Siem Reap, Cambodia
Top places to visit in Siem Reap
6 places worth your time in Siem Reap, with what each is actually like and when to go.
Last updated 2026-08-08
1. Angkor Wat
Photo: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The largest religious monument on earth, built as a Hindu temple for Suryavarman II in the twelfth century and later Buddhist. The bas-relief galleries run for hundreds of metres.
Where: Angkor Archaeological ParkMap: Open in Maps Best time: Sunrise from the northern reflecting pool, or late afternoon for far fewer peopleCost: USD 37 for a one-day park pass, USD 62 for three daysTip: Passes are sold only at the official ticket centre and carry your photograph. They are checked at every temple.
2. Bayon
Photo: David Sim · CC BY 2.0 · source
The state temple at the centre of Angkor Thom, with more than two hundred serene faces looking out from its towers.
Where: Angkor ThomMap: Open in Maps Best time: Mid-morning, when side light picks out the faces
3. Ta Prohm
Photo: Pierre André Leclercq · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Deliberately left partly unrestored, with silk-cotton roots grown through the masonry.
Map: Open in Maps Best time: First thing; the main root formations bottleneck badly later
4. Banteay Srei
Photo: Tsui · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
A small tenth-century temple in pink sandstone, carved with a delicacy nothing else at Angkor matches.
Where: About 25 km north-east of the main parkMap: Open in Maps
5. Tonlé Sap floating villages
Photo: Jialiang Gao www.peace-on-earth.org · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Stilt and floating settlements on a lake that changes size dramatically between seasons.
Map: Open in Maps Tip: Choose the operator carefully. Some 'orphanage visit' add-ons are exploitative, and boat prices are frequently renegotiated mid-trip.Watch out A boat stops mid-lake and a further payment is requested to continue, or a school visit ends with high-pressure rice sales at inflated prices.
6. Angkor National Museum
Photo: dalbera from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · source
Context for the temples — sculpture, inscriptions and the Khmer chronology — best visited before the park rather than after.
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