Day 1 in Siem Reap
10 stops · 04:30 to 20:30 · about 12 km between stops, in a straight line
Highlights: Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng — Morning Quiet, Bayon — The 216 Faces and Terrace of the Elephants & Baphuon.
04:30about 30 min
Pre-dawn ride to Angkor Wat
Check in the evening before and have a tuk-tuk collect you at about 04:30. Angkor Wat's gates open at 05:00, and sunrise falls between about 05:35 in June and 06:30 in January. You need an Angkor Pass, which is checked at the temples, and the ticket office only opens at 05:00, so buy it ahead: online at angkorenterprise.gov.kh, or at the Angkor Ticket Office after 16:30 the day before, when it sells passes valid from the next day. For two days in the park, a three-day pass (USD 62) costs less than two one-day passes (USD 37 each).
05:00about 150 minSight
Sunrise at Angkor Wat
Be at the western entrance when the gates open at 05:00 and pick your spot: the north reflecting pool gives the classic postcard view, and the south pool gives a similar reflection with fewer people. Watch the five lotus-bud towers appear out of the dark, mirrored in the water. Once the sun is up, walk inside to the bas-relief galleries, about 520 metres of carved friezes in all. The Churning of the Ocean of Milk, a single panel of about 49 metres, is on the south wing of the east gallery. The steep upper sanctuary (Bakan) does not open until about 07:40 and is closed on Buddhist holy days, so this visit stays on the lower levels.
07:30about 30 min
Breakfast near Angkor Wat
Food inside the park is limited and few vendors are open before sunrise, so bring a packed breakfast and eat it in the shade near the western approach before moving on to Phnom Bakheng, a short ride north.
08:15about 45 minSight
Phnom Bakheng — Morning Quiet
Most visitors save Phnom Bakheng for sunset crowds. Visit it now, in the cool of the morning, and you will have the hilltop temple-mountain largely to yourself. The view south toward Angkor Wat's towers across the tree canopy is quietly rewarding, and the five-tier pyramid itself — a 9th-century representation of Mount Meru — is worth reading slowly on the climb up.
About 2.0 km to the next stop
09:45about 90 minSight
Bayon — The 216 Faces
At the geographical and spiritual centre of Angkor Thom stands the Bayon, a temple that takes a moment to decode. From a distance it reads as a dense, slightly chaotic pile of stone; walk closer and 54 towers resolve out of the mass, each carved on four sides with the same serene, wide-lipped face — 216 of them in total, thought to be a composite of the Buddha and King Jayavarman VII. Move between the towers and the faces follow you at every angle. Allocate a full 90 minutes: the lower gallery's bas-reliefs of naval battles and market scenes deserve as much attention as the faces above.
About 500 m to the next stop
11:30about 60 minSight
Terrace of the Elephants & Baphuon
A short walk north from the Bayon brings you to the Royal Square and the Terrace of the Elephants, a 350-metre-long platform that served as a giant reviewing stand for royal ceremonies. The life-sized elephants carved in procession along its base are remarkably vivid after eight centuries. Combine this with a quick visit to the nearby Baphuon, an 11th-century temple-mountain whose scale only becomes apparent when you walk the long elevated causeway toward it.
About 10 km to the next stop
13:00about 60 minLunch
Lunch at Chanrey Tree
Head back into town for lunch by the river. Chanrey Tree, on Pokambor Avenue, serves traditional Cambodian dishes, many from family recipes, in a garden setting with Cambodian decorative touches. Reviewers single out the char kroeung of frog's legs, beef lok lak and a fish curry. Lunch service runs until 14:30.
14:15about 240 min
Afternoon Rest
The afternoon is the hottest part of the day, and you have been up since before dawn. Rest at the hotel, rinse off the dust and rehydrate before heading out again for dinner.
19:00about 75 minDinner
Dinner at Banllé
Banllé, on Street 26 in the Wat Bo area, is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant in a renovated wooden house with a small organic garden. The menu mixes Cambodian and European dishes. The last dinner seating is at 21:15, and it is closed on Tuesdays.
20:30about 60 minDrinks
Nightcap at Miss Wong
Miss Wong, on Street 26 in the Wat Bo area, a short walk from dinner, is styled on 1920s Shanghai with red Chinese lanterns. Its signature cocktails include a White Negroni and an Indochine Martini. It opens at 17:00 and is closed on Mondays. Keep it to one drink: tomorrow starts early.
More about Miss Wong
Photos: Fuzheado at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Helt (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Trusty Tuk Tuk (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0)
