Where to Stay in Siem Reap: Best Areas, Plus Phnom Penh & Battambang
Stay in town, not by the temples: Wat Bo on the east bank is the best all-round base for Angkor, the road to Angkor suits families who want a pool, and Pub Street is only for people who want the noise.
Siem Reap is a small town with one big reason to be there, and the accommodation question is really about your evenings. Nothing is built inside the Angkor park, so every temple day starts with a tuk-tuk ride north whatever you book. The real choice is between the loud centre, the quieter riverside lanes a short walk away, and the garden resorts on the road towards the temples.
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We went in February 2018 with two kids, on a nine-night loop from Phnom Penh to Battambang, Siem Reap and back to the capital. In Siem Reap we used three bases in five nights: upriver, on the road to Angkor and in Wat Bo. This guide is built on those stays, on what has changed since (both airports, for a start) and on current prices.
The Short Answer
| Best for | Area | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-time visitors | Wat Bo | The Bliss Angkor | Pool and garden, walkable to the Old Market |
| Families | Road to Angkor | Sokkhak Boutique Resort & Spa | We stayed: saltwater pool, quiet garden, near the temples |
| Couples and a splurge | Wat Bo | Viroth's Hotel | Design hotel 400 metres from the Old Market |
| Budget | Sok San and the Night Market | The Jungle | Pool and family rooms for under €50 |
| Food and nightlife | Old Market and Pub Street | Koulen Central Hotel | Five minutes' walk from Pub Street |
| Quiet and green | Wat Damnak | Eightfold Urban Resort | Pool and family suites in residential lanes |
| Battambang | Wat Kor village | Maisons Wat Kor | We stayed: teak houses, pool, lotus pond |
| Phnom Penh | Daun Penh | Harmony Phnom Penh Hotel | Family rooms, rooftop pool, near the Royal Palace |
Where we stayed: Maison Polanka (Siem Reap riverside, 2 nights), Sokkhak Boutique Resort & Spa (road to Angkor, 2 nights), La Niche d'Angkor (Wat Bo, 1 night), Maisons Wat Kor (Battambang, 2 nights), Samathi Lake Resort and Vacation Boutique Hotel (Phnom Penh, 1 night each), February 2018.
How Siem Reap Is Laid Out
The Siem Reap river runs north to south through the town. The Old Market and Pub Street are on the west bank, with Sivatha Boulevard, Sok San Road and the Night Market just west of them. On the east bank are Wat Bo and, further south, Wat Damnak: quieter residential lanes full of small hotels. Charles de Gaulle Avenue runs about 6 km north from the centre to Angkor Wat, lined with the big resorts. The ticket office, off Apsara Road north-east of town, opens at 5am; tickets bought after 4.30pm are valid from the next day, which is how you manage a sunrise start.
You get around by tuk-tuk: a few dollars a ride in town (PassApp works well), roughly $20 to $25 for a full Small Circuit day with a driver.
The constraint most people miss is the airport. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) opened in October 2023, about 50 km east of town, and the old one is closed. Allow 60 to 90 minutes: the official shuttle costs $8 to Makara Street, taxis start at around $35, and many hotels sell transfers.
Four nights is the right length: a 3-day Angkor Pass ($62) works on any three days within a week, leaving room for a rest day. From March to May the heat is fierce, and a hotel pool matters, especially with children.
Wat Bo and the East Bank — Walk to Dinner, Sleep Quietly
This is the area we would point most people to. The lanes around the Wat Bo pagoda sit across the river from the Old Market, 10 to 15 minutes' walk from Pub Street: you eat in town and sleep away from the music. North of Wat Bo, the river road runs on into greener, more spread-out country, where Maison Polanka and the pricier riverside retreats are.
Best for: first-time visitors who want quiet nights and walkable evenings.
Pros
- 10 to 15 minutes' walk to the Old Market and Pub Street
- Much quieter at night than the west bank
- Small hotels with pools and gardens
Cons
- Upriver hotels are a tuk-tuk ride from town
- Fewer cheap beds than Sok San
Getting around: 15 to 20 minutes by tuk-tuk to the Angkor Wat gates, 10 to 15 minutes to the ticket office.
Where to stay in Wat Bo and the east bank
- Budget — La Niche d'Angkor Boutique Hotel — small hotel with a pool and garden on Street 27, from about €35 a night. We stayed here.
- Mid-range — The Bliss Angkor — garden hotel with a pool behind Wat Bo, from about €47 a night, and rated exceptional by guests.
- Splurge — Viroth's Hotel — 1950s-style design hotel with a pool, about 400 metres from the Old Market, from about €150 a night.
- Splurge, upriver — Maison Polanka — Khmer wooden houses around an infinity pool, north of Wat Polanka, from about €280 a night in February. We stayed here.
Our stay: we began with two nights at Maison Polanka at around €145 a night in February 2018. The same dates now cost nearly twice that, breakfast is extra (about €18 per person), and January was already full when we checked. We ended with one night at La Niche d'Angkor for around €75, roughly double its cheapest room today. For a temple-focused trip we would recommend La Niche: walkable, with a pool, and cheap today, though its guest score (8.3) trails its neighbours'. Maison Polanka now suits only a slower trip with time for the pool and garden.
Old Market and Pub Street — Everything Close, Nothing Quiet
This is the centre, on the west bank. Pub Street is exactly what it sounds like: bars, restaurants and loud music late into the night. A few streets away it calms down, with good Khmer restaurants. You never need an evening tuk-tuk; the price is the noise.
It suits adults who want to go out and anyone on a short stay. Light sleepers should ask for a room away from the street.
Best for: short stays, food and nightlife.
Pros
- Restaurants, markets and spas on foot
- Tuk-tuks at any hour
Cons
- Noisy until late around Pub Street
- Less greenery and space than the east bank
Getting around: about 20 minutes by tuk-tuk to the Angkor Wat gates.
Where to stay near the Old Market
- Budget — Le Grande Indochine Hotel — French-style building with a saltwater pool on Oum Chhay Street, 10 minutes' walk north of Pub Street, from about €40 a night.
- Mid-range — Koulen Central Hotel — by the Central Market, five minutes' walk from Pub Street, from about €55 a night.
- Splurge — Shinta Mani Angkor — luxury hotel at Oum Khun and Street 14, five minutes' walk from the Old Market, from about €270 a night.
For the rest of the town beyond the temples, see our best things to do in Cambodia.
Sok San and the Night Market — Budget Beds, Short Walk
West of Sivatha Boulevard, the lanes around Sok San Road and the Angkor Night Market hold most of the hostels and cheap guesthouses. It is less pretty than the east bank, but Pub Street is only about 10 minutes' walk away and prices drop noticeably. Several places have pools, which matters in the afternoon heat.
Best for: budget travellers who still want to walk to dinner.
Pros
- The cheapest beds in town
- Pools even at low prices
Cons
- Busy roads, little greenery
- Party hostels can be loud
Getting around: about 20 minutes by tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat.
Where to stay in Sok San and the Night Market
- Budget — Mad Monkey Hostel Siem Reap — social hostel with a pool on Rose Apple Road, dorm beds from about €6 a night.
- Mid-range — The Jungle — small hotel with a pool and family rooms on Angkor Night Market Street, from about €50 a night in January and €35 in July. One of the best-reviewed places in town.
The Road to Angkor — Gardens and Pools, Tuk-Tuk Required
Resorts and garden hotels line Charles de Gaulle Avenue and the streets around Wat Thmei and the Angkor National Museum. This is as close as you can sleep to the temples, and you get space: large pools, gardens, silent nights. The trade-off is a tuk-tuk into the centre for every meal out.
Best for: families and early risers.
Pros
- Shortest ride to the temples
- Big pools, gardens and quiet nights
Cons
- A tuk-tuk for every meal out
- Few budget options
Getting around: 10 to 15 minutes to the Angkor Wat gates and about 10 minutes to Pub Street, by tuk-tuk.
Where to stay on the road to Angkor
- Budget — The Community – Siem Reap — hotel on the road to Angkor Wat with two pools and family rooms, from about €45 a night in January and €30 in July.
- Mid-range — Sokkhak Boutique Resort & Spa — small resort with a saltwater pool near Wat Thmei, from about €75 a night. We stayed here.
- Splurge — Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort — large resort in landscaped gardens on Charles de Gaulle Avenue, from about €235 a night.
Our stay: our middle two nights were at Sokkhak, at around €80 a night in February 2018, and the price has barely moved. It is about 4 km from Angkor Wat and 4 km from Pub Street, and guests rate it 9.8. The resort charges $35 each way for a private transfer from the new airport for up to two people, so a family of four needs two cars or another plan. It is the base we would recommend for families. One lesson from our route: three hotels in five nights means a lot of packing, so on a short stay pick one base.
To plan the temple days, read our complete guide to the Angkor temples.
Wat Damnak — Calm, Green, Slightly Further Out
South of Wat Bo on the east bank, the lanes around Wat Damnak pagoda and Salakamreuk Road are the most residential part of central Siem Reap. Hotels here are small and green, set behind walls in their own gardens, with Pub Street 15 to 20 minutes away on foot.
Best for: a calm base with a garden.
Pros
- Residential and quiet
- Good-value resorts with pools
Cons
- Few restaurants on the doorstep
- Slightly longer ride to the temples
Getting around: 20 to 25 minutes by tuk-tuk to the Angkor Wat gates.
Where to stay in Wat Damnak
- Mid-range — Eightfold Urban Resort — resort with a pool and family suites on Salakamreuk Road, from about €65 a night in January. Children aged four and over pay the adult rate.
- Splurge — Sala Lodges — boutique hotel with a pool and yoga classes in Salakomroeuk, from about €290 a night.
Battambang — Slow Town, Countryside on the Doorstep
Battambang, about three hours by road from Siem Reap, is a calm river city with colonial shophouses, pagodas and Psar Nat, its Art Deco market. The sights are in the countryside: the bamboo train (now running from Phnom Banan, about 20 km out), Phnom Sampeou and its Killing Cave, and the bat cave at dusk. That means a day with a tuk-tuk and driver, and two nights is the right length.
You can stay in the walkable centre or in the quieter villages just outside, with gardens and pools. We chose the village.
Best for: a two-night countryside stop between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
Pros
- Far calmer than Siem Reap or Phnom Penh
- Garden hotels at fair prices
Cons
- Village hotels need a tuk-tuk to reach town
- No airport: three hours from Siem Reap, about five from Phnom Penh
Getting around: 20 to 30 minutes by tuk-tuk to Phnom Banan or Phnom Sampeou.
Where to stay in Battambang
- Mid-range — Bambu Hotel — boutique hotel with a pool near the centre, from about €65 a night.
- Mid-range — Battambang Resort — modern rooms by a lake among rice fields in Wat Kor village, from about €70 a night.
- Mid-range — Maisons Wat Kor — houses of reclaimed teak around a pool and lotus pond, from about €90 a night. We stayed here.
Our stay: we paid around €80 a night for two nights at Maisons Wat Kor in February 2018, about the same as today. It is in Wat Kor village south of the centre, so town is a short tuk-tuk ride rather than a walk. It is rated 9.4, and recent reviews single out the garden, the lotus pond and the pool. Two nights there is what we would recommend again. For the day out, see our top things to do in Battambang.
Phnom Penh — Stay Near the Palace
For most visitors Phnom Penh is a night or two at either end of the trip. Stay in Daun Penh, the old centre between the Royal Palace, the riverfront and the Central Market: the National Museum, Wat Phnom and the riverside restaurants are on foot, and the Killing Fields are about 40 minutes away by tuk-tuk.
The big change since our trip: Techo International Airport opened on 9 September 2025, about 28 km south of the city, replacing the old airport to the west. Allow 40 minutes to more than an hour into the centre.
Best for: a one- or two-night stop before or after Siem Reap.
Pros
- Main sights walkable from Daun Penh
- Rooftop pools at mid-range prices
Cons
- Heavy traffic and heat
- Longer airport transfers than before 2025
Getting around: about 10 minutes' walk from most Daun Penh hotels to the Royal Palace.
Where to stay in Phnom Penh
- Budget — Vacation Boutique Hotel — simple hotel on Street 136, 10 minutes' walk from the Royal Palace and Wat Phnom, from about €20 a night. We stayed here.
- Mid-range — Harmony Phnom Penh Hotel — family rooms and a rooftop infinity pool on Street 148, from about €57 a night.
- Mid-range — Plantation Urban Resort & Spa — two pools, directly behind the Royal Palace, from about €70 a night.
- Splurge — Raffles Hotel Le Royal — the historic grand hotel near Wat Phnom, from about €310 a night.
Our stay: our first night, at Samathi Lake Resort in Sen Sok, north-west of the centre near the old airport, cost around €55. It no longer appears on Booking.com, and with the airport now in the south there is no reason to stay out there. Our last night, at Vacation Boutique Hotel, cost around €85 in February 2018; its cheapest double now costs a fraction of that. Guests rate the location above the hotel itself (overall 8.0), so if you can, spend a little more on Harmony or the Plantation. For the sights, see our best things to do in Phnom Penh.
What It Costs, and When to Book
Prices checked October 2026, for a double room in January 2027:
- Budget: dorm beds from €6; private rooms from about €20 in Phnom Penh, and €35 to €50 with a pool in Siem Reap.
- Mid-range: €55 to €90 for small hotels and garden resorts with pools, in all three places.
- Splurge: €150 to €300 for Siem Reap's design hotels and riverside retreats; €300 to €450 and up for the colonial grand hotels.
High season runs from November to March: dry, slightly cooler and busiest at the temples. The rainy season is roughly June to September; when we checked July rates, some hotels were cheaper and others weren't, so the real gains are availability and emptier temples. For the best small hotels between December and February, book early. Booking.com usually offers a flexible rate and a cheaper non-refundable one, and with children the flexible rate is worth the difference.
Check the family details: some hostels, and Muni Residence in Battambang, don't accept children. Others charge children as adults from a set age (four at Eightfold, 12 at the Sofitel). Breakfast is not always included: it was €6 a head extra at La Niche and about €18 at Maison Polanka. Prices are often quoted in US dollars.
Where This Fits in the Trip
Most Cambodia trips link Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, five to six hours apart by bus or minivan, or an hour by air. Ours went Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, with Battambang slotting in between. Plan the temple days with our complete guide to the Angkor temples and the rest with our 25 best things to do in Cambodia. With more time, head south from the capital to the riverside town of Kampot: see our things to do in Kampot.
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FAQ
How many nights do you need in Siem Reap? Four if you can: three temple days on a 3-day Angkor Pass, usable on any three days within a week, plus a rest day. Two nights is the bare minimum.
What is the best area to stay in Siem Reap for a first visit? Wat Bo, on the east bank. Pub Street and the Old Market are 10 to 15 minutes' walk away, but you sleep away from the bars.
Can you stay next to Angkor Wat? No. There are no hotels inside the Angkor park. The closest are along Charles de Gaulle Avenue, the road to Angkor, 10 to 15 minutes by tuk-tuk from the Angkor Wat gates.
How far is the new Siem Reap airport from town? Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), open since October 2023, is about 50 km east of town: allow 60 to 90 minutes. The official shuttle costs $8; taxis start at around $35.
Is Battambang worth an overnight stop? Yes, for two nights. It is about three hours by road from Siem Reap, and its sights are spread around the countryside, so a day trip is a rush.
Where should you stay in Phnom Penh? Daun Penh, between the Royal Palace, the riverfront and the Central Market. The airport moved 28 km south in September 2025, so staying near the old one no longer saves time.
Pierrick Jean stayed in Siem Reap, Battambang and Phnom Penh in February 2018 with his family. Prices and availability checked October 2026. More about how we write our guides.