Summer weekend in Siem Reap
How locals do summer in Siem Reap — patios, beaches, festivals and the long-evening rituals that only happen in July and August.
Top spots in Siem Reap
Phare Cambodian Circus
FamilySouth Town
Original storytelling circus by formerly at-risk youth — emotional, world-class acrobatics.
Tonle Sap Floating Villages
OutdoorsKampong Phluk
Stilt houses on the largest lake in SE Asia — boat through flooded mangrove forest.
Pub Street
NightlifeOld Market
Neon backpacker artery — $0.50 draft Angkor beer, fish-spa pedicures, late tuk-tuks.
Where to eat
Cuisine Wat Damnak
$$$Modern Khmer Tasting · Wat Damnak
Six-course Cambodian tasting — Asia's 50 Best list — wild-foraged ingredients, candlelit garden.
Marum
$$Cambodian Tapas · Wat Polanka
Tree-Alliance training restaurant — red-ant beef stir-fry, lemongrass chicken, glowing courtyard.
Pou Restaurant
$$Modern Cambodian · Old Town
Chef Mork Mengly's elevated Khmer — fish amok in coconut, pork belly with sour mango.
Sister Srey Café
$Café / Brunch · Old Market
Riverside brunch institution — açai bowls, smoothies, ethical employment story.
The Sugar Palm
$$Traditional Khmer · Taphul Road
Wooden teak house — Gordon Ramsay learned fish amok here, family recipes only.
Live & on stage
Angkor Sankranta (Khmer New Year)
Angkor Park · Apr 13–16 · Festival / Water Fights
Angkor Wat International Half-Marathon
Angkor Park · Dec 6 · Run / Music
Bonn Om Touk Water Festival
Tonle Sap · Nov 4–6 · Boat Racing / Free
Phare Live Circus
Phare Big Top · Nightly · Circus / Music
Frequently asked
- Standouts right now: Tonle Sap Floating Villages, Phare Cambodian Circus, Pub Street. The shortlist is curated by people who live in Siem Reap and refreshed regularly so it reflects what's actually open and worth your time.