Angkor first, river after

The Angkor land stay, in Siem Reap

No river ship boards in Siem Reap. It's a land stay — hotel nights for Angkor — and your line joins it to the ship by a long coach ride or a short flight.

Plan my cruise from Siem Reap The hotel nights

~50 kmSiem Reap-Angkor International (SAI) to town
3 nightsbuilt in by Avalon and Uniworld; an add-on on AmaWaterways
$37one-day Angkor pass; $62 for three days
after 5 pmAngkor tickets bought then are valid from the next day

Independent · no paid placementFacts checked October 22, 2026Sources listed belowCLIA-affiliated advisors

The shipNot here — hotel nights, then a coach or a flight
AirportSAI, about 50 km out
Nights beforeOne extra on Scenic, for its 8:30 coach
Best forAngkor Wat at first light

In short

What to know first

There's no berth to find. Avalon and Uniworld each build in three hotel nights, AmaWaterways sells its Siem Reap nights as an add-on, and Viking gives Siem Reap two days between Hanoi and the ship.

On Viking, AmaWaterways, Uniworld and Scenic, the ship is at Kampong Cham on the Mekong — roughly four hours away by road. Avalon flies you to Phnom Penh instead.

The new airport is well out of town. Build the drive into your arrival day.

Angkor fills the rest. Your line covers the main temples, so spend any free hours on a sunrise or the sites further out.

Before the ship

No ship in Siem Reap: the hotel nights and the road to Kampong Cham

Siem Reap is where your line puts you in a hotel. These are the three ways it then gets you to the water.

Kampong Cham, by coach

The usual link. AmaWaterways coaches guests out to AmaDara after its Siem Reap nights, and Scenic's coach to Scenic Spirit leaves in the morning. Viking and Uniworld run it the other way: off the ship at Kampong Cham, by land to Siem Reap, then a flight on to Hanoi — Uniworld's guests stay at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra.

AmaWaterways, Scenic, Viking, Uniworld

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4

Phnom Penh, by air (Avalon)

Avalon starts with Siem Reap hotel nights and an Apsara dance performance, then flies guests to Phnom Penh to board Avalon Saigon. Avalon warns that a change in flight schedules may mean a drive instead.

Avalon Waterways

Source

Chong Kneas, on the Tonlé Sap — high water only (Aqua Mekong)

The one lake landing. From mid-August to November, Aqua guests gather at the Park Hyatt Siem Reap between 12:30 and 3:30 pm for a 45-minute transfer to Chong Kneas, and board at 4:15 pm. In low water, Aqua sailings end in Phnom Penh instead, with a 45-minute flight on.

Aqua Expeditions (Aqua Mekong)

Source 1 Source 2

Here the transfer is the embarkation. Ask your line two things — which hotel it leaves from, and when — and book your flight around the answer.

Siem Reap on the Mekong. Open the Siem Reap card on the river map for the lines, the season and nearby calls.

Getting there

SAI, the airport out of town

Siem Reap-Angkor International opened on 16 October 2023, far from the old airport. Every arrival now includes an hour or more on the road.

Fly into

Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport SAI

About 50 km from central Siem Reap, 60–90 minutes by bus or car.

Bus
The official airport shuttle
$8 one way. Cambodia Post runs a separate pre-booked shuttle at $9.
Source
Taxi
Fixed-rate private car
From about $35 for one to three passengers, or $45 for a minivan taking up to five. Allow 60–80 minutes.
Source
Line transfer
Scenic's early coach, or Viking with its air
Scenic asks you to land before 7:30 am for its coach at 8:30 am — an overnight flight or a night in town first. Viking includes transfers only when you buy its flights.
Source 1 Source 2

Side by side

BusThe official airport shuttleTime60–90 minCost$8Light packers bound for a central hotel
TaxiFixed-rate private carTime60–80 minCostfrom $35Couples or families with full luggage
Line transferScenic's early coach, or Viking with its airTime—Cost—Scenic guests and Viking Air buyers

What the lines say about transfers

ScenicThe coach from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham meets at 8:30 am on boarding day.
Viking River CruisesTransfers are included only with air bought from Viking.
UniworldAn executive motorcoach from the ship at Kampong Cham, and an included flight to Hanoi at the end.
Avalon WaterwaysA flight from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh to board, or an overland transfer if schedules change.

The day before

Your Angkor days, planned

The line programme covers the big temples. Use these to fill what it leaves out.

The night-before planner

How many nights before the programme starts?

Where are you flying from?

And for Siem Reap itself?

–nights

Pick where you’re flying from.

01
Buy the pass the evening before
Angkor Enterprise's main ticket office, on Apsara Road at Road 60 about 4 km from the centre, is open 5:00 am–5:30 pm daily. Pay in US dollars or by major card, or buy online at the official site.
Source
02
Pick the right pass
Three days costs $62, used within 7 days; seven days $72, used within 30. The multi-day passes need a photo, and children under 12 don't need a ticket. Your line may include entry, so check first.
Source 1 Source 2
03
Angkor Wat at first light
Angkor Wat opens at 5:00 am. Phnom Bakheng is listed until 7:00 pm for sunset, and Srah Srang and Pre Rup from 5:00 am. Posted hours aren't always current, so confirm on the day.
Source 1 Source 2
04
The temples further out
Koh Ker ($15), Beng Mealea ($10) and Kbal Spean ($5) each need their own one-day ticket, 6:00 am–6:30 pm. They're not on the Angkor pass.
Source
05
What your line already covers
AmaWaterways takes in Angkor Thom — the Bayon, the Elephant Terrace, the Leper King — then Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei and Angkor Wat. Avalon and Uniworld run a similar programme with an Apsara show. Book only what yours leaves out.
Source 1 Source 2 Source 3
06
An afternoon at the pool
Angkor days start early and finish hot. Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor has a 35-metre lap pool in its inner gardens, and the Park Hyatt is built around a courtyard pool.
Source 1 Source 2

Extra days, booked ahead

Things to do in Siem Reap

Evenings and a spare day are where an outside booking earns its place.

Phare, The Cambodian CircusSiem Reap's usual evening show. Confirm the night's programme when you book.
Beng Mealea and Koh Ker day tripFor a spare day or a second visit. Entry is on separate tickets, not the Angkor pass.
Tonlé Sap floating village by boatA look at the lake your ship can't cross for most of the year.

Browse Siem Reap tours on ViatorTours and tickets for the days before or after the ship

Viator is an affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Your line’s included excursions stay with the line. Disclosure.

Where to stay

Six hotels for the Angkor nights

Our Siem Reap hotel hub has six. Amansara and Zannier Phum Baitang hold two MICHELIN Keys each, and Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor is the colonial pick on the road to the temples.

Charles de Gaulle Boulevard and the Royal Residence

The road toward the temples. Raffles is about 8 km from Angkor, and FCC Angkor sits beside the Royal Residence on Pokambor Avenue.

Sivutha Boulevard and the Night Market

The busy centre. The Park Hyatt is here, and it's Aqua's meeting point for the lake transfer.

The rice-field outskirts

The quiet option. Zannier Phum Baitang sits just outside town among the paddies.

One MICHELIN KeyRaffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor131 rooms in a French colonial hotel with 1930s Art Deco furnishings, a cage lift and a 35-metre lap pool; about 8 km from Angkor.See rates on Booking.com One MICHELIN KeyPark Hyatt Siem Reap107 rooms around a central courtyard pool and water garden, with a three-storey Spa Indochine.See rates on Booking.com One MICHELIN KeyShinta Mani Angkor & Bensley Collection Pool Villas115 rooms designed by Bill Bensley, with the Bensley Pool Villas at the top of the range and the Kroya Khmer restaurant.See rates on Booking.com

All six Siem Reap pre-cruise hotels

Hotel links go to Booking.com; Seabound Journeys may earn a commission at no cost to you. Affiliate disclosure. Prefer us to book the nights with the cruise? Say so in your brief.

The lines

Whose trip starts in Siem Reap

AmaWaterwaystrip starts here Avalontrip starts here Scenictrip starts hereAqua Expeditionstrip starts here · not reviewed

Lines with published itineraries that start or end here. Each name opens our review.

Visits by land

Emeraldvisits by land Uniworldvisits by land Vikingvisits by land

When

The lake sets the calendar here more than the weather does. In low water, roughly December to mid-August, ships can't cross the Tonlé Sap, and Siem Reap stays a drive or a flight from the river. Viking calls spring, fall and winter the best time, with less rain than summer. Whatever the month, start the temples at opening time.

Your checklist

Sorted before the trip starts

0 of 5 done

Your Angkor pass, bought after 5 pm for the next morning
Whether your line's programme already covers temple entry
Separate tickets for Koh Ker or Beng Mealea, if you're going
The hotel and hour your ship transfer leaves from
Cambodian visa sorted: online, or on arrival at the airport

Why trust this page

The Seabound standard

Sources, read at the source

Every fare, berth and timetable here was checked on October 22, 2026, at the line, port or hotel wherever they publish it. Where they don’t, we name the source we used, or say nothing is published.

Paid placements

No line or hotel pays to appear here or to rank higher. Affiliate links are labelled, and they never decide what we recommend.

1:1

Advisors, not a booking engine

A Seabound Journeys advisor reads your brief, compares the lines for your dates and answers you personally. CLIA-affiliated, Florida Seller of Travel ST15578.

Have us plan it

Plan the Mekong from Siem Reap

Tell us the month and who is sailing. We match the line, the cabin and the hotel night to how you travel, and price it against the alternatives.

Usually the same fare as booking direct, and our advice costs you nothing.
We compare the lines with hotel nights in Siem Reap for your dates, not one brochure.
Hotel nights, flights and transfers can go into the same plan.

Your river brief

Tell us the trip. We’ll find the sailing.

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Quick answers

Siem Reap river cruise questions

Can a river cruise ship reach Siem Reap?

Not on Viking, AmaWaterways, Scenic, Uniworld or Avalon. Aqua Mekong reaches the lake shore at Chong Kneas, 45 minutes from town, in high water only.

Do children pay for Angkor?

No. Under-12s don't need a ticket. Adults on a multi-day pass need a photo.

Which hotel is closest to the temples?

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, on the temple road about 8 km from Angkor. The Park Hyatt and FCC Angkor are central and walkable; Zannier Phum Baitang is quiet and outside town.

Should I add nights of my own?

On Scenic, yes. Its coach leaves the morning you board, so your Angkor time comes from nights you book yourself. On the other big lines the nights are part of the package.

Is there anything to do in the evenings?

Phare, The Cambodian Circus, is the one most people go to. Uniworld also sells a Cambodian acrobatic drama as an optional.

How we checked this page 18 sources

Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 22, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Keep planning

The rest of the river

The Mekong, decodedThe delta to Angkor, the low-water lake, two visas and what the lines charge Siem Reap on the river mapEvery port, embarkation city and scenic stretch on the Mekong, with seasons and lines