Top 12 Favorite Cities in the World: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Over the last 8 years I have had the privilege to travel to over 80 cities, 30 countries, and 5 continents. I have made new friends, ate incredible foods, had some crazy nights out, navigated sketchy situations, and much much more ! With this in mind, I decided it would be a good idea to really sit down and put my thoughts to paper deciding what cities stand tall beyond the rest. This week #9: Siem Reap, Cambodia

THE GRADING CRITERIA

-Category 1, "Food" 10 PTS

-Category 2, "Safety" 10 PTS

-Category 3, "Activities / Things to do" 10 PTS

-Category 4, "Cost" 10 PTS

-Category 5, "Energy / Excitement / Good Vibes" 10 PTSd

-Category 6, "My experience (I.e. How much fun did I have)" 50 PTS Subjective ? Yes ! However, I am not ranking these cities by how comfortable I think they are or what would be the best city to live in. Rather, the main factor really just is: Did I have fun and make some life-long memories while here ?

No. 9 SIEM REAP - CAMBODIA // Total Score: 91 out of 100

A monk standing outside the main gate of Angkor Wat

-Food: 5 / 10:

Road side noodles and beer with our tuk tuk driver.

Not the worst cuisine I have had by any means, the Cambodian food I had need Siem Reap was decent, but largely unremarkable. Unlike most of my other favorite cities the culinary culture didn't qualify as one of the highlights here. However, I did manage to have some memorable meals in Siem Reap. Being a city of locals that feels far more akin to a large village than what truly constitutes a city in most people's eyes. Many nights were spent sitting on tiny plastic chairs on the side of the road, eating fried noodles and drinking Beer Cambodia with inquisitive and tremendously friendly locals. Even when stepping away from the street food and focusing on the restaurant scene, there are virtually zero western or asian chains operating in Siem Reap. During my time stay all the restaurants I visited were small family owned affairs. Often with a small dining room and kitchen in the back with the husband or kids taking orders and then helping the wife with the cooking once the orders were placed. For the most part the food in Siem Reap consisted of fairly simple rice or noodle dishes. Yet, the care it was made with unquestionable.

About 50 cents worth of Beer Cambodia

In particular, I highly recommend paying a visit to Taprohm 189 for an excellent home cooked traditional Cambodian meal. Highlight dishes included Amok and Lok Lak which were bursting with flavor and crafted to perfection. Moreover, if you want to try something authentic, but certainly unfamiliar to the western pallet you can go for the Cambodian fermented fish dish known as 'Prahok'. Not that it cracked my list of all time favorite dishes, but it was certainly a cultural experience. One final note, Taprohm 189 honors the '1 free beer' pull tabs found in cans of Beer Cambodia... if you know, you know !

-Safety: 7 / 10:

Before traveling to Siem Reap I heard mixed reviews regarding safety in Cambodia. After traveling to Siem Reap myself I am happy to report that it felt quite safe. While in town I went for runs, walked by myself, and was out late at night after ingesting a few (or more than a few) adult beverages, through all of this I never felt sketched or in danger. The city center and surrounding streets stay moderately lively throughout the day and late into the night. Day time safety felt completely safe and at night as long as you are with a friend and aware of your surroundings I would image nothing bad would happen as well.

Pagodas just outside of the Siem Reap city center.

Buddhist paintings in a shrine near the city center.

However, I would recommend is to picking an accommodation close to the city center. You will notice on the drive into town from the airport that the areas surrounding Siem Reap are quite underdeveloped. While I still think your chances of being a victim of violent crime are still low, many of these areas do not have street lighting. This, combined with the fact that there is virtually no public transport in Siem Reap and many dangerous wild animals living around the city like king cobras, vipers, and venomous scorpions you don't want to be wandering around the outskirts of Siem Reap after dark. Staying in the town center will certainly give you peace of mind and make your time in Siem Reap easier.

-Activies & Things to do: 10 / 10:

Despite being the smallest city on this list with a population of just under 140,000 people and feeling far more akin to a frontier town rather than a sprawling metropolis there is still so much to do here. Siem Reap truly punches above it's weight as my days here were action packed. In many cases even more so than compared to much larger cities. Many people (myself included) come to Siem Reap to visit the world famous ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, which should not be missed. Originally when planning my trip to South East Asia Siem Reap was not included on my itinerary at all, but the day before flying to Bangkok a random instagram reel showcasing Angkor Wat popped up which led me to book a last second flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap for the day after I arrived in Thailand. Upon arriving, I really had know idea of the true scale of the site. I've been to other famous landmarks like the Roman Colosseum and the Taj Mahal, I anticipated Angkor Wat would be a similar experience. I was mistaken. While the main and most famous / most photographed area of the Angkor Wat temple complex was a similar experience to visiting other famous landmarks. What I did not know was that this area was only the tip of the iceburg and that the entire Angkor Wat complex is roughly fifty square kilometers with hundreds of temples, many of which were hidden in the jungle - adding to the undeniable tomb raider atmosphere of the place.

Yet, while Angkor Wat was amazing, this is just scratching the surface of what you can do in Siem Reap. In fact, perhaps even more so than Angkor Wat, I really enjoyed visiting the 'floating' villages found in the Tonle Sap lake. These little fishing communities consisted of huts built on bamboo stilts out on the water, allowing travelers to visit their community, see their ways of life, and even stay overnight. Our visit was the village was capped by one of the most perfect orange and red south asian sunsets I have been able to witness. Immediately going down into the 'core memory bank'

Crocodile farm located on the Tonle Sap lake.

Other highlights including getting a traditional bamboo tattoo from a buddhist monk, riding a tuktuk to the top of a mountain to catch sunset, drinking endless 'free' Beer Cambodias, and late nights partying on Siem Reap's pub street (which I found to be one of the best in all of South East Asia).

Preparing for a traditional bamboo and hammer tattoo.

-Cost: 10 / 10:

Siem Reap provides some of the best bang for your buck of any city in the world. Outside of India, Nepal, and Thailand, the city just might be the best budget city I have ever travelled to. In this category, Siem Reap truly shines with the options you have for accommodation. I found that most hostels in town were between 5usd to 7usd. While this is a good price point for hostels, in many cities across south east Asia you can find options at this price point. This difference here is the quality of accommodation you can find for such a low price. Many of the hostels in town here feel more like communal resorts rather than your standard hostel. In fact, the Lub D hostel I stayed at here for 5usd a night might be the nicest hostel I have visited across all of my travels. However, food here is not the cheapest. I think this is in part due to the fact that Cambodians use USD for many of their purchases rather than their own currency, driving up the price for a meal. On average I was spending about 7 or 8 dollars per meal, which is still very affordable, but about double of what I was spending for a meal in India, Nepal, and Thailand. On the other hand beer here is mind-blowingly cheap so like life itself, balance is achieved.

-Energy, Excitement, and Vibes: 9 / 10:

An A+ sunset from the tonle sap floating village.

Siem Reap is action packed, wild, adventurous, calm, and serene all in one. The best way I can put it is that the city feels the south east Asian version of a wild west frontier town. I can't deny that there is an aura of lawless you feel in the city, but not necessarily in a dangerous way. It just feels like one of those towns Indiana Jones would find himself in before embarking off on some grand adventure. On the flip-side there is a sense of

peacefulness and 'zen' which I felt here.

A local artisan, creating carvings.

While Siem Reap can feel like you're standing on the edge of the frontier, it also feels incredibly welcoming and I would be remised if I did not mention that the Cambodian people of Siem Reap are perhaps the friendliest people I have had the pleasure of meeting anywhere in the world. Sitting on a hill top and watching the sunset behind the shadow of distant rainstorm, or having a beer sitting on plastics stools, looking off at rice fields as far as the eye can see were truly cathartic experiences. In contrast, many of the nights were spent partying until the wee hours on Siem Reaps excellent pub street. Props here are due, as compared to the pub streets in Thailand the drugs and prostitutes were noticeably less in-your-face which made the experience all the more enjoyable.

-My Experience: 50 / 50:

River cruise to get to the floating village.

My summer 2024 south east Asia & India trip started in Siem Reap and I really visited the city on a whim, making it a very last second addition to the itinerary. I can't say it enough how happy I am I decided to book that last second city hopper from Bangkok to Siem Reap the night before starting my trip. I came to the city with no expectations other than wanting to see Angkor Wat. Yet, by the end, my week spent in Siem Reap was some of the most fun I have had across all of my travels. When sitting down and putting thoughts into what my favorite cities are - the area I put the most credence into is 'where did I have the most fun'. Judged purely off this metric Siem Reap is one of the best of the best. Moreover, the people I met and made friends with here were amazing and at the core I believe is what tied the whole experience together. In fact one of friends I made here, an Irish lad named Ben, ended up traveling with me for about three months after we met in Sieam Reap and is now someone I would consider one of my best friends. All in all, my experience in this city was absolutely remarkable.