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 Traveller's Tales: Places to go and see in Cambodia
Take a tour of the top places to go in Cambodia. You may read about must see places and activities in the area. Also, you might want to read our
Angkor / Siem Reap city guide,
and Phnom Penh city guide.
Pages (8 of 27):
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| H Dehaan |
03 March 2004 |
Stayed at Inter-Continental Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Take a taxi to FCC, cost you US$ 5 - by hotel taxi, and you will be at the river side with its nice boulevard, and in the middle of everything. FCC known by everybody, is also a nice place for your morning coffee, lunch or diner.
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| S Rose, |
27 February 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples are magnificent. We hired a taxi for the day for $30 USD between 3 of us - good value. There are some good eating places down by the market. We used tuk tuks at night-$1 dollar for my son and I!
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| J Dahlheimer |
25 February 2004 |
Stayed at FCC Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Interesting city for a day or two at most. Tonle Sap River is center of life. Many restaurants and shops catering to westerners are located along the quay. Easy and cheap to get around with tuk-tuks or on the back of a motorbike, but realize that traffic is chaotic with the drivers of cars, trucks, tuk tuks, rickshaws and motorbikes just sort of flowing around each other; sometimes with the traffic, sometimes against. If you tend to be nervous, keep your eyes closed!! Genocide museum is a profoundly moving and thought provoking experience. People seem very warm and friendly. No hesitation in walking around by ourselves. Hard to believe that this people somehow gave rise to the Khmer Rouge.
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| A Scott-watson |
22 February 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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With 2 kids under the age of 5, one has to avoid temple "burn-out", so the 4 excursions below were nice diversions:
1. The highlight for us was a little boat trip on the Tonle Sap lake along the floating village: about $20 for a boat to ourselves, we left the hotel at 3:30pm and were there well in time for the sunset. There is a little floating bar/crocodile farm that serves cool beers with boiled shrimps...Magic.
2. Another winner for our kids was an elephant ride at the Bayon.
3. A trip to the local silk manufacture (near the Artisans d'Angkor) was also interesting for parents and children alike, and very friendly.
4. We also rented a small boat on the largest reservoir to reach the middle island and its ruined temple. Got a coconut drink there, away from the crowds.
Parents: go to Cambodia with children, the local people love kids and it is possible to enjoy the temples, with lots of drinking water and a bit of patience.
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| B Keller |
17 February 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Century Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Talking about jaw dropping, awe-inspiring temples, Siem Reap has it all to offer. Hire a guide and a car to take you around (combined at $50 a day). While Angkor Wat is the most well-known, the Bayon and Ta Prohm were out of this world. Think Indiana Jones or Tombraider for those movie buffs. I'm one that gets easily "templed" out, but these sites kept me transfixed in their grandeur.
Prices are high. As the main source of hard currency, they realize tourism is where they have it made. Multiple huge hotels going up which may saturate the market in a few years. Food at FCC (aka Foreign Correspondence Club) was a trowback to "high sixties style." A good place to get a broad variety of meals.
Do take a tuk-tuk tour around town at nite to admire the small town charm.
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| L Breeden |
12 February 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Cambodia is an amazing place with amazing people. Smiles and happiness, despite poverty and years of war. But it is a rough existance. Don't wear anything you hope to ever get clean again. But do experience the Cambodian service. Get a haircut (which includes a shave and ear-cleaning). Get massages. Hire a tour guide. You usually get more than your money's worth.
The temples are, of course, amazing. We also took a boat tour of Tonle Sap Lake. Quite an experience I'll never forget. (floating villages and smells of raw sewage/fish paste). We enjoyed the Soup Dragon Restaurant and had good massages at Dr. Feet. But beware of what you consume. It is a dirty place and my friend got sick for several days after eating a "bad" meal.
There are no ATMs in Cambodia, so we used only USD, which are widely excepted. But it was more expensive than I imagined... so take more than you think you'll need (entry visa, departure tax, temple entrance fees, tour guide & drivers, food = in 3 days I spent about $280 without hotel).
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| D Fralix |
07 February 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We were able to see all of the temples we wanted to see in two days, including Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, and Banteay Srie. Ask for a guide with a car and expect to pay about $20-$25 per day. Otherwise, you may end up with a guide AND a driver which will cost about $20 extra. Overall, it's well worth the price. Otherwise, you'll just walk around the temples and not really know what you're looking at - much better to have a guide explain what you're seeing and point out the interesting things you might otherwise miss.
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| A Wargo |
29 January 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is very tourist friendly. Rent a car with air conditioning (USD 20.00 per day) and take a break and have a swim from 12:00 to 14:00 as it gets too hot. Don't go to sunrise at Angkor Wat as it is too crowded. Best time of the day to see (almost alone) the monuments is at 7:30 am to 9:00 when all the sunrise people got back to get breakfast. Do go the 40 km. out to see the jungle-covered ruins to the east of town.
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| D Yamolas |
26 January 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Siem Reap is a small town with an exotic look: palm trees, lots of vegetation, small river, thatch-roofed huts, monkeys walking over electricity wires (!), dusty roads, traditional markets, friendly local people. It's nice to have one more day to stroll and watch everyday life! The reason to visit the place is of course one: ANGKOR temple's area! Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom etc. are magnificent temples located in the world's largest temple site. Angkor Wat is one of the 7 wonders of the world! When I first saw a picture in a "World Culture" exhibition I promised myself I'll go and visit the place! It was impressive and the only negative thing was the huge tourist crowds.
The most comfortable way to visit the temples is an a/c car (from 20$ per day), but motorbikes and tuk tuks are available for less. If you want to go at the most quiet time try noon to 3pm, when everybody has a break (if you can stand the heat). This would be good for Bayon and Ta Phrom temples, which are the crowdiest! The others are fine any time. If you want to see Angkor Wat from above, try the "balloon ride" (11$ for 10') Everyone goes to Bakheng hill around sunset for that, but it's soooo crowded!
Apart from the temples, we visited the Old Market (Cambodian silk, cheap books about Angkor, a hammock for 2$!) and the "Crocodile farm" which was nothing special and too expensive (2$). In the city we walked or took a tuk tuk (1$ per ride, they ask more at first, but stick to the 1$). We had Khmer and Thai food in little restaurants on Wat Bo road (where "Angkor Village Resort", the hotel we stayed, is located), but for western food we'd like to recommend FCC (Pokambor Ave, near "Grand Hotel D'Angkor"), great ambience and food, but a little more expensive. The "Red Piano" bar & restaurant is also good and famous, since "Tomb Raider" film crew used it as headquarters. They offer "Tomb Raider" cocktail, "Lara's favourite". In high season it's hard to get a table there! We had a good time at the "Banana Leaf" bar; very friendly owner, but they need to improve the drinks' selection!
Don't miss the "Apsara Dance Show" (we went to "Angkor Village Resort's Apsara Theater"), it's really traditional! If you have time, it's good to visit also the capital city Phnom Penh. Most people stick to Siem Reap and Angkor, but without seeing Phnom Penh you haven't really seen Cambodia. The palace, the riverfront, the temples, the museums are a must! Especially the "Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum" where you learn how much the Cambodian people suffered. It's the "dark side" of Cambodia, given that the bright side is the historical greatness of Angkor Wat.
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| D Grant |
25 January 2004 |
Stayed at La Residence d' Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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As it was our second visit, we could avoid all the must-do temples. We concentrated on the smaller out of the way sites. The highlight was a visit to Bang Melia, which is just opening up to visitors. Totally unrestored andd way off the beaten track, it is a wonderful peaceful place.
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