Things to Do in Siem Reap Beyond the Temples

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Angkor draws most visitors to Siem Reap, but the city has grown a genuinely good set of things to do that have nothing to do with temples — worth knowing about if you’re staying more than two days or just want a change of pace mid-trip.

Phare, the Cambodian Circus

A modern circus performance — acrobatics, live music, storytelling, no animals — that also funds a nonprofit arts school for disadvantaged youth. Consistently one of the highest-rated evening activities in the city. See Phare Circus Siem Reap: Tickets and What to Expect.

Cooking classes

Half-day cooking classes typically start with a market tour, then move to hands-on preparation of Khmer staples like amok and lok lak, usually finishing with the meal you’ve made. A good rainy-day or post-temple activity that doesn’t require much physical energy. See Siem Reap Cooking Classes: Best Options.

Spas and massage

Siem Reap has a dense, good-value spa scene, from simple $8-10 foot massages at street-side shops to full spa packages at resort-quality properties. Worth booking for the evening after a long day at Angkor.

Quad biking and countryside tours

Quad bike tours through rice paddies and rural villages outside the city offer a different look at Cambodia than the temples do — a few hours covering countryside roads, often finishing near sunset. See Siem Reap Quad Bike and Countryside Tours: Worth It?

Old Market and Angkor Night Market

Both are worth an evening browse for souvenirs, textiles, and street food, and both cluster within walking distance of the Old Town hotel area — an easy way to fill a couple of hours without arranging transport.

Frequently asked questions

What can I do in Siem Reap besides Angkor?

Phare Circus, cooking classes, spas, quad bike countryside tours, and the Old Market/Night Market are the most popular non-temple activities.

Is one day enough to see Siem Reap beyond the temples?

A single extra day covers a couple of these comfortably — a cooking class or countryside tour plus an evening market visit, for example.

Are Siem Reap’s spas good value?

Yes — a full spa treatment here typically costs a fraction of equivalent quality in Bali or Thailand’s more developed spa markets.

Related guides

Cultural and craft experiences

Artisans Angkor runs workshops around town showcasing traditional Khmer silk weaving, stone and wood carving, and lacquerware — free to visit the workshop floor, with a shop attached if you want to buy directly from the source rather than a market stall of uncertain origin. Phare, the Cambodian Circus, is the standout evening activity, blending acrobatics and live music into stories from Cambodian folklore, performed nightly for $18-38.

Nature and countryside

Tonle Sap Lake’s floating villages offer a look at a genuinely different way of life — entire communities living on boats and stilt houses that rise and fall with the lake’s dramatic seasonal water level changes. Kulen Mountain, about 1.5 hours out, adds a swimmable waterfall and sacred carved riverbed to the mix, a solid full-day trip for travelers with 4+ days in the area.

Food, wellness, and everyday life

A cooking class ($18-28) is one of the better ways to engage with Cambodian culture beyond sightseeing, typically including a market visit and a shared meal of what you’ve cooked. Spa and massage options range from $6-10 budget foot massages on Pub Street to $40-60+ treatments at resort-level spas like Anantara’s. For a lower-key evening, Little Red Fox or Sister Srey cafes offer a relaxed, non-bar alternative to Pub Street’s noise.

Building a non-temple day that still feels productive

A well-paced non-temple day in Siem Reap might combine a morning cooking class, an afternoon at Artisans Angkor’s workshop or a spa treatment, and an evening at Phare Circus — three genuinely different experiences that together give a fuller sense of Cambodian culture, craft, and food than another day of stone temples would, without feeling like a wasted day away from the main attraction.

For travelers who’ve already done 2-3 days of temples and are starting to feel fatigued, this kind of day also serves a practical purpose: it gives tired legs and sun-worn skin genuine recovery time before returning to Angkor for a final push, which most people find makes that final temple day noticeably more enjoyable than pushing through consecutive exhausting days.

Activities that work well with kids or less mobile travelers

Artisans Angkor’s craft workshops and a gentle cooking class both involve minimal walking and standing compared to temple exploration, making them good choices for travelers with mobility considerations or families with young children who need a lower-intensity day. Tonle Sap’s floating village tours, done by boat rather than on foot, offer a similar lower-effort alternative that still delivers a memorable, genuinely different experience.