Angkor Wat Map: Where Every Temple Sits

Small Circuit Route and Length

The Small Circuit is the shorter loop. Hello Angkor describes the route as Angkor Wat, then Angkor Thom, and out through the Victory Gate on the east wall. The tours compared here pair the loop with the Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, Srah Srang, Ta Keo and Phnom Bakheng for sunset.

Wikivoyage says the Little Circuit sites are about 15 minutes apart by bike, so the loop compresses nicely into one day. If you want a full day on these temples, the Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset costs $14 per person for 9 hours, and the $37 Angkor Pass is extra.

Grand Circuit Route and Length

The Grand Circuit reuses the Small Circuit roads but leaves Angkor Thom by the North Gate instead of the Victory Gate. Hello Angkor lists the big-loop stops as Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup. Wikivoyage puts Big Circuit sites about 30 minutes apart by bike, so budget a full day.

The loop is about 40 km round trip from town. The Angkor Wat 2-Day Tour runs the small loop on day one and this big loop on day two for $34 per person, with the Angkor Pass bought separately. With the $62 three-day pass the total comes to $96, though the listing does not say which pass the two days need.

• Small Circuit first if you have one day, Grand Circuit second if you have two.
• Wikivoyage puts Big Circuit sites about 30 minutes apart by bike.
• Both loops start and end in Siem Reap, so hotel pickup works for either.

Direction and What Each Loop Costs by Tuk-tuk

Direction matters because the gates control the flow. The Small Circuit enters Angkor Thom and exits through the Victory Gate, while the Grand Circuit exits Angkor Thom through the North Gate toward Preah Khan, per Hello Angkor. On cost, Wikivoyage reports tuk-tuk day rates of about US$15 for the main temples and US$20-30 for the outlying temples, and Nomadic Matt cites about US$25 per day for 3-4 people.

Sources give no separate fixed figure per loop, so ask for the day rate before you set off.

Where the Circuit Lines Differ

Agencies draw the line between the two loops differently, and the map does not settle it. This page and Hello Angkor put Phnom Bakheng, Banteay Kdei, Srah Srang and Prasat Kravan on the Small Circuit. Indochina Tour places those same four stops on the Grand Circuit instead.

Either way the stops themselves sit close together east and south of Angkor Thom, so the practical effect is small. Ask your driver which version of the loop the day follows before you set off.

One Day on the Small Circuit

Hello Angkor says the Small Circuit alone takes a day and suits a one-day Angkor Pass holder, while both loops together take about two days. Indochina Tour suggests a one-day order of sunrise at Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon at lunchtime, Ta Prohm or Banteay Srei in the afternoon, and a sunset at Pre Rup, Phnom Bakheng or Srah Srang. The Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour covers a sunrise at Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei and the Bayon in 8 to 9 hours, and the Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset ends on Phnom Bakheng. More on planning the loops lives under Angkor Wat tours.

A table of pass options against the plans they cover:

Two Days and Three Days

With two days, take the Small Circuit on day one and the Grand Circuit on day two. The Angkor Wat 2-Day Tour runs exactly that split, with a sunrise on day one and a Phnom Bakheng sunset on day two. A third day adds the outer temples: Banteay Srei sits about 25 km north-east of the main group per Angkor Enterprise, while Wikivoyage puts it 37 km north of Angkor Wat.

Beng Mealea lies about 80 km east of Siem Reap per Wikivoyage, and Wikipedia gives about 40 km east of the main group. The Angkor Wat 3-Day Tour covers all three days privately. For a plan like that the three-day pass fits: the official site says it is valid for any three days within 7 days, and siemreap.net lists the seven-day pass as any seven days within 30 days.

The official site sells Beng Mealea on a separate US$10 ticket, while Wikivoyage says the Angkor Pass covers it, so confirm at the ticket office.

Main Park Temples

Angkor Wat itself sits about 6 km from town, roughly 20 minutes by car or motorbike on Wikivoyage's figure. Everything on the two circuits falls inside the Angkor Pass, which Angkor Enterprise says opens more than 50 temples in the park. Preah Khan is about 3 km north of Angkor Thom, the Roluos group 15 km east, and Phnom Krom 12 km south-west.

Wikipedia separately puts the Roluos group about 13 km east of Siem Reap, so treat the two figures as a small range. Angkor Wat's own enclosure is large enough to budget real walking time inside: its outer wall measures about 1,024 m by 802 m and encloses about 82 hectares.

Outer Temples and How the Sources Differ

The outer temples break the neat circuit shape. Banteay Srei is the closest dispute on the map: the official Angkor Enterprise explore page puts it about 25 km north-east of the main Angkor group, while Wikivoyage puts it 37 km north of Angkor Wat. Wikipedia gives about 30 km north-east of Siem Reap.

Beyond it, Kbal Spean lies 8 km further north with a 1,500 m walk on Wikivoyage's count, though Wikipedia describes about 2 km and 40 minutes uphill. Beng Mealea is 80 km east of Siem Reap, about 1.5 hours by car on Wikivoyage, while Wikipedia puts it about 40 km east of the main Angkor group. Koh Ker is about 120 km from Siem Reap on Wikipedia's figure (Wikivoyage measures 120 km from Beng Mealea) and roughly 2.5 hours away.

Phnom Kulen sits about 48 km north of Siem Reap. On tickets, Angkor Enterprise lists Beng Mealea as a separate US$10 pass while Wikivoyage says it is included in the Angkor Pass, and the Koh Ker and Beng Mealea Temples Tour at $50 per person shows a Koh Ker entrance fee of USD 15 with an Angkor Wat ticket required for Beng Mealea, so plan for both and carry cash.

Where You Enter and Buy the Pass

The map has three practical entry points. The airport road enters the park at the east checkpoint and the Banteay Srei road at the north checkpoint, and Wikivoyage notes both sell 1-day passes only, so buy a longer pass in advance if your plan spans several days. The main ticket office stands near the southern entrance.

Angkor Enterprise lists official entry hours of 5:00 AM to 6:30 PM. If you arrive at the airport, note it sits far east of town, and the Siem Reap airport page covers the transfer into the centre.

The Hours That Differ

Most circuit temples open later than the sunrise stops, so plan the dawn around the four that open early. Siemreap.net gives Angkor Wat 5:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Phnom Bakheng 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Srah Srang and Pre Rup 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and most other circuit temples 6:00 AM to 6:30 PM, with a 30 minute grace period inside at closing. Hello Angkor instead gives most sites 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Phnom Bakheng opening at 5:00 AM, so the two guides disagree on both ends of the day. The safest read is to arrive at Angkor Wat for the 5:00 AM park opening and let your guide set the rest of the order on the day.

A table of the per-stop hours from siemreap.net:

Reading the Table Against Your Route

The early hours explain why sunrise tours run the order they do. The Angkor Wat Highlights Sunrise Tour starts with Angkor Wat for sunrise, moves to Srah Srang, then Ta Prohm and the Bayon. Sunset tours work the other end, because Pre Rup and Srah Srang stay open until 7:00 PM and Phnom Bakheng until 7:00 PM on the siemreap.net clock.

Full details on tickets and entry sit on the Angkor Wat tickets page.

Small Circuit Tours

Most listings stay on the small loop, where the headliners stand. The Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour costs $15 per person for 8 to 9 hours, and the Angkor Pass is paid separately at $37, giving $52 in total. The Angkor Wat Highlights Sunrise Tour runs the same loop for $19 per person, $56 in total, with pickup at 4:15 to 4:35 AM and Srah Srang and the Victory Gate added to the route.

For the full small loop in one day including a Phnom Bakheng sunset, the Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset is $14 per person, $51 in total, and it visits Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the Bayon, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm and Phnom Bakheng. Cyclists can ride the loop instead: the Angkor Temples Bike Tour is $33 per person for a 7.5 hour ride, $70 in total once the pass is bought on entry, and the Angkor Sunrise Cycling Tour is $69 per person, $106 in total, with 15 to 25 km in the saddle.

Grand Circuit Tours

The big loop needs a full day or a second day. The Angkor Wat 2-Day Tour, $34 per person, splits the map cleanly: day one is the small tour with the Angkor Wat sunrise, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and Ta Keo, day two is the big tour with Pre Rup, Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som and a Phnom Bakheng sunset. The total is $96 with the pass bought separately, as the listing gives no pass amount.

On the private side, the Angkor Wat Private Tuk-Tuk Tour at $20 per group of up to 3 offers a sunset option that covers Pre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean and Preah Khan, in other words the entire Grand Circuit sequence, though the pass price is not stated on the listing. The Angkor Wat 3-Day Tour at $241.75 per person, $303.75 in total with the $62 three-day pass, covers the small circuit, the big circuit and Banteay Srei across days one and two.

Outer Temple Tours

The outer temples sit too far out for a circuit day. The Koh Ker and Beng Mealea Temples Tour, $50 per person for 8 to 9 hours, is the dedicated long-haul trip to the two far-east temples, with the Koh Ker fee of USD 15 and the Beng Mealea ticket to check on arrival. The Angkor Wat and Floating Village 2-Day Tour at $235 per group up to 10 puts Beng Mealea and Kampong Phluk on day two, and the checkout shows US$69 of extra charges on top, with entrance fees and the Tonle Sap boat among the exclusions.

Banteay Srei appears as a stop on the Angkor Wat 3-Day Tour rather than as its own listing.