Phnom Reap

Phnom Reap is the main city and provincial capital in northwestern Cambodia and the international gateway to the Angkor temple complex. It functions as the service and accommodation hub for visitors to the archaeological park.

The city offers a compact centre of hotels, markets, restaurants and museums and serves as the starting point for sunrise visits to Angkor Wat and day trips into the Angkor Archaeological Park, which covers about 400 square kilometres. Boat trips to the Tonle Sap lake and village tours on the lake are common day excursions from the city.

Phnom Reap expanded rapidly as tourism to Angkor increased in the late 20th century and became an international tourist destination after Angkor was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The local economy is strongly oriented to hospitality, guiding and conservation-related services for the archaeological park.

The city sits on the northern edge of the Tonle Sap floodplain in northwestern Cambodia and is located a short drive west of the southern reaches of the Angkor park. The town is the main transport hub for flights and road connections to the rest of the country.

• Visit timing: Best time to visit is the dry season from November to February when temperatures are cooler and roads around the Angkor area are at their driest.
• Proximity to Angkor: Angkor Archaeological Park covers about 400 square kilometres and lies immediately north of the city, with **Angkor Wat** roughly 6-8 kilometres from downtown Phnom Reap.