5 Days in Siem Reap: First-Timer Plan
Five days lets you do both circuits at a relaxed pace, add an ethical Tonlé Sap village, and still reach Beng Mealea, one of the far temples outside the standard Angkor Pass. Buy the 3-day Angkor Pass ($62, any 3 days within a 10-day window) from Angkor Enterprise, and keep the other two days for the town and the far temple, which needs its own separate ticket.
Day 1
Ease into town with the Angkor National Museum for background on the Khmer Empire, then spend the afternoon at Psar Chas, the Old Market, browsing souvenirs and street food. For sunset, head to Phnom Bakheng - it caps at 300 visitors on the summit, so arrive by 4pm if you want a spot.
Day 1 tip: buy your Angkor Pass today so tomorrow’s early sunrise start doesn’t get delayed at the ticket office.
Day 2
Start at 4:30am for sunrise at Angkor Wat. If you plan to reach the Bakan, the upper level, wear real sleeves and long pants or a skirt - a draped scarf gets turned away at the dress-code check there. Move on to Angkor Thom: the South Gate, the Bayon’s 216 carved faces, and the Terrace of the Elephants, then Ta Prohm for the tree-root ruins in the afternoon. Dinner on Pub Street runs $15-25.
Day 2 tip: hire a tuk-tuk driver for the full day (around $20-25) rather than negotiating rides between stops.
Day 3
Head to Banteay Srei, about 37km out, for the pink sandstone carving widely considered the finest at Angkor, then work back through the Grand Circuit: Preah Khan, Neak Pean, and Ta Keo. In the evening, book Phare - The Cambodian Circus ($18-35), staffed by graduates of an NGO arts school for at-risk youth - it’s genuinely worth the ticket, not just a feel-good stop.
Day 3 tip: Neak Pean looks completely different by season - full in the wet months, a dry field in dry season - so don’t expect the same photos you’ve seen online regardless of when you visit.
Day 4
Take a boat tour to a Tonlé Sap floating village - choose Kampong Phluk or Kampong Khleang over Chong Khneas, since Chong Khneas has become worn down by fake-orphanage donation requests and inflated boat-tour detours that the other two villages don’t push on visitors. In the afternoon, visit Artisans Angkor for a free workshop tour, and if you’re interested in Cambodia’s more recent history, the Cambodia Landmine Museum, founded by former child soldier turned deminer Aki Ra, is a dignified stop worth an hour (around $5 entry, funds ongoing demining work).
Day 4 tip: book the boat tour through a reputable operator in advance - that’s how to sidestep the on-the-spot add-on scams.
Day 5
Hire a car and driver (around $40-50 for the day) to reach Beng Mealea, about 65km out - a jungle-swallowed temple with its own separate ticket (around $10, not covered by the Angkor Pass). On the way back, stop at the Roluos Group, the empire’s earliest 9th-century temples, included on the standard pass. Spend the evening back in town for a final dinner and the night market before departure.
Day 5 tip: confirm your airport transfer with the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) in mind - it’s 45-75 minutes from town, not the old in-town airport, so build in extra time.
Read more: the full Siem Reap Travel Guide 2026: What to Know covers the separate-ticket temples and when to go in more depth, and 7 Days in Siem Reap: First-Timer Plan shows how two extra days stretch this same trip further.