Cambodia in 5 Days: Phnom Penh & Angkor Tour

A first look at Cambodia, without rushing it thin

Five days is not long for Cambodia, and this route accepts that rather than fighting it. You get two nights in Phnom Penh, one long road day, and two nights in Siem Reap. Nothing else is squeezed in. It suits travellers with a week of leave, and it suits anyone adding Cambodia to a longer run through Vietnam or Thailand.

The two halves feel nothing alike. Phnom Penh is a working river capital that does not hide what happened here in the 1970s, and a day spent with a good guide there changes how the rest of the trip reads. Siem Reap is a small town built around a temple city that took generations to raise. You travel with a private guide and driver, start early because the heat and the coaches both build after ten, and keep your afternoons free.

The golden spires and throne hall of the Royal Palace rise above manicured gardens in Phnom Penh.

Day by day

Day 1

Your guide meets you at Phnom Penh airport and drives you into the city, around forty minutes when traffic behaves. If you land early there is time to walk Sisowath Quay, where the Tonle Sap river runs into the Mekong and half the city turns out at dusk to sit by the water. Dinner is yours to choose and your guide will point out a few places near the hotel. Night in Phnom Penh.

Day 2

A full day in the capital. The Royal Palace opens at eight, and the Silver Pagoda next to it is best seen before the courtyards turn into an oven. After lunch you go to S-21, the secondary school the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison. It takes about two hours and your guide will keep it factual rather than theatrical. Breakfast at the hotel; night in Phnom Penh.

Day 3

North to Siem Reap after breakfast. It is roughly 315 kilometres on National Road 6, five to six hours with a lunch stop, through rice country, roadside markets and the stilt villages past Kampong Thom. The road is paved the whole way, though the surface deteriorates in patches. You reach Siem Reap mid-afternoon with the evening free; most people walk the night market and eat early. Night in Siem Reap.

Day 4

The temple day, begun at first light while the stone is still cool. You enter Angkor Thom through the south gate, cross the causeway lined with gods and demons, and spend an hour or more at the Bayon under its watching faces. Ta Prohm and its fig roots come next. Angkor Wat itself is kept for late afternoon, when the western galleries take the light. Breakfast at the hotel; night in Siem Reap.

Day 5

A boat morning on the Tonle Sap. You drive out to the landing and take a wooden boat into Kampong Phluk, where houses stand on stilts six metres clear of the dry-season mud and children paddle themselves to school. The lake swells and shrinks with the monsoon, so October looks nothing like March. Back in town for lunch, then your transfer to the airport. Breakfast at the hotel.

What the price covers

Four nights in hotels we choose with you, twin or double, breakfast every morning
Private English-speaking guide in Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap
Air-conditioned car with driver for all sightseeing and transfers
The road transfer between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap
Entrance fees for every site named above, the Angkor pass included
Wooden boat hire on the Tonle Sap
Airport pick-up on arrival and drop-off on departure
Drinking water in the vehicle and one local number to call at any hour

Not included

Flights into Phnom Penh and out of Siem Reap
Cambodian visa, which most passport holders obtain online or on arrival
Travel insurance, which we ask every traveller to hold
Lunches, dinners and drinks other than those listed
Tips, laundry and personal spending
Single room supplement if you travel alone

Good to know

The pace is gentle except for two days. Day 3 is mostly spent sitting in a vehicle, and Day 4 is long, hot and on your feet. You should be comfortable walking three or four kilometres over uneven stone. The steep temple staircases are always optional and there is a ground-level route around everything on the itinerary.

March to May is the hot season and midday often passes 35C. December and January are dry and far kinder.
Shoulders and knees have to be covered for the upper level of Angkor Wat and inside the Royal Palace grounds.
From February to June the lake sits low, boats keep to the main channels and the villages look very different.
Carry small US dollar notes for everyday spending; change usually comes back in riel.
We can replace the road transfer with the short flight to Siem Reap if you would rather keep the day.
S-21 is heavy going for younger children, and we will plan a different afternoon for families who ask.

Wooden interior of a traditional Khmer stilt house with a small altar and open door leading to a bright veranda in Phnom.

Plan this trip

Book this tour

Days: 5

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Frequently asked questions

Is five days enough to see Angkor?

It is enough for one properly paced day covering Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat. It is not enough for the outer temples such as Banteay Srei or Beng Mealea, and it leaves no room to go back a second morning. If Angkor is your main reason for coming, add two nights in Siem Reap and we will rebuild the days around it.

Should we drive or fly between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap?

The road takes five to six hours and gives you the rice plain, the market stops and the stilt villages along the way. The flight is under an hour, but airport time at both ends eats most of a half-day anyway. On a trip this short, most travellers drive. We will quote either version once we know your dates.

When is the best time of year to travel this route?

November to February is easiest: dry, clear and warm rather than punishing. March to May stays dry but gets very hot, which mostly affects the temple day. Rain falls June to October, usually in heavy afternoon bursts rather than all day, and the lake is at its fullest then, which makes the Tonle Sap boat far more rewarding.

Can we add Choeung Ek to the Phnom Penh day?

Yes. The memorial at Choeung Ek is about fifteen kilometres out and adds roughly two hours to Day 2. Many travellers find both sites in one day heavy, so we often move Choeung Ek to the morning and the palace to the afternoon. Tell us which matters more to you and we will order the day that way.

How does pricing work and when do we pay?

The cost depends on your dates, the number of travellers and the hotel standard you want, so it is quoted in writing once we know your dates and party size. Nothing is held before you have that quote and have accepted it. We book guides and rooms only after you confirm, and we tell you in writing what changes if you add days.

Cambodia Essentials in Five Days