5 days Cambodia

We are trying to gather a ticket for CNY now, the plan is 5 days Cambodia.

Question:

Is Phnom Penh worth a visit at all?
What else is there to see besides Angkor Wat?
How to best travel in the country, by bus, by air?

Thanks for any feedback

Sure. It’s the capitol. It’s the international airport. It’s full of interesting sights (including Killing Fields memorial and the torture museum, which may not sound like a good time but are essential to an understanding of the country).

Lot’s. It’s a beautiful and fascinating country. Sounds like you’ve done zero research so far. Nice beaches in the south, but maybe not enough time if you’ve only got 5 days and will see Angkor (which takes 2 or 3 days not including travel).

Depends where you’re traveling. I liked the boat to Siem Reap from PP, but sounds like your time is short.

You should start by reading a Lonely Planet and the other threads on the subject such as
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … t=cambodia
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … t=cambodia

The SR-PP boat only takes 4 hours. You leave SR in the early morning and arrive in PP in time for lunch.

PP is worth a visit. Fly to SR, see the temples of Angkor (in 3 days you pretty much just want to do that. Then take a boat to PP, visit it for your remaining time and fly out.

I’d spend more than 5 days in Cambodia, though. At least 7.

Thanks a lot, no done 0 research so far, but it seems that Cambodia is about the only affordable ticket to get during Chinese New Year and it’s on my “want to go” list. Will definitely do some research.

Is it that much faster then vice-versa? It took 5.5 hours from PP to SR, and half an hour to get off the damn boat because it took ages to get the luggage.

I agree that PP is worth a visit (Tuol Sleng Museum, the Killing Fields, the Royal Palace Grounds, the Russian Market come to mind). Haven’t been to the Killing Fields myself though.

With the new road between PP and SR finally finished, the buses are just as quick as the boats, a lot safer and a lot cheaper.

There’s also a Killing Fields of sorts in SR. It’s in Wat Thmei, which is about halfway between SR town and the Angkor ticket office. There’s usually a few monks who’ll give you a tour of the Wat as well, it’s a chance for them to practice their English. If you’ve never had all the stuff in a Theravadan (Cambodia, Thai etc) Buddhist temple explained, it’s worth seeking out a monk.

Reccomend the boat. 2 days is already too much at Ankor. PP is brilliant, my favourite trip in recent years. Have fun.

Thanks! I guess we’ll do PP and Angkor, see how we like it and then schedule 2 or either 3 days for the two sights each. Don’t have much time, need to spend 初夕一二 with the family.

I’d say 2 says at Angkor is not enough. I stayed a week and didn’t see it all.

1/2 a day and I was bored bored bored. Its pretty but after a while all the same unless you are an architect or something.

In December I did 10 days/9 nights in Cambodia because it was a budget location and somewhere that sounded interesting to travel to. If you’re arriving in PP and have 5 days, you have time to go to Angkor or the beach but not both. PP doesn’t have that much to offer, and you can see all of major sites in one day. If you are arriving in PP in the morning I would haul ass to the bus station and get on your way. Buses stop departing in the afternoon so they can reach their destinations in the evening. They often sell out, so buy a day ahead of time if possible.

You can see PP at the end of your trip. Angkor Wat is amazing but after a couple of days the temples start to look alike and the vendors/beggars get to be a bit much. Beggars and persistent vendors are found throughout Cambodia but particularly at Angkor where tour buses of fresh tourists pull up every day. The beach is much more laid back and while lacking in major cultural sites it makes for a very relaxing holiday spot.

Wherever you are you can enjoy a tall bottle of Angkor Beer and a happy pizza. And remember bargain for everything, and set a price before you get in a tuk tuk or moto taxi. There is a definite tourist trail, so getting around shouldn’t be an issue, but outside of that, Cambodia makes Taiwan seem like a well oiled machine.

I have a bunch of photo’s on my website (linked below) from Angkor, if you’re interested in taking a look. I do have some PP stuff from an earlier trip, but it’s not online.