1. Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the most famous ancient temple site in Cambodia. Visiting the ancient temples is the reason most visitors come to Siem Reap. With its five lotus-like towers rising 65 metres into the sky, it is an awe-inspiring sight. This UNESCO World Heritage site was once the largest pre-industrial city in the world. It remains one of the world's ancient wonders and is a must-see for any visitor to Cambodia.
The Angkor Wat ruins are at the centre of the vast Angkor Archaeological Park. It's best to arrange your tour of the park with a reputable agency and guide who'll be able to help buy the admission pass and arrange your transport. Some can also explain the history of the temples, but taking a guidebook is also helpful.
2. Bayon
Another much-loved temple on the tourist trail, Bayon is best known for the huge faces carved into the stone towers. Although small in comparison to Angkor Wat, this sacred building is much more condensed. It was built in the late 12th- and early-13th-century as the official state temple of King Jayavarman VII. Huge restoration work has since taken place and is ongoing, so expect to clamber over stones and through dark, narrow passages to see it all.
3. Ta Prohm
One of Angkor’s most established Siem Reap temples, Ta Prohm is said to be fabricated completely of sandstone and has a five-layered pyramid with soak staircases on each side. With a significant number of the remains devoured by the underlying foundations of transcending trees, this temple in Siem Reap is by a long shot a standout amongst the most heavenly.
4. Banteay Srei
To get away from the madding swarms, Banteay Srei is the best bet. The site is situated 35 kilometers from Siem Procure, with the drive taking guests through a dazzling wide open, past youngsters shouting ‘hi’ from their bicycles, ranchers tilling the ground and ladies doing clothing in streams. This temple flaunts unpredictably cut structures produced using delicate, pink sandstone.
5 Ba Phuon
Ba Phuon Temple is a three-tiered temple mountain that was built in honor of the Hindu God Shiva and served as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II during the mid-11th century. Located northwest of Ba Yon Temple, its pyramid-like shape is an architectural representation of the mythical Mount Meru. Despite several restoration attempts, much of Ba Phuon Temple had largely collapsed by the 20th century. Visitors can still find unique animal carvings at the entrance to the central sanctuary.
6. Preah Khan
Preah Khan (Sacred Sword) temple complex is surrounded by a towering moat with its walls decorated with carvings of garudas, a bird-like mythical being in Hindu mythology. Dedicated by King Jayavarman VII to his father in 1191, it houses maze-like entryways, towers, ceremonial spaces, courtyards, and shrines. Its standout features are the two-storey pavilion and Hall of Dancers, where you can see images of Apsara dancers on its pillars. Located two kilometers northeast of Angkor Thom, Preah Khan has been left in a largely unreconstructed state, allowing for numerous trees, vines, and various vegetation growing among the ruins.
7. Banteay Kdei
Known as the ‘citadel of monks’ cells’, this Buddhist temple dates back to the mid-12th to early-13th centuries. Banteay Kdei is similar to Ta Prohm in design, but it’s smaller, easier to navigate and less crowded. Extensive restoration work is being carried out to try to claim the temple back from nature.