Angkor Wat – Cambodia’s most famous temple

By
Catalina

July 29, 2019

Type	Temple, Archaeological site, Cultural
Age	870 years old
Builder	Started by Suryavarman II, completed by Jayavarman VII
Getting there	Car, buses, taxies, Tuk-tuk The closest airport: Siem Reap Tickets by air, train, bus, van or taxi to Siem Reap from Bangkok and other cities can be bought online HERE
How you can visit	Walking – make sure to check the map before and make a plan what to visit With a Tuk-tuk – the best way Tour buses feature guided Motorbikes (with drivers) – can be hired Cars with drivers – can be hired for single or multiple days Bike or E-Bike – if you have exercise and you can resist in the sun or hot weather Hot air balloon flights This is a tethered balloon; it only goes up and down. Guides can be hired for about USD20 a day and are available for most major languages. Hiring a guide for at least the first day can help you get orientated to the temples and are particularly useful for finding and explaining the bas-reliefs, which can otherwise be rather overwhelming and/or difficult to understand. Compass is very useful when visiting the large temples. Some temples are very large, it is easy to get disoriented and walk into the wrong exit. Always ask the driver where he is going to wait for you (such as “west entrance”) and write it down.
Clothes	Shoulders and knees must be covered
Tickets	The ticket office is 7 km away from the temple. Buy tickets one day before, it is possible. The main ticket sales office is the Angkor Conservation Area ticket booth on Charles de Gaulle road, the road between Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. All Angkor passes are available here. 1 Day – 37 $ 3 Days – 62 $ 7 Days – 72 $ Our recommendation: 3 days ticket
When to visit	Between November to March, the weather is mild and dry. June to October is hot and potentially wet The main archaeological park of Angkor is technically open from 05:00 – 18:00. Most of the temples don’t open until 07:30 and then close at 17:30.
Accommodation	Angkor itself has no accommodation. the nearby town of Siem Reap, just 6km south.
Restaurants	Few restaurants inside the park
Location	Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Asia

Temples in Angkor Wat complex:

Angkor Wat – the main temple
Bayon – the temple with many faces in the center of Angkor Thom.
Ta Prohm is one of the most popular temples for tourists in the Angkor region because of the atmosphere created by the trees and plants which have been left to grow in it. Also known because of the Tomb Raider movie with Angelina Jolie.
Banteay Srei – Considered to be the art gallery of Angkor, the small temple of Banteay Srei features some of the finest stone carvings ever seen.
Angkor Thom – the royal capital with its temples. The monumental Angkor Thom was the last great capital of the Khmer empire and at its zenith likely supported a population of one million. Measuring more than 10 square km in size, the fortified city features eight-meter high walls
- Phnom Bakheng – a small temple hill in front of the south gate of Angkor Thom. Many visitors time their visit to Phnom Bakheng with sunset for the remarkable views out over Angkor Wat.
- South gate of Angkor Thom – the monumental entrance to the capital Angkor Thom.
- Baphuon – high temple in the entrance area of Angkor Thom.
- Terrace of the Elephants – Especially impressive are the stairs with the stone elephant trunks.
- Phimeanakas – lies to the west and a little off the circuit. The Phimeanakas is surrounded by an extraordinary legend (Nāga, a serpent-spirit with nine heads lived in the Phimeanakas temple)
- Preah Paliley – a small Angkor temple north of Phimeanakas.
- Terrace of the Leper King – directly adjoins the Terrace of the Elephants to the north.
- Prasat Suor Prat – the towers of the rope dancers, altogether there are 12 towers.
- Preah Pithu – with this temple closes the round inside Angkor Thom.
- Chau Say Tevoda – small Angkor temple behind the east exit of Angkor Thom.
- Thommanon – former Hindu temple as a holy place to pray.
- Ta Nei – lies a little off the beaten track in the jungle. But it is worth to visit it!
- Ta Keo – one of the largest temples in Angkor Park
- Banteay Kdei – the citadel of the monks, a small Buddhist temple.
- Prasat Kravan – east of Angkor Wat and with unique reliefs.

Best tours:

Other tours HERE

Top interesting facts about Angkor Wat temple:

Angkor Wat translates to “City of Temples” or simply “City Temple.” New temples and ruins are being discovered nearly every year.
It’s also said to be the largest religious monument in the world.
According to legend, the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to serve as a palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea. According to the 13th-century Chinese traveler Zhou Daguan, some believed that the temple was constructed in a single night by a divine architect.
It extends over approximately 400 square kilometers and consists of scores of temples, hydraulic structures (basins, dikes, reservoirs, canals) as well as communication routes.
Initially was build as a Hindu temple.
Angkor Wat became a Buddhist temple by the end of the 12th century.

Sources:

www.visit-angkor.org

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