Free Walking Tour Siem Reap: Pagodas, Market and River

Your Siem Reap Walking Tour, Seven Stops in Order

1. 1

   Angkor National Museum

   

   Before you see a single temple, this museum shows you what the Khmer Empire left behind. It opened on 12 November 2007 and is devoted entirely to the Angkor period, roughly the 9th to the 14th century, the golden era when the Khmer kings raised their great stone monuments. Most of the objects on display were found in and around the Angkor archaeological sites just outside town.

   The collection comes from two places. Part of it is on loan from the National Museum in Phnom Penh; the rest comes from the Conservation d'Angkor, a storage depot for some 6,000 pieces set up by the École française d'Extrême-Orient in 1908 and now held by Cambodia's Ministry of Culture. So many of the statues you see here spent a century in storage before they went on public view.

   The visit runs in one direction through eight themed galleries. It begins in the Briefing Hall, an 80-seat theater where a short orientation film plays every 15 minutes in seven languages. The Gallery of 1,000 Buddha follows Buddhism's influence on Cambodian life from ancient Khmer times to today, with rows of Buddha statues and relics. Gallery A, Khmer Civilization, explains how the empire was founded, what drove its people to build on such a colossal scale and how they saw their kings. Audio guides are available at the entrance in eight languages, including English, French and German.

   Is it worth going in? If you are heading to the Angkor temples, yes: an hour and a half here turns piles of carved stone into a story you can follow. If temples are not on your plan, you can skip it and start at Artisans Angkor instead. From here the longest leg of the route takes you 2200 m, about 30 minutes, to the craft workshop.

   Hours

   Apr–Sep: Daily 08:30–18:00 | Oct–Mar: Daily 08:30–18:30

   Website

   angkornationalmuseum.com ↗

   Location

   Angkor National Museum on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Artisans Angkor

   

   After the museum's ancient carvings, here you watch the same crafts being practised today. Artisans Angkor is a Cambodian social business founded to give jobs to young people from the countryside while keeping traditional Khmer craftsmanship alive: stone and wood carving, lacquering and silver plating. Its main workshop sits on Stung Thmey Street, a short walk from the Old Market, and visiting is free.

   The story starts in 1992 with an education project of the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Les Chantiers-Ecoles de Formation Professionnelle. Its goal was to help rebuild the country after the war by training young Cambodians with little schooling in building trades such as masonry, plumbing, tiling and painting. In the mid-1990s the training expanded into traditional Khmer crafts, because this part of the country's heritage had almost vanished.

   There was a catch: builders found work easily, but tourism was still small, so trained carvers and lacquerers struggled to earn a living. Between 1998 and 2001 a European program called REPLIC funded a workplace for them, and that workplace became Artisans Angkor. Today it is a private business and also runs the Angkor Silk Farm in Puok district.

   Take your time with the workshops if you like seeing how things are made; the shop is optional. From here it is only 480 m, about 7 minutes, to the Old Market.

   Hours

   Daily: 07:30–18:00

   Price

   Free

   Website

   artisansangkor.com ↗

   Location

   Artisans Angkor on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Old Market

   

   The Old Market is so central to Siem Reap that many businesses give their address in relation to it. It lies in the southern part of town and is busy with locals and visitors alike. Its Khmer name, Phsar Chas, carries a small history lesson: the word phsar reached Khmer through Malay or Cham, and both go back to the Persian word bazaar.

   Walk through slowly and the market splits into two worlds. On one side are the souvenir stalls with T-shirts, silver, silk, wood and stone carvings and Buddha figures; after Artisans Angkor you will look at the carvings with a sharper eye. On the other side is the food market, with rice, dried fish, sausages, pork, vegetables and fruit.

   Look out for prahok, Cambodia's fermented fish paste, which you will smell before you see it. Some stalls sell dishes thought to be a holdover from the French colonial period, and others cook Khmer soups with red chilli and peanuts. If you want to taste local food on this walk, this is the place to do it.

   From the market it is 1180 m, about 16 minutes, to Wat Bo, one of the oldest pagodas in town.

   Hours

   Daily: 07:00–21:00

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Old Market on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Wat Bo

   

   Wat Bo is one of Siem Reap's oldest pagodas, and the reason to come is on its walls. Well-preserved murals from the 19th century show scenes from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Indian Ramayana epic, with its heroes, demons and battles painted panel by panel.

   Give yourself time to follow a few scenes rather than glancing at all of them. The pagoda is best visited in the morning, which is one reason this route is meant to start early. Entry is free.

   Back toward the center it is 500 m, about 7 minutes, to Pub Street.

   Hours

   Morning preferred

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Wat Bo on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Pub Street

   

   Pub Street is a pedestrianized strip that leads two lives. By day it is mainly a gateway into the Old Market area, quiet enough to walk through on your way. After dark it fills with bars, restaurants and night markets and becomes the town's evening meeting point.

   On this walk you will probably pass in daylight, so treat it as a short stretch between the pagodas and note it for later if you want to come back at night. It costs nothing either way. From here it is 460 m, about 6 minutes, to Wat Preah Prom Rath.

   Hours

   Always open

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Pub Street on Google Maps ↗

6. 6

   Wat Preah Prom Rath

   

   Unlike the museum pieces you saw this morning, Wat Preah Prom Rath is a living Buddhist pagoda. Look for its reclining Buddha, set among lush gardens and surrounded by ornate murals.

   The monks gather here each morning for alms-giving ceremonies that visitors can watch. If that is what you want to see, start with the pagodas and river variant early in the day rather than arriving here at the end of a long morning. Entry is free.

   From the pagoda it is 780 m, about 11 minutes, to the Royal Gardens.

   Hours

   Daily: 07:00–18:00

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Wat Preah Prom Rath on Google Maps ↗

7. 7

   Royal Gardens

   The walk ends in these manicured grounds along the Siem Reap River, beside the Royal Residence. After markets and pagodas it is a calm place to sit down, and it is open around the clock and free.

   From the gardens you can see the colonial-era Grand Hotel d'Angkor. In the evening the park becomes a popular gathering place for locals, so if you finish in the afternoon, it is worth coming back once the day cools down. If you want to return to the start, the GPS navigation in your browser guides you back to the museum.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Royal Gardens on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways to Walk Siem Reap

The full route opens with a long museum visit and a 30 minute walk. If your time or interest points elsewhere, these cuts keep the walk compact.

Town center without the museum

Stops: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

For anyone who has already seen the museum or wants a free day. You start at Artisans Angkor and walk 3.4 km, 47 minutes in total, through the market, both pagodas and Pub Street to the river. No stop on this version charges admission.

Pagodas and river

Stops: 4, 5, 6, 7

A short walk for a morning when you mainly want the temple murals and the reclining Buddha. From Wat Bo it is 24 minutes of walking via Pub Street and Wat Preah Prom Rath to the Royal Gardens, all free.

The full route

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

For first-time visitors heading out to the Angkor temples soon: the museum gives you the background, the rest of the walk shows how Khmer craft, faith and daily life carry on in town. 1 h 17 min of walking; only the museum charges admission.

How Long This Siem Reap Walk Really Takes

The pure walking time is 1 h 17 min over 5.6 km. The museum is the one stop that deserves real time: allow about an hour and a half for its eight galleries. Add half an hour each at Artisans Angkor and the Old Market and shorter pauses at the pagodas and the gardens, and the full route comes to around five hours.

Without the museum you walk 47 minutes and need about three hours with your stops. The pagodas and river version takes about an hour and a half.

Before You Set Off in Siem Reap

• Start: The recommended start is the Angkor National Museum, but you can join the route at any stop and follow the order from there.
• Finish: The walk ends at the Royal Gardens by the Siem Reap River. If you want to return to the museum, the GPS navigation in your browser guides you back to the start.
• Time of day: Start in the morning: Wat Bo is best visited early, and the monks at Wat Preah Prom Rath gather for alms-giving in the morning. Pub Street and the Royal Gardens are livelier in the evening, so they reward a second visit after dark.
• Admission: The Angkor National Museum charges admission, which you pay at the ticket desk. Artisans Angkor, the Old Market, both pagodas, Pub Street and the Royal Gardens are free.

Common Questions About Walking Siem Reap