AsiaCambodiaCambodia
Most people come to Cambodia for Angkor and leave talking about something else. A circus built by a country that once banned the arts, an hour-long river of bats pouring out of a cliff, plankton that lights the water off Koh Rong. Angkor still earns its two days, and stops being the whole story.
CambodiaCambodia in a nutshell
Where to go in Cambodia
Turn these stops into a Cambodia route
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Routes that work
Cambodia itineraries, one week to three
Cambodia is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
6 nights1 week, the two-city minimum
Siem Reap · Phnom Penh
Angkor's temples and Phnom Penh's sites are best explored in cool, dry weather without monsoon disruptions.
9 nights10 days: Angkor, Battambang and the capital
Siem Reap · Battambang · Phnom Penh
The Siem Reap–Battambang boat runs reliably only when water levels are high; Nov–Feb offers temple comfort and dry roads.
9 nights10 days: Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Kampot and Koh Rong
Siem Reap · Phnom Penh · Kampot
Angkor at sunrise, the capital's history, Kampot's pepper farms and river, and two nights of beach on Koh Rong.
14 nights2 weeks, the classic backpacker loop
Phnom Penh · Sihanoukville · Koh Rong
Island ferries and beach time work best in the dry months; Koh Rong and Kampot are ideal before May heat and wet-season swells.
19 nights3 weeks: culture, nature and wildlife in the east
Phnom Penh · Kampong Cham · Sen Monorom
Eastern highlands around Sen Monorom and wildlife areas are accessible only in dry season; Tonlé Sap flooding peaks Oct–Nov.
19 nights3 weeks, highlights plus the quiet west
Phnom Penh · Kampot · Sihanoukville
Battambang and the western route need dry roads; islands and Kampot beaches work best before the wet season halts ferries.
Updated October 2026 · Written by the Stippl editors164,000+ stops in Cambodia have been planned on Stippl. Here is what they say about the country.
Cambodia is a short country with one very large reason to come, and most travellers give a stop 2 nights. Angkor is a full day on the small circuit and a second on the grand one, with sunrise at Angkor Wat and then leaving before the heat. The rest is Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, the Landmine Museum, Phare's Cambodian Circus, Battambang's bamboo train and bat exodus, the Irrawaddy dolphins at Kratie, and night swimming in bioluminescent plankton off the islands.
One place carries a quarter of the country. 26.3% of every Cambodian stop planned on Stippl is a single destination, and only 23.5% of stops here are one night, which is low for a country this size. Travellers do not pass through Cambodia so much as stop in it, and the stopping happens in very few places.
So give Angkor two days and let the rest be slower than you planned. The temples reward a second circuit far more than a second country does, and the country is small enough that moving on early buys less than it costs. Skip Cambodia if you need reliable healthcare, polished infrastructure or fast internet, if you will not carry cash, or if you want a dense menu of organised excursions at every stop, which is what neighbouring Thailand is for.
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Download the appWho Cambodia is for
History travellers
Angkor and the Khmer Rouge memorials give an unusually dense, unusually demanding historical arc for a country this small.
First-time Asia backpackers
Cheap, short distances, an established circuit, a strong hostel scene and low decision-load.
Budget travellers
Dorms from €2.60, local meals from €1.70, beer under a euro, and most people give it 2 nights per stop; the Angkor pass is usually the biggest line in the trip.
First-time solo travellers
Cambodia is an easy, even beginner-friendly solo destination, with normal precautions about bags and night-time streets.
Island loafers, low polish
The Gulf islands deliver Thai-island scenery with far fewer people, at the cost of power cuts, no ATMs and thin wifi.
Overlanders and motorcyclists
Very little traffic outside the cities, roadside fuel every 15–20 km, and easy small border posts on the Vietnam and Laos sides.
Adventurous families
The temples genuinely delight children and Khmer people are notably warm to them, against long bus rides, heat and weak healthcare.
Maybe not for you: travellers who need reliable healthcare, polished infrastructure or fast internet; anyone unwilling to carry cash; anyone who wants a dense menu of organised excursions per stop (Thailand does that better); and anyone who would be learning to ride a motorbike here
The best time to visit Cambodia
Cool dry season
November to February
The one window when every region works at once: warm enough for the beach, mild enough for a full day at Angkor. It is also the peak, with the highest hotel prices and the heaviest temple crowds.
Hot dry season
March to May
Temperatures peak in April and May and a day at Angkor becomes punishing. Be out early and back indoors by late morning, or come another month.
Wet season
June to October
Usually one heavy afternoon downpour rather than all-day rain, so the mornings stay usable. Green countryside and lower prices, against mud on the dirt roads and cancelled island ferries.
- Khmer New Year, three days in April, stops the whole country. Temples fill, families feast, the final day is a nationwide water fight, and transport and hotel staffing are disrupted for the week around it.
- January is the month most travellers plan Cambodia for on Stippl, about 78 days ahead. 19.5% of Cambodia plans are made inside a fortnight, which the small towns absorb and Siem Reap in January does not.
- The Water Festival in November fills Phnom Penh completely. Three days of boat races on the lunar calendar, celebrating the Tonlé Sap reversing its flow; book the capital far ahead or be somewhere else.
- Koh Rong's own window is December to March. Rainfall is lowest and the ferries most reliable; in the wet season the crossing itself becomes the problem and can strand you.
- The dirt roads turn to mud in the wet season, and that matters more here than next door. So much of the network is still unpaved that a June to October route needs longer transfers and a bus rather than a scooter.
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Festivals, and when to avoid them
Khmer New Year
The whole country stops for three days: temple visits, family feasting and a nationwide water fight on the last day. Transport and staffing are disrupted, Siem Reap is where the country comes to celebrate, and the islands fill with Cambodian families.
Pchum Ben
Fifteen days of pagoda offerings ending in a three-day public holiday, when Phnom Penh and Siem Reap thin out as staff go home to the provinces. Restaurants run short-handed and the tuk-tuk drivers are in the villages.
Bon Om Touk
The Water Festival marks the Tonlé Sap reversing its flow, with boat races in front of the Royal Palace and enormous crowds. Phnom Penh fills completely; book far ahead or be somewhere else.
Christmas and New Year
The islands' busiest fortnight by a distance: the bungalows on Koh Rong and Saracen Bay sell out and the boats run full. A holiday stay on the coast is booked in the autumn.
Chinese New Year
Not an official holiday, but Phnom Penh's Chinese-Cambodian businesses close for three days and the city's markets thin out. The temples are open and the streets are quiet.
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Things to do in Cambodia
Photo by Jackson Hirsch via UnsplashAngkor's small circuit
Give a full day to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, Ta Keo and Ta Prohm by tuk-tuk, bicycle or electric car; the loop is about thirty-six kilometres before the ride out from town. A one-day pass is about €35, a three-day pass €58 and the better buy.
The grand circuit
Take a second day for Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, Pre Rup and East Mebon, all quieter than the headline temples, with Banteay Srei's carving twenty-five kilometres out as a half day of its own. Near-solitude by mid morning.
Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
Visit the two Khmer Rouge memorial sites in Phnom Penh, the prison and the killing fields, each with an audio guide and each needing two to three hours, about €5 and €6. Places of mourning before they are sights; do them on one day and nothing else.
Phare, the Cambodian Circus
See an hour of acrobatics, music and theatre telling Khmer folk tales in Siem Reap, performed by graduates of an arts school founded by refugee-camp returnees, about €18. The Khmer Rouge banned the arts, which is precisely the point.
The bioluminescent plankton
Swim at night off Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloem on a dark beach near the new moon, usually as the end of a sunset boat trip for about €15. Away from the village lights, and a full moon washes it out.
Kratie's Irrawaddy dolphins
Take a long-boat from Kampi, fifteen kilometres north of Kratie, to see a few dozen critically endangered freshwater dolphins surface as a dark wave, about €9 at the ticket booth with no tour needed. Early afternoon is the window.
What to eat in Cambodia
mild coconut fish curry steamed in a banana leaf, the national dish
stir-fried beef with garlic and tomato over salad, with a lime-salt-pepper dip
rice porridge with spring onion and garlic, served with beans, chilli and lime
lime-marinated beef salad with lemongrass, basil and mint; often barely cooked
a Thai red curry without the burn: coconut, lemongrass and kroeung paste, often with bread
the Cambodian baguette sandwich: pork, ginger, pickles, sauce
grilled pork over rice, the classic breakfast plate
crab cooked at the market stalls, with green Kampot peppercorns
sticky rice steamed in a bamboo tube
deep-fried spider, sold as a snack
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Cambodian customs and what not to do
No cover, no entry
Shoulders and knees covered for men and women at Angkor and at temples everywhere else; women are checked more strictly, and without a sarong you will not be let in.
Not only at the temples
Cambodia is a conservative society: public affection is rare outside the tourist towns and reads as private behaviour, and dressing modestly is respectful generally, not only at a wat.
Use the whole hand
Pointing with a finger is very rude, at people and at goods alike; the whole hand, palm up, and the sampeah with palms together for a greeting.
Do not touch a monk
Monks may not have physical contact with women and must perform rituals if it happens; women hand nothing directly to a monk and step aside on a narrow path.
Buying keeps them out of school
Do not give money or buy anything from children; adult networks stand behind the street children and the money largely does not reach them. Most orphanages are not orphanages.
Both sides, the same street
Discussing the Khmer Rouge period is close to taboo: perpetrators and victims live side by side, and the second generation was raised by parents with untreated trauma. Let them raise it.
Do
- Carry something that covers shoulders and knees in your day bag, every day
- Agree the exact temple list and the price with an Angkor driver before you set off
- Take the audio guides at both Khmer Rouge memorial sites
- Keep small riel notes for tuk-tuks and street food
- Buy from local producers and services rather than the big supermarkets
Don't
- Buy bracelets, books or milk powder from or for children
- Photograph the prisoner mugshot wall at S-21, or anything a sign asks you not to
- Assume the happy menu is legal; cannabis is not, anywhere in Cambodia
- Hand your passport to anyone at a border who offers to arrange your visa
- Wander off marked paths in the countryside; landmines are still in the ground
What a Cambodia trip costs
Budget
€10–28
Dorm bed, local meals, public buses, one big paid sight.
Mid-range
€33–60
Private room with air-con, restaurant meals, tuk-tuk day hires, tours.
High-end
€65+
Boutique and resort hotels, private transfers, guided temple days.
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Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
An e-visa for everyone
EU, UK, US and Australian passports all need a visa: the 30-day tourist e-visa costs about €26 (US$30) at evisa.gov.kh, or the same on arrival with a blank page.
Money
Dollars for cash, riel for change
Cambodia runs on US dollars for anything above a dollar and riel below it. Cards are barely accepted, so withdraw large amounts and expect about €4.50 (US$5) in fees.
Connectivity
A local SIM, then patience
A local SIM or eSIM is the standard fix and wifi is workable only in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Power cuts are daily on the islands.
Getting around
Buses, booked a day ahead
Tourist buses and minibuses are the backbone, booked through your guesthouse a day ahead. Giant Ibis is the operator to pick, and a tuk-tuk price is agreed before boarding.
Health
Malaria is present here
Nothing is compulsory; DTP, typhoid and hepatitis A are the standard recommendations. Unlike Thailand, malaria exists, so talk to a doctor, and check your policy covers medical evacuation.
Water
The filter bottle earns back
Tap water is not drinkable anywhere. Bottled water runs about €0.90 for 1.5 litres and a filter bottle pays for itself within the first week.
Tipping
Small riel notes, at the end
Not expected, but small riel notes are what tuk-tuk drivers and street vendors appreciate. A full-day driver is paid, and tipped, at the end of the day.
Power & plugs
Two types, so go universal
Sockets are types A and G at 230 V, so a universal adapter is the safe answer for European and British plugs alike. A head torch covers temples and blackouts.
Language
Not tonal, so learnable
Khmer has its own script and, unlike Thai and Vietnamese, no tones, which makes the basics learnable. English is fine in the tourist towns and limited beyond them.
Khmer worth knowing
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
Jum-reap soo-a
Hello ·
Joom-reap leah
Goodbye ·
Baat (m) / Chaas (f)
Yes ·
Dteh
No ·
Suom mehta
Please ·
Or-koon
Thank you ·
Sohm dtoh
Sorry / excuse me ·
T'lay pohnmaan?
How much is this? ·
K'nyom trouv krouh peit
I need a doctor ·
K'nyom vung vehng plouv
I'm lost ·
Cambodia questions, answered
With the loop and how long you have. Two weeks covers Phnom Penh, an island, Kampot and Siem Reap; three adds Battambang or the east. Travellers planning Cambodia on Stippl start about 78 days out, which is roughly when the Angkor days want deciding. Lay the route into Stippl and show it to people who have done it.
Siem Reap and the islands get three; Phnom Penh, Kampot, Battambang and Kratie get two; Sihanoukville gets one. That is across the 164,000+ stops planned in Cambodia on Stippl, and it is more or less the itinerary: a few anchors that hold you, and a chain of two-night towns in between.
No, and the numbers are blunt about it: 31.00% of Sihanoukville stops planned on Stippl carry no night at all, the highest share in the country by a distance. It is the ferry port for Koh Rong and nothing more. Come from Kampot in the morning and sail the same afternoon.
The three-day one, and not for the price per day. It is valid on any three days inside a ten-day window, so a clouded-out sunrise or a day lost to heat is recoverable, which the one-day pass does not allow. Buy it from Angkor Enterprise, online or at the official counter. Anything else is a reseller.
Yes, unless you hold an ASEAN passport. It is a single-entry thirty-day visa, available as an e-visa before you fly or on arrival at the airport, and the requirement is the same on EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports. Take the e-visa: it saves you the queue and the cash at the counter.
Both, and it is simpler than it sounds. US dollars do the heavy lifting for hotels, tickets and transport, and riel comes back as change for anything under a dollar. Carry small, clean notes, because torn ones get refused, and take enough cash to the islands, where there are no machines.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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