Siem Reap worth it?

[bignok]

People are saying it is quiet right now so wondering if it would be a good time to go and whether it's worth it. We are doing Phanom Rung before. 

 

 

[Mickeymaus]

About 15 years ago, Angkor Wat was an unforgettable experience for me. But there were not many tourists at that time. Don't know if there are endless crowds now.

[Red Phoenix]

8 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

About 15 years ago, Angkor Wat was an unforgettable experience for me. But there were not many tourists at that time. Don't know if there are endless crowds now.

Yes indeed, an absolutely unforgettable experience.  I have been 3 times already in last 6 years (each time for 5 days) and still haven't seen everything, and will surely go again.  

Note: If you take the 1-day 'Grand tour' that can be quite busy, but there is also a 1-day tour that does to the lesser visited temples, and they are at least as magnificent as the better known ones.  

[bignok]

2 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

Yes indeed, an absolutely unforgettable experience.  I have been 3 times already in last 6 years (each time for 5 days) and still haven't seen everything, and will surely go again.  

Note: If you take the 1-day 'Grand tour' that can be quite busy, but there is also a 1-day tour that does to the lesser visited temples, and they are at least as magnificent as the better known ones.  

Do Thais pay farang entry fees too? Im guessing they do.

[scubascuba3]

24 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

About 15 years ago, Angkor Wat was an unforgettable experience for me. But there were not many tourists at that time. Don't know if there are endless crowds now.

i thought over rated but depends what you like, i went around 2009, the touristy sunrise thing at angkor wat was cringewothy

[Red Phoenix]

6 minutes ago, bignok said:

Do Thais pay farang entry fees too? Im guessing they do.

Yes, they do. 

But it's well worth to buy a 3-day entry-card for the Angkor Wat temple complex (it is absolutely impossible to see everything in those 3 days).  Also you are not obliged to take the 3 days in one go, but can do a rest-day or alternative trips in between. 

[Dmaxdan]

12 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

i thought over rated but depends what you like, i went around 2009, the touristy sunrise thing at angkor wat was cringewothy

You mean like this?

 

 

 

 

[Dmaxdan]

My favorite part of Angkor Wat was the temples reclaimed by the jungle.

[StayinThailand2much]

7 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

You mean like this?

 

 

 

 

Damn! Now I wanna go...

[scubascuba3]

11 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

You mean like this?

 

 

 

 

you miss out the 100+ tourists all lined up on white plastic chairs

[scubascuba3]

8 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

My favorite part of Angkor Wat was the temples reclaimed by the jungle.

my least favourite part was where they were rebuilding the temples, i preferred them as they were in pieces

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, Don Chance said:

Even a dance festival in December.

The OP was talking about right now, not December.

[LaosLover]

Wen't last October. I sat dead in the middle of the biggest part for half an hour and didn't see another soul.

 

A poster I enjoy said it's over-rated. I think it's more of a very specialized interest, which is the polite way of saying that after a while, if you've seen one Apsara-festooned door lintel you've seen them all.

 

But you like ruins and this is The Beatles of Ruins; much more interesting than Pagan or Machu Pichu, or all the stuff I've seen in Turkey.

 

3 days does it unless you're Indiana Jones. The boat trip to see houses on stilts will be familiar if you've been to the south. Siem Reap's little restaurant row is decent, try the Greek place.

 

Can't recco Phenom Penh at all; the traffic kills it. Was nice to have a driver down to PP and stopped at few temples. The Cambo's favor a lot of dayglo paint in their murals. 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Red Phoenix said:

Yes, they do. 

But it's well worth to buy a 3-day entry-card for the Angkor Wat temple complex (it is absolutely impossible to see everything in those 3 days).  Also you are not obliged to take the 3 days in one go, but can do a rest-day or alternative trips in between. 

Been to SR many times, never paid $50 for the 1 day entry fee.

Spent my money on 50c beers and $1 cocktails instead.

Did cycle around the outside though.

Edited May 19, 2023 by BritManToo

[orchis]

Yes, maybe some rain which makes the temple sculpture looks nicer.
if too many people hire a tuk tuk to further out. I have visited regularly (professionally) since 1999, only once was I disappointed in what seemed to be Korean honeymoon peak visits (if I remember right, May). I would never join the hordes for sunset viewings, elephant rides and balloon excursions, though.
 

[metisdead]

Off topic trolling posts and replies about India have been removed.

[bignok]

26 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Been to SR many times, never paid $50 for the 1 day entry fee.

Spent my money on 50c beers and $1 cocktails instead.

Did cycle around the outside though.

Can you see much from the free section?

[JimTripper]

2 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

About 15 years ago, Angkor Wat was an unforgettable experience for me. But there were not many tourists at that time. Don't know if there are endless crowds now.

There are not any crowds if you bike in. I just rented a bike in town and biked it (starting out at dawn when it’s not so hot).  But I was young and fit then.

 

Personally I would avoid any type of guide or tour. They take you on the same well worn path. Pretty much BS imo. It was all about finding secluded temples and being alone that was unforgettable for me. People differ.

[LaosLover]

It was $50 a day for a private driver and worth it. You will get gently soft-sold in the cab from the airport. If you want to avoid tourists following the well-worn schedule, the drive will help you.

 

Also, a million websites. You might get more swamped with crowd avoidance strategy-types than if you went at the regular time. The driver will take you to any site and if you give him a list, in the most efficient manner.

 

There's an outdoor upscale Combo restaurant out near one of the sites that he took us too. A few cuts above the usual mushy fish amok, and very Travel and Leisure Magazine for about $20 a head. SR is also a good place to try crocodile, at half the Khao San Road price.

 

We also went to the little dance performance (booked by the driver), prob the best such classical I've seen in SEA (warning: at 90 minutes, the show feels long). It was great to have someone on 24 hour a day stand-by to cater to us and take us down to PP. In PP for 3 days, he slept in his car outside the hotel. We bought him a pillow and a cheap blanket.

 

If I had the fitness and could stand the heat, I agree that biking would be the ideal way to tour the sites. I saw a few locals on bikes, but no tourists.

[bkk6060]

Probably my lack of cultural interest, but I thought the Wat was boring after 20 minutes.  Like most temples or cathedral,  just seems to be repetitive. 

 

Siem Reap has other interesting things to do the best time I had was renting an ATV and cruising off road.

Pub street, cheap massage, good food and some ladies there to date if you are single.

 

3 days there is about right, but a 3 day Wat pass seems like a waste.

[LaosLover]

29 minutes ago, bignok said:

Can you see much from the free section?

It's like going to Disneyland and just touring the fence around it. Compared to a Euro-admission to something like The Tower of London, the $50 is a deal.

 

And it's good for non-consecutive days, so you can chill. After a long day of ruin-viewing, I didn't want a second one immediately.

 

If you're a temple marathon viewer, you could knock it all out in one long day -for about $15. A lot of the ruins are a bit of walk from the road and not that impressive nor jungle-ish.

Edited May 19, 2023 by LaosLover

[GammaGlobulin]

Concerning whether to go, or to stay, nobody said it better than Jimmy!...

 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

8 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Probably my lack of cultural interest, but I thought the Wat was boring after 20 minutes.  Like most temples or cathedral,  just seems to be repetitive. 

 

Yeah same here, I've been templed out for a long time, much prefer doing other things. I went to Russia once on a cultural visit to churches, palaces, galleries, exhibitions, trip only got good when i started chasing skirt

[BritManToo]

58 minutes ago, bignok said:

Can you see much from the free section?

I did post photos of what I saw. 

IMHO that was good enough. 

If it was $10 I would have gone in, but $50 just no. 

[bignok]

Think we skip it. Doing Phanom Rung. Will review it. Much cheaper, no flights, no visa, cheap entry.

[Iron Tongue]

If you've never been to Angkor Wat or the Bayon, you have to see them at least once, otherwise, what's the point of living in SE Asia?

If you don't think they're worth seeing... that's just sad.

[Red Phoenix]

2 hours ago, bignok said:

Think we skip it. Doing Phanom Rung. Will review it. Much cheaper, no flights, no visa, cheap entry.

Thai people will hate me for saying it, but Phanom Rung - nice as it is (been there twice) - is just a small not very well-maintained temple compared with the splendor of the Angkor Wat temple complex.

[Stevemercer]

Siem Reap, in parts, still has a bit of a frontier feel. If you are free to wander around there are some interesting nooks.

 

I would agree with other posters that it is certainly worthwhile visiting Ankor Wat at least once in your life. I have been a couple of times and found it worthwhile.

[Plern]

First trip was 92. I moved there (well, PNH).

 

Last trip was ?? 2000 was saddened by the wear and tear as well as the guardrails. I recall and have sweet memories of stringing up a hammock in ThaProm and just chilling out with the birds and a huge bag of weed I paid 1usd for in Phnom Penh. Maybe six tourists thru the entire (week)day.

 

Fond memories.

[NORDO]

Siem Reap... I worked a six month contract there in 2012 for an asian upstart LLC..  One A320 and all we did was go from Seim Reap to Incheon, spend the night and come back the next day.   Easy gig, good pay.

 

I did take in the cultural aspects of being there ..Ankor Wat, Ankor Thom and such.  But I was appalled at the way the locals let tourists trash the place.   Very little respect for the Khemer reverence.

 

Otherwise, it was a giant gambling, drug sucking, rundown brothel.   Mickey's was the best.   Can't say I didn't enjoy myself, but really disgusting how World heritage sites were allowed to be over run.

 

Hope it changed for the better.