Angkor Wat Tours, Temple Hours and Sunrise Planning
Visitors are admitted from 5:00 AM and the park closes at 6:30 PM, but every temple keeps its own clock. Start with the right one and the rest of the day stops colliding with locked gates.
Sunrise days, private guides, cycling rides and long-distance trips from Bangkok or Phnom Penh, all leading to Angkor Wat and the central temples of the Angkor Archaeological Park.
Angkor's main temple lies about 6 km north of Siem Reap town centre, roughly 12 minutes by road. Banteay Srei stands about 25 km north-east of the main group, so it needs a half-day of its own.
Angkor Wat sits about 6 km north of Siem Reap town centre, a drive of roughly 12 minutes, and covers 162.6 hectares (402 acres) on its own. The pass that gets you in covers more than 50 accessible temples inside the park, and the ticketing authority promotes more than 90 temples across all its ticketed sites. The UNESCO property, inscribed in 1992, runs to 40,100 hectares with around 72 major monuments and several hundred minor ones. Ta Prohm lies about 3 km north-east of the main temple, Phnom Bakheng about 1.5 km.
King Suryavarman II built the main temple in the early 12th century as his state temple and mausoleum, dedicated first to Vishnu, and Buddhist by the end of that century. Three rectangular galleries rise one above the other inside an outer wall 3.6 km long, with a moat about 190 m wide. Phnom Bakheng is far older, raised at the end of the 9th century under King Yasovarman as the principal temple of the capital Yasodharapura. Banteay Srei was consecrated on 22 April 967 AD, and Preah Khan's main image was dedicated in 1191.
A dawn visit works because the temple opens at 5:00 AM while the Bayon, the Baphuon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei stay shut until 7:30 AM. The sun itself rises about 06:08 at the March equinox, about 05:39 at the June solstice and as late as 06:31 in mid-January, so the useful sequence is causeway and reflection ponds first, then the gates and walls of Angkor Thom, then the Bayon after 7:30. The stairway to the upper Bakan level opens later again, at about 6:40 AM, on the eastern side.
Park hours5:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Main temple hours5:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Site area162.6 hectares (402 acres)
From Siem Reap centre6 km, about 12 minutes
Small circuitabout 17 km (10.5 miles)
Sunrise through the year05:39 in June to 06:31 in mid-January
7:30 AM
The Bayon opens two and a half hours after the gate
Gates open at 5:00 AM, but the Bayon does not admit anyone until 7:30 AM and closes at 5:30 PM. The Baphuon keeps the same hours, as does Banteay Srei on its official temple page. Walk the gates and walls of Angkor Thom in that gap instead of standing outside a closed temple.
350 m
The west-facing causeway and its ponds
Unusually for an Angkorian monument, this one faces west, and at the spring and autumn equinoxes the rising sun lines up with the central tower seen from that causeway. Two reflection ponds flank it in front of the third set of steps, beside the outer libraries. Restoration work finished on the northern pond in 2020, and the four ponds inside the cruciform cloister are now dry.
65 m
What the central tower measures
At the Bakan, the central tower rises 43 m above its base and 65 m above ground level. A moat about 190 m wide surrounds the enclosure, with a perimeter of over 5 km, and the outer wall runs 3.6 km. The ticketing authority describes the site as the largest religious monument in the world.
1191
Preah Khan stays open latest of the big temples
Preah Khan is open 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM and was built for King Jayavarman VII to honour his father, its main image dedicated in 1191. It has been deliberately left largely unrestored, and it is the one major monument still usable after the main temple closes at 5:30 PM.
51 years
The Baphuon took half a century to rebuild
Udayadityavarman II's mid-11th-century state temple reopened in April 2011 after a stone-by-stone restoration that took 51 years. Hours are 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, the same as the Bayon a short walk away inside Angkor Thom.
510,528
Quieter than the old advice assumes
Foreign visitors numbered 510,528 from January to September 2026, a fall of 27.6% year on year. Crowd pressure is lower than guidance written for the peak years suggests. Arrive at opening and walk straight through to the inner galleries.
Sunrise from the causeway
Entry from 5:00 AM is what makes the dawn plan possible, with sunrise falling between about 05:39 in late June and 06:31 in mid-January. The reflection ponds beside the outer libraries are the obvious position, and Srah Srang also opens from 5:00 AM if you want a quieter dawn.
The small circuit
A loop of about 17 km (10.5 miles) running from the main temple to Srah Srang, west to Ta Prohm and Ta Keo, then into Angkor Thom by the Victory Gate. Ta Prohm opens at 7:30 AM, which places it neatly mid-morning.
The grand circuit
About 25 km (15.6 miles), continuing east from Srah Srang to Pre Rup, East Mebon, Neak Pean and Preah Khan before the north gate and the Bayon. Preah Khan's 6:30 PM closing makes it the right last stop of the day.
Sunset from Phnom Bakheng
Listed from 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM and about 1.5 km from the main temple, the late 9th-century hilltop looks across to it. Sunset falls about 18:34 in June, 18:15 at the March equinox and 17:43 in December, so plan to be down by the park's 6:30 PM closing.
Banteay Srei as a half-day
About 25 km north-east of the main group, built largely of reddish sandstone that holds unusually fine carving and consecrated on 22 April 967 AD. Its temple page gives 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, while the official counter page lists different hours, so confirm on the day.
Tonle Sap villages
Kampong Phluk lies about 20 km south-east of Siem Reap, just under an hour to the pier, with a boat trip of about 90 minutes. Water is high from May to October, when the stilt houses appear to float, and recedes from November to April; at Kompong Khleang the stilted houses stand up to 10 m high.
Angkor Wat Compared With the Other Ticketed Temple Sites
How the main park measures up against the outlying sites that travellers add to a longer stay.
Most people choosing a temple trip end up weighing Angkor Wat against the outlying sites that sit on their own tickets, because the hours, the distances and the tickets are genuinely different. One pass covers more than 50 accessible temples inside the park, which opens from 5:00 AM, while Koh Ker, Beng Mealea and Kbal Spean admit visitors only from 6:00 AM and are bought separately. The table sets out crowds, cost, who each site suits and what makes it distinct.
Crowds
Price
Best For
What Sets It Apart
★ Angkor Wat
Lower than its reputation: 510,528 foreign visitors January to September 2026, down 27.6% year on year
Guided days on this site from $18; the park pass is separate, at $37 for one day
A first temple trip of one to three days, with a 5:00 AM start and more than 50 accessible temples on one pass
Open from 5:00 AM for sunrise, 162.6 hectares (402 acres), and a west-facing causeway that lines up with the equinox sunrise
Banteay Srei
No published figures; visited on a separate half-day run, away from the central circuits
Covered by the same park pass, with its own staffed ticket counter at the temple
A dedicated half-day spent on carving detail
Reddish sandstone that holds unusually fine carving; consecrated on 22 April 967 AD
Beng Mealea
No published figures; few visitors, being well off the small and grand circuits
Its own 1-day ticket at $10, bought separately from the park pass
Travellers who want an unrestored ruin after the central temples
Entry from 6:00 AM rather than 5:00 AM, with closing at 6:30 PM
Koh Ker
No published figures; the furthest of the ticketed sites, usually added only on longer stays
Its own 1-day ticket at $15, separate from the park pass
A second or third temple day when three days in the park is not enough
A staffed counter of its own and a 6:00 AM opening, so it works as a full day out
Angkor Wat remains the anchor because a single pass opens more than 50 accessible temples in one park, and because the 5:00 AM opening on the main monument is what makes a dawn visit possible at all. Banteay Srei adds carving, Beng Mealea and Koh Ker add distance and separate tickets from 6:00 AM. With three days, spend them on the central circuits first and treat the outliers as extras.
Practical info
Everything to know about Angkor Wat
Arrival, seasons, packing, etiquette and safety, with the hours and figures as the official ticketing site publishes them.
How to reach Siem Reap and the temple gates
Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) replaced the old Siem Reap International Airport (REP) and began commercial operation on 16 October 2023. It runs from a single passenger terminal, is built for up to 7 million passengers a year, and sits about 34 km and roughly 50 minutes by road from the city centre. From the capital, flights now leave Techo International Airport (KTI): Air Cambodia flies daily, and Cambodia Airways schedules KR801 at 09:00-10:05, a block time of 1 hour 5 minutes.
By road from Phnom Penh it is 320 km and 6 hours by coach, with departures at 8:45 AM, 9:45 AM and 12:30 PM plus night services at 10:30 PM and 11:00 PM, and a single roughly 15-minute driver-change stop at Kampong Thom. Overland arrival from Thailand is not possible at present, so trips from Bangkok are flown: Bangkok Airways PG905 runs Suvarnabhumi 11:20 to Siem Reap 12:40, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI): single terminal, about 34 km and 50 minutes from the city centre
The main temple is about 6 km north of Siem Reap town centre, roughly 12 minutes by road
Ta Prohm is about 3 km north-east of the main temple and some 12 km from the city
Phnom Penh by air: KR801 09:00-10:05, 1 hour 5 minutes, with Air Cambodia also flying daily from Techo (KTI)
Phnom Penh by coach: 320 km and 6 hours, departures at 8:45 AM, 9:45 AM, 12:30 PM, 10:30 PM and 11:00 PM
Bangkok by air only: PG905 Suvarnabhumi 11:20 to Siem Reap 12:40, about 1 hour 20 minutes
Land borders and crossings with Thailand remain suspended, and Preah Vihear, Ta Kwai/Ta Krabey and Ta Muen Thom are closed
Best time of year to tour the park
Dry months are the easier time to tour the park. Cambodia's monsoon runs June to October, when storms damage roads, cause landslides and bring flash flooding. Sunrise shifts noticeably through the year: about 05:39 at the June solstice, about 06:08 at the March equinox, about 06:22 at the December solstice, and latest in mid-January at around 06:31. Travelling in the monsoon months is workable if you leave slack in the plan for weather.
Sunset falls about 18:34 in June, 18:15 at the March equinox and 17:43 in December, and viewing has to end by the 6:30 PM park closing. On Tonle Sap the water is high from May to October, when the stilt houses at Kampong Phluk appear to float, and recedes from November to April, when boats cannot reach the main villages at Kompong Khleang. The lake spreads from about 2,500-3,000 km2 in the dry season to roughly 13,000 km2 at the wet-season peak.
Dry months: easier roads and the straightforward time for both circuits
Monsoon June to October: storm damage to roads, landslides and flash flooding
Sunrise about 05:39 in late June, 06:08 at the March equinox, 06:31 in mid-January
Sunset about 18:34 in June, 18:15 in March, 17:43 in December
Equinox weeks: the rising sun lines up with the central tower from the western causeway
Tonle Sap high water May to October; the reversal ends in late September
Park closing stays 6:30 PM year round, with the main temple shutting at 5:30 PM
What to pack for a temple day
Clothing that covers shoulders and knees is the first thing to pack, in light fabric, along with a scarf or sarong you already own. Revealing clothing is banned in sacred places by the visitor code of conduct, and foreign-office advice warns that you can be refused admission to religious sites, the main temple included, if your clothing is too revealing. Staff scan your pass at every temple checkpoint, so it stays with you from the first gate to the last.
Backpacks, sharp-tipped umbrellas, tripods and high heels are all discouraged inside the temples by the code of conduct, so carry a small bag and leave the tripod behind unless you have permission. Shoes with grip matter more than anything else on worn stone, including the wooden stairway on the eastern side that leads to the upper Bakan level from about 6:40 AM. The site has been smoke-free since 2012, and visitors are asked not to litter.
Shoulders and knees covered for the whole day, in light fabric
A scarf or sarong packed in advance for the inner galleries
Shoes with grip for worn stone and the Bakan stairway
Sun protection and more water than you expect to need after a 5:00 AM start
A small bag rather than a backpack, which the code of conduct discourages
No sharp-tipped umbrella, tripod or high heels inside the temples
Your pass on you all day: staff scan and verify it at every checkpoint
Small dollar notes in good condition, and a look at any change you are handed
Rules, etiquette and how the pass works
Pass rules are what people get wrong. One day is $37, three days is $62 and expires in 7 days, seven days is $72 and expires in 30 days, and the 3-day and 7-day passes carry a photograph of your face printed on the ticket. Outlying sites sit on separate tickets: Koh Ker $15, Beng Mealea $10, Kbal Spean $5 and Phnom Kulen $20. A tour guide is one of the five official channels for obtaining a pass, alongside the website, the app, a kiosk and a staffed counter.
Passes bought after 5:00 PM are valid for the following day, which is how an early start gets prepared the evening before. The main counter on Apsara Road at the corner of Road 60, about 4 km from central Siem Reap, is open daily 5:00 AM to 5:30 PM, there is an Angkor Pavis counter by the main entrance on the same hours, and self-service kiosks issue the 1-day pass only. Treat the temples as a working religious site throughout.
One day $37, three days $62 within a 7-day window, seven days $72 within 30 days
A tour guide is an official channel for obtaining a pass, with the website, the app, kiosks and counters
Passes bought after 5:00 PM are valid for the following day
Kiosks at Heritage Walk Mall, the self-service office facing the temple and the Angkor Enterprise office issue the 1-day pass only
Outlying sites on separate tickets: Koh Ker $15, Beng Mealea $10, Kbal Spean $5, Phnom Kulen $20
Ask permission before photographing monks; do not touch carvings, lean on structures or leave graffiti, and the site has been smoke-free since 2012
The code asks visitors not to give candy or money to children, to donate to a recognised charity instead, and to keep noise down
Health and safety around the temples
Sort travel health advice and vaccinations well before you fly, and build the day around heat rather than fighting it: a 5:00 AM start with a long midday break beats pushing through the hottest hours. Entry paperwork is straightforward, with visas on arrival available at Cambodian airports and land border crossings and an e-visa to be applied for at least four days ahead. Your passport must be valid for at least six months on arrival.
Stay on main routes and marked paths in rural temple areas: landmines and unexploded ordnance remain a hazard in Cambodia and official advice is to keep to main routes, including around temple complexes. Cambodia has one of the highest road accident rates in Southeast Asia and travelling after dark sharply raises the risk, so avoid rural roads between sites at night. In Siem Reap, official advice warns against late-night rides with strangers offering motorbike taxis around the Pub Street area.
Passport valid for at least six months on arrival; e-visa applied for at least four days ahead
Visas on arrival are available at Cambodian airports and land border crossings
Stay on main routes and marked paths in rural temple areas
Avoid travelling between sites after dark
Avoid late-night rides with strangers offering motorbike taxis near Pub Street
Check dollar notes handed back as change, as fake notes have circulated in shops and bars
In the monsoon months plan around flash flooding and road damage, and keep the itinerary flexible
Location
Find Angkor Wat
The temple stands about 6 km north of Siem Reap town centre, in Krong Siem Reap, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.
Plan your visit
Angkor Wat practical information
Opening hours, passes, the temple circuits, sunrise and sunset times, weather, maps and how to reach Siem Reap, gathered in one place.
Pass rules, opening times, sunrise timings and dress code at the Angkor temples, answered with the figures the ticketing authority publishes.
Park hours run from 5:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Angkor Wat itself is open 5:00 AM to 5:30 PM and opens at 5:00 AM for sunrise (Srah Srang and Phnom Bakheng also admit visitors from 5:00 AM), which is why the dawn start is built around it. The Bayon, the Baphuon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei open at 7:30 AM, Preah Khan at 7:00 AM, and Phnom Bakheng is listed to 7:00 PM, but plan to be down by the park's 6:30 PM closing. Hours do get adjusted, so confirm them on the official Angkor Enterprise pages before you build a tight morning around one temple.
Take the three-day pass at $62 unless you genuinely have one morning only, because a one-day pass is $37 and two of those cost more than the three-day. The official site states the three-day pass expires in 7 days, so your three visit days can be spread across a week and you can write off a wet afternoon without losing one. The seven-day pass at $72 expires in 30 days and only makes sense if you want four or more temple days or are also heading to the outlying sites. The three-day and seven-day passes have your face photographed at purchase and printed on the ticket, so they are personal and stay with you.
No pre-dawn scramble is needed. The official help centre states that passes bought after 5:00 PM are valid for the following day, and online purchases arrive by email instantly to be shown digitally or printed at the checkpoint. Nothing opens before 5:00 AM in any case: the main counter on Apsara Road at the corner of Road 60, about 4 km from central Siem Reap, is open daily 5:00 AM to 5:30 PM, as is the Angkor Pavis counter beside the main entrance. A pass can also be obtained through a tour guide, which is one of the five official channels alongside the website, the app, a kiosk and a staffed counter.
Sunrise shifts by about 50 minutes across the year: roughly 05:39 at the June solstice, about 06:08 at the March equinox, about 06:22 at the December solstice and latest in mid-January, around 06:31. Since the gate opens at 5:00 AM, a January arrival at opening means well over an hour of darkness first. The two reflection ponds flank the 350 m western causeway, in front of the third set of steps beside the outer libraries, and the northern pond was restored in 2020. At the spring and autumn equinoxes the rising sun lines up with the central tower seen from that causeway, which makes those two mornings of the year the ones worth planning a trip around.
Access to the Bakan, the upper level, opens later than the temple below it, at about 6:40 AM, by a wooden stairway on the eastern side. Access has been limited to groups of 100 people at a time for visits of 15 to 30 minutes, with modest dress required. On the four Buddhist holy days each month the Bakan is open only to Cambodian visitors for worship. Treat it as a timed extra rather than a guaranteed part of your morning, and follow the posted signage at the top.
Stay on for the early galleries while the light is still low, then move north to Angkor Thom and walk its gates and walls, because the Bayon inside does not open until 7:30 AM and neither does the Baphuon. Ta Prohm, about 3 km north-east and some 12 km from the city, also opens at 7:30 AM and suits mid-morning. Keep the late afternoon for Preah Khan, open to 6:30 PM, or Phnom Bakheng, about 1.5 km away (listed to 7:00 PM, but plan to be down by the park's 6:30 PM closing), since the main temple shuts at 5:30 PM. Crowd pressure is lower than older advice assumes, with 510,528 foreign visitors from January to September 2026, down 27.6% year on year, so a 4 PM start is a real alternative to a second dawn.
Cover shoulders and knees for the whole day, in light fabric, and carry a scarf or sarong with you. The official visitor code of conduct bans revealing clothing in sacred places, and UK foreign office advice states you may be refused admission to religious sites including Angkor Wat if your clothing is too revealing. Staff scan your pass at every temple checkpoint, so being turned back at the inner galleries costs you the whole stop. The same code makes the site smoke-free since 2012, discourages backpacks, sharp-tipped umbrellas, tripods and high heels inside the temples, prohibits touching carvings, sitting or leaning on structures and graffiti, and asks you to seek permission before photographing monks.
Two temple days cover both circuits without rushing, and three suit most visitors. The small circuit is a loop of about 17 km (10.5 miles) running from the main temple to Srah Srang, west to Ta Prohm and Ta Keo, then into Angkor Thom by the Victory Gate. The grand circuit is about 25 km (15.6 miles) and adds Pre Rup, East Mebon, Neak Pean and Preah Khan before returning through the north gate to the Bayon. One pass covers more than 50 accessible temples inside the park. Banteay Srei, about 25 km north-east of the main group and open 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, needs a dedicated half-day, while Koh Ker ($15), Beng Mealea ($10) and Kbal Spean ($5) are separate tickets and open from 6:00 AM.
Not at the moment. Land borders and crossings between Cambodia and Thailand remain suspended, foreign office advice is against all but essential travel within 20 km of that border, and the border temples of Khao Phra Wihan/Preah Vihear, Ta Kwai/Ta Krabey and Ta Muen Thom are closed. Trips from Thailand are flown instead: Bangkok Airways PG905 is scheduled Suvarnabhumi 11:20 to Siem Reap 12:40, about 1 hour 20 minutes, and Cambodia Airways added five weekly Siem Reap to Suvarnabhumi flights on ATR 72 aircraft from 15 September 2026. From Phnom Penh it is 320 km and 6 hours by coach, or a flight from Techo International Airport such as KR801 at 09:00-10:05.
For a first visit on a tight budget, the Sunrise or Sunset Tour with Guide from Siem Reap costs from $18 for 8 hours, rated 5.0 ★ (13,742 reviews), and lets you pick the dawn or the late-afternoon shape of the day. If you want the 5:00 AM opening at your own pace, the private sunrise tour is from $60 for 8 hours; for a compact day with hotel pickup, the private day tour is from $49 for 6-7 hours. Active travellers can take the circuits on two wheels with the sunrise bike, e-bike or tuk tuk tour from $60 over 9 hours, while the photography tour from $105 is the one whose price already covers the 1-day entrance fee of $37 per person. Compare the tours and check availability on the page of the one that fits your dates.
Dawn and late-afternoon departures go first in the dry months.
Angkor Wat History: Suryavarman II, Vishnu and the Turn to Buddhism
Built in the early 12th century as King Suryavarman II's state temple and eventual mausoleum, the monument was dedicated first to Vishnu and was Buddhist by the end of that century. The galleries carry the Churning of the Sea of Milk, the Battle of Lanka and the only historical scene in the temple, a procession of the king himself.
