Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Thailand and Cambodia: Bangkok to Angkor via Battambang
10 days from Bangkok to Siem Reap: the Grand Palace and Ayutthaya, a short flight into Cambodia while the land border is closed, two nights in Battambang and four in Siem Reap with three mornings at Angkor.
10 days · Bangkok to Siem Reap · up to 12 guests
Villages and rice fields near Angkor, seen from the tethered balloon by Angkor Wat. Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Siem_Reap_Area_(9731338370).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Bangkok to Siem Reap
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Sightseeing on foot for 2 to 4 hours most days, on uneven temple stone and dusty paths in heat of around 30°C. One pre-dawn start (Angkor Wat at sunrise, which you can skip), a few starts at about 7:30 am to beat the heat and the crowds, one travel day with a short flight and about 4.5 hours by road, a flat village bike ride (a tuk-tuk if you prefer), about 350 steps at Prasat Banan and steep stairs at Angkor Wat and Pre Rup, each of which you can sit out.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 440 (estimated price)
- Season
- Best November to February
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Grand Palace as its gates open, then Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the canals of Thonburi by longtail
- Ayutthaya's ruined capital in the cool of the morning
- Two nights in Battambang: village workshops by bike, the bamboo train and the bats of Phnom Sampov at dusk
- Angkor over three mornings: Angkor Wat at sunrise, Banteay Srei ahead of the buses and the Bayon's stone faces in early light
- Fish amok steamed in banana leaf, cooked by you after a Khmer market walk
- Canoes through the flooded forest at Kampong Phluk and a sunset on the Tonle Sap
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 440 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Airport to your hotel near the Chao Phraya River
- Dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 1 h
We meet you at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), or at Don Mueang (DMK) if you fly in on a regional carrier, and drive you to a central hotel close to the Chao Phraya River and the old royal quarter. Depending on traffic the drive takes 45 minutes to more than an hour.
Afternoon
The afternoon is yours: sleep off the flight, swim, or take the public river boat a few stops to see the city from the water. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the ten days ahead. It covers how the pace works, what to wear for the palace and the temples, and how day 4 works: a short flight into Cambodia while the land border stays closed, and the Cambodian e-Visa we ask you to get before you leave home.
Evening
Then we walk to a welcome dinner of Thai dishes, perhaps green curry, som tam papaya salad and a whole fried fish, at a restaurant near the river.
Included
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Don Mueang Airport (DMK)
- Welcome briefing, including the day 4 flight and the Cambodian e-Visa
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Afternoon free to rest before the briefing
Activity: If your flight lands too late for dinner, your guide briefs you at breakfast.
The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Chinatown
The Grand Palace at opening, Wat Pho, the canals of Thonburi, then Yaowarat
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Bangkok
- By boat
We are at the gates of the Grand Palace when they open at 8:30, ahead of most tour coaches. It has been the ceremonial seat of the Thai kings since 1782, and within its walls Wat Phra Kaew keeps the Emerald Buddha, a small figure of green stone that is the most revered image in the country. A short walk south, Wat Pho holds the Reclining Buddha, 46 metres long, with mother of pearl inlaid on the soles of its feet. From the pier behind Wat Pho we cross the river to climb the steep porcelain-covered tower of Wat Arun, then board a longtail boat into the canals of Thonburi, past wooden houses on stilts and small temples.
Afternoon
The middle of the day and the afternoon are free, for lunch where you like, a Thai massage or the hotel pool.
Evening
After dark we walk the stalls of Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown, for a street food dinner with your guide.
Included
- Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew at opening
- Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha
- Cross-river ferry to Wat Arun
- Longtail boat through the Thonburi canals
- Street food dinner in Yaowarat (Chinatown) with your guide
Easier option: Skip the climb at Wat Arun and see it from the riverside terrace.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The Grand Palace checks dress at the gate: shoulders covered and legs covered below the knee, no sleeveless tops or ripped trousers.
A day in Ayutthaya
Bangkok to Ayutthaya and back to Bangkok
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bangkok
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave at about 7:30 am, earlier than our usual 8 am, to reach Ayutthaya, about 80 km north, as the temple grounds open and before the heat and the day-trip coaches from Bangkok arrive. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam from 1351 until the Burmese army sacked it in 1767, and its ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We walk Wat Mahathat, where a stone Buddha head sits in the roots of a fig tree, the three bell-shaped chedis of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, and Wat Chaiwatthanaram on the riverbank.
Afternoon
Lunch is river prawns and Thai dishes by the water.
Evening
The drive is about an hour and a quarter each way, so we are back at the same hotel in Bangkok by mid-afternoon, with the rest of the day and the evening free. Pack light for tomorrow: the flight into Cambodia has a checked-bag limit. When the land border reopens, this day ends instead in Aranyaprathet, ready to cross at opening.
Included
- Ayutthaya Historical Park with your guide: Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Chaiwatthanaram
- Lunch by the river in Ayutthaya
Easier option: Ride between the Ayutthaya temples in the vehicle instead of walking.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: If the land border has reopened by your departure, we drive on from Ayutthaya to Aranyaprathet (about 4.75 hours of driving in the day, with lunch and a coffee stop) and sleep by the border; we tell you before you travel.
Into Cambodia and on to Battambang
Bangkok to Siem Reap by air, then Battambang via Sisophon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Battambang
- Drive about 4.5 h
While the Aranyaprathet to Poipet crossing stays closed to travellers, this is how we reach Cambodia.
Morning
We leave the hotel in time for a morning flight of about an hour from Bangkok to Siem Reap-Angkor International (SAI); depending on the schedule that can mean a start before 8 am, which we confirm at the briefing. Your guide flies with you. At SAI you show your e-Visa, or buy a visa on arrival, and have your fingerprints taken, and our Cambodian vehicle and a local guide are waiting outside.
Afternoon
Battambang has no regular passenger flights, so we drive: about an hour into Siem Reap for lunch, then about three and a half hours west through Sisophon. That is about 4.5 hours on the road, over our cap of about four, because the closed border leaves no shorter way in; lunch and a coffee stop split it into two legs. We reach Battambang in the late afternoon for a walk along the Sangker River, past French-era shophouses and Psar Nat, the central market.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap with your guide
- Drive from Siem Reap-Angkor Airport to Battambang with your guide
- Lunch in Siem Reap
- Late-afternoon riverside walk past Psar Nat market
Free time: Evening free
Activity: If the land border has reopened, we cross on foot at Poipet at opening instead, with porters for your bags and a vehicle waiting, and drive about two hours to Battambang. Cambodian e-Visa and the e-Arrival form must be done before you leave home.
Battambang's villages, the bamboo train and the bats
Battambang to village workshops and Phnom Banan, then Phnom Sampov at dusk
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Battambang
- Drive about 2 h
We set out early while it is cool, by bicycle or by tuk-tuk, on quiet roads through the villages outside town. We stop where families make rice paper, dry bananas in the sun and roast kralan, sticky rice with coconut and beans packed into bamboo tubes. The original bamboo train, a platform of planks on two axles that locals ran on the old French railway, stopped when the line was rebuilt in 2017; a version now runs on a short track of its own near Phnom Banan, and we ride it there. Then we climb the steps to Prasat Banan, an 11th-century hilltop temple with five towers and a wide view over the rice fields.
Afternoon
Lunch is home-style Khmer food in the countryside, and the hot middle of the day is free in town.
Evening
At dusk we drive to Phnom Sampov to watch a stream of bats pour out of a cave on the hillside, a sight that lasts the best part of an hour.
Included
- Morning village ride by bicycle or tuk-tuk, with rice paper, dried banana and kralan makers
- The bamboo train near Phnom Banan
- Prasat Banan hilltop temple
- Lunch in the countryside
- The bats of Phnom Sampov at dusk
Easier option: Ride the village loop by tuk-tuk, and wait at the foot of Prasat Banan's steps.
More active option: A longer morning bike loop of about 25 km with a local guide, rejoining the group at the bamboo train.
Free time: Middle of the day and evening free
Activity: Phnom Sampov also holds the Killing Caves, a Khmer Rouge memorial; we go up only if the group wants to, and the bats are watched from the road below. About 350 steps up to Prasat Banan.
To Siem Reap and sunset at Pre Rup
Battambang to Siem Reap via Sisophon, then Pre Rup
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
After a slow breakfast we leave Battambang at about 9 am for Siem Reap, about 175 km back along the Sisophon road through flat rice country, the road we came in on, around three and a half hours with a coffee stop.
Afternoon
We arrive for lunch, then check in to a central hotel near the Old Market, your base for the next four nights, so there is no more packing until you go home. The afternoon is free: swim, rest, or walk through the shaded Royal Independence Gardens past the Royal Residence to the riverside shrines. Late in the afternoon we drive to the Angkor ticket office, where your three-day pass is printed with your photo.
Evening
A pass bought late in the afternoon also lets you in for that evening's sunset, so we watch it from the top of Pre Rup, a 10th-century temple-mountain of brick and laterite, with the sun going down over rice fields and sugar palms and far fewer people than at Phnom Bakheng. Dinner tonight is on your own.
Included
- Drive from Battambang to Siem Reap with your guide
- Lunch on arrival in Siem Reap
- Three-day Angkor pass
- Sunset at Pre Rup with your guide
Easier option: Watch the sunset from the foot of Pre Rup instead of climbing its steep steps.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Angkor Wat at sunrise and Ta Prohm
Angkor Wat at dawn, then Ta Prohm
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 1.5 h
The first of three Angkor mornings, and the one early start that matters. We leave at about 4:45 am and walk the causeway to the pools in front of Angkor Wat as its five towers come out against the sky. Built in the first half of the 12th century under King Suryavarman II, it is the largest temple at Angkor, and the whole park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.
Morning
When most of the sunrise crowd goes back to town for breakfast, we eat ours, packed by the hotel, and go in with a licensed Angkor guide: along the carved galleries, past the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, and up the steep stair to the central towers when it is open. Then Ta Prohm, where the roots of silk-cotton and strangler fig trees grip the walls, before it is at its busiest.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a restaurant near the park, and the afternoon is free.
Evening
In the evening we go to Phare, the Cambodian Circus.
Included
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat
- Angkor Wat with a licensed Angkor guide, including the upper level when open
- Ta Prohm
- Lunch near the park
- Phare, the Cambodian Circus
Easier option: Sleep in and join the group at Angkor Wat at about 7:30 am, when the sunrise crowd leaves.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The upper level of Angkor Wat is reached by a steep stair with a handrail and closes on some Buddhist holy days; shoulders and knees must be covered.
Banteay Srei and a Khmer cooking class
Siem Reap to Banteay Srei and Banteay Samre, then a cooking class
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
The second Angkor morning goes further out. We leave at about 7:30 am, earlier than our usual 8 am, for Banteay Srei, about 35 km north-east, because by mid-morning the tour buses fill its small courtyards. Consecrated in 967, it is small and built of pink sandstone carved so deeply and finely that the lintels look like wood. On the way back we stop at Banteay Samre, a 12th-century temple in the style of Angkor Wat that few groups visit, with its courtyards often empty.
Afternoon
Back near Siem Reap we spend the late morning with a Khmer cook: a walk through a local market for lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and prahok, then a class where you make fish amok steamed in banana leaf, a green mango salad and a sweet of sticky rice and coconut, and eat them for lunch.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free, for the Angkor National Museum, a massage, the pool or the shops and bars around the Old Market.
Included
- Banteay Srei ahead of the tour buses, with your Angkor guide
- Banteay Samre
- Market walk and Khmer cooking class, with lunch
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Angkor Thom and a sunset on the Tonle Sap
Angkor Thom and Preah Khan, then Kampong Phluk on the Tonle Sap
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Siem Reap
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
The third morning is Angkor Thom, the walled royal city of King Jayavarman VII. We go in through the South Gate, lined with stone gods and demons holding a giant serpent, at about 7:30 am, earlier than our usual 8 am because the Bayon is quietest in the first hours, and reach it while the light still falls across its more than 200 carved stone faces. Then the Baphuon, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King, and finally Preah Khan, a temple of long corridors and trees, built in 1191.
Afternoon
After lunch near the park the middle of the day is free. At about 3:30 pm we drive south-east to Kampong Phluk, a village of tall stilt houses on the edge of the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia. We go with an operator that works with the village and pays its community fee. From the stilt houses, people from the village paddle us in small canoes through the flooded forest, then a boat takes us out to watch the sun set over the lake.
Evening
Farewell dinner back in Siem Reap.
Included
- Angkor Thom: the South Gate, the Bayon, the Baphuon and the royal terraces
- Preah Khan
- Lunch near the park
- Kampong Phluk by boat, with a canoe through the flooded forest and the community fee
- Sunset on the Tonle Sap
- Farewell dinner in Siem Reap
Easier option: Stay in the boat while others take the canoes.
Free time: Middle of the day free
Activity: In late January and February the flooded forest can be too low for the canoes; the boat then runs out to the open lake instead.
Depart from Siem Reap
Your hotel in Siem Reap to Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Your last morning is free and there is no early start. Walk to the Old Market for silk scarves, carved wood and Kampot pepper, visit the Angkor National Museum to put the temples you have seen in order, or swim and pack slowly. If you have not seen enough stone, your guide can tell you which smaller temples a tuk-tuk can reach in a morning. Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI), which opened in 2023, sits about 45 to 50 km east of town, so the transfer takes 45 minutes to an hour and we time it to your flight. Hotel check-out is usually around noon; if you need your room for longer, we can book a late check-out at cost.
Afternoon
Plan to be at the airport two to three hours before an international flight, so any flight from early afternoon onwards works well. Most flights home connect through Bangkok, Singapore or Seoul. If you would like to stay on in Siem Reap, ask us for extra nights when you book.
Included
- Drop-off at Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI)
Free time: Morning free
- Bangkok3 nights
- Battambang2 nights
- Siem Reap4 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: November to February is the cool, dry season in both countries: mostly sunny, around 30°C by day and the low 20s at night, with fresher early mornings in December and January. It is also the busiest time at the Grand Palace and at Angkor, which is why the big sights are timed for opening. The Tonle Sap is high from the rains in November and falls through February; if the flooded forest at Kampong Phluk is too low for the canoes, the boat runs out to the open lake. March to May is very hot, and the rains run from about June to October.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want Bangkok and Angkor in one trip without flying over the country in between
- Travellers who want Battambang's countryside, not only the temples
- Anyone who wants Angkor at a slower pace, with the heat of the day off
- Solo travellers who want company and a fair single supplement
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want a beach at the end (see our Thailand trip with the islands)
- Those who want Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge memorials (see our Cambodia trip)
- Anyone set on crossing the land border by road while it is closed
- Anyone who cannot manage a 4.5-hour road day or several hours on foot in heat
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Bangkok3 nights
- Battambang2 nights
- Siem Reap4 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: 3 in central Bangkok near the river, 2 in central Battambang and 4 in central Siem Reap (if the land border reopens, night 3 is by the border in Aranyaprathet)
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK) on day 1 and drop-off at Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) on day 10
- The flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap on day 4 while the land border is closed (or, once it reopens, porters and an escorted crossing at Poipet)
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver in Thailand, and another in Cambodia
- The Chao Phraya ferry and a longtail boat in Bangkok
- Bicycles or tuk-tuks in the Battambang countryside, and the bamboo train
- Boat and canoes at Kampong Phluk on the Tonle Sap
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 10, including on the flight to Siem Reap
- Local guides in Ayutthaya and the Battambang countryside where required
- A licensed Angkor guide on the temple days
Activities
- Bangkok: the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the Thonburi canals and a Chinatown street food dinner
- Ayutthaya Historical Park: Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Chaiwatthanaram
- Battambang: Psar Nat, village workshops by bike or tuk-tuk, the bamboo train, Prasat Banan and the bats of Phnom Sampov
- Angkor: a three-day pass, sunset at Pre Rup, Angkor Wat at sunrise, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, and Preah Khan
- Siem Reap: Phare, the Cambodian Circus, and a market walk and Khmer cooking class
- Tonle Sap: Kampong Phluk and its flooded forest, with the community fee
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 9 breakfasts
- 7 lunches, on days 3 to 9, including the cooking class
- 3 dinners: welcome and Chinatown street food in Bangkok, and farewell in Siem Reap
Not included
- International flights into Bangkok and out of Siem Reap
- Cambodian e-Visa and any Thai visa
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, local guides, drivers, porters and boat crews
- Late check-out on day 10
- Personal expenses such as laundry and massages
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 440 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Nine nights in central hotels, 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers, the flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, a private vehicle and driver in each country, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local and licensed Angkor guides, a three-day Angkor pass, every entry on the plan, Phare circus, the cooking class and the Tonle Sap boat. Drinks and most dinners are not included.
Do we cross the Thailand-Cambodia land border?
Not while it is closed. The Aranyaprathet to Poipet crossing has been closed to travellers since the 2025 border dispute and was still closed in the latest reports (September 2026), so we fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap with your guide. If it reopens and advice allows, we sleep by the border and cross on foot at opening with porters.
Does the closed border cost me anything extra?
No. The flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, the third night in Bangkok and the drive to Battambang are in the price, which is the same whichever way we travel. The cost is time: day 4 has about 4.5 hours on the road after the flight, broken by lunch in Siem Reap. We tell you before you travel which route your departure uses.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to cross the border quickly together, hear the guide in a temple gallery, fit in one boat on the Tonle Sap and sit around one table at dinner.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport in Bangkok to the airport in Siem Reap, including across the border. Local guides join in Ayutthaya and Battambang where required, and a licensed Angkor guide leads the temple mornings. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. Most days have 2 to 4 hours on foot on uneven stone in heat of around 30°C. Day 4 has a short flight and about 4.5 hours on the road, there is one pre-dawn start, about 350 steps at Prasat Banan and steep stairs at Angkor Wat and Pre Rup. The bike ride is flat and a tuk-tuk is always an option.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own costs from CAD 440 more, about 18% of the price, and we show it before you request to book. You get the same rooms, meals and seats as everyone else, and with a group of 7 to 12 there is always company at the table.
When is the best time to go?
November to February, the cool and dry season in both countries, with sunny days around 30°C and water still in the Tonle Sap's flooded forest. It is the busiest time at the Grand Palace and Angkor, so we time those for opening. March to May is very hot and June to October is the rainy season.
Do I need visas for Thailand and Cambodia?
Canadians can enter Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, enough for this trip, and fill in the online Thailand Digital Arrival Card. For Cambodia, get an e-Visa online before you travel (a visa on arrival is also sold at the airport) and fill in the online Cambodia e-Arrival form. Rules change, so we send the current ones with your itinerary.
How do I book, and when do I pay?
Pick your start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and start from CAD 2,435 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 4,385 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers, flight and local guides.
Can I add Phnom Penh or the Thai islands?
Yes. Our 8-day Cambodia trip covers Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge memorials, and our 13-day Thailand trip includes Chiang Mai and the islands. This trip is the one that links Bangkok, Battambang and Angkor. Ask us and we can add nights in Phnom Penh or on a Thai beach before or after.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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