Siem Reap Hidden Gems Tour: Local Markets & Monasteries

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/27

Duration3h–4h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

See Siem Reap the way locals do, not the way guidebooks say to.

This private guided tour of Siem Reap takes 3 to 4 hours and moves through the city's quieter neighborhoods, markets, and cultural sites with a local English-speaking guide and tuk-tuk driver. You walk the old market near Pub Street, visit Wat Preah Prom Rath (a 14th-century monastery), stop at a local shrine and bat-filled park, see a 10th-century riverside temple, and visit workshops where artisans practice stone carving, wood weaving, and silk work. Morning tours include lunch before returning to your hotel. The APOPO Rat Center, which trains rats to detect landmines, costs 8 USD extra per person.

3h–4h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Siem Reap city hidden gems

Meet and greet with guide
Walk around local market and Pub Street
Visit 14th-century monastery
See local shrine and bat park
Explore 10th-century riverside temple
Visit Apopo Rat Center for landmine detection
Tour local craftsmanship workshop
Optional lunch before tour ends

The Experience

The tour starts with a meet-and-greet where your guide briefs you on the city before you head into the old market. This is where Siem Reap residents shop, eat, and work—not a place built for visitors. You'll walk through stalls and learn how the market operates differently from what you're used to, then move through Pub Street and hear what this area was like before tourism reshaped it. The guide points out the rhythms of daily life as you move through, so you're learning the city's structure, not just collecting photos.

From there you visit Wat Preah Prom Rath, one of the oldest monasteries in town, dating back to the 14th century. The guide explains how monks live and practice here, then you move to a local shrine where residents come to pray and receive blessings—a place most tourists never find. A nearby park is home to large fruit bats, and the surrounding residential area holds the quieter "hidden gems" the tour is named for. You'll also see a 10th-century temple tucked along the riverside, the kind of structure that sits outside the main temple circuit.

The tour includes stops at two centers that show how Siem Reap supports local work. One is a craft workshop where you watch artisans doing stone carving, wood carving, natural fiber weaving, painting, and silk weaving—skills passed down through families and now part of a program that creates jobs. If you book a morning departure around 8 or 9am, the guide will take you to lunch before heading back to your hotel, or you can choose to eat on your own. Bottled water is included throughout. The APOPO Rat Center, which trains rats to detect landmines and tells the story of Cambodia's demining efforts, is optional and costs 8 USD per person separately.

What’s included

Passionate English-speaking local guide and tuk-tuk driver.
bottled water throughout the tour.
visits to the old market, Wat Preah Prom Rath monastery, local shrine, riverside temple, and craft workshops.
lunch included on morning departures (or you can arrange your own meal).

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Around Cambodia Travel

Is this one for you?Your guide speaks English fluently, so the commentary and explanations are clear whether you're new to Cambodia or returning. This works for anyone from age one up, and the pace suits all fitness levels—you're walking through markets and neighborhoods, not climbing or hiking.