Audio walk · Siem Reap
Old Market & Pub Street
Put your phone in your pocket and walk. Your phone reads each stop aloud, then waits while you walk to the next one; tap “I've arrived” to carry on. Everything it says is written out below, so the walk works without sound too.
- 3 stops
- about 6 min of listening
- Cluster guide
3 stops · about 6 min listening
Before you start
Voice and speed
The script is in English. On-device voices keep working with no signal once this page is open or saved.
Transcript
Everything the tour says, in order. Read it instead of listening if you prefer.
Before you start
Welcome to the Old Market & Pub Street audio walk in Siem Reap. 3 stops: Angkor Wat, Bayon and Wat Damnak. Evening and early-morning cluster: Old Market food and shopping, the Pub Street lanes after 17:00, Wat Damnak in the quiet hour; flat, hot, and full of tuk-tuk touts.
Old Market (Psar Chas) and the lanes around it, the river and Wat Damnak to the south-east (approximate box). Underfoot: paved streets, broken edges; slope: flat; shade: low.
Siem Reap is a small town with a very large neighbour. Angkor was once one of the biggest cities in the pre-industrial world, and its temples, reservoirs and roads still shape how a visit works: the sun, the water and the stone decide the schedule.
Before you start: Old Market: keep bags in front of you; snatching happens on the lanes. Keep your eyes on the street, and pause the audio before you cross a road.
1. Angkor Wat
អង្គរវត្ត
Look for
- West causeway and gate
- Reflecting pond
- Outer galleries and bas-reliefs
Stop 1 of 3: Angkor Wat. Arrival point: Tuk-tuk or car to the west causeway.
Sunrise or late afternoon, not midday: buy the Angkor pass at the official office the day before, dress covered, allow two hours, and leave by 09:30.
Look for West causeway and gate: The 200 m stone causeway over the moat; nagas (serpent balustrades) and the first view of the towers. Look for Reflecting pond: The classic sunrise photograph; arrive before 05:15 for a good position. Look for Outer galleries and bas-reliefs: Eight panels of carved stories, including the Churning of the Sea of Milk and the Battle of Kurukshetra.
Angkor was the centre of the Khmer Empire from the early 9th century to the 15th. Recent laser surveys from the air have shown a network of roads, enclosures and water works far larger than the temples alone suggested, which is why archaeologists now call Angkor a city, not a group of monuments. Suryavarman II ruled in the first half of the 12th century and built Angkor Wat as a state temple dedicated to Vishnu.
Shoulders and knees covered; guards turn people away. Sunrise crowds on the west causeway and at the pond; quietest after 09:30 and late afternoon. Allowed outside and in galleries; no flash on carvings; drones need a permit and are usually banned.
Walk:Next, stop 2: Bayon. It's about 0 minutes on foot, about 3.3 km to the north. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
2. Bayon
បាយ័ន
Look for
- Outer gallery bas-reliefs
- Terraces and inner gallery
- The upper terrace with the faces
Stop 2 of 3: Bayon. Arrival point: Tuk-tuk or car to the south gate of Angkor Thom.
Go at first light or after 15:30: the carved faces work best in low sun; 60 minutes on the terraces, then the Baphuon on foot.
Look for Outer gallery bas-reliefs: Scenes of war and daily life: markets, boats, cockfights, in a single row. Look for Terraces and inner gallery: Stairs up to the faces; watch the steps. Look for The upper terrace with the faces: About 200 stone faces on 37 towers (approximate); the most photographed area.
The Bayon, at the centre of the walled city, carries about two hundred stone faces on its towers; Ta Prohm and Preah Khan were built as temples and monasteries in his reign. Angkor Thom, the walled city with the Bayon, is a few kilometres beyond it, and Ta Prohm, Preah Khan and other temples lie to the east and north. Angkor Wat is a Vishnu temple; the Bayon is a Buddhist one, though its shrines also hold older Hindu ideas; Banteay Srei is a Shiva temple.
Shoulders and knees covered. Tour buses 09:30–11:30; quieter early and late. Allowed; no flash on carvings; no drones.
Walk:Next, stop 3: Wat Damnak. It is about 10.0 km to the south: too far to walk, so plan a ride and check your map. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
3. Wat Damnak
វត្តដំណាក់
Look for
- Main pagoda hall
- Courtyard and stupas
- Monks' quarters (view only)
- Courtyard in morning light
Stop 3 of 3: Wat Damnak. Arrival point: Walk from the Old Market, about 10–12 min.
A working pagoda compound ten minutes from Pub Street: go in the cool early morning or the late afternoon for a quiet courtyard and monks. On a first visit: A quiet look at a living pagoda.
Look for Main pagoda hall: Mural paintings and a Buddha image; remove shoes. Look for Courtyard and stupas: Shaded paths and small stupas. Look for Monks' quarters (view only): Do not enter living areas. For a photo: Courtyard in morning light, early morning.
South and south-east are guesthouses and Wat Damnak; north are the royal gardens, the Angkor National Museum and the road that heads straight to the temples.
Shoulders and knees covered; shoes off in prayer halls. Quiet all day; busy on holy days and at ceremonies. Allowed outdoors; ask in the hall and for monks. A living Buddhist compound, not a museum: monks live and study here.
End of the walk
That's the end of the Old Market & Pub Street walk. To carry on, Royal Gardens & Angkor National Museum is about 8 minutes away (tuk-tuk north). To carry on, Angkor Wat is about 22 minutes away (tuk-tuk north).
Built from this site's place pages, walking times and city deep dive; nothing is added that isn't on those pages. Opening hours, prices and rules change: check each place page before you go. Walking times are typical (median) and assume a steady pace.