Cambodia Express: Self-Launched 8-Day Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

Fly into Siem Reap International Airport (REP). Grab a tuk-tuk from the official rank outside arrivals into the centre — agree the price beforehand, around $3-4 (call it £3) — or use the Grab app for fixed fares. Check into a guesthouse around Wat Bo or the Old Market area. Spend the afternoon settling in, then walk the Angkor Night Market and Pub Street for dinner. Buy your Angkor Pass in advance: a 3-day pass is US$62 and covers Days 2 and 3. Note the ticket office closes at 17:30 and the pass isn't valid for the same evening unless bought after 17:00 for the next day.

🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£3; walking around town

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Wat Bo or Old Market area, dorm £6-9 or private room £12-18

• →Angkor Night Market wander
• →Pub Street street food dinner
• →Buy Angkor 3-day pass

Classic small circuit day. Best done independently — hire a tuk-tuk driver for the full day for around US$18-20 (£15), or rent a bicycle for US$3 if you're feeling energetic (the loop is ~26km). Get there for sunrise at Angkor Wat (car park fills from 04:45). Then hit Bayon Temple with its giant stone faces, the Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King, Baphuon, and finish at Ta Prohm before the midday coach crowds. Bring water, sun cream and US$ cash — the on-site cafes are pricey. A licensed guide is optional; for context you can hire one at the gate for ~US$35/day, but the audio guide (~US$5) plus a good PDF guidebook works fine.

🚌Hired tuk-tuk all day ~£15 (split if you buddy up)

🛏Same guesthouse, Siem Reap

• →Sunrise at Angkor Wat
• →Bayon Temple
• →Terrace of the Elephants & Leper King
• →Baphuon Temple
• →Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider temple)

Head out early to the 'Citadel of Women', Banteay Srei — 37km from town, so keep your tuk-tuk for the day (~US$25/£20 round trip). Stop at the Cambodia Landmine Museum (also called the Akira museum, US$5 entry) — a sobering, worthwhile stop. Turn back and take in Banteay Samre, then swing past Pradak village. Finish the afternoon with a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake to a floating village — Kompong Khleang is further and quieter, Kompong Phluk is closer and popular. Book through your guesthouse: ~US$20-25 for the shared boat + transport. Back to town for dinner.

🚌Hired tuk-tuk all day ~£20; shared boat ~£18

🛏Same guesthouse, Siem Reap

• →Banteay Srei temple
• →Cambodia Landmine Museum
• →Banteay Samre
• →Pradak village
• →Tonle Sap floating village boat trip

A travel day. The public bus or shared minibus from Siem Reap to Battambang takes 3-4 hours and costs around US$7-10 (£6-8) — book the day before through your guesthouse or at the bus station. Buses leave in the morning (roughly 07:30-08:30) and from midday. Roads are basic and the ride is bumpy, but it's all part of the adventure. Arrive early afternoon and check into a guesthouse near the colonial-era centre or along the Sangker River. Spend the late afternoon walking the riverside and the old French shophouse streets, and catch the bamboo train info or sunset views.

🚌Public bus/minibus Siem Reap → Battambang ~£8, 3-4hrs

🛏Guesthouse near centre or riverside, £10-16 double

• →Local bus to Battambang
• →Riverside stroll
• →Colonial architecture walk

Hire a tuk-tuk driver for a full countryside loop for US$20-25 (£16-20) — this covers everything the group tour does and then some. Ride the Bamboo Train (the 'Norry') — US$5 per person return, a rickety bamboo platform on rails that's the region's quirky claim to fame. Visit Phnom Banan, a hilltop Angkorian temple with a 358-step climb and big views. Stop at Phnom Sampov for the Killing Cave and the bat cave — thousands of bats stream out at dusk around 17:30-18:00. Detour to Wat Ta Mem pagoda. Grab a rice-paper or prahok lunch at one of the roadside stalls. Fittingly low-key, unhurried, and gorgeous.

🚌Hired tuk-tuk all day ~£18

🛏Same guesthouse, Battambang

• →Bamboo Train ride
• →Phnom Banan hilltop temple
• →Phnom Sampov Killing Cave
• →Bat cave at sunset
• →Wat Ta Mem pagoda

Bus to Phnom Penh — 5-6 hours on the National Road 5, US$10-12 (£8-10) for a decent coach (Virak Buntham, Giant Ibis etc run this route; Giant Ibis is pricier but comfier). Leave early to arrive mid-afternoon. Check into a guesthouse or budget hotel around the Riverside/Daun Penh area, walking distance from the Royal Palace. Spend the late afternoon getting your bearings along the riverside and Sisowath Quay. If time allows, walk past the Independence Monument and Wat Phnom. Evening: street food on the riverside or a rooftop sundowner.

🚌Coach Battambang → Phnom Penh ~£9, 5-6hrs

🛏Guesthouse/budget hotel in Daun Penh, £14-22 double

• →Coach to Phnom Penh
• →Riverside/Daun Penh wander
• →Independence Monument
• →Wat Phnom

Self-guided history day. Start at the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (entry US$10, open 08:00-11:00 and 14:00-17:00 — wear sleeves and long trousers). National Museum next door is US$10. In the afternoon head to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21, US$5) — one of the most powerful and difficult sites in Southeast Asia; a good audio guide is £3-4. Pair with a tuk-tuk run out to the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek if you have the emotional capacity for both. Then browse Phsar Thmey (Central Market). Finish the day with a Mekong sunset river cruise — hop-on boats leave from Sisowath Quay, one-hour cruises run US$5-10 (£4-8).

🚌Tuk-tuk hops around the city ~£6 total

🛏Same guesthouse/hotel, Phnom Penh

• →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
• →National Museum
• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Central Market
• →Mekong sunset cruise

Last morning for anything you missed — souvenir shopping at the Russian Market (Psar Tuol Tom Pong), a final bowl of kuy teav (Khmer noodle soup), or a coffee at a cafe on the riverside. Tuk-tuk to Phnom Penh International Airport takes 30-45 mins depending on traffic and costs US$8-12 (£6-9); allow a solid buffer for road congestion. End of the road.

🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£8

🛏N/A (departure day)

• →Russian Market shopping
• →Last Khmer breakfast
• →Tuk-tuk to airport