Siem Reap
Six centuries of Khmer temples in the forest north of town, a king's guesthouse turned into twenty-four suites, villas on stilts over the paddies, and a new airport an hour and a quarter down the toll road.
- Arrival
- Siem Reap-Angkor International · SAI
- To the town
- About 75 minutes by car
- Private jets
- VIP terminal at SAI, customs on site
- Best time
- November to February
The city
The gateway to Angkor.
From the 9th to the 15th century the Khmer kings built their capitals on the plain just north of Siem Reap: Angkor Wat, the Bayon at Angkor Thom, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm. UNESCO protects some 400 km² of temples and forest. The town itself is small, gathered around its night market, with seven hotels holding MICHELIN Keys.
Go in the cool season, November to February, for afternoons near 30 °C and almost no rain. March and April reach 36 °C, and the rains run from May to October.
- Angkor Wat The great temple of the site, its towers rising inside a broad moat.
- The Bayon The temple at the centre of Angkor Thom, where carved faces look out from every tower.
- Banteay Srei A small temple in pink sandstone, carved so finely that the stone looks moulded.
Arriving
A new runway east of town.
Siem Reap-Angkor International opened in October 2023 and replaced the old airport on the edge of town. It lies about 50 km to the east, an hour and a quarter by car along a toll highway.
- Phuket 1 h 25
- Hong Kong 2 h 15
- Mumbai 4 h 40
- Doha 7 h 35 long-range jet
- Cape Town 13 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
November to February.
Hot all year, with a dry season from November to April. The early months of it are the pleasant ones: highs of 30 to 34 °C and barely any rain. March and April peak at 36 °C, and the wet season runs from May to October, wettest in September.
- 31° J 1
- 34° F 9
- 36° M 28
- 36° A 64
- 34° M 146
- 33° J 166
- 32° J 186
- 32° A 224
- 31° S 250
- 31° O 215
- 31° N 61
- 30° D 7
Where to stay
Between the temples and the town.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor The town's grand old hotel, first opened in 1932, with a 35-metre pool set in its gardens.
- Amansara King Sihanouk's guesthouse of the 1960s, now twenty-four suites, with temple visits each day by remork.
- Zannier Phum Baitang Forty-five thatched wooden villas on stilts among gardens and rice paddies, some with plunge pools of their own.
- Park Hyatt Siem Reap A contemporary hotel of 104 rooms in the town centre, new to the MICHELIN Key list this year.
- Shinta Mani Angkor Bill Bensley's planting fills the courtyards, and his pool villas are the best rooms in the house.
- FCC Angkor by Avani The old French governor's residence, an Art Deco mansion next to the Royal Residence, with a black-bottomed salt-water pool.
- Sala Lodges Eleven wooden Khmer houses, most of them half a century old, carried in from the countryside and raised again on stilts.
Where to dine
The best tables in Siem Reap.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Cambodia. These are Fodor’s Choice restaurants and winners of Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best award for 2026.
- Cuisine Wat Damnak Fodor’s Choice Modern Cambodian $$$$ Sala Kamreuk
- Lum Orng Farm to Table Fodor’s Choice Contemporary Cambodian $$$$ Edge of town, about 20 minutes by tuk-tuk
- Embassy by Chef Kimsan Tripadvisor Best of the Best 2026 Contemporary Khmer $$$$ Mondul 1, by the river
- Kroya by Chef Chanrith Tripadvisor Best of the Best 2026 Cambodian $$$$ Shinta Mani Angkor
Flying to Siem Reap?
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