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Siem Reap Attractions
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 | | Royal Crusade for Independence Gardens | Along with the construction of the Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Raffles Hotels & Resorts has undertaken the landing and construction of the park that extends from the hotel to the main road incorporating the formal gardens, now named the ‘Royal Crusade for Independence Gardens’.
This fan-shaped park forms an imposing frontage to the hotel and is shared by the populace of Siem Reap. The garden complex, in addition to the Formal gardens, consists of an area devoted to the sacred Buddhist flower - the Lotus gardens, the River gardens along the bank of the Siem Reap River, and the Temple gardens. In 1998, Raffles Hotels & Resorts also restored the 1928 Art Deco-style bridge that spans the river.
The Gardens, comprising of the Formal, Lotus, Temple and River gardens, spans 60,000 square metres and is one of the hotel’s most extraordinary features. The luxuriant gardens, which are particularly stunning at dusk, are home to a big variety of species of plants.
Distance from Hotel: 1-minute by foot | | | | | |  | | Angkor Wat | Between the 9th and the 13th centuries, a succession of Khmer kings who ruled from Angkor utilised the vast wealth and huge labour force of their empire to carry out a series of monumental construction projects intended to glorify both themselves and their capital, all within the vicinity of Siem Reap.
Angkor Wat, with its soaring towers and extraordinary bas-reliefs, is considered by many to be one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. It was built by Suryavarman II (who reigned from 1113 to 1150) to honour Vishnu, identified as a god-king.
Distance from Hotel:
20-minutes by Tuk Tuk
15-minutes by car | | | | | |  | | Angkor Thom | The fortified city of Angkor Thom, extending some nine square kilometres, was built in its present form by Angkor's greatest builder, Jayavarman VII (reigning from 1181 to 1201), on the ruins of an ancient city. Angkor Thom, which may have had a million inhabitants at one time, is enclosed by a square wall eight metres high and 12 kilometres in length.
The complex comprises of a variety of important temples, with the prominent Bayon temple at its centre. The city is notable for its five monumental gates. The gates, which are each 20 metres in height, are decorated on either side with stone elephant heads and crowned by four gargantuan faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokitessvara facing the cardinal directions. At the front of each gate stand 54 gods (to the left of the causeway) and 54 demons (to the right of the causeway).
Distance from Hotel:
30-minutes by Tuk Tuk
25-minutes by car | | | | | |  | | Floating Village - Tonle Sap Lake | Siem Reap is situated not far from the northern edge of the large Tonle Sap Lake. Many villages abound along its shores, but due to the lake's seasonal variation in size and regular flooding, the most interesting villages are those that float.
Here, houseboats dot the banks of the canal. Small boats deliver supplies to the floating community and children paddle their canoes to and from school.
Distance from Hotel:
30-minutes by Tuk Tuk
25-minutes by car | | | | | |  | | Compagnie des Eléphants d'Angkor | At Compagnie des Eléphants d'Angkor, ride the last elephants of Angkor, guardians of a 1000-year-old tradition. Follow in the footsteps of early explorers and discover temples which are in perfect harmony with nature. Like the kings before you, start a new day riding around the Bayon temple or climb Bakheng Hill in the evening to watch the sunset over Angkor Wat.
Experience an unforgettable journey through the mysterious ruins of Angkor and the surrounding jungle. Comfortably seated in a traditional howdah and led by the expert hands of a mahout, the gentle rocking of these royal mounts will take you back in time to a past glory and to the magnificence that is the heritage of Angkor.
Distance from Hotel:
20-minutes by Tuk Tuk
15-minutes by car | | | | | |  | | Psaar Chaa | Psaar Chaa (the ‘Old Market’) is one of Siem Reap’s largest traditional covered markets and offers the largest selection of souvenirs under one roof. In fact, this market is really a ‘must visit’ in itself for its unique, colourful, local shopping experience. Of all the local markets, the Old Market offers the widest variety of souvenirs as well as the best selection of handicrafts and curios, including such items as traditional silverwork, silks, baskets, statuary, carvings and traditional musical instruments.
Distance from Hotel:
5-minutes by Tuk Tuk
5-minutes by car | | | | | |
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