Temples in Siem Reap
- 01
Angkor Wat
The largest monument at Angkor and the one that defines Cambodia: a twelfth-century state temple of Suryavarman II, ringed by a wide moat and rising in three galleries to five towers.
- Time needed
- 3 to 4 hours for the galleries; longer if you climb the upper level
- Walking
- Demanding
- Best time
- Sunrise for the atmosphere, or after about 1 pm for lighter crowds; November to February for comfortable weather
- Tickets
- Entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park needs an Angkor Pass, sold through the official Angkor Enterprise channels. Pass types and prices change, so check current rates on the official site; the pass carries your photo and is checked at most temples. Children under 12 have been reported as free with a passport, so confirm before you go. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and the upper level is strictly policed.
- 02
Banteay Srei
A small tenth-century temple of Shiva north of the main Angkor group, famous for its pink-red sandstone and the finest relief carving at Angkor.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning, before the tour groups; November to February
- Tickets
- Entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park needs an Angkor Pass, sold through the official Angkor Enterprise channels. Pass types and prices change, so check current rates on the official site; the pass carries your photo and is checked at most temples. Children under 12 have been reported as free with a passport, so confirm before you go. Remember that a separate drive of about an hour is involved.
- 03
Bayon Temple
The state temple of Jayavarman VII at the heart of Angkor Thom, famous for its towers carved with large smiling faces and for outer galleries decorated with scenes of daily life and war.
- Time needed
- 1.5 to 2 hours
- Walking
- Moderate
- Best time
- Mid-morning to mid-afternoon, when light falls on the faces; November to February
- Tickets
- Entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park needs an Angkor Pass, sold through the official Angkor Enterprise channels. Pass types and prices change, so check current rates on the official site; the pass carries your photo and is checked at most temples. Children under 12 have been reported as free with a passport, so confirm before you go. Dress to cover shoulders and knees.
- 04
Beng Mealea
A large early-twelfth-century temple in the Angkor Wat style, left mostly unrestored and overgrown, reached by a boardwalk across the collapsed centre.
- Time needed
- 1.5 to 2 hours plus the drive
- Walking
- Moderate
- Best time
- Morning; November to February
- Tickets
- The Angkor Pass may not cover this site, which sits outside the main park and may have a separate fee. Check current ticketing on the official Angkor Enterprise site before you go.
- 05
Phnom Bakheng
A late-ninth-century hill temple on a 65 m rise between Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, long used for sunset views over the plain.
- Time needed
- 1 to 2 hours including the climb
- Walking
- Demanding
- Best time
- Late afternoon, but expect queues; morning is quieter
- Tickets
- Entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park needs an Angkor Pass, sold through the official Angkor Enterprise channels. Pass types and prices change, so check current rates on the official site; the pass carries your photo and is checked at most temples. Children under 12 have been reported as free with a passport, so confirm before you go. Access can be restricted when it is crowded, and the temple has been under renovation, so check current rules.
- 06
Preah Khan
A large Buddhist monastery-temple of Jayavarman VII, left in a partly overgrown state, with long corridors and fewer people than the headline temples.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Walking
- Moderate
- Best time
- Morning, for shade and fewer visitors; November to February
- Tickets
- Entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park needs an Angkor Pass, sold through the official Angkor Enterprise channels. Pass types and prices change, so check current rates on the official site; the pass carries your photo and is checked at most temples. Children under 12 have been reported as free with a passport, so confirm before you go. Parts are propped up and roped off.
- 07
Roluos Group
Three ninth-century temples, Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei, on the site of Hariharalaya, an early Khmer capital that predates Angkor Wat by two centuries.
- Time needed
- 2 to 3 hours
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning or late afternoon; November to February
- Tickets
- Entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park needs an Angkor Pass, sold through the official Angkor Enterprise channels. Pass types and prices change, so check current rates on the official site; the pass carries your photo and is checked at most temples. Children under 12 have been reported as free with a passport, so confirm before you go. The group lies outside the main park circuit but is covered by the standard pass.
- 08
Ta Prohm
A late-twelfth-century monastery left partly in the grip of giant silk-cotton and strangler fig trees, with conservation under way. It is the Angkor temple that feels most like a ruin in a forest.
- Time needed
- 1 to 1.5 hours
- Walking
- Moderate
- Best time
- Early morning, soon after opening, for light and fewer people; November to February
- Tickets
- Entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park needs an Angkor Pass, sold through the official Angkor Enterprise channels. Pass types and prices change, so check current rates on the official site; the pass carries your photo and is checked at most temples. Children under 12 have been reported as free with a passport, so confirm before you go. Parts of the temple are cordoned off for safety.
Museums in Siem Reap
- 09
Angkor National Museum
A museum in Siem Reap town with galleries on Khmer civilisation, Buddhist sculpture and the history of Angkor, useful before or after the temples.
- Time needed
- 1.5 to 2 hours
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Afternoon, during the heat of the day; any month
- Tickets
- This is a paid museum separate from the Angkor Pass. Check current prices, timings and any audio guides on the museum's official channels.
Experiences in Siem Reap
- 10
Kbal Spean
A jungle walk to a riverbed carved in the eleventh and twelfth centuries with lingas and Hindu deities, known as the Valley of a Thousand Lingas.
- Time needed
- 2 to 3 hours with the walk
- Walking
- Demanding
- Best time
- Morning, just after the rainy season (November) when water is clear
- Tickets
- Part of the Angkor Pass circuit; check current ticketing on the official site. The walk is on a forest path in a national park, so follow rules posted at the entrance.
Culture in Siem Reap
- 11
Phare, The Cambodian Circus
A nightly one-hour show that blends circus, theatre, music and dance, performed by graduates of a vocational arts school, with revenue funding its education programmes.
- Time needed
- About 2 hours including the pre-show
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Evening; shows run nightly at 8 pm, with changing matinee days
- Tickets
- Tickets are sold in tiers and should be booked ahead on the official website; children aged 5 to 11 get reduced prices. Seat tiers differ in view, so choose carefully.
