Angkor temples near Siem Reap |
As a driver based in Siem Reap I offer day trips to the Angkor temples in the first place. The classic round trips are called Small Tour and Grand Tour and will lead you to the most important temples, including Angkor Wat. However, I also can show you some special places in Angkor off the beaten track, remote and tranquil sites. Here are lists of the 20 most important temples plus 20 untouristic places in Angkor. Altogether 80 monuments can be visited in Angkor and surrounding. The total number is even greater, since the area of Angkor once extended to the mountains of Phnom Kulen. Some of the monuments could be called a temple town of its own, for example Preah Khan is as spacious and rambling as a medieval European city.
Top 20 Angkor Temples
Angkor's largest and most significant monuments
1. Angkor Wat
The largest historical temple in the world is not only of enourmous size, it is crowded with works of art, the more than 1000 lovely Apsara reliefs are only one example. Read more...
|
Top 20 insider tips
Angkor's unknown temples off the beaten track
1. Phnom Bok
Phnom Bok is a temple from the late 9th century on top of the tallest natural hill in Angkor, it is one of the most romantic sites near Siem Reap. Read more...
|
2. Bayon
Bayon, the central temple of Angkor Thom, is famous for the many colossal smiling faces at towers and for long gallery walls with exceptional carvings. Read more...
|
2. Banteay Thom
Banteay Thom is a medium-sized complex from the Bayon period, it rarely visited, because it is the Angkor temple most difficult to find. Read more...
|
3. Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm is simply called “the jungle temple”, the vast complex is partly overgrown by strangler figs and Sompong trees, their roots cover roofs and walls picturesquely. Read more...
|
3. Chau Say Vibol
Chau Say Vibol covers a huge area east of Angkor, its origin and purpose remain to be a mystery. Read more...
|
4. Banteay Srei
Most guests love Banteay Srei most of all, it is a temple en miniature, but fully decorated with reliefs of extraordinary beauty. Read more...
|
4. Ta Nei
Ta Nei is the smaller neighbouring complex of jungle temple Ta Prohm, Ta Nei is rarely visited, because it is deeper in the jungle and has no paved access road. Read more...
|
5. Preah Khan
Preah Khan is another temple from the Bayon period and a labyrinthic complex of enourmous size and full of surprises. Read more...
|
5. Kbal Spean
Kbal Spean is not really an insider tipp any more, though it was discovered not before the 1960s, it is famous for its underwater carvings. Read more...
|
6. Baphuon
Baphuon is called the biggest jigsaw puzzle of the world, because the huge pyramid was broken and had to be reconstructed stone by stone. Read more...
|
6. Banteay Prei
Banteay Prei is another complex from the Bayon period, though located not far from Preah Khan it is a special tranquil place never visited by busloads. Read more...
|
7. Pre Rup
Pre Rup is the first artificial temple mountain in the plains of Angkor, constructed by Rajendravarman II, who shifted the capital back from Koh Ker to Angkor. Read more...
|
7. Prasat Sampeau
Prasat Sampeau is a remote temple that presumably belonged to a kind of post relay station at the road leading to Phimai. Read more...
|
8. Banteay Samré
Banteay Samré is the largest flat temple in the style of Angkor Wat, its many lintel reliefs are extraordinarily deeply carved and dynamic. Read more...
|
8. West Gate
The western of the five city gates of Angkor Thom is almost untouched by tourism, it is one place where you can see the colossal Buddhist faces in the jungle. Read more...
|
9. Bakheng
Bakheng on top of a natural hill is often called “the first Angkor” , since it was built by Yashovarman I, the king who was the founder of Angkor. Read more...
|
9. Trapeang Phong
Trapeang Phong is a huge Prasat and the oldest remaining big building in the plains of Angkor, it is difficult to reach, on an island during rainy season. Read more...
|
10. Bakong
Bakong, the state temple in Angkor’s predecessor Roluos, is the most ancient of the remaining Khmer pyramids. Read more...
|
10. Prasat Chrung
Prasat Chrung is the name of four different temple in the four corners of Angkor Thom, they can be reached by walking along the city walls. Read more...
|
11. East Mebon
The East Mebon was once a temple on an artificial island, it has the most intricate carvings in the style of Pre Rup. Read more...
|
11. Wat Athvea
Wat Athvea is a pretty large and well-preserved complex from the Angkor Wat period, rarely visited due to its location south of Siem Reap. Read more...
|
12. Ta Keo
Ta Keo was the tallest Khmer pyramid in the first millenium, the first building completely in sandstone, but without sculptural decoration. Read more... |
12. Mangalartha
Jaya-Mangalartha is the name of a Hindu priest, who erected this last stone monument in Angkor, a single temple on a small pyramid. Read more...
|
13. Banteay Kdei
Banteay Kdei is the first large temple complex built by Jayavarman VII, who introduced Mahayana Buddhism as official religion. Read more...
|
13. Preah Pithu
Preah Pithu, though located near the main car park in Angor Thom, is almost always free of tourists, the five small pyramids in the jungle are a pretty idyllic place. Read more...
|
14. Neak Pean
Neak Pean is a temple on an island in a pond on an island in a huge artificial reservoir, it is an exceptional masterpiece of art. Read more...
|
14. Death Gate
The eastern gate of Angkor Thom is the only city gate not reachable on a road, this is why so few tourists visit this mysterious facetower structure. Read more...
|
15. Ta Som
Ta Som is a medium-sized complex from the Bayon period, its eastern gate is one of the most spectacularly overgrown buildings. Read more...
|
15. Prasat Sralao
Prasat Sralao is not easy to find and there are only ruins surrounded by a dried-up moat, but it is a very special place and has one stone-strangling tree. Read more...
|
16. Preah Ko
Preah Ko has six Prasats beautifully decorated with lintel carvings, it was the shrine within the royal palace in Roluos, built by King Indravarman I. Read more...
|
16. Preah Palilay
Preah Palilay is a Prasat with a steep tall roof on a small pyramid, it is picturesquely situated in the jungle and not crowded though well known among tourists. Read more...
|
17. Thommanon
Thommanon is a medium-sized temple in the style of Angkor Wat, architecture and decorations show many similarities to Angkor Wat. Read more...
|
17. Prasat Tor
Prasat Tor is an unusual group of two Prasat towers and one Mandapa hall built of laterite, it is near the dams of the former reservoir called East Baray. Read more...
|
18. Chau Say Tevoda
Chau Say Tevoda is the younger twin temple of Thommanon, it was completely renovated with Chinese support recently. Read more...
|
18. Toteung Thngai
Only trilithic portals are left of this far-away temple in Roluos, but plenty of them, making this a very strange place among Angkor’s temples. Read more...
|
19. Baksei Chamkrong
Baksei Chamkrong is not huge, but this laterite construction forms the perfect step pyramid with a single Prasat tower on top. Read more...
|
19. Bei Prasat
Bei Prasat are three brick towers from the late
Bakheng or early Koh Ker time, rarely visited though not far away from
Angkor Thom’s crowded South Gate. Read more...
|
20. Prasat Kravan
Prasat Kravan is the most important example of a private temple in Angkor, two of its five towers have unusual huge carvings in the inner rooms. Read more...
|
20. Prei Monti
Prei Monti in Roluos consists of three Prasat towers and belonged to an early royal palace similar to Preah Ko. Read more...
|