The temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are some of the most beautiful and breath-taking ancient ruins in the whole of Southeast Asia. Travelling with a young family shouldn’t stop you from exploring this amazing archaeological and spiritual site.

Visiting Angkor Wat with kids can be a truly rewarding and unforgettable experience.

Our Angkor Wat advice includes a 3-day itinerary to help you make the most of the 3 day passes available. So keep reading for expert tips for visiting Angkor Wat with kids.

What is Angkor Wat?

As ornate as the Taj Mahal and as iconic as the Great Pyramid, the temples of Angkor Wat will capture your hearts and fulfil your wanderlust.

Angkor Wat is sometimes referred to the 7th Wonder of the World. It is one of the largest UNESCO World Heritage Sites on earth. The remains of this ancient Khmer civilisation sit in the heart of Northern Cambodia.

The ancient Hindu temples were built by the Khmer dynasty and many are over 1000 years old. In the 13th century AD, Cambodia transitioned from Hinduism to Buddhism and the new religion simply absorbed the temples as their own. Many of the temples are still used by Buddhist monks as places of worship.

The site is huge and crumbling temples fight back against dense forest creating a splendid and mystical atmosphere in the quieter parts.

What’s in a name? The name Angkor Wat refers to the largest and most famous temple and the national symbol of Cambodia. Combined with the other temples nearby the whole UNESCO site is named the Angkor Wat Archeological Park or simply the temples of Angkor Wat.

How to make your children as excited about your family trip to Angkor Wat as you are? We love this stunning, educational Angkor Wat video by National Geographic. The drone footage will totally take your breath away and inspire little explorers!

If you love visiting ancient ruins and archaeological sites with young kids check out our post Ancient Ruins with Toddlers; An Awesome Day Out! Really? for tips and tricks to keep everyone happy.

When should you visit Angkor Wat?

If you have the luxury to plan a visit around the Monsoon seasons, then the ideal time to visit Angkor Wat is during the dry season which typically lasts from late November until early April.

However, like many families, we currently travel in school holidays. We were lucky enough to have a long weekend in early June. Yes, it was the wet season and yes, it did rain most of the days we were in Angkor Wat. Mostly in the mornings before we started our day. The rain showers were intense, short and refreshing. Also as we live in Kuala Lumpur we’re used to rain every day!

If you’re concerned bring light rain macs and be prepared to pop into a cafe or under a tree to wait out a shower.

Travelling around SE Asia and looking to visit some more amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites with the kids. Explore our in-depth guides to the temples of Bagan, Myanmar and My Son outside Hoi An, Vietnam.

How many days do you need in Angkor Wat?

Angkor Wat Archaeological Area is gigantic. You could spend years exploring it and only just scratch the surface.

For regular tourists, tickets are available for 1, 3 or 7 days. Travelling with young children, we found 3 days to be the perfect amount of time to explore the major temples and sights.

It is possible to see the main temples in 1 very long day (Angkor Wat, Bayon and Angkor Thom and perhaps a couple more). If you only have 1 day, I’d highly recommend taking a tour. You can let the tour guide know beforehand what you’re most interested in seeing.

Do you need to go on a tour to see Angkor Wat with kids?

No. It is not necessary to book a tour to see the temples.

Keep reading to find out about the different types of transport that you can hire to explore the huge site in. As our children are so young (and wild), we turned down the opportunity to have official guided tours around the main sites. If you think your children are old enough to listen, you will be offered guides at the entrance to nearly all the temples. Make sure you choose carefully and agree on a price and length beforehand.

[Sponsored content] If you’re short on time and would love to learn about Cambodian history and culture from a local then we’d highly recommend Lavender Jeep’s Tours Angkor Wat Tour.

During our stay in Cambodia, we partnered with Lavender Jeeps, an amazing and innovative tour group who offer personalised tours around the temples with an emphasis on female empowerment and supporting local women. The purple jeep was a great hit with our little ones. Our tour guide was excellent – adapting the tour to our kids’ demands, whims and interests. If you are looking at a way to support young Cambodian women make a career in the male-dominated tour guide industry Lavender Jeeps is an excellent family-friendly tour company to consider. 

How to get to Angkor Wat

Most tours and private hire vehicles will pick you up from Siem Reap, the gateway city to the Angkor Wat temples.

If you’re hiring bikes or a car, you’ll need a paper map or to download maps on your device in case of weak GPS signals.

Siem Reap has an international airport with regular flights to China, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. It is also possible to travel overland from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

Related posts about destinations that have direct flights to Siem Reap, Cambodia: Fun Things to do in KL with Kids: Insider Tips!, Things to do in Vietnam with Kids: An Awesome 21 Day Itinerary and Bangkok with Young Children; Make it memorable and NOT mayhem.

Buying tickets for Angkor Wat

You will need to go to the Angkor Ticket Booth and Main Entrance to buy tickets. This vast new building is near the Siem Reap Convention Centre and about 2km outside of Siem Reap.

There are three different ticketing options when entering the temples of Siem Reap.

1 day Angkor Wat Pass is US$37
3 days Angkor Wat Pass is US$62 (valid for 1 week)
1 week Angkor Wat Pass is US$72 (valid for 1 month)

The best news for family travellers is that tickets for children under 12 are FREE! Yay!

You must have a ticket because there are checkpoints on most roads in and out of the temples as well as at the entrances to each temple.

Your photo is taken at the ticket booth and printed on your ticket making them non-transferable.

How to get around Angkor Wat

One of the many appeals for families visiting Angkor Wat with children is the vast options of exciting and unusual transport choices. Whizzing along the interconnecting roads in a tuk-tuk had our 5-year-old mesmerized. Although both our children will say that they loved the purple jeep most.

Whether you want to do a coach tour, ride a bicycle, walk on foot or hire a private air-con car there are so many options when it comes to getting around Angkor Wat with kids.

Choose an unusual vehicle like a tuk-tuk or remork and suddenly the journeys become part of the adventure.

Family-friendly Tip: Hire a tuk-tuk driver for a day’s personalised exploration via your guesthouse or hotel. Prices start from US$20 per day and a tuk-tuk can fit 2 adults and 2 small children easily. We had a great experience doing this.

3 days in Angkor Wat with kids itinerary

The 3 days in Angkor Wat with kids itinerary that we’re sharing below is pretty much exactly the same itinerary that we followed with a 3 and a 5-year-old.

Both Rhino and I had been to Angkor Wat as solo backpackers. We had a good idea of where to go and the things we wanted to revisit. All the temples mentioned below are included in the ticket price.

As you can see the days are quite short and relaxed to make them easy for families. In the afternoons and evenings, take the time to relax by the hotel pool and explore some of the excellent restaurants in Siem Reap.

Related post you might enjoy: 17 Fun Things to do in Siem Reap with Kids

Day 1: Wow the kids with the majestic Angkor Wat

If you’re travelling with a baby or older kids, start your Angkor Wat experience with a visit to the Angkor National Museum. Treat yourself to a Khmer history lesson before you start exploring to give you a better understanding of the historical and religious significance of the temples you’re about to explore.

If your kids are mobile and full of energy, this museum might not be the place for you instead head straight to Angkor Wat where the children can explore, climb and run around.

Angkor Wat is the temple in a million sunset photographs. The temple that has made the whole site as famous as it is today.

Even after a thousand years, Angkor Wat is still the largest religious building in the entire world. Some people save this incredible architectural masterpiece until last. We say that with kids – get in there and wow them straightaway!

Kids will love walking (ahem running) across the bridge to the main sight. We had a great impromptu worldschooling lesson about symmetry when H noticed that the whole area (ponds and towers included) are the same on both sides.

Many of the temples are still ‘working’ temples and you will see Buddhist monks praying. Remind your children to be quiet around the monks and not to touch them.

Our children were fascinated by the monks’ peacefulness and solitude, by the stone steps leading into a labyrinth of dark corridors and of course, the statues with the missing heads ignited a lot of curiosity.

If you have a 3-day pass, we’d highly recommend not rushing a visit to Angkor Wat. It’s huge and exploring it well with young children will take time.

Bring sunscreen, water, snacks and hats and you can easily spend a long half-day just in this one colossal temple. There are restaurants, cafes and souvenir stands both inside and outside the temple area so it’s easy to top up supplies.

Encourage the little ones to rest their legs in the shady cool of the stone temples and give them the freedom to go full Indiana Jones climbing the ancient staircases. We avoided any scraps or cuts that day but perhaps pack a few First Aid essentials in your day pack.

Day 2: Become the next Indiana Jones or Lara Croft at Angkor Thom, Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm temples.

You’d really miss out if you only explored Angkor Wat temple. The other temples in the complex are all unique and just as interesting to visit. Day 2 in Angkor Wat with kids takes you to the famous nearby temples and the former city of Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom, the Great City, was the last great capital of the Khmer empire. Set over 10 square-kilometres, the amazing complex comprises of many of the archaeological park’s treasures including Bayon temple, Baphuon, the Terrace of Elephants and the stunning gates and bridges that circle the ancient city.

To enter Angkor Thom, you must cross the 100m-wide moat guarded by stone statues. A fantastic journey in an open tuk-tuk.

Angkor Thom Gates

Once you have crossed the moat, you must pass through one of the four gates. The South Gate is perhaps the best restored but the others may be less crowded.

Family-friendly Tip: There are still some child beggars/ postcard sellers in Angkor Wat. These children should be in school and visitors are asked not to buy from the children and report their whereabouts if possible so they can be helped. It was hard for our children to understand that the children were trying to them and that we mustn’t buy from them. It’s worth being open with your children and explaining the situation to them beforehand.

Bayon Temple

Right in the centre of Angkor Thom is Bayon Temple. Built in the mid-12th century, this captivating temple has 54 towers decorated with smiling faces. Wandering around is a slightly surreal experience with all these faces beaming down at you.

The kids absolutely loved exploring Bayon temple. However, as one of the busiest temples, it was tricky to keep an eye on them.

Ta Prohm temple

One of the most impressive temples in the Angkor Wat archaeological park, Ta Prohm will appeal to children because of its otherworldliness and wall-crunching trees and to teenagers because of its associations with Lara Croft and Tomb Raider.

If you’re unsure of which part of the temple featured in the Tomb Raider movie just look for the hordes of tourists queuing for photographs.

Day 3: Go further afield and explore the magnificent Banteay Srei

Making the trip to peaceful and rural Banteay Srei is an excellent opportunity to venture where fewer tourists tread. The complex is small, flat and glows a wonderful pinkish hue in the right light.

Kids can spot water buffalo grazing in the fields and there are clean and modern amenities at the entrance including a cafe. The pleasant flat paths also have viewpoints across paddy fields.

If you feel like you (or the kids) are ‘templed out’ then both the Landmine Museum and Butterfly Centre are near Banteay Sri. Check our Siem Reap post for more details.

The journey to this far temple is mesmerizing as you pass through local villages, along red dirt tracks and small-town markets.

If you can stop at Sra Arang, the former royal bathing pond for a stunning sunrise or sunset photographs over the water.

Thanks for reading World for a Girl. If you found this post helpful or have any more questions about 3 days in Angkor Wat with kids please leave a comment below.

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