2 Best Sights in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Background Illustration for Sights

Siem Reap is the base to use for exploring the temples at Angkor, but it has more to offer than that. It has its own great places to see, and there is something seductive about this city that makes visitors want to linger. You can wander around the contemporary Angkor National Museum, take a cooking class, visit a rural village, explore myriad art galleries, try a gourmet restaurant, or take a stroll down the central Pub Street. There’s plenty to keep the temple-weary traveler occupied for two or three days, or even a week or more.

Angkor National Museum

Khom Svaydangum Fodor's Choice

This compelling modern museum, which opened in 2008, guides you through the rise and fall of the Angkorian empire, covering the religions, kings, and geopolitics that drove the Khmer to create monumental cities and highly developed urban societies with hospitals, universities, and a sophisticated hydraulic system. With more than 1,300 artifacts on display, complemented by interactive multimedia installations, this museum experience helps demystify much of the material culture that visitors encounter at the archaeological parks and sites. The atmosphere is set in the impressive gallery of a thousand Buddhas, which plunges you into the serene spirituality that still dominates the region. Seven consequent galleries, set up chronologically, highlight the Funan and Chenia pre-Angkorian epochs, followed by the golden age of the Angkorian period led by the likes of King Soryavarman II, who built Angkor Wat. The final two galleries showcase some of the stone inscriptions that enabled scholars to make sense of the period, and statues of Apsaras, shedding light on the cult and fashions of these celestial dancers considered messengers of the gods. The audio tour is excellent and well worth the extra cost ($5).

Cambodia Land Mine Museum

Be sure to visit this museum, established by Aki Ra, a former child soldier who first fought for the Khmer Rouge, then the Vietnamese, and finally the Cambodian Army. Now he dedicates his life to removing the land mines he and thousands of others laid across Cambodia. His museum is a must-see, a sociopolitical eye-opener that portrays a different picture of Cambodia from the glorious temples and five-star hotels. Your entry ticket helps land-mine victims go to school.

As the museum is a decent distance from Siem Reap, it's best to combine this with a visit to the Banteay Srei Temple nearby.