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| From | Airport | Est. Price | Flight Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BESTSeattle | SEA | $681 | ~16h | View → |
Portland | PDX | $688 | ~16h | View → |
San Francisco | SFO | $722 | ~17h | View → |
Salt Lake City | SLC | $744 | ~17h | View → |
Los Angeles | LAX | $753 | ~17h | View → |
Las Vegas | LAS | $756 | ~17h | View → |
San Diego | SAN | $763 | ~18h | View → |
Minneapolis | MSP | $764 | ~18h | View → |
Denver | DEN | $770 | ~18h | View → |
Phoenix | PHX | $779 | ~18h | View → |
Chicago | ORD | $789 | ~18h | View → |
Boston | BOS | $792 | ~18h | View → |
Detroit | DTW | $792 | ~18h | View → |
New York | LGA | $803 | ~18h | View → |
Newark | EWR | $804 | ~18h | View → |
New York | JFK | $804 | ~18h | View → |
St. Louis | STL | $806 | ~18h | View → |
Philadelphia | PHL | $809 | ~19h | View → |
Baltimore | BWI | $814 | ~19h | View → |
Washington D.C. | DCA | $816 | ~19h | View → |
Nashville | BNA | $827 | ~19h | View → |
Dallas | DFW | $828 | ~19h | View → |
Charlotte | CLT | $838 | ~19h | View → |
Austin | AUS | $841 | ~19h | View → |
Atlanta | ATL | $845 | ~19h | View → |
Houston | IAH | $848 | ~19h | View → |
Orlando | MCO | $881 | ~20h | View → |
Tampa | TPA | $882 | ~20h | View → |
Fort Lauderdale | FLL | $896 | ~20h | View → |
Miami | MIA | $898 | ~20h | View → |
San Juan | SJU | $936 | ~21h | View → |
About Siem Reap
Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor Wat, one of the most staggering archaeological complexes on Earth — a 400-square-kilometer jungle kingdom built between the 9th and 15th centuries that makes Rome feel like a minor footnote. The scale is genuinely hard to process until you're standing there: Angkor Wat alone is the world's largest religious monument, and you'd need at least three days just to scratch the surface of the broader complex. Most Americans significantly underestimate how much there is to see, and leave wishing they'd booked another day. Get a three-day temple pass ($62) at minimum — the one-day option is for people who will regret it forever.
Beyond the temples, Siem Reap the town has transformed dramatically over the past decade. Pub Street and the Night Market area are tourist-central but legitimately fun — cold Angkor beer costs $1, and the open-air restaurant scene is boisterous and cheap. The food scene has leveled up considerably: you can eat outstanding amok (fish curry steamed in banana leaf) at a local spot for $4 or at a James Beard-caliber restaurant like Cuisine Wat Damnak for $35. Don't skip the local food. The Khmer culinary tradition — heavier on fresh herbs, prahok fermented fish paste, and tamarind than its Thai neighbor — is underappreciated globally and you should exploit being on the ground.
Siem Reap is extremely safe for tourists by Southeast Asian standards and exceptionally affordable. A comfortable guesthouse runs $25–40/night, a tuk-tuk driver for a full day costs $15–20, and a genuinely excellent sit-down dinner is $8–15. The infrastructure for visitors is mature — ATMs work, English is widely spoken in tourist areas, and logistics are simple. The main complaints tourists have are heat (very real from March through May), crowds at Angkor Wat's main gate at sunrise (solvable by going to Angkor Thom or Pre Rup instead), and the tuk-tuk touts near the temple complex (ignore politely and walk on).
Flying from the US to Siem Reap (REP) means at least one connection, typically through Bangkok (BKK/DMK), Singapore (SIN), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), or Hong Kong (HKG). Total travel time from the East Coast is typically 22–28 hours; from the West Coast, 20–25 hours. The new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) opened in late 2023 about 40km from town and now handles most international traffic, though some routes still use the old REP airport closer to town — double-check which airport your airline uses when booking ground transport.
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Track Siem Reap flights →Airport to City: How to Get There
New Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) is ~40km from town. Official taxis cost $20–25 and take 45–55 minutes — book through the airport taxi booth, not random drivers approaching you. Tuk-tuks are not officially permitted at SAI but ride-hailing apps (PassApp, Grab) will pick you up at Departures level for about $15–18. Some guesthouses offer free or cheap pickup if you email ahead — worth asking. If you're still using the old REP airport (3km from town), a tuk-tuk costs $3–5 and takes 10 minutes; a taxi is $7–10.
Neighborhoods & Where to Stay
Ground zero for backpackers and budget travelers — Pub Street itself is rowdy and fun with $1 beers and $3 pad thai, but wander one block off and you'll find excellent local restaurants. Old Market (Psar Chas) is the best place to buy silk scarves, knockoff temple souvenirs, and cheap street snacks. Best area to stay if you want to walk everywhere and meet other travelers.
The residential neighborhood east of the river is where expats and repeat visitors stay — quieter than Pub Street, filled with boutique guesthouses ($40–80/night) and genuinely good independent restaurants. Cuisine Wat Damnak is here, as is the beloved Sugar Palm restaurant for classic Khmer cooking. Walkable to both Pub Street and the night market in 10–15 minutes.
The stretch along the river and near the Former Foreign Correspondents' Club has the highest concentration of boutique luxury hotels — Amansara, La Résidence d'Angkor, and Shinta Mani are all clustered here. Restaurants are more polished, cocktails are $10–15, and the vibe is quieter and more refined. Worth the premium if you want a buffer from the Pub Street chaos.
The strip between old REP airport and town has several large mid-range chain-style hotels with pools ($50–120/night) popular with families and package tourists. Convenient for early morning temple visits since it's closer to the Angkor entrance, but lacks walkable dining — you'll need a tuk-tuk for everything. Good value if you prioritize pool time over nightlife.
Daily Budget: What to Expect
$10–15 dorm or cheap guesthouse, $15 food (street meals, local spots, one beer), $15–20 three-day Angkor pass amortized daily, $8 tuk-tuk for temple circuit, $5 miscellaneous drinks and snacks
$50–70 boutique guesthouse with pool in Wat Bo area, $35 food (two restaurant meals + coffee), $20 tuk-tuk driver for full day, $20 Angkor pass amortized, $15 activity like a cooking class or Apsara dance show
$250–350 Amansara or La Résidence d'Angkor suite, $80 dining (Cuisine Wat Damnak dinner tasting menu + breakfast), $30 private car and guide for temples, $20 Angkor pass amortized, $50 spa treatment at hotel
What to Eat in Siem Reap
Fish amok at Sugar Palm restaurant ($8–10): The definitive Khmer dish — freshwater fish in coconut curry paste with kaffir lime, steamed in banana leaf into a silky, almost soufflé-like custard. Sugar Palm on Taphul Road does the most authentic version in town and hasn't sold out to tourist tastes.
Lok lak at any market lunch spot ($3–5): Stir-fried cubed beef with Kampot pepper sauce, served over rice with a fried egg and lime-pepper dipping sauce — Cambodia's answer to a quick lunch. Get it at Psar Leu market for $3 surrounded by locals instead of paying double at tourist restaurants.
Nom banh chok (Khmer noodles) for breakfast ($1.50–2): Fresh rice noodles topped with a thin green fish curry and raw vegetables, eaten from street vendors early morning before 9am when they sell out. Look for women with noodle baskets on their heads near Wat Preah Prom Rath — the most honest breakfast in Cambodia.
Insects and fried tarantulas at Pub Street ($2–4): Yes, it's touristy, but the seasoned crickets genuinely taste like smoky, crunchy sunflower seeds and the experience is part of the Siem Reap canon. Tarantulas have been a real local snack in Skuon for decades — don't be precious about it.
Tasting menu at Cuisine Wat Damnak ($35–40 for 5 courses): Chef Joannès Rivière produces the most thoughtful contemporary Cambodian cooking in the country — seasonal menus built around ingredients most tourists never encounter, like smoked river fish with morning glory or green mango with fermented shrimp. Book 2–3 days ahead. This is a legitimate world-class meal for the price of a mediocre dinner back home.
Flying from the US to Siem Reap
Airlines & Routes
- →Thai Airways via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) — most common routing from East Coast
- →Singapore Airlines via Singapore Changi (SIN) — excellent in-flight product, best option from West Coast
- →AirAsia/AirAsia X via Kuala Lumpur (KUL) — cheapest overall routing, good from cities with Korean Air or Cathay Pacific codeshare flights
- →Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong (HKG) — smooth connection, flies to SAI
- →Korean Air via Seoul Incheon (ICN) — strong West Coast US connections, reliable routing
- →Vietnam Airlines via Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) or Hanoi (HAN) — useful if combining Vietnam trip with Cambodia
- →Bangkok Airways operates the key Bangkok-Siem Reap leg (about 1 hour) connecting most major alliance routing
Flight Duration
Safety Tips
Siem Reap is genuinely one of the safer cities in Southeast Asia for tourists. The main risks are minor theft (phone snatching from tuk-tuks — keep devices in bags not hands while moving), and scams targeting temple visitors (fake monks collecting donations, 'closed for ceremony' misdirections from tuk-tuk drivers trying to take you to a gem shop instead). Negotiate tuk-tuk prices firmly before getting in. Landmines are not a risk in the Angkor complex or main tourist areas, but do not wander into unmarked fields in rural provinces. Tap water is not safe to drink — bottled water is 25 cents everywhere. At night, Pub Street is rowdy but not dangerous; petty theft risk goes up after midnight when people are drunk and distracted. The Cambodia Children's Fund warns against giving money to children begging near temples — buy postcards from them instead if you want to help. Get standard Southeast Asia vaccinations (Hep A, typhoid, tetanus) and carry DEET; mosquitoes are real but malaria risk in Siem Reap proper is very low.
Skip Angkor Wat at sunrise on your first morning — every tour group in Cambodia is there for the reflection shot and the crowd destroys the experience. Instead, go to Pre Rup temple at sunset on your first evening (it's included on your pass, and you can climb to the top tower for panoramic views over the jungle with almost no one else around), then hit Angkor Wat at 7:30am the next day once the sunrise crowd has cleared. For the actual sunrise experience, Angkor Thom's South Gate or Phnom Bakheng hill give you a temple-at-dawn moment with a fraction of the Angkor Wat mob. Also: hire a knowledgeable local guide for your first full day ($25–35 through your guesthouse or the Licensed Tour Guides of Cambodia association) rather than exploring independently — the iconography and history are so dense that most of Angkor is just 'old stone walls' without context.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to fly to Siem Reap?
The cheapest route to Siem Reap from the US is typically from Seattle (SEA), with estimated round-trip prices around $681. Prices vary significantly by season and booking timing.
What is the best time to visit Siem Reap?
The best time to visit Siem Reap is November, December, January, February. November-February is dry season (75-85°F). March-May is brutally hot (95°F+). June-October is wet season (rain, mud, but fewer crowds). Best weather is December-January.
Do US citizens need a visa to visit Siem Reap?
US passport holders can get visa on arrival for $30 (tourism, 30 days). Bring passport photos. E-visa available online ($36, processed in 3 days).
How long is the flight from the US to Siem Reap?
Flight time from the US to Siem Reap (REP) is approximately 16 hours from Seattle. Flight times vary by departure city — eastern US cities are typically shorter to their destination.
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