- Angkor Wat sunrise (reflection pond)Landmarks
North reflection pond at dawn - through the checkpoint by 5:15 (gates 5:00, the only pre-6am temple). Angkor Pass $37/1d, $62/3d; west face glows quiet gold 15:30-17:30.
- Bayon face towersLandmarks
200+ smiling stone faces, 7:30-17:30. 2026 restoration ropes off the upper terraces - shoot long lens from the lower galleries.
- Ta Prohm tree rootsLandmarks
Strangler-fig roots over the Tomb Raider corridors; hit the 7:30 opening - soft jungle light and an hour before tour waves.
- Angkor Thom South Gate causewayLandmarks
54 gods vs 54 demons churning the naga across the moat bridge under a four-face tower; pre-9am for light tuk-tuk traffic.
- Preah Khan corridorsReligious sites
Collapsing door-within-door perspectives, few visitors; enter via the east gate off the baray for the quiet walk-in. 7:30-18:30.
- Ta Som east gate figReligious sites
Small Grand Circuit temple; the east gopura swallowed whole by a strangler fig is the frame - before 9 or after 15 for side light.
- Neak Pean boardwalkReligious sites
Island shrine reached by a long boardwalk over the flooded baray; mirror reflections best in wet season (Jun-Nov), big-sky midday drama.
- Banteay Srei carvingsReligious sites
Pink-sandstone lintels, the park's finest detail work; 37km out - pair with Kulen. Raking light before 9am, bring a longer lens for carvings.
- Pre Rup temple-mountainViewpoints
Brick tiers glow rust at dusk; open to 19:00 for sunset with no headcount cap - steep original stairs, wooden ones down.
- Phnom Bakheng sunset over Angkor WatViewpoints
Hilltop sunset with Angkor Wat below; strict 300-person cap - be up top by 16:00. Open to 19:00, headlamp for the walk down.
- Srah Srang royal bathViewpoints
Sunrise over the refilled royal reservoir without the Angkor Wat crush; sunset works from the east bank. Mirror-still at dawn.
- Pub Street neonMarkets
Neon signs, night-market lanes and cheap-beer glow; slow-shutter tuk-tuk streaks from the central junction after 20:00.
- Psar Chas Old MarketMarkets
Produce and fish rows wake before 7am; monks' alms rounds pass the riverside at dawn - quiet documentary frames.
- Kampong Phluk stilt village (Tonle Sap)Day trips
Stilt houses + flooded-forest paddle boats on the great lake; boat ~$20-25, golden hour out on open water. Best levels Aug-Jan.
- Phnom Kulen falls & 1,000 lingasWaterfalls
Separate $20 ticket: carved riverbed lingas, giant reclining Buddha and the swimmable double falls; one-way mountain road - head up before noon.
- Angkor National MuseumMuseums
Air-conditioned primer on Khmer art with the Gallery of 1,000 Buddhas - worth visiting before the temples; tickets about USD 12.
- Angkor EyeLandmarks
85 m giant wheel northwest of the centre (Svay Dangkum, by the Boxville complex); runs afternoons into the evening for sunset views toward Angkor.
Hotels near these spots are shown on the map as bed pins, grouped into three price
bands, with a booking link for each one. Open the map
and tick “Hotels” in the legend.