For a slower first trip
Keep Phnom Penh and Siem Reap as your two main bases and spend the southern nights on rest, countryside or more Angkor time. This removes the longest transfer and suits travellers who prefer fewer hotel changes.
CAMBODIAFIELD GUIDE
SIGNATURE ITINERARY
10-Day Cambodia Itinerary
Ten days, nine nights: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Angkor, then Kampot and a return to the capital before departure.This 10-day Cambodia itinerary assumes arrival and departure in Phnom Penh. Spend three nights in the capital, three in Siem Reap, two in Kampot and your final night back in Phnom Penh. It combines city life and Angkor with a short southern stay, but day seven is a long transfer: travellers wanting a slower trip should leave Kampot for another visit.
Last updated · Cambodia to the World editorial teamTHE ROUTE AT A GLANCE
10 days in Cambodia, with room to get home.
Phnom Penh → Siem Reap and Angkor → Kampot, with an optional Kep day trip → Phnom Penh. This is an active first visit with three substantial transfer days. It suits travellers who want variety and are comfortable spending time on the road.
| Days | Base | Nights | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Phnom Penh | 3 | Arrival, city and culture |
| 4–6 | Siem Reap | 3 | Transfer and two Angkor mornings |
| 7–8 | Kampot | 2 | Transfer and one southern outing |
| 9–10 | Phnom Penh | 1 | Return, final night and departure |
DAY BY DAY
Your daily Cambodia itinerary
- DAY 1
Arrive in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh · night 1 of 3
Keep arrival day light. Check in, settle into the heat and take a short riverside walk if your flight leaves enough time. Choose dinner near your hotel and save the major sights for tomorrow.
Plan ahead: Confirm the airport shown on your ticket and arrange your transfer before landing. A late arrival does not need a sightseeing plan.
Arrival and airport guide → - DAY 2
Royal Phnom Penh and Khmer food
Phnom Penh · night 2 of 3
Build the morning around the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, subject to opening arrangements. Choose the National Museum or a market afterwards, with a proper lunch break. Finish with Khmer food and a riverfront evening.
Plan ahead: Check opening arrangements before leaving your hotel. Dress respectfully for religious and royal sites and leave the hottest part of the day flexible.
Things to do in Phnom Penh → - DAY 3
Choose the capital’s history or creative side
Phnom Penh · night 3 of 3
Choose a considered visit to Tuol Sleng for historical context, or spend the day around Wat Phnom, galleries and neighbourhood cafés. These are different kinds of day; give a memorial visit space rather than treating it as a quick stop between entertainment.
Plan ahead: For families, choose age-appropriate activities. Keep tonight easy if you have an early transfer to Siem Reap.
Phnom Penh neighbourhood guide → - DAY 4
Travel to Siem Reap
Siem Reap · night 1 of 3
Use today for the journey north. After checking in, explore the centre, find dinner and confirm tomorrow’s temple transport. Add a Cambodian performance only if the arrival time and current programme work.
Plan ahead: Compare the full door-to-door journey when choosing a bus, private car or an available flight. Verify schedules directly for your dates; avoid prepaid temple activities on this travel day.
Discover Siem Reap → - DAY 5
Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom
Siem Reap · night 2 of 3
Start early at Angkor Wat, then work with your guide or driver on a manageable selection around Angkor Thom and Bayon. Return for lunch and a rest. Sunrise is optional: an enjoyable temple visit does not depend on a perfect sky.
Plan ahead: Buy the correct pass from Angkor Enterprise before entry. Agree which temples, breaks and transport are included with your guide or driver.
Angkor route and pacing guide → - DAY 6
Ta Prohm and a slower Siem Reap afternoon
Siem Reap · night 3 of 3
Give Ta Prohm and a small selection of other temples a separate morning. Use the afternoon for craft, a cooking activity or a pool break. Travellers who prefer a single temple day can choose countryside and city time instead.
Plan ahead: This route allows two temple mornings, not three full days at Angkor. Confirm your long transfer south before the evening and leave time to pack.
Plan your Angkor days → - DAY 7
Make the long journey to Kampot
Kampot · night 1 of 2
Treat Siem Reap to Kampot as a full travel day. Get a written itinerary showing pickup, any connection, rest stops and the expected arrival before booking. On arrival, dinner and rest are enough.
Plan ahead: If the available connection is too long for your group, skip the southern stop and divide the remaining nights between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Do not squeeze a pepper farm or boat trip into transfer day.
Kampot and Kep guide → - DAY 8
Choose pepper country or Kep
Kampot · night 2 of 2
Choose one main outing: a Kampot pepper-farm visit with a relaxed town afternoon, or a day trip to Kep for the coast and seafood. Return to your Kampot base instead of checking into another hotel for one night.
Plan ahead: Arrange return transport and check the farm or activity’s current visiting arrangements. Keep a town-and-café option for wet weather.
Choose your southern day trip → - DAY 9
Return to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh · final night
Travel back to the capital, check in and keep any final shopping or dinner flexible. Reconfirm tomorrow’s flight and airport transfer. This night creates breathing room between the overland journey and your international departure.
Plan ahead: Choose your final hotel with the next morning’s departure in mind. A buffer reduces the pressure of a connection but cannot guarantee against disruption.
Plan the airport transfer → - DAY 10
Depart Cambodia
No overnight stay included
Leave for the airport with the check-in time required by your airline and an allowance for road traffic. If your flight is later, keep the morning local and avoid an excursion that depends on a tight return.
Plan ahead: The plan covers ten calendar days and nine nights. If your flights give you fewer usable days, remove a stop instead of compressing the transfers.
Official travel resources →
COSTS TO INCLUDE
Build the budget around your bookings
Price nine hotel nights, ten days of food, airport transfers, three intercity journeys, local transport, admission tickets and any guides or performances. Check whether each quote is per room, per vehicle or per person before comparing totals.
Angkor tickets: on 6 October 2026, Angkor Enterprise lists a one-day pass at US$37 and a three-day pass at US$62, valid within seven days. For the two temple days in this route, the three-day pass costs less than buying two one-day passes. Transport and a guide are separate. Check official passes and current prices ↗
ADAPT THE JOURNEY
Make ten days suit your pace
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Confirm the journey in this order
- Match the ten calendar days to your actual arrival and departure flights.
- Check the visa and e-Arrival guide and the linked government portals for your passport and route.
- Confirm the Siem Reap–Kampot transfer first. If its schedule does not work, choose the slower two-base route.
- Book the nine nights with cancellation terms that suit your plans.
- Arrange Angkor passes, a guide or driver, and the activities you care most about; recheck opening arrangements close to the day.
Route and ticket information updated 6 October 2026 by the Cambodia to the World editorial team. Transport schedules and hotel rates depend on your dates. Compare other trip lengths in the 7, 10 and 14-day Cambodia planner.
Come with curiosity. Travel with respect. Leave with a story that belongs to this place.
MAKE SENSE OF THE PLACE
Where to base yourself
Days 1–3 · Phnom Penh — royal history, Khmer food, galleries and rooftops after dark
Days 4–6 · Siem Reap & Angkor — temple dawns, countryside, performance and social evenings
Days 7–8 · Kampot — arrive after a travel day, then choose pepper country or a Kep day trip
Days 9–10 · Phnom Penh — return to the capital, sleep before departure and allow time for the airport
DON’T MISS
The essential experiences
- Watch Phnom Penh turn gold from the riverside
- Give the capital a proper night out
- Enter Angkor at first light with an expert guide
- See a Cambodian performance in Siem Reap
- Taste Kampot pepper where it grows
- Choose a Kampot pepper-farm visit or seafood in Kep; save islands for an extended trip
The luxury angle
Private transfers give you more control over stops, but the Siem Reap–Kampot leg is still a long travel day. Combine a heritage or skyline stay in Phnom Penh, an Angkor hotel with a pool and a quiet Kampot stay, with the final night back in the capital.
EXPLORE LUXURY CAMBODIA →KEEP EXPLORING
Choose another guide →Compare Cambodia’s best places →Build a 7, 10 or 14-day itinerary →Check visa and arrival essentials →