Siem Reap Hotels During Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben

Cambodia's public holidays follow an official sub-decree, and the three long holidays each run for three days. Dates move every year, so confirm them before you book.

Khmer New Year is the biggest celebration of the Cambodian year. In Siem Reap it brings the Angkor Sankranta festival to the Angkor Archaeological Park, and the temples attract large crowds. One local guide advises booking accommodation two to three months ahead, so reserving early with a free-cancellation rate is the safest approach.

Pchum Ben is the Cambodian festival for honouring ancestors, held over three days in October. Many Cambodians return to their home provinces, and families visit pagodas. The rainy season is ending and the high season has not yet begun, which makes the nights around the holiday a useful comparison.

Book the nights around the holiday soon, on a free-cancellation rate, and compare the live rate with the weekend before and after. The rainy season page explains the savings available outside the holiday.

The Water Festival (Bon Om Touk) marks the reversal of the Tonle Sap River and falls on 23 to 25 November in 2026. It opens the high season, so holiday demand meets rising seasonal demand. See Siem Reap hotel prices in November for the week-by-week picture.

Mid-range hotels reward early booking at the Water Festival. A hostel dorm bed leaves more room to wait, though a free-cancellation rate protects either choice.

Holiday dates reward a shortlist of stays with strong reviews. Ratings and review counts come from our directory, and distances are straight-line kilometres to Angkor Wat.

For more choice, open cheap hotels in Siem Reap or the best mid-range hotels.

On holiday dates the area matters more than usual, because the temples and the Old Market draw extra visitors. The Old Market and Pub Street area keeps restaurants and cafes within walking distance. Wat Bo offers calmer evenings. Street 30 and Preah Sihanouk Avenue shorten the ride towards Angkor Wat, with the closest directory stays at 3.7 to 4.6 km in a straight line.

The area guide compares the neighbourhoods, and the location page gives the distances to Angkor Wat, the airport and Pub Street.

Flexible dates give you the strongest tool. A hotel that looks full or costly on the holiday itself can look relaxed two nights earlier or later. Search the full holiday weekend, then the same stay shifted by two or three nights each way, and compare the totals on Agoda and Booking.com.

Staying on the holiday itself has its own appeal: Khmer New Year brings festivals to Angkor, and the Water Festival fills the town with Cambodian families. Choose the dates that match your reasons for visiting, then protect them with a free-cancellation rate.

A short list of checks keeps a holiday booking sound.

Agoda and Booking.com differ in small ways, set out in how to book a hotel in Siem Reap. If waiting seems tempting, last-minute hotel deals explains when it works. Travellers with a budget above about 100 dollars a night can use the luxury hotels guide.

These pages from the same guide cover the neighbouring questions in more detail.