Getting your bearings
The temples of Angkor lie a short distance north of Siem Reap, the town in northwestern Cambodia that serves as the base for nearly every visit. The ruins are spread across the Angkor Archaeological Park, a protected area of several hundred square kilometres that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monuments are not in one place. Angkor Wat is only the best known, and the walled city of Angkor Thom, with the Bayon, and the tree-wrapped temple of Ta Prohm are separate stops a few kilometres away.
This article is about what the visit is like. For the history, the engineering and the meaning of what you see, the other articles in this cluster go into depth. Practical details such as prices, opening hours, and rules change over time, so treat the points below as a general picture and check current information from the official park authority or a reliable local source before you travel.
Tickets and passes
Entry to the park normally requires a ticket, which is sold at an official ticket centre on the road from Siem Reap rather than at the temples themselves. Passes are typically offered for one day, three days and seven days, and the longer ones can usually be used on non-consecutive days within a set period. Tickets generally carry a photograph and are checked at the entrances to the main temples, so keep yours with you. Buying from a stranger at the roadside is not a good idea.
How long to stay is a matter of taste. One day is enough to see Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm, but it is a tiring day. Two or three days allow a slower pace and visits to the smaller and more distant temples.
Getting around
Most visitors hire a tuk-tuk or a car with a driver for the day, and many also use bicycles, which are practical on the flat roads of the central area. The routes are commonly divided into two circuits.
- The small circuit is a loop of roughly 17 km that takes in Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm.
- The grand circuit is a longer loop of roughly 26 km that adds temples to the east and north, such as Preah Khan, Neak Pean and Pre Rup.
Further out, Banteay Srei, a small temple known for fine carving in pink sandstone, is on the north side of the park, and the large, tumbled temple of Beng Mealea lies farther east. These are better treated as separate outings.
Angkor Wat: the western approach
The classic entrance is from the west, across the long stone causeway over the moat. As you walk in, the layout is clear: an outer gateway, a second long avenue, and the five towers rising behind. The causeway is lined by stone balustrades in the form of multi-headed serpents, called nagas.
Many visitors arrive before dawn to watch the sunrise behind the towers from the grassy area near the two ponds. This is the most crowded time of day, and the view depends on the weather and the season. The towers appear as silhouettes rather than a bright, clear picture, and the light improves as the sun rises. If crowds are a concern, late afternoon is often quieter, and the temple can be pleasant in the early hours after the sunrise crowd has gone elsewhere.
Inside, the main sights are the bas-relief galleries along the outer wall, the cross-shaped terrace, and the central tower complex. The steep stairs to the upper level have been subject to limits on visitor numbers and age at various times. Expect a queue, and check whether the upper level is open on the day you go.
Angkor Thom and the Bayon
The walled city of Angkor Thom is entered by gates topped with large stone faces. The South Gate has a restored causeway lined with rows of stone figures, and it is the one most visitors use. Beyond is the Bayon, a crowded cluster of towers carved with serene faces, and the Terrace of the Elephants, which looks out over a large open space. Reliefs on the outer wall of the Bayon show scenes of battle and everyday life and repay a slow look. These monuments are described in detail in their own article.
Ta Prohm and other temples
Ta Prohm has been left in a partly overgrown state, with large silk-cotton and strangler fig trees growing over the walls. It is photogenic and busy, so it can feel less peaceful than it looks in pictures. Conservation teams are working to keep both the trees and the stone, and some walkways and viewing platforms are in place for safety. Visiting Angkor ruins in this way shows how the sites are managed as living heritage and not as frozen museum pieces.
Practical tips
- Climate: the cooler, drier months from roughly November to February are the most comfortable. March to May is very hot, and the rainy season usually runs from about May to October. Whenever you go, carry water and wear sun protection.
- Clothing: the temples are active religious sites. Shoulders and knees should generally be covered, particularly at Angkor Wat and the upper levels, and you may be turned away if they are not.
- Respect: do not climb on walls or touch carved reliefs where signs ask you not to, and do not step in front of monks or people praying. Statues and shrines with offerings are in use.
- Pace: start early and rest in the middle of the day. The heat and the number of steps are tiring.
- Guides: licensed guides are available and can add real value, especially at sites with complex carving. Ask at the ticket centre or your hotel.
A different kind of ruin
A visit to Angkor is a very different experience from, say, visiting Petra, where a single dramatic approach leads into a concentrated site. Angkor is an entire landscape, and its ruins are scattered across forest and farmland, many of them still partly unexcavated or lightly signposted. That scale is part of its character, and leaving time for the smaller temples is often rewarded with quiet and a sense of discovery.