How Many Days Do You Need in Cambodia? A Planner for US Travelers
How many days do you need in Cambodia? For most first-time American travelers, 7 to 10 days is the sweet spot — enough for Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh without rushing. Here is how to size your trip by what you actually want to see, and how it fits the 30-day stay your eVisa allows.
How many days do you need in Cambodia?
For most first-time American travelers, 7 to 10 days is the sweet spot. That gives you 3 to 4 unrushed days for Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, 2 to 3 days for Phnom Penh, and a little slack for travel between them. If you only care about the temples, 4 to 5 days in Siem Reap alone is enough. If you want the coast — Kampot, Kep, or the islands off Sihanoukville — budget 12 to 14 days. Whatever you choose, your Cambodia eVisa allows a 30-day single-entry stay, so a normal vacation fits comfortably inside one visa. The Tourist eVisa auto-extension ended in November 2025, so treat 30 days as the firm ceiling for a leisure trip.
Key Takeaways
- For most first-time American travelers, 7 to 10 days is the sweet spot — Angkor Wat in Siem Reap plus Phnom Penh, without rushing either.
- A focused 4 to 5 days covers Siem Reap and the Angkor temples alone; add 2 to 3 days for Phnom Penh and another 3 to 4 for the southern coast.
- Whatever length you pick, your Cambodia eVisa allows a 30-day single-entry stay — so any realistic vacation fits inside one visa with room to spare.
- The Tourist eVisa auto-extension ended in November 2025, so 30 days is the hard cap for a leisure trip unless you plan a different visa path before you go.
- Every air arrival also files the Cambodia e-Arrival Card: $5 USD verified through us, 14 fields, submitted within 7 days before your flight.
The short answer: 7 to 10 days for most first trips
How many days do you need in Cambodia? For most Americans making a first trip, the honest answer is 7 to 10 days. That window lets you see Angkor Wat at the pace it deserves, spend a couple of days in Phnom Penh, and move between them without spending your whole vacation in transit. Less than that and you are choosing between the temples and the capital. More than that and you are adding the coast or the countryside, which is a great trip — just a different one.
The right number really depends on three things: what you actually want to see, how far you are flying to get there, and how much downtime you like to keep in a trip. A traveler who flies 20-plus hours from the US to spend two days at Angkor and turn around will feel the jet lag more than the wonder. The sections below break trip length down by interest so you can size yours honestly instead of guessing.
This guide walks through what each trip length actually buys you, the day-by-day shape of a classic week, and how all of it fits inside the 30-day stay your visa allows. When you have settled on dates, you can apply for your eVisa — it is approved in 3 business days, so it never has to be the thing that holds your planning up. Our Cambodia visa hub for US citizens pulls cost, documents, and timing together in one place.
- List what you want to see
Decide between the Angkor temples, Phnom Penh, and the southern coast — your priorities set the length.
- Pick your trip length
Most first-time American travelers land on 7 to 10 days for Angkor plus Phnom Penh.
- Subtract the flight days
A trip from the US burns much of a day each way, so count feet-on-the-ground days, not days away.
- Confirm it fits your stay
The eVisa allows a 30-day single-entry stay, so any realistic vacation fits inside one visa.
- Apply for your eVisa
Once your dates are set, apply online — the eVisa is approved in 3 business days and valid 3 months from issue.
- File the e-Arrival Card
Every air arrival files the separate e-Arrival Card, 14 fields, within 7 days before your flight.
How many days by what you want to see
Cambodia is not a one-stop country. The temples are in the north, the capital is in the center, and the beaches are in the south, and the right trip length is mostly a question of how many of those you want to fold in. Here is how the days stack up, building from the absolute minimum to a full two-week loop.
4 to 5 days — Siem Reap and the Angkor temples only
If Angkor Wat is the whole reason you are coming, four to five days in Siem Reap is the floor that still feels like a real visit. A common rhythm is a sunrise at Angkor Wat on day one, the Bayon and Angkor Thom complex on day two, and the further temples — Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei, the Roluos group — on day three, with a fourth day to slow down, see the town, and recover from the heat. A three-day Angkor pass exists precisely because two days is a rush and one is a teaser.
7 to 10 days — the classic Cambodia first trip
This is the sweet spot, and the length most first-time American travelers land on for good reason. Seven days gives you three to four days at Angkor and Siem Reap, two to three days in Phnom Penh for the Royal Palace, the National Museum, and the sobering but essential Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek memorials, plus the half-day it takes to travel between the two cities. Stretch it to ten and you stop watching the clock — you can add a slow morning, a cooking class, or a day trip to the floating villages on Tonle Sap without cutting anything else.
12 to 14 days — temples, capital, and the coast
Two weeks is when Cambodia opens all the way up. Keep the classic week, then add the south: the riverside calm of Kampot and Kep, the pepper farms and crab market, and the islands off Sihanoukville — Koh Rong or Koh Rong Sanloem — for a few genuine beach days. Fourteen days is also the comfortable length if you are combining Cambodia with a slower travel style, or if the flight from the US already cost you a day on each end and you want the trip to earn it back.
If you want the day-by-day version of the classic trip, our Cambodia 10-day itinerary for first-timers maps out exactly where each day goes, and the tighter 7-day Cambodia itinerary shows how to keep the same highlights when you have a week rather than ten days.
What a classic 7-to-10-day trip actually looks like
Numbers are easier to trust when you can see the days. Here is the shape most first-time American travelers settle into, the one that balances the temples and the capital without leaving you exhausted. Treat it as a frame, not a rule — the point is to show how the days flow, not to lock you into a schedule.
Days one and two are arrival and Siem Reap. Long-haul flights from the US usually land you late or jet-lagged, so the first day is for settling in, eating well, and an early night. Day two is your first full day at the Angkor temples — sunrise at Angkor Wat if you have the willpower, the main complex through the morning, and a rest through the worst of the afternoon heat.
Days three and four stay in Siem Reap for the rest of Angkor — the outlying temples, Ta Prohm, and a slower fourth day for the town, a museum, or a Tonle Sap boat trip. Around day five you travel to Phnom Penh, by short flight or the comfortable day bus. Days six and seven are the capital: the Royal Palace and riverfront on one day, the Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek memorials on the other, with your departure on the morning of day eight. Stretch the whole thing to ten and you simply give each city an extra day to breathe.
When you go matters almost as much as how long. The dry season from November to March is cooler and easier for temple days, while the green months bring afternoon rain that reshapes a packed schedule. Our guide to the best time to visit Cambodia breaks the year down month by month so you can match your trip length to the weather you will actually get.
How your trip length fits the 30-day eVisa stay
Here is the part that quietly reassures most American travelers: your Cambodia eVisa allows a 30-day single-entry stay, and almost no first trip comes anywhere near that ceiling. A 7-day trip uses less than a quarter of it. A two-week trip uses under half. Even a deep, slow loop with the coast and the countryside folded in rarely pushes past three weeks. Trip length, for the vast majority of visitors, is a comfort decision — not a visa constraint.
The numbers worth holding in your head are simple. The eVisa is valid for 3 months from the date it is issued, so applying a few weeks early does not waste anything. The clock that matters is the 30-day stay, which starts the day you enter Cambodia. As long as you leave within 30 days of arrival, you are inside the rules, whether your trip is 5 days or 25.
There is one change every American planning a 2026 trip should know. The Tourist eVisa auto-extension ended in November 2025. In the past, a tourist could lean on that to stretch a stay past 30 days; that path is closed now. So if you are genuinely planning to be in Cambodia longer than 30 days, you do not solve it by overstaying or hoping to extend on a tourist visa at the last minute — you plan a different visa structure before you fly. For a normal vacation, none of this applies, and 30 days is far more room than you will use.
If your trip might run long, or you just want the stay rules spelled out cleanly, our explainer on how long US citizens can stay in Cambodia covers the 30-day cap, what counts as your entry date, and the visa paths that exist when 30 days is not enough.
Common trip-length mistakes American travelers make
After enough planning conversations, the same few sizing mistakes come up over and over. None of them are disasters, but each one quietly costs you a day you did not have to lose. Knowing them up front is the easiest way to right-size your trip.
- Underbudgeting Angkor. Treating the temples as a single day trip is the most common miss. The Angkor complex is huge, the heat is real, and one day leaves you sprinting past 800-year-old carvings. Give it three.
- Forgetting the flight tax. A trip from the US burns the better part of a day in each direction, often with a layover. A "7-day trip" can really be five days on the ground once you subtract travel — count days in Cambodia, not days away from home.
- Skipping Phnom Penh entirely. The capital is where the modern history lives, and it reframes everything you see at the temples. If you have seven days or more, the two-to-three-day detour is worth it.
- Stacking the coast onto a short trip. Kampot, Kep, and the islands are wonderful, but they are a long way south. Bolting them onto a 7-day trip means a lot of bus or extra flights and very little beach. Save the coast for 12 days or more.
- Cutting it too fine on the last day. Booking a departure flight the same morning you finish sightseeing leaves no margin for a delayed bus or a slow checkout. Keep a buffer half-day before you fly home.
The thread running through all of these is the same: count the days you will actually have feet-on-the-ground in Cambodia, not the days between leaving and returning home. Once you plan around real ground time, the 7-to-10-day sweet spot makes obvious sense, and the longer trips reveal their true length too.
Putting your trip length together
Here is the whole thing in one frame. Four to five days if it is the temples and nothing else. Seven to ten days for the classic first trip with Angkor and Phnom Penh — the sweet spot, and where most American travelers should aim. Twelve to fourteen if you want the southern coast in the mix. And up to 30 days available on a single eVisa if you are coming a long way and want to make it count. Pick the length that matches what you want to see and how much downtime you like, and the rest of the plan falls into place around it.
Whatever number you land on, the visa is the easy part. The Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in, approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF by email, with free resubmission if Immigration flags a correction and US-timezone support. Once your dates are set, you can apply for your Cambodia eVisa and tick it off well before you fly.
Next steps and related reading for Americans: map the days with our Cambodia 10-day itinerary for first-timers, tighten it with the 7-day Cambodia itinerary if you have a week, confirm the stay rules in how long US citizens can stay in Cambodia, and lock in your dates with the best time to visit Cambodia guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Cambodia?
For most first-time American travelers, 7 to 10 days is the sweet spot. That covers 3 to 4 days for Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, 2 to 3 days for Phnom Penh, and the half-day of travel between them. If you only want the temples, 4 to 5 days in Siem Reap is enough. If you want to add the southern coast, budget 12 to 14 days. Your eVisa allows a 30-day single-entry stay, so any normal vacation fits inside one visa.
Is 3 days enough for Cambodia?
Three days is enough for a focused look at the Angkor temples in Siem Reap, but not for much more. You would see Angkor Wat, the Bayon, and one or two outlying temples, and then fly out. For a first trip from the US, three days rarely justifies the long flight — most travelers find four to five days the realistic floor, and seven to ten the sweet spot once Phnom Penh is added.
How many days do you need to see Angkor Wat?
Plan three days for the Angkor temple complex, which is why a three-day Angkor pass exists. One day is a teaser, two days is a rush in the heat, and three lets you see Angkor Wat, the Bayon and Angkor Thom, and the further temples like Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei without sprinting. If Angkor is the whole purpose of your trip, four to five days in Siem Reap is the comfortable minimum.
Is one week enough for Cambodia?
Yes. Seven days is a solid first trip: three to four days at Angkor and Siem Reap, two to three days in Phnom Penh, and the travel between them. It is brisk but not exhausting. The main thing to watch is the flight from the US, which can eat a day on each end, so a 7-day trip is really about five days on the ground in Cambodia.
How long can I stay in Cambodia on a tourist eVisa?
The Cambodia Tourist eVisa allows a 30-day single-entry stay, counted from the day you enter the country. The eVisa itself is valid for 3 months from issue, so applying early does not waste any of your stay. Note that the Tourist eVisa auto-extension ended in November 2025, so 30 days is the firm ceiling for a leisure trip unless you arrange a different visa path before you go.
Should I add the Cambodian coast to my trip?
Only if you have 12 days or more. Kampot, Kep, and the islands off Sihanoukville — Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem — are well worth it, but they are a long way south of the temples and capital. Bolting them onto a 7-day trip means too much transit and too little beach. For a first trip of a week to ten days, focus on Angkor and Phnom Penh and save the coast for a longer visit.
How many days should I spend in Phnom Penh?
Two to three days. That covers the Royal Palace and riverfront on one day and the Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek memorials on another, with a little room for the National Museum and the markets. Phnom Penh is where Cambodia’s modern history lives, and skipping it leaves a first trip feeling incomplete — so if you have seven days or more, build the capital in.
Do I need to apply for the visa far in advance based on my trip length?
No. The Cambodia eVisa is approved in 3 business days and stays valid for 3 months from issue, so it never has to dictate your trip length or your planning timeline. You can settle your dates first, then apply once they are set. Every air arrival also files the separate e-Arrival Card, which is submitted within 7 days before your flight rather than far ahead.
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