Cambodia made its grand entrance onto the travel scene when Lara Croft, portrayed by Angelina Jolie, swung through its ancient temple ruins, revealing their stunning beauty to the world. This sparked a global fascination with the country, conjuring images of timeless ruins, towering temples, lush jungles, spectacular landscapes, and exotic wildlife, drawing in travelers from all corners of the globe.
While Cambodia’s vibrant towns and charming villages exude a sense of tranquility, the country has a dark and painful history. Its internal conflicts, including years of violence and turmoil, have kept many parts of the country off the beaten path for travelers. However, as tourism grows, the country is gradually opening up, with its authentic culinary experiences, boutique shopping, and rich cultural traditions finally starting to shine. Though Siem Reap and its temples dominate most visits to Cambodia, the country has much more to offer. Here are some must-see attractions and experiences that will leave a lasting impression on anyone visiting this land, which feels like both a paradise and a place of sorrow at once.
Angkor Thom (above image)
Angkor Thom may not have received the same level of restoration as Angkor Wat, but it still offers plenty to captivate modern-day travelers. The ancient temple is famous for its iconic entrance bridge, lined with 54 stone warriors engaged in a tug-of-war with the Naga serpent. Many of the warrior heads were lost during the Vietnam War, which makes this bridge a popular spot for striking photos. Other fascinating reliefs throughout the temple depict everyday scenes of life, such as women cooking, men playing chess, and mothers giving birth, adding to the allure of this historical marvel.
Insider Tip – The ideal way of exploring the various Angkor temples is to choose an Angkor day tour. These tours usually cover the most important and popular temples and offer the services of English-speaking guides as well.
Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm, also known as the Tomb Raider temple, remains largely untouched since its discovery, with tree roots winding through its crumbling walls, preserving the original condition of the site. It’s one of the remarkable temples in Angkor, the largest pre-industrial city in the world, and serves as the best example of how nature has gradually reclaimed these structures. The 12th-century ruins gained global fame after being featured in Tomb Raider, where the fictional archaeologist Lara Croft explored its mysterious beauty. The temple’s intentionally preserved state of decay offers the perfect backdrop for visitors to recreate their own “Tomb Raider” moment.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s largest, most iconic, and most captivating temple, is so significant that its image even appears on the country’s flag. Built in the 1100s as the mausoleum for King Suryavarman II, it remained largely unknown to the outside world until the French colonized Cambodia in the 1800s. This relative obscurity may explain why it is one of the best-preserved temples in the Angkor complex. Among its many awe-inspiring features is the bas-relief wall, which vividly portrays both heaven and hell. Another standout attraction is the collection of 1,800 intricate carvings of dancing maidens, scattered throughout the temple complex.
Insider Tip – As dreadful as it sounds, reaching the temple at 05.30 AM is the ultimate thing to do while in Siem Reap. You mumble and grumble at the thought of waking up so early on a holiday, but still end up doing it because those sunrise views are totally worth it. Just make sure you understand where to sit for unobstructed viewing opportunities (the steps of those outpost buildings) and ignore the monkeys.
Phnom Penh was once famous as the Pearl of the Orient. Dominated by jacaranda and tamarind trees and wide boulevards, the city has a cosmopolitan feel to it because of the presence of all kinds of luxury hotels, shopping arcades, cafes, bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Phnom Penh’s romantic riverside has an irresistible energy which always conjures feelings of enthusiasm and adventure in its visitors. Apart from its exotic riverside, the city is also home to old-world villas and beautiful temples. The main highlights of the Phnom Penh tour are the Royal Palace, National Museum, Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
Sihanoukville
Other Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand might be more popular when it comes to beaches and dreamy coastlines, but Cambodia isn’t any pushover either. Sihanoukville is the ideal Cambodian destination for all things beachy, and it is made even more exotic by the fact that much of it is still unaffected by tourism. Sihanoukville is full of remote islands such as the Song Saa Island and white sand beaches such as the Occheuteal Beach. The Song Saa Island is home to one of the top all-villa resorts in Asia, while Occheuteal Beach is famous as the best and most popular beach in Sihanoukville. To enjoy the perfect beach experience, avoid the beach during the day as it is always full of nuisances and vendors. Time your trip to make it just in time for sunset, so that you can enjoy sunset views and happy hour discounts in those beach bars at the same time.
Royal Palace
The Royal Palace, one of the top best things to do in Phnom Penh, dominates the city skyline with its ornate gilding and classic Khmer roofs and is famous for its remarkable likeness to the Royal Palace of Bangkok. Most of the palace is closed to the public, but one can still explore the Throne Hall and the surrounding buildings. The Silver Pagoda complex located next to the palace is also open to the public.
Insider tip – Wearing appropriate clothing is a must to get entry into the palace grounds. You need to wear shorts that reach the knee and blouses/ t-shits that reach the elbow at a bare minimum.
National Museum of Cambodia
The National Museum of Cambodia is located very close to the Royal Palace. Housed in a beautiful terracotta structure, the museum is home to the finest Khmer sculpture collection on the planet. It consists of an inviting garden courtyard and four beautiful pavilions. Some of the star attractions of the museum include a bronze reclining Vishnu statue that was recovered from the Western Mebon Temple, Shiva statues dating back to the 9th century, a 6th century eight-armed Vishnu statue which was discovered in Phnom Da, a pair of 10th century wrestling monkeys and a 12th century stone which inscribes scenes from Shiva’s life.
Insider Tip – Photographing the collection is prohibited. The only photo opportunity inside the museum complex is the garden courtyard.
Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary
The Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary is a part of the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Typical itineraries cover the bird sanctuary, but also include visits to the nearby floating villages and cruises on the lake itself. The bird sanctuary is a part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve and is considered to be an important breeding ground for different types of large water birds in Southeast Asia. Common bird sightings include the milky stork, gray-headed fish eagle, painted stork, spot-billed pelican, and black-headed ibis.
Bayon Temple
The Angkor Wat temple might be the most famous temple in Cambodia, but the Bayon temple is still known to be one of the country’s most recognizable icons. Bayon’s icons are its stone-carved Buddha faces, those massive Buddha silhouettes that jut out from the temple towers and their enchanting and mysterious smile has been entertaining travelers for generations.
Pub Street and Siem Reap Night Market
Pub Street is an area that is known to enjoy a vibe that is usually felt in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. The place is full of exciting bars and restaurants, and a number of world-class spas as well. Drinking the Tomb Raider cocktail and getting a fish pedicure are among the top things to do here. The Siem Reap Night Market is also worth a visit. The market is famous for its oil paintings and knock-off Ray Bans.
Tonle Sap Lake
The Tonle Sap Lake tour is an eye-opener for travelers visiting Cambodia. It gives you an insight into the subsistence living and dreadful poverty of primitive fishing villages in Cambodia. You pass village shacks on stilts and see livestock in floating pens and kids paddling with babies in small canoes.
Insider Tip – Carry lots of fresh fruit with you. Seeing the way people live here is truly an eye opener, and you’re suddenly thankful for all that you have.
Apsara Dance
Apsara dance, an ancient art form which has been a major part of the Khmer culture for centuries, is truly worth a watch while in Cambodia. The dance form has experienced tremendous revival over the past few decades, and the shows are no longer cheesy or boring. You can find a number of beautiful apsara dance shows in Siem Reap, and if you happen to come across a good troupe while in Cambodia, visiting an apsara dance show is an absolute must.
Most travelers visiting Cambodia make the mistake of restricting their itineraries to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. To some extent, both destinations act as a bubble and hardly ever let visitors see the true Cambodia and its actual culture. Thus, for a glimpse of things like timeless landscapes, the last few freshwater dolphins in the region, the local culture, mountainous landscapes, swaying sugar palms and exotic tropical islands, you need to get away from the major cities and visit the countryside.