Siem Reap

Siem Reap (Khmer: សៀមរាប, Siĕm Réab [siəm riəp]) is Cambodia’s second-largest city and the administrative center of Siem Reap Province in the country’s northwest. Its Old French Quarter and the vicinity of the Old Market feature elegant French-colonial facades alongside Chinese-influenced designs. Serving as the gateway to the ancient temples of Angkor—built during the height of the Khmer Empire—Siem Reap has become Cambodia’s premier tourism hub. Within the city and its outskirts, visitors can explore a variety of attractions: museums and traditional Apsara dance performances; a living Cambodian cultural village; rows of souvenir and handicraft shops; nearby silk farms and verdant rice paddies; floating fishing villages and a bird sanctuary on the shores of Tonlé Sap; and a lively cosmopolitan dining and nightlife scene.