7 days Cambodia: Angkor + Phnom Penh + Kep pepper

Trip map

Click each numbered marker to see the corresponding day.

Day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   Arrival Siem Reap (Angkor)

   Direct Paris-Siem Reap (SAI) flight via Bangkok (Air France-Thai Airways 14h total, €800-1300 return) or via Doha (Qatar Airways 16h, €900-1500 return). E-visa MANDATORY ($30, online application evisa.gov.kh 72h before departure, valid 30 days, 6-month passport). Alternative: visa on arrival $30 + photo + USD cash. Land Siem Reap Angkor International airport (10 km from centre). Time difference +6h winter, +5h summer. Transfer to centre: tuk-tuk $8-15, taxi $15-25. Settle hotel: Park Hyatt Siem Reap (signature luxury 5*, $250-450/night), Belmond La Residence d'Angkor (French colonial heritage, $300-600), FCC Angkor by Avani ($200-400), mid-range boutique hotels (Anantara Angkor, Shinta Mani Angkor, Heritage Suites $100-250). Evening Pub Street: busy pedestrian tourist artery, Khmer + International restos, 'happy hour' bars $1 Angkor beer ($1-3), foot/back massage $5-10 (Lemongrass Garden), traditional Apsara Dance show (Smile of Angkor $25-40 with buffet dinner).

   Tips

   • · E-visa MANDATORY: $30 evisa.gov.kh, apply 72h before
   • · Via Bangkok or Doha flight: 14-16h, €800-1500 return
   • · Time diff +6h winter / +5h summer
   • · Pub Street: tourist artery, beer $1-3, massage $5-10
   Siem Reap →
2. 2

   Day 2

   Angkor Wat sunrise + Bayon

   WAKE 4:30am for Angkor Wat sunrise — absolute signature experience. Buy Angkor Pass 1-day $37 / 3-day $62 / 7-day $72 (ticket centre opens 5am, passport mandatory, photo taken on site). Tuk-tuk with driver full day: $20-30 (full day deal with site-to-site waiting). Arrive Angkor Wat site 5am, 15 min walk to east viewpoint (reflecting pool). Sunrise 5:45-6:15am. Angkor Wat (12th century, Suryavarman II, dedicated to Vishnu, Buddhist converted 14th c., world's largest religious monument 162 hectares). Interior visit 2-3h: Mahabharata + Ramayana bas-reliefs, temple-mountain summit stairs. Local breakfast. Afternoon Bayon (12th c. Jayavarman VII, Angkor Thom centre, 54 towers with 200+ smiling bodhisattva faces) + Elephants Terrace + Leper King Terrace. Dinner Cuisine Wat Damnak (chef Joannès Riviere, Peruano-Cambodian fusion restaurant top 10 Asia 50 Best, $35-60).

   Tips

   • · Angkor Pass: 1-day $37 / 3-day $62 / 7-day $72
   • · Angkor Wat sunrise: wake 4:30am, signature photo
   • · Day tuk-tuk: $20-30 driver waiting
   • · Cuisine Wat Damnak: top 10 Asia 50 Best, $35-60
   Angkor Wat →
3. 3

   Day 3

   Ta Prohm + Banteay Srei + Tonle Sap

   Morning Ta Prohm (12th century, Buddhist mode, the 'tree temple' — strangler figs and cheesemakers (Tetrameles nudiflora) have engulfed the stones, spectacular roots on walls, filming location 'Tomb Raider' 2001 Angelina Jolie + 'Two Brothers' Jean-Jacques Annaud — left half-restored to preserve aesthetic of nature dominating stone). Banteay Srei (30 km north, 1h tuk-tuk, '10th c. women's citadel' ultra-fine pink sandstone, most delicate Angkor sculptures, _the jewel of temples_). Lunch local village ($5-8 authentic handmade Khmer meal). Afternoon Tonle Sap Lake (15 km Siem Reap, largest freshwater lake SE Asia, 2,700 km² dry season extensible to 15,000 km² monsoon). Kompong Phluk floating village (45 min drive + 1h boat, $15-25/person): houses on 7-8m stilts, schools + market + floating pagoda, unique lifestyle adapted to lake cycle. Dinner Siem Reap: Marum (Tree Alliance social program, $12-25).

   Tips

   • · Ta Prohm: Tomb Raider temple, spectacular cheesemaker roots
   • · Banteay Srei: 30 km north, pink sandstone, most delicate sculptures
   • · Tonle Sap: largest freshwater lake SE Asia
   • · Kompong Phluk floating village: $15-25, 8m stilts life
   Angkor Wat →Siem Reap →
4. 4

   Day 4

   Siem Reap → Phnom Penh flight + Royal Palace

   Morning domestic Cambodia Angkor Air Siem Reap → Phnom Penh (PNH) flight (50 min, $80-150 return, 4-5 flights/day) OR Giant Ibis bus (6h, $18-25). Land Phnom Penh, capital 2.2M inhabitants. 0h time difference. Tuk-tuk transfer to riverside: $5-8. Settle hotel: Raffles Hotel Le Royal (heritage signature 1929, $250-500), Rosewood Phnom Penh (contemporary luxury $200-400), Plantation Urban Resort (boutique $100-200), Soeung Sun Inn (mid $50-100). Afternoon Royal Palace + Silver Pagoda ($10 entry, helmet + shoulder covering required, 1h30): official residence King Norodom Sihamoni, Throne Room rebuilt 1917, Silver Pagoda (5000 silver floor tiles + Emerald Buddha + 90 kg gold Buddha adorned 9584 diamonds). Wat Phnom (27 m mound after which the city is named, founded 1372 by Lady Penh — legendary). Dinner Romdeng (Tree Alliance social program, $15-30), Topaz (French gourmet $50-100) or Phsar Kandal local night market ($5-8).

   Tips

   • · Siem Reap-Phnom Penh flight: 50 min, $80-150 return (Angkor Air)
   • · Giant Ibis bus alternative: 6h, $18-25
   • · Royal Palace + Silver Pagoda: $10, 1h30, helmet required
   • · Romdeng: Tree Alliance social program, $15-30
   Phnom Penh →
5. 5

   Day 5

   S-21 + Killing Fields (genocide memory)

   MEMORY DAY Khmer Rouge (1975-1979, Pol Pot regime, 1.7 million deaths or 21% Cambodian population — one of the worst 20th century genocides). WARNING EXPECT A DIFFICULT DAY. Visits in ORDER: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) ($5 entry + $5 audio guide RECOMMENDED, 2-3h, former high school converted to torture centre by Khmer Rouge, 14000 prisoners passed through S-21 and only 7 survivors, victim photos + original preserved cells + testimonies — the regime's horror documented in raw, factual way). Then 17 km drive to Choeung Ek Killing Fields ($5 entry + audio guide FREE excellent, 2h, 86 mass graves containing 8895 exhumed bodies, commemorative stupa with 9000 stacked skulls, 'killing tree' against which babies were kicked to death, what Khmer Rouge called 'destroying the weed with its roots' — silence and meditation essential). Afternoon: emotional RECOVERY. Hotel spa, Mekong stroll, Sisowath Quay riverside sunset. Dinner Khmer Surin (restful traditional Khmer cuisine, $10-25).

   Tips

   • · S-21 + Killing Fields: Khmer Rouge genocide memory
   • · Pol Pot 1975-1979: 1.7 million deaths (21% population)
   • · EXPECT DIFFICULT DAY — audio guides recommended
   • · Afternoon: recovery, hotel spa, Mekong sunset
   Phnom Penh →
6. 6

   Day 6

   Phnom Penh → Kep + Kampot flight

   Morning Phnom Penh → Kep drive (4h drive, 175 km, private taxi $80-120 or Giant Ibis bus $12). Arrive Kep, small southern coast town 30 km from Vietnamese border. Settle: Knai Bang Chatt (signature resort former colonial 5*, $250-450/night + seaside bungalow), Veranda Natural Resort (eco-lodge $100-200), Kep Lodge (boutique $60-150). Afternoon Crab Market: Kep world-famous for blue crabs + Kampot IGP pepper (first Cambodian IGP 2010, considered among world's best peppers). Lunch Kimly Restaurant (seafront, Kampot pepper crab green/black/white $15-35, absolute signature). Afternoon visit pepper plantation Bo Tree, La Plantation, Starling Farm ($15-25 visit + tasting, 15 km road towards Kampot). Evening Kampot (25 km from Kep, 30 min): Old Town French colonial, relaxed Mekong-during charm, gastronomy + cafés. Dinner Kampot or Kep.

   Tips

   • · Phnom Penh-Kep: 4h drive, taxi $80-120 or bus $12
   • · Kep Crab Market: blue crabs + Kampot pepper signature
   • · Kampot IGP pepper: first Cambodian IGP 2010
   • · Bo Tree/La Plantation pepper plantation: $15-25
   Koh Rong →
7. 7

   Day 7

   Back Phnom Penh + Paris

   Morning last Kep walk (Kep National Park 1h light hike) or souvenir shopping: Kampot IGP pepper ($10-20 100g pot, world-class quality, 2-year storage, fresh green / black / red / white), Khmer crafts (kramas traditional fabrics $5-15), spices, Cambodian silk. Resort brunch. Kep → Phnom Penh drive (4h, $80-120 taxi). 3-4h airport margin. Phnom Penh → Paris CDG flight via Bangkok or Doha (16-18h total return). -6h time difference back to France. End of Cambodian trip. Last souvenirs: Cambodian silk (kramas, kbach traditional motifs $15-50), wood sculptures (Buddhist figurines $10-50), Khmer silver jewellery ($5-30), Cambodian rice wine (Sombai artisanal infusion $10-25).

   Tips

   • · Souvenirs: Kampot IGP pepper ($10-20/100g, world-class quality)
   • · Cambodian kramas silk: $5-15
   • · 3-4h Phnom Penh airport margin (international transit)
   • · Return flight via Bangkok or Doha, 16-18h total
   Koh Rong →

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