Siem Reap in 2 days for a woman travelling alone
A day-by-day plan built from the 5 Siem Reap neighbourhoods Sola has written up, the things worth your time inside each one, and the places that work when you are eating on your own.
- Days
- 2
- Neighbourhoods
- 5
- Things to do
- 5
- Places to eat
- 5
01 of 07
Day 1 · Old Market (Psah Chas), Wat Bo and Svay Dangkum
The central grid around Pub Street and the Night Market. Residential streets east of the river, named after the 18th-century temple in the middle of the neighbourhood. The district that holds most of the proper Khmer restaurants locals eat at, as well as the French Quarter's colonial-era buildings on Pokambor Avenue.
- Old Market (Psah Chas)
- First-timers and anyone who wants everything within a ten-minute walk.
- Wat Bo
- Travellers who want a slower pace with easy access to the centre.
- Svay Dangkum
- Travellers interested in eating outside the tourist bubble.
What to see and do
- 01
Angkor Wat at Sunrise
The west-facing main temple reflects in the outer moat at dawn, which is the reason the crowds gather. You need to be at the gate before 5am, which means arranging a tuk-tuk the night before. After the sunrise crowd disperses around 7am, you have the inner galleries largely to yourself.
Buy your three-day pass the afternoon before your first temple day; the ticket office on Charles de Gaulle Boulevard is open until 5:30pm.
- 02
Bayon Temple at Midday
The 216 carved faces of Bayon are best photographed when light comes in at an angle, which happens mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Most tour groups cycle through quickly; spending an hour here rather than twenty minutes reveals smaller carved bas-reliefs of daily Angkorian life. Bring water.
Bayon is inside the Angkor Thom complex, which requires your Angkor pass.
- 03
Angkor National Museum
The museum on Charles de Gaulle Boulevard covers Khmer civilization and the Angkor period with well-organised galleries and audioguides in multiple languages. Worth doing before rather than after your first temple day, as it gives you a frame for what you are looking at. Two to three hours is enough.
The museum is a separate ticket from the Angkor complex pass.
Where to eat
- 01
Mahob Khmer Cuisine
Old MarketOne of the more considered Khmer restaurants in town, with an actual menu of regional dishes rather than a tourist shortcut to pad Thai. Amok, loc lac, and banana blossom salad are all done properly. The dining room is calm enough for solo eating.
Counter seats face the kitchen, which gives you something to watch.
- 02
The Sugar Palm
Svay DangkumLong-running restaurant on Taphul Road run by chef Kethana Dunnet, who spent years documenting Khmer cooking techniques before the Khmer Rouge systematically erased them. Dishes like banana flower curry and samlor machu have real context behind them. Reservations recommended in high season.
The bar seats two and the staff will talk you through the menu if you ask.
- 03
Cuisine Wat Damnak
Wat BoChef Joannès Rivière runs a set menu tasting restaurant inside a renovated Khmer house in Wat Bo. The menu changes weekly based on what is at the market; it is ingredient-driven and specific to the season. One of the best meals in Siem Reap regardless of cuisine type.
Solo diners are seated at a small corner table with good sight lines into the room.
Getting there
You can walk almost everywhere in this neighbourhood; tuk-tuks are two minutes away at any hour.
02 of 07
Day 2 · Sala Kamreuk and Kandaek / Banteay Chhmar Road
The road running north toward the Angkor complex. The area around the airport road and Charles de Gaulle Boulevard where newer hotels have clustered.
- Sala Kamreuk
- Travellers prioritizing early temple access over walkable nightlife.
- Kandaek / Banteay Chhmar Road
- Travellers with early flights or those who want a quiet base near amenities.
What to see and do
- 01
Phare, the Cambodian Circus
A non-profit circus school that produces nightly performances combining acrobatics with stories about modern Cambodian history. The performances are around 60 minutes and the storytelling is genuinely specific to the post-Khmer Rouge generation. Tickets sell out in high season.
Book directly through the Phare website at least two days ahead in November through February.
- 02
Artisans Angkor at Les Chantiers Ecoles
A training and production workshop near the Old Market that employs rural Cambodian artisans to revive traditional silk weaving, stone carving, and lacquerwork. You can walk through the workshop and watch in progress. The attached shop sells directly, with proceeds going to the artisans.
Free to visit; the workshop is most active on weekday mornings.
Where to eat
- 01
Lilypop Garden Cafe
Old MarketBreakfast and lunch spot off the main drag with a courtyard and decent coffee. The egg dishes and fresh juices are why people come back. Reliable wifi makes it a functional working spot in the mornings.
Fills up by 9am on weekends; arrive early or expect to wait.
- 02
Chanrey Tree
Old MarketUpmarket Khmer restaurant on the main strip, better executed than most at this price point. The khmer curry is not the watered-down tourist version. The menu has enough English description that ordering without help is straightforward.
Tables are well-spaced and the lighting is dim enough that eating alone feels unremarkable.
Getting there
You will need a tuk-tuk or bicycle for everything here; there is no walkable centre.
03 of 07
Where to base yourself
Picked for the neighbourhoods this plan actually visits, so the walk back is short.
- 01
Shinta Mani Wild / Shinta Mani Angkor, Sala Kamreuk
The Shinta Mani Angkor property sits on Oum Khun Street in a converted colonial building with a pool. Bill Bensley designed the interiors, which are specific and considered rather than generic boutique. The brand runs social enterprise training programs, so staff are attentive in a way that does not feel performative. Best for solo travellers who want a mid-to-high budget hotel with real character.
- 02
La Niche d'Angkor, Wat Bo
Small Khmer-owned guesthouse in the Wat Bo neighbourhood. Rooms are clean and straightforwardly priced. The family running it has been arranging tuk-tuk drivers and temple itineraries for guests for years. Best for travellers who want local knowledge built into their accommodation.
- 03
Navutu Dreams Resort, Sala Kamreuk
Boutique wellness-leaning resort north of town with multiple pools and a yoga program. Far enough from Pub Street that it is genuinely quiet at night. Free bicycle use is included, which matters for getting into town. Best for solo travellers combining temples with time to decompress.
04 of 07
Getting around
Tuk-tuks are the standard move. PassApp is the Cambodian equivalent of Grab and works in Siem Reap; it shows upfront pricing and driver details, which is useful. Grab also operates here. Most tuk-tuk drivers outside popular hotels will quote a fare; PassApp tends to be slightly cheaper for in-town trips but comparable for temple runs. Bicycles are available to rent from most guesthouses and work well for the flat roads around the Old Market and Wat Bo. The Angkor complex itself is large; renting a bicycle for a full temple day is doable but takes energy in the heat. After midnight, PassApp still functions and drivers are available, though response times slow on quieter nights. Metered taxis exist but are rarely used; tuk-tuks are the practical norm.
05 of 07
When to go
November through February is dry season and the most comfortable time to visit. Temperatures are in the low to mid 30s Celsius rather than the punishing 38-plus degrees of April and May. March and April are extremely hot and dusty. The wet season runs June through October; temples are less crowded and surrounding rice fields are green, but afternoon rain is consistent and the Tonle Sap lake is at its largest, which is interesting if you plan to visit.
06 of 07
Common questions
- Is 2 days enough in Siem Reap?
- This plan works through all 5 Siem Reap neighbourhoods Sola has written up, alongside 5 things worth your time and 5 places that hold up when you are eating alone. You will not see everything. You will finish with a working sense of how Siem Reap runs.
- Which neighbourhoods does this Siem Reap itinerary cover?
- Old Market (Psah Chas), Wat Bo, Svay Dangkum, Sala Kamreuk and Kandaek / Banteay Chhmar Road. Each one gets a day or a half day, with the things to do and the places to eat that sit inside it, so you are not doubling back across Siem Reap in one afternoon.
- Where should I base myself for 2 days in Siem Reap?
- Sala Kamreuk is the base this plan is built around: Shinta Mani Wild / Shinta Mani Angkor sits there, and it keeps you close to the areas on the list. La Niche d'Angkor in Wat Bo is the alternative if you want a different pace.
07 of 07
The full Siem Reap page
Siem Reap suits women who want a clear purpose to their trip, specifically the temples, with enough infrastructure around it to keep the logistics low-stress. It also works for women who want Southeast Asia without Bangkok-level intensity; the city is small enough to orient yourself in a day.