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Visiting Siem Reap With A Baby

As we were going to Thailand, I thought we may as well make a quick trip to Cambodia. They are next door neighbours and it is otherwise difficult to get to Cambodia directly from home.

I specifically chose to go to Siem Reap with a baby for the beautiful iconic temples. Unfortunately many other areas in Cambodia are high risk of malaria, so we played it safe with the little one and stuck to Siem Reap.

Although the locals are really helpful and nice to children, if you are travelling to Siem Reap with a baby you should know that there are a few things westerners are used to that are non-existent in Cambodia. Namely high chairs and decent cots.

So my suggestion would be to bring a light-weight clip on high chair and a pop-up travel cot if you are considering going to Siem Reap with a baby. Equally many of the roads are not ‘buggy worthy’ so its a good idea to bring a baby carrier.

siem reap with a baby

Siem Reap With A Baby

We just loved Cambodia, it was much more than we had expected and I found it totally safe with Esmé. The local cuisine known as ‘Khmer’ was really good and there was plenty to do. We spent four days in Siem Reap which was just the right amount of time to fit in everything as well as some relaxation. If you are interested in seeing even more of Cambodia check out this Cambodia with kids guide! Here are a few of our highlights:

Temples

Visit the beautiful temples of Angkor Wat. I highly recommend getting a tuk-tuk to take you around the many temples. They are reasonable and it keeps you shaded in the day time. You won’t get all the temples done in one day with a baby. So I would suggest buying the pass that gives you a couple of days to play with. We went at sunrise and sunset on two separate days just to break it up for Esmé. We did the main Angkor Wat which is densely populated with tourists but at the same time can’t be missed. At Angkor Wat you may notice there are many Cambodian children trying to sell things. They do this instead of going to school so that they will be able to afford basics like food. If you want to help them read this article about Jimmy’s School in Siem Reap. He is a lovely man trying to educate the kids in the evenings so that they can build a better life!

siam reap with a baby
siam reap with a baby

On the third day we got up at silly o’clock, bundled Esmé into her baby carrier still intact in her PJs (score on the transfer) and made our way to the Phnom Bakheng Temple. You climb to the roof top to watch the sun rise over the horizon. The beautiful pinnacle structures on top of the nearby temples make the view extremely pretty. If you plan to go up there, bring a torch and you will need to wear your little one. We were using our phone light to find our way up a pitch dark hill that we had been dropped at the bottom of. I could hear monkeys and animals nearby. It was quite surreal but very cool.

siam reap with a baby

There are plenty of stalls and restaurants between temples if you need food or a drink. Esmé loved the fresh cold coconuts with a straw!

Massage

Have a massage… Yes you think I am crazy, how would you do that with a baby?

Well even I didn’t know this was possible. At the beautiful Body and Soul spa, they do baby massage too. Have you ever known of a family friendly spa? I hadn’t realised they provided this service until I was already sitting down, Esmé was asleep on me and I saw a little girl pulling her mum into the shop. I couldn’t figure out why. She told me it was because the little girl had a massage there the day before and was begging for another one. She was no older than two! Of course, when Esmé woke up she had a little one too. We left re-generated, giddy and relaxed!

siam reap with a baby

Explore the markets

siam reap with a baby

There are many little pockets of markets around Siem Reap Central. They are colourful and vibrant with lots of prints, fabrics and more. Esmé loved wandering through and looking at all the new objects. She had just started walking at this point so we were starting to get a taste of what it is like to travel with a moving baby (a whole new game)! Within the markets there are many restaurants and café shops. I highly recommend trying some of the local Khmer food. It is so reasonably priced and it tastes amazing!

Ready to book? Check out this hotel review of Templation, Siem Reap or find great deals on hotels here!

See also:

Valerie

Monday 26th of November 2018

Did you get any specific vaccinations before you went?

Stephani

Saturday 3rd of March 2018

Wow that looks amazing! Can I ask how old your little girl was when you went? Did you have to get extra vaccinations for her at all?

Helena

Friday 3rd of November 2017

We are thinking on travelling to Vietnam next august with our daughters. One will be 4 by then and the other one 20 months. We intend to make a trip to Angkor temples too, do you think it would be suitable for them? Any tips? We are specially concerned about the little one, if It will be too hot, if there will be any food for her...

Dani Kemeny

Thursday 23rd of February 2017

Gorgeous photos! We were in Siem Reap a short while ago and loved it, so did baby, except for a few situations we encountered such as fever and a lost flight... long story, but other than that we LOVED it! great suggestions, i was not brave enough to wake up at dawn for the sunset, I even spoke to a couple people about it and they said it was not that worth it, but on seeing your photos... hmmm.. I may be having second thoughts. Long live babies abroad!

Karen

Tuesday 28th of February 2017

There are a few places to go and see it. We avoided the main Angkor way temple and went to a different one where it was not so popular. It was peaceful and pretty

Gaby

Tuesday 3rd of January 2017

Really enjoyed reading your blog and specially this article. I am planning the same thing as we (husband and baby girl) are going to Bangkok. Always wanted to visit Angkor Wat! Do you remember which airline you flew with? How long ago were you guys there? Thanks!

Karen

Tuesday 3rd of January 2017

Hi there We flew with Thai Airways and it was around ten months ago that we were there. I think you will love it!