantic stone faces smiling serenely in every direction — a haunting, layered ruin at the heart of Angkor Thom that grows more mysterious with every visit.

Left intentionally unrestored, Ta Prohm's sandstone galleries are being slowly swallowed by massive silk-cotton tree roots — a photogenic meditation on nature's indifference to human ambition and the passage of time.

Siem Reap's party district swings from afternoon cocktails to late-night dancing, while the adjacent Old Market and Night Market offer Cambodian silk, silver, and street food in a raucous but friendly atmosphere.

An hour from town, the villages of Kampong Phluk and Chong Khneas are built entirely on stilts or moored boats on Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake — a living, breathing community that rises and falls with the seasons.

Founded by survivors of a refugee camp arts programme, Phare's acrobats and performers blend circus arts with storytelling about Cambodian history and resilience — a jaw-dropping, life-affirming show that funds the school's training programmes.

The "Citadel of Women" — a 10th-century temple carved from pink sandstone with a level of intricate detail that surpasses anything else at Angkor — is a masterpiece of classical Khmer craftsmanship set amid jungle 38 km north of town.

This social enterprise trains disadvantaged rural Cambodians in traditional crafts — stone and wood carving, lacquer painting, silk weaving — and offers free tours of the workshop before selling the results at fair prices.

Learn to make amok, green papaya salad, and lok lak from scratch at one of Siem Reap's many cooking schools, which typically begin with a market tour to source ingredients and end with a feast you've cooked yourself.

Built by Jayavarman VII as a city-temple honouring his father, Preah Khan's long corridors and half-collapsed galleries covered in lichen offer a more atmospheric and less-crowded Angkor experience than the main sites.