Exploring Angkor Wat with Children
The huge temple complex of Angkor Wat is a massive draw for travellers to South East Asia and for good reason. The UNESCO World Heritage site is a real place of wonder – and a fantastic education in Khmer history for the whole family! Our eight-year-old Indiana Jones fan picked this as his number one place to visit on our family gap year. If you’re thinking of visiting Angkor Wat with children then read on for all the key info and some top tips for an amazing visit.
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Angkor Wat with Kids: At a Glance
To book your tickets: Visit the official website here
Where to stay: Passport Villas, Siem Reap
How to get there: Book Ron, our fab tuktuk driver!
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Where is Angkor Wat and how do you get there?
Angkor Wat is located just outside the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia. If you’re planning a visit to Angkor Wat with children, then Siem Reap is a great place to spend a few days. It’s well-connected to the rest of South East Asia via it’s international airport, and there are long distance buses from both Vietnam and Thailand. Or you can drift up the Mekong River from South Vietnam!
We took a direct bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap with the bus company Giant Ibis. We would highly recommend them – they were the best bus company we used in South East Asia. If you’re travelling to Siem Reap from Bangkok they will help with the border crossing and e-visas too.
Angkor Wat is only a short drive from the centre of Siem Reap, and the hordes of tuktuks in the city are queuing up (literally in places) to take you there.
What is the history behind Angkor Wat?
The temple complex of Angkor Wat dates back to the early 12th century. It was built at the heart of the Khmer empire and was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Over the years it was gradually converted to a Buddhist site, which means that it is a fascinating blend of the two religions.
The complex is spread across 1.6million square metres and is recognised at the world’s largest religious structure. The site is absolutely huge, which is why you really should aim to spend at least a couple of days here if you want to see the main sights.
How do you book tickets for Angkor Wat?
You can buy one-day, three-day or five-day passes for Angkor Wat. These are easy to book online, and this means you can avoid the queues at the entrances.
The official website for booking tickets is here.
You will need to upload a passport style photo, so make sure you have one on your phone/laptop.
Your ID and digital tickets will be checked on the way in so make sure you carry your passport/driving licence with you.
If you do buy your tickets on the gates, the ticket offices are open from 5am to 5.30pm.
One quick tip – if you purchase a ticket on the gate after 4.45pm then you can enter the site that evening (to visit the temples that are open until 7pm) AND your ticket is still valid for the rest of your dates too.
How much are tickets for Angkor Wat?
Adult tickets for Angkor Wat are priced as follows:
One day pass $37
Three day pass $62
Seven day pass $72
Entry is free for children under 12 years old. Which makes it pretty amazing value for a family of four!
It’s important to remember that if you purchase a multi-day pass, you DO NOT have to use this on consecutive days. With a three day pass you have ten days from the first day of entry to use it. With a seven day pass you have a full 30 days to spread out your visit!
If you’re visiting Angkor Wat with children I would really recommend going for a multi-day pass. This means you can build in some downtime (preferably back at the hotel pool!). Visiting the temples is tiring and very hot (even for adults!) so you WILL need some time between adventures to chill out.
How many days do you need at Angkor Wat with children?
We found that the three day pass worked best for visiting Angkor Wat with children. This gave us plenty of time to explore the temples (but without rushing) and gave us rest days in-between. Which were largely used for hanging out in the pool at the hotel!
For us I felt that any longer and the kids would have had full-on temple fatigue. It’s also important to remember that the temperatures and humidity at Angkor Wat are very high year-round. Kids (and everyone!) are likely to need time to recover after hiking around.
What is the best way to visit Angkor Wat?
If you’re planning a visit to Angkor Wat with children (or even without them!) then it really is worth finding a good tuktuk driver who can offer you a tour. There are absolutely loads of tuktuks in Siem Reap – the challenge is finding a good one for your family. Most hotels can connect you to a recommended driver. We found ours though at the bus station when we arrived just by chance. It’s worth asking around to get a good price.
Hiring a tuktuk means that you have total flexibility over your visit to Angkor Wat. You can decide how long you want to spend there each day and what time you want to be picked up each morning. You can also choose which temples you want to visit and in which order (although it is worth chatting this through with your driver as they can provide good insider info on how to avoid the crowds).
I can highly recommend our fab driver Ron. He arrived on time every day, was really knowledgeable about the temples and just generally lovely. He even provided ice cold water and frozen towels for us to cool off each time we got back to the tuktuk from wandering the temples! I can’t describe what a treat this was.
You can contact Ron via WhatsApp here.
What are the most child-friendly temples at Angkor Wat?
The fave temples for our boys were the main temple of Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is the temple most people head to watch the famous sunrise. You can sit on the grass beyond the reflecting pools and watch the sunrise over this magnificent structure. A real bucketlist moment! The temple itself is full of intricate carvings and long stretches of walkways and is great for an initial introduction to the complex. Note that younger children are not allowed to climb the steps up to the higher level.
Bayon
Bayon temple was another firm favourite. This is the temple of faces and is beautiful! There are hundreds of faces carved into the structure – they really are everywhere you look. There are also long walls with carvings depicting stories and every day life in the Khmer empire.
Ta Prohm
But the absolute favourite for us was the epic Ta Prohm. This is one of the most famous temples in the complex – it’s the iconic crumbling ruins that has huge tree roots growing through the structure. It’s also the temple that featured in the Tombraider film. It really is like being on another planet. We visited this one twice as it was so fascinating. The second time we went was in the wake of a huge thunderstorm which made it so atmospheric! Wandering through the ruins while the thunder rolled and bats darted in and out of the nooks and crannies was an experience we’ll never forget. And because of the weather, we had the place entirely to ourselves!
Other temples we all enjoyed
We also visited a number of other temples, including Phnom Bakheng at sunset (the views are spectacular, but be aware that the hike up to the temple is quite far and younger children are not allowed to climb the steps to the top level).
We also visited the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King – whilst these were interesting they didn’t hold our attention for too long so you could just make quite a fleeting stop at these two.
Is there a dress code for Angkor Wat?
Whilst there isn’t a strictly enforced dress code at Angkor Wat, this is a religious site so you should be prepared to dress modestly. This means covering shoulders and knees.
If you’re visiting Angkor Wat with children then you’ll find that the rules are more relaxed – shorts and t shirts are fine.
The site is hot and dusty so you will need decent footwear for hiking around.
Where is the best place to stay for a visit to Angkor Wat?
It’s easy to stay in the heart of Siem Reap and travel out to Angkor Wat for the day. There are plenty of accommodation options for any budget. And Siem Reap is a fab base with kids – there’s loads of little restaurants and cafes with cheap menus and plenty of things to do away from the temples.
We stayed at Passport Villas, located down a quiet little side street in Siem Reap. It was a brilliant base for us as a family. It was a short walk to the centre of Siem Reap which made it easy to get around. We had a big family room on the ground floor, with a double bed and a set of bunk beds for the boys. The beds were really comfortable, the bathroom was huge and very modern and there was good wifi and a fridge provided in the room. Best of all though was the lovely swimming pool out front.
I would highly recommend booking a hotel with a pool if you’re planning to stay in Siem Reap and visit Angkor Wat. You really do need the downtime between all the hiking around temples in the heat.
Plus, the owners at Passport Villas were absolutely fab – incredibly helpful and friendly and full of travel tips.
Tips for visiting Angkor Wat with children
- Spread your visit out over several days if you have the time. Remember that you have ten days to use a three day pass. And a whole month to use a seven day pass. Plan rest days in-between all the temple adventures!
- If you enjoy a bit of geocaching then there are several at Angkor Wat. Just make sure you download the cache information before you leave for the temples as there is very little phone signal.
- Hire a tuk-tuk for your trip to Angkor Wat. It’s by far the easiest way to see the temples and is very affordable.
- Beware of the pesky monkeys! Don’t carry food openly as they WILL come for it.
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