Best 3-Day itinerary in Siem Riep

📅 Itinerary
Day 1: Angkor and Siem Reap's lively center.
☀️Morning + Afternoon (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
- Angkor Wat: Start your day at the world's largest religious monument. Arrive early to see the sunrise silhouette its iconic towers.
· Ta Prohm: Next, head to the famous "Tomb Raider Temple." This is where nature has dramatically reclaimed the stones, with giant silk-cotton and strangler fig trees weaving through the ruins. It’s a photographer's dream.
🍛🍽️Lunch (1:00 PM - 2:30 PM)
· Have lunch at a restaurant near the temples. Try Khmer Family Restaurant or Geneva Restaurant for a mix of traditional dishes and Western options in a garden setting.

- Angkor Thom: Enter through the magnificent South Gate, lined with stone gods and demons. Inside, explore the Bayon Temple with the 216 serene stone faces of Avalokiteshvara looking out from every angle. Baphuon: A massive pyramid temple that is a steep but rewarding climb. Terrace of the Elephants & Terrace of the Leper King
🌜 Evening (5:30 onwards)
Dinner: Immerse yourself in the energy of Pub Street. For a classic Cambodian experience, try Soup Dragon for their hotpot.
· Local Activity: Explore the Angkor Night Market or the Made in Cambodia Market. It's a great place for souvenir shopping (silks, carvings, spices) and to get a foot massage for just a few dollars.

🔻Day 2:
☀️Morning (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
Preah Khan: A vast, sprawling monastery complex with a similar "jungle temple" feel to Ta Prohm but often less crowded. It feels like a labyrinth of halls and courtyards.
· Neak Pean: A unique and small temple, it's an artificial island with a central shrine surrounded by ponds.
🍛🍽️Lunch (1:00 PM - 2:30 PM)
· Ask your tuk-tuk driver to take you to a local, non-touristy restaurant where they eat. You can try truly authentic and affordable Khmer food.
☀️Afternoon (3:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
· Option A (Cultural): Visit the Wat Thmei Pagoda which contains a small memorial stupa with skulls from the Khmer Rouge era, offering a sobering but important historical perspective.
🌜Evening (7:00 PM onwards)
· Dinner: Enjoy a meal at Chanrey Tree, a beautiful restaurant by the river offering refined Khmer cuisine.
· Cultural Show: Attend the "Phare, The Cambodian Circus". This is not a traditional animal circus, but an incredible performance of theater, music, dance, and acrobatics that tells powerful Cambodian stories.

🔻Day 3
☀️Morning (8:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
· Take a trip to Kampong Phluk, the most authentic of the floating villages. You'll travel by tuk-tuk and then by boat through a stunning flooded forest to reach the main village, where houses are built on towering stilts.
🍽️🍛Lunch (1:30 PM - 2:30 PM):
· Enjoy a simple lunch of fresh fish at one of the floating restaurants in the village or on the way back to town.
☀️Afternoon (3:00 PM - 5:30 PM): Arts & Crafts
· Artisans Angkor: Visit their workshop and showroom. This social enterprise helps revive traditional Cambodian crafts and provides training and employment to young people. You can see artisans carving stone, wood, and painting silk. It's a fantastic place to buy high-quality souvenirs.
🌜Evening (6:30 PM onwards)
· For a special farewell dinner, head to Cuisine Wat Damnak, one of Siem Reap's top fine-dining establishments offering a seasonal tasting menu of creative Cambodian cuisine (book in advance).

🏨Hotel: The Urban
-Amazing option with great price and incredible vibe. The hotel offers massages, a restaurant with a delicious Khmer menu, a pool and, you can book tours directly with them. A walking distance from pub streets, night markets and many restaurants.