The broad, tree-lined road running north from town towards the Angkor park, lined with the grand colonial-era hotels and big resorts, spas and pools among the greenery. Peaceful and upmarket, the closest base to the temples for those dawn starts, though you'll ride into town for the restaurants and markets; the choice for comfort and a quick temple run.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
$110–280
typical per night in Cambodia
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Siem Reap.
Where it sits
The circle is Charles de Gaulle and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Angkor National Museum14 min walk1.2 km
- A Khmer cooking class25 min walk2.1 km
- Pub Street & the night markets28 min walk2.3 km
- Khmer food — fish amok28 min walk2.4 km
- An Apsara dance show28 min walk2.4 km
- Old Market (Psar Chas)7 min taxi2.5 km
- Phare, the Cambodian Circus9 min taxi2.9 km
- Tonlé Sap floating villages59 min taxi19.6 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 1.Angkor Wat at sunrise — The largest religious monument on earth and the soul of Cambodia — a colossal 12th-century temple-mountain of soaring towers, vast galleries of exquisite bas-reliefs and a mile-long moat. Rise before dawn to watch the sun come up behind its silhouette, mirrored in the reflecting pool; it's a bucket-list moment, and the reliefs and upper terraces reward hours of exploring afterwards.
- 2.Angkor Thom & the Bayon — The great walled royal city of Angkor Thom, entered through monumental gates, at whose centre stands the Bayon — a mesmerising temple of 216 giant, serenely smiling stone faces gazing in every direction. Add the Terrace of the Elephants and the Baphuon; wandering among those enormous enigmatic faces is one of the most extraordinary experiences in Asia.
- 3.Ta Prohm — The famous 'Tomb Raider' temple, left as explorers found it — colossal silk-cotton and strangler-fig tree roots pouring over and prising apart the crumbling stone galleries, a haunting fusion of jungle and ruin. Atmospheric and otherworldly (go early to beat the crowds); the most romantic and photogenic of all the Angkor temples, and a highlight of any visit.
- 4.Banteay Srei — The 'Citadel of Women', a small 10th-century temple of pink sandstone 25 km out, famous for the most exquisite and intricate carving in all of Angkor — deep, delicate reliefs of deities and floral patterns, astonishingly preserved. Jewel-like and less crowded; well worth the drive, often combined with the jungle temples and river carvings further out.
- 5.Exploring Angkor by tuk-tuk — The classic way to tour the temples — hire a tuk-tuk and driver for the day and putter between the ruins along jungle roads, with the breeze, the pauses for coconuts, and your driver's tips on the best spots and light. Comfortable, cheap and atmospheric; agree the 'small' or 'grand' circuit and a price in advance, and let the temple-hopping unfold at your own pace.
- 6.Sunset at Phnom Bakheng — The temple-topped hill of Phnom Bakheng is the classic Angkor sunset spot — a short climb to a 9th-century pyramid temple with a view over the jungle canopy to the distant towers of Angkor Wat glowing in the evening light. Numbers are capped, so go early for a place; a magical, golden end to a day among the temples (the West Baray is a quieter alternative).
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Charles de Gaulle; flights via Google Flights.