Things to Do in Siem Reap
Discover 21 activities and experiences in Siem Reap, Cambodia — from outdoor adventures to cultural events. Curated from real traveler recommendations.
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The Water Festival
This vast festival is probably the most extravagant festival in the calendar. Over three days starting with the last full moon day in October or the beginning of November up to a million people from all walks of life from all over the country flock to the banks of Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers in Phnom Penh to watch hundreds of brightly coloured boats with over 50 paddlers battle it out. The boat racing dates back to ancient times marking the strengths of the powerful Khmer marine forces during the Khmer empire. In the evening brightly decorated floats cruise along the river prior to and complimenting the fireworks displays. there is often a parallel festival at Angkor Wat and although it is smaller in scale it is just as impressive due to the backdrop of Angkor Wat. The festival marks the changing of the flow of the Tonle Sap and is also seen as thanksgiving to the Mekong River for providing the country with fertile land and abundant fish. It is at this time when the river flow reverts to its normal down stream direction. The remarkable phenomenon that is the Tonle Sap sees the river flowing upstream during the rainy season and then change direction as the rains cease and the swollen Tonle Sap Lake empties back into the Mekong River leaving behind vast quantities of fish.
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Angkor Photography Festival: Photography for Change
Annual festival that showcases outdoor projections and various exhibitions around Siem Reap of regional and international photographers. The festival is held during the last week of November every year, consisting of 7 evenings of outdoor projections and more than 10 gallery exhibitions across various venues in the city. The festival is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia and is also the biggest. It aims to highlight the work of Asian photographers and provides free workshops for 30 young photographers from the region every year, led by world renowned professionals, which are showcased during the event. There is a full time office/gallery for the festival located on the East river road near the Bopha Angkor Hotel. As well as the festival, the organisers support a local NGO working with street children, that promotes the arts and runs a photography course with students. Photography from these students is also showcased as part of the festival programme.
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Backstreet Academy
An alternative tour experiences platform, they enable locals to offer authentic and unique activities to tourists such as fishing on the mekong like a local fisherman, coconut carving workshops, Cambodian Boxing, Apsara dance classes, even a fear factor challenge where you learn to cook insects which are sold by vendors along the streets in Phnom Penh. A social enterpise, they work with many underprivileged people who either serve as hosts or facilitators. The facilitators will pick you up from your hotel and translate for you. These facilitators are usually young students looking for work to pay for their education or orphans looking to transition into society. Transport is provided for most activities in Phnom Penh. A great way to interact with local people and take in the culture and have something memorable to bring home.
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- Siem Reap, Road 60, Trang Village, Sangkat Slorkram - 200m East of Naga Bridge
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- 08:00-06:00
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Shooting Range
Armament and explosives availability apparently is only limited by how much you are willing to spend. Listening to the soldiers-turned-used car salesmen put the hard sell on a new machine gun is almost worth the trip. This is a true game of Russian roulette. Fancy pulling the pin of a 30+ year old grenade and possibly getting the faulty one? Make sure that whoever is supervising you is also willing to stand next to you. It can be a little bit difficult to find, and a tuk-tuk driver may know where it is.
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- USD50 per AK-47 or M-16 clip, M-60 belt (50 rounds) USD80 (Nov 2011). Grenade throwing: USD30
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Lemongrass Garden
Lovely little spa with a relaxing atmosphere and experienced staff. 60 minute Khmer massages are USD12, while 90 minute Khmer massages are USD17. They also offer oil massages, "spiritual massages," and manicures/pedicures. Treatment rooms have air conditioning, and they provide a cool drink before treatment and warm tea afterwards. They also claim to pay higher wages than most places in Siem Reap, as well as provide other benefits to their workers.
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- 7 Sivatha Blvd
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- USD10-30
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Frangipani Spa
Wonderful spa with a nice atmosphere, peaceful rooms, and experienced staff. The massages actually feel like trained people are giving them. No special services or hidden fees. It is a nice place to go as a couple or alone. They have massage tables and air conditioning. Tasteful exterior surrounded by frangipani plants (partly obscuring their tasteful green sign saying "frangipani").
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- 615/617 Hup Guan St
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- USD25-50
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Pottery Classes & Painting classes
With the pottery class and clay class course, you can make your own ceramic artifact on the potter wheel. You can feel the potters sensation. After you finish your piece, you can add different designs on it with special potter's tools. With the painting activities, you can draw and / or paint your own design on a pot, cup, plate or other kind of ceramics products.
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- 130, vithey charles de gaulle
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- from 8AM to 8PM
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- All activities from $15
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Smile of Angkor
A lavish production of Cambodian traditional dances equipped with a large screen featuring Angkor civilization. "Smile of Angkor" is the grand epic show that revives the Angkor dynasty in all aspects; from foundation to prosperity, tale of folk customs, past to present. The performance expresses traditional Cambodian culture with the latest technology.
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- Smile of Angkor Grand Theatre (Angkor COEX)
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- Nightly, 19:15-20:30
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- USD38-48
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Cambodian Children's House of Peace
The Cambodian Children's House of Peace (aka Santepheap, which means Peace in English) is an orphanage in Siem Reap responsible for over 30 children. The children of the orphanage put on a traditional Khmer Dance show every Sunday night from 19:00-20:15 to highlight traditional Cambodian culture as well as draw attention to the orphanage in general.
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- No.004 Phum Mondul 3, Sangkat Slorkram
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- Sundays, 19:00
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- Free
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KKO - Off Track Mountain Bike Tours
KKO is a local charitable non-profit NGO. They offer unique Angkor park and countryside off track bike tours and mototours also to the countryside. The entire profit generated from the bike tours flows back to the local KKO School. $30-$40 for a guided full day biketour and $45-$60 for a full day mototour. Booking is required.
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- St 20, Wat Bo Rd
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- USD25-40 for a full-day tour
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Angkor Pottery Center
Daily pottery classes for beginners as well as professionals in pottery making, carving and glazing by local potter, Mrs Paruth HANN. Make your own design and take your glazed pot home as a souvenir. Enjoy a truly khmer experience and support an enterprise creating fair wage jobs for the poor village women in Siem Reap.
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- 08:00-17:00
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- $7-20
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We Are The Champions Performances by the Local Disabled Community
A two act play written and performed by participants who share with great feeling what it is like to be disabled in Cambodia and the challenges of their lives. As many of the performers are in pursuit of education to better their lives they appreciate donations of school materials such pens and writing books.
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- Night Market
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- 20:30-21:15, every night except Sunday
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- Free, donations encouraged
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Fish Massage
This Thai fad has crossed the border. Dip your feet in a tank of fish and wince as they eat the dead skin off your toes. Trying a tank with feet already inside it will tell you if the fish are hungry. Some claim to have ''no piranhas'' while others offer a free beer to subdue any doubts.
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- USD1-2 for 15 min
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Kam San Venture
Countryside bike tours with experienced local guides. Five routes including Tonle Sap lake, local markets, and secret temples. Tour price includes guide, bicycle, drinks, lunch, local snacks, and tuk tuk back to Siem Reap if desired. Half-day and full-day tours.
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- 20th Street, Wat Bo Road Intersection
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- $25-65
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Beyond Unique Cooking Class
Cambodian cooking classes in a village 10 min from town. Classes include a visit to a local family and information on Cambodian cooking customs and beliefs. Hands on classes for a maximum of six people unless you book a private group.
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- USD22
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Sabai Motobike and Jeep Adventures
Explore the Cambodian countryside on a guided motobike adventure or in a Jeep. On tour, get off the beaten path to discover authentic, rugged, and fascinating Cambodia. Sabai Moto and Jeep Adventures tours start from Siem Reap.
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The Annual Street Puppet Festival
An exciting pageantry with the concept of sticks and stilts manipulated puppets much like those which debuted in the opening parade of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and also quite similar to the Trinidad & Tobago Carnival.
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The Sangkheum Centre for Children
Children's centre for orphaned, abused or neglected children aged 2-18 receive basic care and additional enrichment classes to supplement their public schooling.
More info -
Siem Reap Moto Tours
Siem Reap Moto Tours offers guided moto scooter tours in the area around Siem Reap, Angkor. Specialist in Kulen Mountain Tours Booking is required.
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- Wat Bo Rd
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- from 16$ for 1/4 day Baray Rider Tour to 105$ for Kulen Mountain Tour
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Cambodian Cultural Village
Cambodian culture in a nutshell, miniature of Cambodian landmarks, Cambodian traditional house replicas, and cultural performances.
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- Airport Road # 6, Khum Svay Dang Kum, Krus Village
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- Daily, 10:00-18:30
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- USD25
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Apsara Theatre
A flashy performance of traditional, popular and classical dances.
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- 20:00-21:30
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Exploring Siem Reap: A Traveler's Guide to Activities
Siem Reap rewards curious travelers with an exceptional range of experiences. Whether you have a weekend or several weeks, the city's 21 documented activities cover the full spectrum — architectural landmarks and world-class museums at one end, local neighborhood festivals and underground cultural scenes at the other. The activities listed on this page come from Wikivoyage contributors who have personally explored Siem Reap and written detailed, practical descriptions to help you plan your visit.
The most rewarding way to experience Siem Reap's activities is with company. Solo travelers who arrive without plans often find that meeting a fellow traveler at a hostel, cafe, or through the Nomax app opens up entirely new itineraries — a museum visit becomes a half-day exploration, a street food crawl turns into an evening of discovery, a day trip to a nearby site becomes an adventure. Siem Reap has an active traveler community, and the city is designed to reward those who explore it with open curiosity.
When planning what to do in Siem Reap, consider mixing well-known attractions with neighborhood-level experiences. The city's most photographed sights are popular for good reason, but Siem Reap's character lives in its quieter corners too — the local markets, the parks where residents spend their weekends, the small performance venues where the next generation of artists and musicians are finding their voice. The 21 activities on this page include both categories, ordered by the richness of their traveler-written descriptions.
How to Get the Most from Siem Reap's Activities
Timing matters in Siem Reap. Many of the city's best attractions have shorter queues and better atmospheres on weekday mornings. Major cultural sites — museums, galleries, historic monuments — often run free admission windows on certain days or evenings; check before booking. Outdoor activities and walking tours are best enjoyed in the morning before the city heats up or fills with tour groups.
Budget-conscious travelers will find that Siem Reap has a strong free-to-access layer. Public parks, open-air markets, architectural walking routes, and many community events cost nothing. The price information included with activities on this page (where available) helps you plan a realistic daily budget. A mix of free and paid activities across a week in Siem Reap is entirely feasible for most traveler budgets.
For travelers who want to do more than just sightseeing, Siem Reap offers organized activities through local guides, tour companies, and traveler apps like Nomax. Group activities — cooking classes, cycling tours, kayaking excursions, photography walks — are a natural way to meet people while experiencing the city. Many travelers who use Nomax in Siem Reap coordinate these types of group experiences together, splitting costs and building memories that last beyond the trip itself.
Activities for Different Travel Styles
Not every traveler wants the same experience. History enthusiasts will gravitate toward Siem Reap's museums, heritage sites, and guided historical walks that reveal the layers of the city's past. Outdoor and adventure travelers will focus on the parks, cycling routes, climbing areas, and day trips to surrounding natural areas. Food travelers will treat Siem Reap's markets, restaurants, and food tours as the primary activities of each day. Culture seekers will fill evenings with concerts, theater, gallery openings, and street performances.
The 21 activities documented on this page span all these categories. Use the numbered list above to browse in order of description quality — longer descriptions generally mean more detailed, firsthand traveler knowledge. For each activity, the address and opening hours (where available) give you everything you need to plan your visit without needing to search elsewhere.
Connecting with Travelers in Siem Reap
One of the best things about traveling to Siem Reap is the community of international travelers already there. Backpackers, digital nomads, long-term expats, and short-trip tourists all share the same city at any given moment. Nomax makes it easy to find who is in Siem Reap right now, see what activities they are joining, and coordinate plans. Whether you want a hiking companion, someone to split museum entry with, or a group for an evening out — the app connects you to people with the same itinerary in minutes.
Download Nomax before your trip to Siem Reap to set your travel dates and start discovering who else will be there at the same time. The app is free, requires no subscription, and works across all the major traveler destinations worldwide — meaning the community you build in Siem Reap often extends to your next destination too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Siem Reap?
Siem Reap offers 21+ activities and experiences for travelers. Top highlights include The Water Festival, Angkor Photography Festival: Photography for Change, Backstreet Academy, and much more. This page lists every documented activity in order of description quality, so you can find both the major attractions and the hidden gems.
Are there free things to do in Siem Reap?
Yes — Siem Reap has a strong selection of free activities. Public parks, open-air markets, walking routes through historic neighborhoods, and many cultural institutions offer free admission on specific days. Scroll through the list above and look for activities marked with free or no price information — these are often the city's most authentic experiences.
How do I meet other travelers while exploring Siem Reap?
Download Nomax — a free travel companion app that shows you other solo travelers currently in Siem Reap. You can join group activities, chat with travelers at the same spots, and plan outings together. Many travelers in Siem Reap use Nomax to find companions for day trips, museum visits, and evening activities.
What activities can I do with travel companions I meet in Siem Reap?
Siem Reap has activities for every interest — guided tours, food experiences, outdoor adventures, cultural events, and nightlife. Use Nomax to coordinate with other travelers: join a group for a walking tour, split a day-trip cost, or simply explore the city together. The app makes spontaneous plans easy.
Explore Siem Reap with fellow travelers
Download Nomax — find travel companions, join group activities, and chat with solo travelers in Siem Reap right now. Free forever.
Travel tips by Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA 3.0). Content may have been updated since publication.
