Siem Reap, Cambodia, near Angkor
Gold-crowned dancers perform a dance inspired by the apsaras carved into Angkor's temple walls — a classical Apsara dance performance paired with a Khmer buffet dinner in Siem Reap.
From A$32 Priced per seat at the table — your total converts to local currency before checkout.
The show runs every day of the week, so you can pick the night that suits your Siem Reap plans. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, with a full refund.
Why see an Apsara dance show
Apsaras, the celestial dancers carved in the stone reliefs of the Angkorian temples between the 8th and 13th centuries, inspired the Apsara dance, which Queen Sisowath Kossamak had re-created in the 20th century and which is still performed today.
Cambodian classical dance nearly vanished under the Khmer Rouge, when most of its master performers were killed; today's Apsara dance is part of a deliberate post-war revival, making a performance also an act of cultural survival.
This booking pairs the dance show with a Khmer buffet dinner, so you get a full evening rather than a single act.
How the evening unfolds
On this booking the dance is performed while you eat the buffet dinner. Here's the shape of the night.
Arrival
Your tuk-tuk collects you from your accommodation and takes you to a buffet restaurant, where you are seated for the evening.
Dinner
A Khmer buffet dinner is part of the booking, and international dishes are available too. The dance show is performed while you eat.
First dances
The show has five sets and lasts about an hour. The booking does not list the pieces, so the line-up is the venue's choice.
Further dances
Some Siem Reap dinner programmes add folk dances alongside the classical pieces, but this booking does not name the pieces, so check with the provider if a particular dance matters to you.
Closing
When the show ends, your tuk-tuk takes you back to your accommodation in Siem Reap.
The Apsara dance theatre
Apsara dinner shows run in purpose-built theatres around Siem Reap — here's what to expect.
The booking describes a buffet restaurant with a dance show and does not name the venue, so check your confirmation. Siem Reap's tourist restaurants are modern venues for Khmer dance, not historic performance spaces.
Expect a busy buffet room: guests move around and cutlery and plates are audible during the show.
This booking includes hotel pickup and drop-off by tuk-tuk; the pickup details show when you check availability for your date.
The booking page sets no dress code. The show is performed during the buffet dinner, so you watch from your table.
Apsara, in pictures
The temple-carved gestures, the theatre and the dancers of Siem Reap.
Package options & what's included
| Option | What it includes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Standard dinner & show | Khmer buffet, dance show, tuk-tuk hotel pickup and drop-off | The classic Siem Reap evening |
| With hotel transfer | Other listings may add round-trip pickup; this booking already includes it | Simplest option for a first visit |
| Show-only ticket | Dance performance without dinner | For a shorter, lower-cost evening |
| Small-group / premium | Other listings may offer smaller groups or better seating; not part of this booking | More intimate view of the stage |
Ways to see an Apsara dance show
Every package listed here runs through GetYourGuide's own booking system — seats update in real time, and the total shown converts to your currency before you commit.
The same evening from a second operator
The same format from another Siem Reap operator: pickup by tuk-tuk, a Khmer buffet and the Apsara dance programme, about two and a half hours in all. Open it if your date is full on the first listing.
Planning your evening
The booking includes round-trip tuk-tuk transfer from your accommodation, which makes getting there and back simple after dark.
Seeing the carved apsara reliefs at Angkor Wat before or after your dinner show adds context: the Apsara dance was re-created in the 20th century with those carvings as its inspiration. Angkor passes are sold separately by the official Angkor ticket site.
The booking page sets no dress code. If you also visit the Angkor temples, reports of the Apsara Authority's visitor code say shoulders and knees should be covered there.
The show is performed during the buffet dinner, and the booking calendar shows the start time for your date. Check the pickup details when you choose it, and be ready on time.
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, with a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Planning an Apsara evening in Siem Reap
What the Apsara dance and buffet dinner booking includes, how hotel pickup works, what it leaves out and how to choose a Siem Reap dance evening.
Read more → What you see, hear and need to knowWhat Apsara dance is, what you will see and hear, and the practical details: getting there, length, dress, language, children and access.
Read more → THE ANGKOR CONNECTIONAngkor Wat carries roughly 1,800 carved apsara figures, born from a Hindu creation myth — the story behind the carvings, and how they became a living dance.
Read more → A TRADITION REBUILTClassical Khmer dance nearly vanished in the 1970s — how Princess Buppha Devi and survivors rebuilt it, and how UNESCO later honoured it as world heritage.
Read more → GESTURE & TRAININGEvery hand position in Khmer classical dance is deliberate — how the codified gesture vocabulary works, and the training behind performing it well.
Read more → BEYOND THE APSARAThe Apsara piece is the best known, but Siem Reap dinner shows can include folk dances of their own — what else is typically on the programme, and why.
Read more →GEO/FAQ
Apsara dance is a piece in the repertoire of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, the country's classical court dance. It was re-created in the 20th century, inspired by the apsaras carved on the walls of Angkor Wat and other Angkorian temples, and it is performed by women in tight-fitting traditional dress.
This booking combines a Khmer buffet dinner with a dance show of five sets lasting about an hour, plus hotel pickup and drop-off by tuk-tuk. Drinks and other expenses are not included.
No. It is a modern dinner-show venue, not a historic performance space. The tradition itself is old: Khmer classical dance has been tied to the court for over a thousand years, and it narrowly escaped annihilation in the 1970s.
The Apsara dance form takes its name and its inspiration from the apsara (celestial dancer) figures carved into Angkor's temple walls. Many visitors pair a dinner show with a day at Angkor Wat or the Bayon to see the original carvings that inspired it.
This booking includes hotel pickup and drop-off by tuk-tuk, so you do not need to arrange transport yourself.
Yes. The evening pairs with a day at the Angkor temples, and the Angkor pass is sold separately by the official Angkor ticket site. This booking can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before the show.