Pass prices
| Pass | Price | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | US$37 | The calendar day of use |
| 3 days | US$62 | Any 3 days within a 10-day window |
| 7 days | US$72 | Any 7 days within a 30-day window |
Children under 12 enter free, but bring their passport as proof of age — the ticket office will ask.
The three-day pass is the obvious value: three separate one-day passes would cost US$111. Because the days do not have to be consecutive, you can take a day off in the middle without wasting anything.
Where to buy
- Online at ticket.angkorenterprise.gov.kh — the official site, and the only one.
- The main ticket office on Apsara Road, about 4 km from the centre of Siem Reap, open roughly 4:30 am to 5:30 pm daily.
- Self-service kiosks in town, including at Heritage Walk mall.
Your photo is taken and printed onto the pass. It is not transferable and it is checked at every temple, so keep it on you — losing it means buying another.
The two rules that matter
1. Buy after 5 pm the day before. A pass bought after 5 pm activates immediately and remains valid through the whole of the following day. If you are doing sunrise, this is how you skip the 5 am queue at the ticket office.
2. The park is not the same as the ticket office. Some outlying sites — Beng Mealea, Koh Ker, Phnom Kulen — are outside the Angkor pass and charge separately. Check before you drive an hour.
The small and grand circuits
Tuk-tuk and taxi drivers work to two standard routes:
The small circuit (about 17 km) covers the essentials: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom with the Bayon, the Terrace of the Elephants, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei. If you only have one day, this is the day.
The grand circuit (about 26 km) loops wider to Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup — quieter, more varied, and much better in the afternoon.
Banteay Srei sits 37 km north-east and is not on either loop. Its pink sandstone carving is the finest at Angkor and it is worth the separate trip, usually combined with Banteay Samré or the Landmine Museum.
A three-day plan
Day 1 — the classics. Sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Angkor Thom and the Bayon while the light is still soft. Break for lunch and a swim between about 11 am and 2 pm. Return for Ta Prohm mid-afternoon when the tour buses have moved on, and finish at Phnom Bakheng or Pre Rup for sunset.
Day 2 — the grand circuit. Start at Preah Khan around 8 am, work anticlockwise through Neak Pean and Ta Som to East Mebon and Pre Rup. Fewer people, more shade, more atmosphere.
Day 3 — further out. Banteay Srei in the morning, then either the river carvings at Kbal Spean or a Tonlé Sap village in the afternoon.
Three temple days in a row is genuinely tiring. If you have the 3-day pass, consider taking a rest day between days two and three — the pass allows it.
Beating the crowds
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat draws several thousand people. The late afternoon at the same temple is nearly empty and the western façade is lit properly.
- Coaches follow a predictable clockwise rhythm. Run the small circuit anticlockwise and you will meet them head-on rather than sit behind them.
- Between 11 am and 2 pm the park thins out dramatically. It is also brutally hot — the trade is yours.
- Ta Prohm and the Bayon are the two genuine bottlenecks. Do them first thing or last thing.
Practical notes
- Dress code. Shoulders and knees covered. It is enforced at Angkor Wat's upper level, and the queue for that level closes well before the park does.
- Transport. A tuk-tuk for the small circuit runs roughly US$18–25 for the day, more for the grand circuit and Banteay Srei. A car with air-conditioning costs more and is worth it in April.
- Guides. A licensed English-speaking guide is around US$40–50 a day. At a site this dense with iconography, a good one changes the experience completely.
- Water and shade. Bring more water than you think and a hat. Refill stations exist but are not everywhere.
- Drones are not permitted over the park without a permit.