Angkor Wat Travel Forum

Hi, we're thinking of visiting Cambodia (incl. Angkor Wat), but are not quite sure whats the best arrangement.

Is it very far from Pnomh Penh to Siem Reap (I'm assuming thats where Angkor Wat is, please correct me if I'm wrong).

How long is it advisable to stay @ Siem Reap (I suppose there's a limit to how many temples a person might want to see) .........

Any attractions worth checking out in Pnomh Penh ?

Most grateful for any advice from ny VTers out there.

Cheers.

Check out my Siem Reap page - we stayed 3 nights and found that gave us plenty of time to see all the prominent temples - there's still hundreds more! A sunrise at Angkor Wat is really worth doing, but then jump into a tuk tuk and head straight over to Ta Prohm where the sunrise is almost delayed as the jungle hasn't been cut back anywhere near as much as at other temples. Ta Prohm so early in the morning is nearly your own - we walked through and only saw one or two other people and its a beautiful temple and gives you a little insight into how the temples would have been when they were re-discovered.

Have a great trip!

Phnom Penh:

There is plenty to see that will keep you occupied for at least a couple of days, whether it be the Royal Palace, National museum or the very moving Tuol Sleng (also known as S21). Have a look at my pages for further information. Cambodia was one of my favourite countries.

Siem Reap:

We spent 3 nights there, but admittedly we didn't see the sunrise at the temples.We spent one day seeing the temples. I still need to get more of my tips and photo's on for here.

Hope this helps.

Tracey

They have 1,2,3 day passes you can choose from. For us 2 days was enough to see much of Angkor. In fact, on the second day, we were all templed out.

Pnohm Penh was one of the most depressing 3rd world cities I have seen. It really makes you appreciate what one has in life. If you want some education in living in a 3rd world city then go, other than that there is really no reason to go there. Angkor Wat/Siem Peap on the other hand is very interesting and becoming quite westernized, aside from the historical value of visiting, lots of restaurants, shops, a pretty vibrant downtown.

Hi!

The price of the pass you must purchase to see Angkor may determine how long you wish to stay in SR:

US$20: 1 day
US$40: 3 days
US$60: 1 week

As above, there are 1day, 3 days and a week pass for Angkor and it seems that the 3 day pass is the most popular. You can gain an extra day by purchasing your Angkor pass in the late afternoon and they won't punch your pass until the following morning. Thus you can get a free 'sunset' viewing of Angkor Wat or any other temple though most tourists are herded to Phnom (Hill) Bakheng where literally 100s go for the sunset view. I'd suggest an alternative less-crowded site.

As for Phnom Penh, I've visited a couple times and it's main attractions for tourists are Toul Sleng or S-21, which was a high-school turned interrogation/concentration/torture center and the famous Killing Fields southwest of PP.
PP is five hours by VIP bus from Siem Reap/Angkor.

1 more question, whats the best way to get from Siem Reap to Pnomh Penh ? And how long does it take, plus what is the co$ting like ?

Thanks a bunch.

In Siem Reap, you can visit all temples in Angkor archaeological park in just one whole day for 20usd entrance fee . . .you can rent a Tuktuk the whole day for 15 to 71 usd.
In P.penh. . you can also spend another whole day .. . spending in Cambodia for more than 3 days is boring for me. . .

Many options from PP to SR: plane, bus, boat, private taxi. The bus tickets are around $8-10 per person. You can also go by the Toyota taxis; front seat will cost more than the back seats, but you won't be sharing space with 3 or 4 other passengers that way. They WILL cram in as many bodies as possible! If you are traveling with others, you can rent a whole car for around $60 (prices may be slighter higher now) and they'll pick you up at your hotel in PP and drop you off at your hotel in SR. The cars/taxis will be faster than the bus. Not only do they drive faster, but they stop less often. Whatever you do, avoid the boat. It's overpriced, noisy, and not very scenic.

Mr. Kentut ebsar .. mybe it's too late for me to reply. But please feel free to visit my page about Cambodia ... 5-6 hours from PP to Seam Reap by bus.

Attraction at PP .... 3 major places, also have some places you have to avoid (National Museum).