Angkor Thom, Siem Reap: The Complete Visitor Guide

It was the last capital of the Khmer Empire, and it is a city rather than a single temple. Jayavarman VII laid it over the older capital of Yasodharapura, so the walls hold monuments built by his predecessors and successors as well as his own. Most visitors drive through the South Gate, see the Bayon and leave in an hour. Walk it properly and you get a morning that Angkor Wat cannot give you: five gates, a palace square and a dozen smaller temples where you may be the only person.

Pass validity, park hours and ticket rules on this page were checked against Angkor Enterprise, the official ticketing authority, on 2 November 2026.

Angkor Wat vs Angkor Thom: what is the difference?

Angkor Wat is one temple. Angkor Thom is a whole walled city with dozens of temples inside it, built about 60 years later by a different king for a different faith. Angkor Wat is not inside Angkor Thom. It sits outside the walls, 1.7 km south of the South Gate, and the road from Angkor Wat's entrance runs straight into that gate.

Most travellers do both on the same day: sunrise at Angkor Wat, breakfast, then Angkor Thom by 8:30 am. If you only have one day in the park, this pairing plus Ta Prohm is the plan almost everyone follows.

History of Angkor Thom

In 1177 the Chams of central Vietnam sailed up the Tonle Sap and sacked Yasodharapura, the Khmer capital. Jayavarman VII drove them out, took the throne in 1181 and rebuilt the capital as a fortress, with walls and a moat around the old city. An inscription calls the king the groom and the city his bride.

He was a Mahayana Buddhist, and he placed his state temple, the Bayon, at the exact centre, much as Angkor Wat had been the state temple of Suryavarman II. Later in the 13th century the Hindu king Jayavarman VIII turned against the new faith and had thousands of Buddha images chiselled off the walls; you can still see the scars in the Bayon and at Preah Khan. The last temple known to have been built in the city is Mangalartha, dedicated in 1295.

The city stood on the west bank of the Siem Reap River and is believed to have sustained 80,000 to 150,000 people. After the Ayutthaya kingdom attacked in 1431, the court moved south towards Phnom Penh, and Angkor Thom was abandoned some time before 1609. The name "Angkor Thom" itself only came into use from the 16th century.

The five gates and the causeway of gods and demons

Each of the five gates is a 23 m tower topped with four giant faces, looking north, south, east and west. At the base, Indra rides a three-headed elephant, Airavata, whose trunks reach down to pick lotus flowers. The passages below, about 3.5 m wide and 7 m high, were once closed by wooden doors. Four gates sit at the centre of each wall. The fifth, the Victory Gate, is 500 m north of the East Gate on the same wall and was the road from the palace.

South Gate. This is the gate every tour uses, and the one to stop at. The causeway over the moat is lined with 54 gods on the left as you walk in and 54 demons on the right, each row hauling the body of a giant naga. Indian travellers will know the story at once: it is the Samudra Manthan, the churning of the ocean of milk. The gods have calm almond eyes, the demons scowl in helmets. Many heads are modern copies; the originals were stolen or moved to museums.

Victory Gate. Quieter and better preserved, on the east wall. It leads out to Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda, two small 12th-century temples on either side of the road, and on to Ta Prohm.

East Gate (Gate of the Dead). Half-buried in forest, on a track few drivers use. Scenes from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) were shot in Angkor Thom, and this is the gate fans go looking for.

North and West Gates. The North Gate leads to Preah Khan on the Grand Circuit. The West Gate is the most remote; go only if you want a gate entirely to yourself.

What to see inside Angkor Thom, in walking order

The Bayon sits at the centre. The Baphuon is about 200 m to its north-west, the Royal Palace with the Phimeanakas lies behind it, and the two Terraces run along the eastern edge of the palace, facing the old royal square. The minor temples cluster north and east of the square. Walk them in this order and you never double back.

Bayon

The Bayon is the centre-piece of Angkor Thom and the reason most people come. Jayavarman VII's state temple rises in three levels to a crowd of towers carved with more than 200 serene faces. Most scholars identify them as Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, and many think they carry the king's own features. On the outer gallery, the bas-reliefs show the naval battle against the Chams on the Tonle Sap alongside everyday Khmer life: a market, a cockfight, a woman giving birth. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. Our Bayon temple guide covers its history, and the Bayon Temple page has visiting details.

Restoration has closed the central tower and parts of the upper terrace, but most of the faces can still be seen up close from the levels that stay open.

Baphuon

The Baphuon, about 200 m north-west of the Bayon, is an 11th-century temple-mountain to Shiva built by Udayadityavarman II, a pyramid standing for Mount Meru. French archaeologists took it apart in the 1960s to rebuild it, and the records of where each of its 300,000 stones went were lost in the Khmer Rouge years. Reassembling the world's largest jigsaw puzzle took until 2011. Walk round to the west side and a 70 m reclining Buddha, built from its stones in the 15th or 16th century, appears in the wall. More in our Baphuon temple guide.

Royal Palace and Phimeanakas

Behind the Baphuon, the Royal Palace enclosure held the king's wooden halls, which have long since rotted away. What survives is the Phimeanakas, a three-tier laterite temple from the late 10th century, and the stone bathing pools beside it. The upper terrace is usually closed to climbers for conservation, so plan to see it from the base and ask the guard at the steps whether it is open that day. Legend says the king spent the first watch of every night in its summit tower with a serpent spirit in the form of a woman. See our Phimeanakas temple guide.

Terrace of the Elephants

This 350 m terrace was the royal grandstand, where Jayavarman VII watched his victorious army return and parades pass through the square. Lions and garudas line its stairs, and its east wall carries a procession of life-size elephants with their mahouts. At the north end, look for the five-headed horse on the inner wall. Our Terrace of the Elephants guide explains the carvings.

Terrace of the Leper King

Next door is a 7 m platform crowned by a seated nude statue, a copy of an original now in the National Museum in Phnom Penh. Some believe it is one of two Angkorian kings who had leprosy; others think it represents Yama, the god of death. Do not miss the narrow trench along its front. It leads into a hidden inner wall with tier upon tier of carved nagas, demons and apsaras, buried when the terrace was enlarged and only uncovered during restoration.

Preah Palilay and Tep Pranam

North of the palace, Preah Palilay is a small Buddhist sanctuary with a single crumbling tower under tall silk-cotton trees. It is one of the prettiest corners of Angkor Thom and a favourite spot for photographs. Just east, Tep Pranam is a Buddhist terrace with a large seated Buddha that local monks and nuns still tend.

Preah Pithu

Across the road from the Leper King, Preah Pithu is a group of five 12th-century temples scattered in the forest, most of them Hindu. The carvings are crisp, the paths are shaded and most coach groups never cross the road to see them.

Khleangs and Prasat Suor Prat

On the east side of the royal square stand the North and South Khleangs, two long sandstone buildings from around 1000 CE whose purpose is still unknown. In front of them runs a line of 12 laterite towers, Prasat Suor Prat. Their Khmer name means "towers of the tightrope dancers", after a story that performers walked ropes between them during festivals.

Angkor Thom monuments at a glance

Suggested route: a 4-hour walk and a Ta Prohm extension

Have your tuk-tuk drop you at the South Gate, walk the causeway, then ride the 1.5 km to the Bayon. From there everything is on foot, and the driver meets you at the Terrace of the Elephants car park. Coming straight from sunrise at Angkor Wat? Start at 8:30 and push every time back by half an hour.

Ta Prohm extension (about 6 hours in all). After the square, ride out through the Victory Gate. Stop at Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda (20 minutes for both), then continue about 3 km to Ta Prohm, the tree-root temple, for lunch-time shade. If you have energy left, come back at 4 pm for sunset from Phnom Bakheng, the hill just outside the South Gate. Only 300 people are allowed on the top at once, so be there early. For a second day, leave by the North Gate for Preah Khan and the rest of the Grand Circuit; the Siem Reap places to visit guide lays out both circuits.

Angkor Thom tickets and opening hours 2026

There is no separate Angkor Thom ticket. Entry is on the Angkor Pass, which covers Angkor Thom, the Bayon and more than 50 other temples in the park.

Buy it from Angkor Enterprise and nobody else, at the official ticket office on Road 60, about 4 km from the town centre, its self-service kiosks, angkorenterprise.gov.kh, the official Angkor Pass app, or through a licensed guide. Passes resold by touts or on the street are not valid. Children under 12 enter free with their passport. Older guides, including earlier versions of this page, say the 3-day pass lasts 10 days; the official ticket card says 7. The 1-day pass needs no photo; the 3-day and 7-day passes carry yours. Staff scan passes at the Bayon and the other main temples, so keep it on you.

The park opens at 5:00 am and closes at 6:30 pm, every day of the year. The temples inside Angkor Thom open at about 7:30 am and close at about 5:30 pm; the gates and roads stay open for the full park hours. Buy a 1-day pass after 4:45 pm and it also covers that evening's sunset, which gives you a free preview the night before.

How to get to Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom is 7.2 km from Siem Reap, about 20 minutes by tuk-tuk from Pub Street along the road past Angkor Wat. You will need transport inside the walls too, because the gates are 3 km apart.

Agree the tuk-tuk rate and the route the night before; ask your hotel to book a driver if you want one who speaks good English. Cycling the 17 km Small Circuit is pleasant from November to February, but not in the April heat.

From India, IndiGo flies nonstop from Kolkata to Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, landing at 8:00 am. Other cities connect through Kolkata, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Ho Chi Minh City. From Delhi, Air Cambodia also flies nonstop to Phnom Penh, from where Siem Reap is a short domestic flight. SAI is about an hour by road from town. Our route guides from New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore list every option, and how to reach Siem Reap covers the airport transfer. Indian passport holders need a tourist visa (the e-visa costs US$30) and the free e-Arrival card, filled in within seven days before landing.

Best time to visit Angkor Thom

November to February is the best season, with dry, cooler mornings around 22°C to 24°C and clear skies. March to May is the hottest stretch, so finish by 11 am. From June to October afternoon showers turn the moat green and the forest lush, and the crowds thin out. The best time to visit Siem Reap guide has the month-by-month detail.

Time of day matters more than the month. The coach groups leave Angkor Wat after sunrise and breakfast, then pour through the South Gate between 9 and 11 am. Beat them or come after 3 pm, when the Bayon's faces are side-lit and the square is quiet.

Guide or self-guided?

The Bayon's reliefs and the gate symbolism make far more sense with someone pointing at them. Licensed guides from the Khmer Angkor Tour Guide Association wear an ID badge and can be booked through your hotel or a tour operator; agree the fee before you start. A guide is most worth it at the Bayon and Angkor Wat. If you go alone, read this page and the Bayon guide the night before, and let the tuk-tuk driver handle the route.

Angkor Thom tips: dress code, timing and etiquette

Most Angkor Thom mornings go well or badly for three reasons: the heat, the crowds and how you treat a site people still pray at. These are the points that make the difference.

• Go early. Come through the South Gate before 8 am and you reach the Bayon ahead of the tour buses, which pour in between 9 and 11 am. The park opens at 5 am and the Bayon at 7:30 am. If mornings don't suit you, come back after 3 pm. There's more on timing under best time to visit Angkor Thom.

• Get around. Hire a tuk-tuk for the day and agree the fare and the full route before you set off, including the waits at each gate. The usual plan is drop-off at the South Gate and pick-up at the Terraces or the Victory Gate, so you walk the centre without doubling back. The roads inside the walls are flat, so cycling is easy too. Fares and transfer options are under how to get to Angkor Thom.

• Dress. Cover shoulders and knees. Temple guards can refuse entry, and the rule applies inside Angkor Thom as much as at Angkor Wat. A light cotton kurta or a shirt with long trousers works well in the heat.

• Shoes. Wear shoes with grip, not flip-flops. The Baphuon's upper stairs are wooden with handrails now, but still steep and narrow.

• Water and sun. Carry at least 1.5 litres a person. Vendors sell cold water and coconuts at the Bayon and the Terraces, usually for a dollar or two. Pack a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen too. The Bayon's open galleries and the long Terrace of the Elephants have almost no shade after 10 am.

• Layers and repellent. A pre-dawn tuk-tuk ride in December or January feels cooler than you'd expect, so bring a light layer you can stuff in a bag by 8 am. Mosquitoes gather in the shady, overgrown corners of Preah Palilay and Tep Pranam and along the moat at dusk. Put on repellent before you go in.

• Cash. Bring small US dollar notes for drinks, tips and the driver. Cambodian riel is used for change.

• Toilets. Use the toilet at your hotel before you leave, and carry tissues and hand sanitiser. There are public toilets near the main monuments, and staff may ask to see your Angkor Pass.

• Respect. Monks and nuns still keep shrines inside the Bayon and at Tep Pranam. Ask before photographing them, and do not touch the carvings. Keep your voice low in the Bayon's inner galleries, where incense is still lit at the Buddha images.

• Children. Children selling bracelets or postcards at the gates are often kept out of school to do it. Don't give them money or sweets. Cambodia's ChildSafe campaign asks visitors to buy from adults instead, or to spend in ChildSafe-certified shops and restaurants in town.

• Monkeys. Macaques around the South Gate and the Bayon snatch food and plastic bags. Keep snacks zipped away.

• Moat at sunset. Traditional wooden boats paddle the moat beside the South Gate in the late afternoon, a quiet way to end the day once the walls have emptied. Ask your hotel to book one and confirm the price before you go.

• Drones. Leave the drone at the hotel. APSARA, the authority that manages the park, banned camera drones at Angkor in 2016, and any filming for business needs its written permission.

• Safety right now. Siem Reap and the Angkor park are open and running normally. They lie more than 100 km by road from the Thai border, and the advisories only ask travellers to avoid the 50 km strip along that border. Land crossings from Thailand are closed, so fly into Siem Reap (SAI). Our Delhi to Siem Reap guide covers the flights. In town, keep bags on the side away from the road in a tuk-tuk. Out in the countryside, stay on marked paths.

For country-wide do's and don'ts, from temple etiquette to photographing monks, read things not to do in Cambodia.

Angkor Thom for Indian travellers

Angkor Thom is a Buddhist city built on Indian ideas, and you will spot them everywhere. The walls and moat model the universe around Mount Meru. The causeways retell the Samudra Manthan, with gods and demons pulling Vasuki between them. Indra and Airavata guard every gate, and the Baphuon's lower galleries carry panels from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Jayavarman VII's faces are Avalokiteshvara, a figure many Indian visitors know from Ajanta. For the Vishnu side of the story, read our piece on Angkor Wat as a Vishnu temple, and for the wider picture see the temples of Cambodia guide.

Vegetarian choices at the park's food stalls are basic, mostly fried rice and noodles, and you should ask for them without fish sauce. Pack a lunch or eat in town. Siem Reap has several Indian restaurants near Pub Street. If you would rather have the tickets, driver, guide and hotel arranged in one go, our Siem Reap tour packages include Angkor Thom, and the 3-night Angkor Wat package is a ready-made starting point.

Plan your visit

Angkor Thom rewards anyone who slows down past the Bayon. Walk the causeway early, give the Terraces and the quiet temples behind the palace an hour, and leave by the Victory Gate. For the rest of the park, start with our guide to places to visit in Siem Reap or the Siem Reap travel guide.

Sources: Angkor Enterprise, available tickets (angkorenterprise.gov.kh, checked 2 November 2026); UNESCO World Heritage List, Angkor (site 668); APSARA National Authority; Wikipedia, "Angkor Thom" (revision of 14 October 2026) for distances, Mangalartha and population.

Edited by TravelTriangle