Hotels near Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the reason most people fly into Siem Reap, and it holds up. Built for King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century, the temple covers 162 hectares inside a moat 190 metres wide, and the central tower rises 65 metres above the western causeway. It began as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, shifted to Buddhist use by the end of the 12th century, and has never been fully abandoned since.

The bas-relief gallery on the outer enclosure runs roughly 600 metres, and the Churning of the Sea of Milk panel on the eastern wing is the one to find. Upper-level access to the Bakan towers opens at 07:30 with a dress code covering shoulders and knees, and the queue is long by 09:00. Sunrise crowds gather at the northern reflecting pond from about 05:15. Construction and restoration history is set out in detail in the Wikipedia entry for Angkor Wat.

Pro Tip: Skip the famous northern pond and walk five minutes to the southern one for the same silhouette with a fraction of the tripods. Then reverse the usual route and enter through the east gate around 09:00, as the sunrise groups head out.