Siem Reap and Angkor: a first-timer's guide to the temples

Why go

Angkor is the reason many people come to Cambodia, and it never disappoints. The scale is hard to grasp until you stand in front of it: Angkor Wat alone covers a larger area than many towns, its walls carved with long galleries of battles, gods and the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Around it, the walled city of Angkor Thom holds the Bayon, with more than two hundred calm stone faces, the Terrace of the Elephants and the Baphuon. Siem Reap itself is relaxed and easy, with good food, social enterprise restaurants, markets, a circus and a riverside lined with hotels.

The temple pass

You need an official Angkor pass to enter the archaeological park. Passes come for one day, three days within a week, or seven days within a month, and are sold at the official ticket centre and online through Angkor Enterprise. Your photo is printed on the pass, and it is checked at the main temples, so carry it at all times. Check the official site for current prices and opening hours. Sunrise at Angkor Wat needs the pass bought the day before or at the ticket centre very early.

How to see the temples

Most visitors follow two classic loops. The small circuit covers Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, Ta Prohm, Ta Keo and Banteay Kdei. The grand circuit adds Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup, which is lovely at sunset. Day three is for Banteay Srei, the small pink temple with the finest carving at Angkor, and the river of carvings at Kbal Spean. With more time, Beng Mealea's collapsed jungle temple, Phnom Kulen's waterfalls and sacred mountain, and the distant pyramid of Koh Ker are memorable day trips.

Start early. Gates open before dawn and the hours between sunrise and late morning are cooler and quieter. Rest at your hotel in the hot middle of the day and return in the afternoon. A tuk tuk driver for the day is the usual choice and easy to arrange through your hotel or a ride app. Cycling or electric bikes suit the flat small circuit. A licensed guide brings the carvings and stories to life, and can be booked through the official guide association.

Beyond the temples

Siem Reap has plenty for the evenings and rest days. Phare, the Cambodian Circus, is the highlight: young performers from the Battambang arts school mixing acrobatics and theatre. The Angkor National Museum is a good primer before you visit the temples. Artisans Angkor shows stone carving and silk weaving. On the Tonle Sap lake, the stilt village of Kampong Phluk and its flooded forest are best visited in the wet months, and the Prek Toal bird sanctuary draws rare waterbirds in the dry season. The Cambodia Landmine Museum, on the road to Banteay Srei, tells a hard but hopeful story.

Food and nights out

Siem Reap eats well. Try fish amok, lok lak and num banh chok noodles for breakfast. Training restaurants such as Marum and Haven help young people into work, and Cuisine Wat Damnak serves seasonal Khmer tasting menus. Pub Street is loud and fun at night, while The Lane and Alley West have small cocktail bars and calmer spots.

Where to stay

Stay near the river or the Old Market to walk to restaurants, or in the quieter Wat Bo area across the river. Siem Reap has excellent value boutique hotels with pools, which matter in the heat, and grand historic hotels such as Raffles. Budget guesthouses are plentiful.

Getting there

Siem Reap Angkor International Airport opened in late 2023 about forty kilometres east of town, with shuttle buses, taxis and ride apps into Siem Reap. Domestic flights link it to Phnom Penh. Buses from Phnom Penh take around five to six hours, and buses and minivans run to Battambang and the Thai border at Poipet.