Siem Reap

Everything You Need to Know

Siem Reap exists because of Angkor — the vast temple complex built by the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 15th centuries, sprawling across 400 square kilometers of jungle and farmland north of town. Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious monument, needs no introduction: its five lotus-bud towers, 800 meters of bas-relief galleries depicting Hindu mythology, and the way its silhouette catches the first light of dawn have made it Cambodia's national symbol and a UNESCO World Heritage treasure.

But Angkor is far more than a single temple. Ta Prohm, left deliberately unrestored, is where silk-cotton trees have fused with 12th-century sandstone in a haunting embrace — Tomb Raider filmed here for good reason. Bayon's 216 serene stone faces gaze in every direction from a mountain of carved towers. Banteay Srei, 'Citadel of Women,' features the most intricate carvings in all of Khmer art — rose-pink sandstone devatas so delicately carved they seem to breathe.

Siem Reap town has grown into a destination in its own right: Pub Street's neon strip gives way to hidden cocktail bars, the Phare Cambodian Circus performs breathtaking acrobatics with social-enterprise heart, and cooking classes teach the secrets of fish amok and Khmer red curry. The Tonlé Sap floating villages — entire communities on stilts above the great lake — offer a glimpse of a way of life that predates the temples themselves.