Siem Reap

Overview

Siem Reap exists because of Angkor Wat. The city is the gateway to the largest religious monument complex in the world, and nearly everything here revolves around the temple tourism economy. It's a small city by Southeast Asian standards, with a population of around 250,000, but it punches well above its weight in tourist infrastructure.

The nightlife scene is compact and almost entirely tourist-driven. Pub Street, a short pedestrianized strip, is the center of it all. You'll find $0.50 draft beers, cocktail buckets, and bars blasting music until late. It's not sophisticated, but it's cheap and social. The surrounding streets have restaurants, night market stalls, and smaller bars that offer a slightly quieter experience.

Don't come here expecting a major nightlife destination. Siem Reap is a temple town with a fun bar strip attached. Most visitors spend their days exploring Angkor and their evenings recovering on Pub Street. That combination works well for what it is.

Legal Context

Cambodia's 2008 Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation makes prostitution illegal. Enforcement in Siem Reap follows the same uneven pattern as the rest of the country. The government's focus tends to be on trafficking and exploitation rather than on low-level entertainment activity.

Siem Reap's entertainment scene is smaller and more contained than Phnom Penh's. The bars on Pub Street operate under standard entertainment licenses, and the city's reliance on tourism means authorities generally keep things running smoothly rather than cracking down on nightlife.

The legal risks for visitors are minimal as long as they stay away from anything involving minors or trafficking. Cambodia cooperates with international law enforcement on child exploitation cases, and penalties are severe.

Key Areas

Pub Street is the heart of Siem Reap's nightlife. This pedestrianized strip is about 200 meters long and packed with bars, clubs, and restaurants. Draft beer starts at $0.50, cocktails run $1-3, and the atmosphere is a mix of backpackers, tour groups, and long-stay visitors. It gets loud after 10 PM and runs until 2-3 AM on busy nights.

Night Market Area sits just east of Pub Street, centered around the Angkor Night Market and surrounding streets. The market itself has handicraft stalls, food vendors, and small bars with live music. The atmosphere is more relaxed than Pub Street. Street food here is excellent and cheap, with most dishes costing $1-3. Several open-air bars line the market's perimeter.

Sivatha Boulevard is the main commercial road running through central Siem Reap. It connects the Old Market area to the highway and has restaurants, massage shops, and a few bars scattered along its length. The scene here is less concentrated than Pub Street, but it offers a more local feel. You'll find some late-night food stalls and smaller venues that attract a mixed crowd of residents and tourists.

Safety

Siem Reap is safer than Phnom Penh, but it's not without risks. The tourist-heavy environment attracts petty criminals and scam operators.

• Bag snatching from motorbikes happens, though less frequently than in Phnom Penh. Keep bags on the building side when walking
• Don't leave drinks unattended in bars. Drink spiking has been reported on Pub Street
• Avoid poorly lit side streets after dark. Stick to the main areas where other people are walking
• Child begging rings operate around tourist areas. Don't give money to children begging; it funds exploitative operations. If you want to help, donate to established local NGOs
• Carry a photocopy of your passport. Leave the original at your hotel
• Avoid drugs entirely. Police target tourists, and penalties include prison time

Cultural Norms

Siem Reap's proximity to Angkor means temple etiquette matters here more than in most Cambodian cities:

• Cover your shoulders and knees when visiting temples. Many sites enforce this strictly, and you can be turned away
• Remove shoes before entering temple buildings
• Don't point your feet at Buddha images or monks
• The Cambodian greeting is the "sampeah," a bow with palms pressed together. Returning it is polite
• Khmer is the local language, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas
• US dollars are the de facto currency. Prices are quoted in dollars, and change under $1 is given in riel (4,000 riel = $1)
• Tipping $1-2 for service staff is appreciated and increasingly expected in tourist establishments

Social Scene

Pub Street is the obvious starting point for nightlife, but it's mostly party bars selling cheap draft beer and playing loud music. It's social in a surface-level way, full of backpackers and tour groups, but not the best place for genuine connection. If you're looking for real conversation, head elsewhere.

Miss Wong is a cocktail bar on a side street near Pub Street with an intimate 1930s Shanghai atmosphere. It's one of the few places in town where you can actually hear the person next to you. Laundry Bar, tucked behind the Old Market, draws a mix of locals, expats, and travelers with its live music and relaxed vibe. Station Noodle doubles as a wine bar in the evenings and attracts a quieter crowd.

Siem Reap's cafe scene has grown considerably in recent years. Sister Srey Cafe near the river and Little Red Fox Espresso in the Old Market area are popular daytime spots where conversations happen naturally. Temple tours themselves create social opportunities, as you'll run into the same travelers at multiple sites throughout the day. Shared tuk-tuks and sunrise viewings at Angkor Wat are common icebreakers.

The expat community here is smaller and more tight-knit than Phnom Penh's. It's made up primarily of hospitality workers, NGO staff, and a handful of remote workers who chose Siem Reap for its low cost of living. The Old Market area has restaurants like Haven and Genevieve's where locals and foreigners eat side by side, and regular customers get to know each other quickly. Siem Reap is a small city, and the social scene reflects that. Everyone seems to know everyone, and word travels fast. Privacy is limited, for better or worse.

Scam Warnings

Fake orphanage visits are a serious problem in Siem Reap. Operators use children as props to extract donations from tourists. Many of these children aren't orphans and are kept in poor conditions to generate sympathy. Don't visit orphanages that solicit tourists directly.

Temple guide pressure is common at Angkor. Unofficial guides approach visitors and then demand payment. Hire guides through your hotel or a licensed agency if you want one.

Best Times

November through February is the best period. Temperatures are more manageable (25-30C), rain is rare, and the temples look spectacular in the clear light. This is peak season, so expect higher prices and bigger crowds.

March through May is brutally hot, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40C. Temple visits become physically demanding. Nightlife still operates, but the tourist population thins considerably.

The rainy season runs from June through October. Afternoon downpours are heavy but usually short. The upside is fewer tourists, lower prices, and lush green surroundings at the temples. Angkor Wat's moat is fullest during this period.

Getting Around

• Tuk-tuks: The standard transport in Siem Reap. Negotiate fares in advance. Central trips cost $1-2, airport runs $7-10
• Grab: Available in Siem Reap and often cheaper than negotiating with tuk-tuk drivers directly
• Bicycles: Many hotels rent bikes for $1-3 per day. The city is flat and bikeable, though traffic can be intimidating
• Motorbike rental: Available for $8-12 per day, but traffic rules are loosely observed and accidents happen
• Walking: Central Siem Reap is walkable. The Old Market, Pub Street, and Night Market areas are all within a 10-minute walk of each other

What Not to Do

• Don't buy "antique" artifacts or temple carvings. They're either fake or illegally looted, and exporting genuine antiquities is a criminal offense
• Don't touch or climb on temple structures at Angkor. The sandstone is fragile and irreplaceable
• Don't take photos of monks without asking permission first
• Don't give money to child beggars. It sustains exploitation networks
• Don't visit orphanages that approach tourists. These are frequently scams that harm children
• Don't carry or use drugs. Police operations target tourists, and Cambodian prisons are harsh
• Don't lose your temper. Cambodians view public anger as a serious loss of composure
• Don't fly drones over the Angkor complex without permission from APSARA Authority