Siem Reap / Phnom Penh - How much time?
Aug 14th, 2003, 06:20 AM
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Siem Reap / Phnom Penh - How much time?
Can someone recommend how much time to spend in each of these places? I'm mostly interested in seeing Angkor Wat. So would 2 days be good enough to see it? Or would 3 be better?
Aug 14th, 2003, 09:55 AM
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Generally, three days is considered the minimum to see the major temples. I spent a week there and loved every minute of it. If you are really interested in the temples, you'll want more than the three day minimum. Buy Dawn Rooney's Book, Angkor, to prepare youself for the trip.
If you are mostly interested in seeing Angkor, you may want to skip Phnom Penh entirely. That will give you more time for the temples.
If you are mostly interested in seeing Angkor, you may want to skip Phnom Penh entirely. That will give you more time for the temples.
Aug 14th, 2003, 05:01 PM
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I agree - three days is about a minimum. The sites open at 4 p.m. for free - so you could explore the (small) city and surrounding countryside the first day (don't miss the land mine museum - an unforgettable experience no matter how odd it sounds) and go to the temples for free the first evening.
Many people go to one temple that's higher than the others to watch the sun set over Angkor Wat - it's a fun experience and a good first introduction to the temples.
Then you can plan 1 - 2 full days at the temples. They really are amazing, and it's hard to explain how incredible they are. They are so well preserved, and they are in the middle of the jungle, far removed from "civilization" - it's a very different experience than visiting ancient sites in Greece or Egypt, where you often have to try to drown out the sounds of traffic to try to visualize the sites as they originally were. And there are far fewer tourists, too, which also makes it better for those who do visit.
It's a great experience - so allow yourself the time to see it without being so rushed you get "templed out". It's easy to do if you try to pack everything in to 2 days - far better (IMO) if you have 3 days and can take a more liesurely pace, a longer lunch in town during the hottest part of the day, etc.
Have a great time!
Many people go to one temple that's higher than the others to watch the sun set over Angkor Wat - it's a fun experience and a good first introduction to the temples.
Then you can plan 1 - 2 full days at the temples. They really are amazing, and it's hard to explain how incredible they are. They are so well preserved, and they are in the middle of the jungle, far removed from "civilization" - it's a very different experience than visiting ancient sites in Greece or Egypt, where you often have to try to drown out the sounds of traffic to try to visualize the sites as they originally were. And there are far fewer tourists, too, which also makes it better for those who do visit.
It's a great experience - so allow yourself the time to see it without being so rushed you get "templed out". It's easy to do if you try to pack everything in to 2 days - far better (IMO) if you have 3 days and can take a more liesurely pace, a longer lunch in town during the hottest part of the day, etc.
Have a great time!
Aug 15th, 2003, 03:27 PM
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Andrea,
Regarding your comment that the sites open at 4 p.m. for free ...
On my first day there I'll be arriving at Angkor Wat at about 5:00pm. How do I make arrangements for returning at sunrise the next day? In other words, at what times are passes sold?
Regarding your comment that the sites open at 4 p.m. for free ...
On my first day there I'll be arriving at Angkor Wat at about 5:00pm. How do I make arrangements for returning at sunrise the next day? In other words, at what times are passes sold?
Aug 15th, 2003, 06:10 PM
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you did not ask and no one has mentioned that any visit to angkor is made far easier by hiring a driver and a guide or at least a driver....the cost is $20/each per day....they will save you untold time and will relay to you the important info you need for each site, instead of keeping your nose in a book at each site....the car also will have a/c which can also not be over stressed....this place is hot, some would say hot as hell and you will appreciate the short rides between sites in the a/c with a bottle of cold water....
you can easily arrange this through your hotel, probably or through a number of sources on the net....there is a brother/sister team that is often spoken of on this site...
time: we spent 2.5 days in siem reap...we could have easily used another day or more...we did not push ourselves and took the mid-day back at the hotel to rest and re-juvinate ourselves.. we did not get to see some of the outlying sites which some prefer...
can't stress guide/driver enough for you...it will make the difference for you!!!!!
you can easily arrange this through your hotel, probably or through a number of sources on the net....there is a brother/sister team that is often spoken of on this site...
time: we spent 2.5 days in siem reap...we could have easily used another day or more...we did not push ourselves and took the mid-day back at the hotel to rest and re-juvinate ourselves.. we did not get to see some of the outlying sites which some prefer...
can't stress guide/driver enough for you...it will make the difference for you!!!!!
