Family-Friendly Attractions in Siem Reap & Angkor Wat
A visual guide from the Siem Reap and Angkor Wat travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
Angkor is more forgiving with children than its reputation suggests — Ta Prohm's collapsed galleries and tree roots read as an adventure playground, and Bayon's 200-odd stone faces hold attention longer than any gallery of carvings. The trick is volume control: two temples before ten in the morning, then something with shade and water. Siem Reap has grown a proper supporting cast for that second half of the day, from a canopy zipline inside the park itself to a circus school whose evening show is genuinely good rather than merely child-friendly.
Beyond the temples
Phare, The Cambodian Circus stages an evening big-top show of acrobatics and live music most nights performed by graduates of a Battambang arts school — roughly an hour, and the strongest single booking in town for families. Angkor Zipline runs a canopy course inside the archaeological park near Ta Nei, which needs an Angkor pass. Happy Ranch Horse Farm takes riders of most ages out through rice paddies on the edge of town. Angkor Wildlife and Aquarium, out along the Phnom Penh road, is a large modern facility that fills a hot afternoon. Many hotels also sell day passes to their pools.
Making temple days work
Children under twelve are usually admitted to the Angkor park free, though passports may be checked. Start at sunrise or shortly after: by eleven the sandstone radiates heat and tempers go. A private tuk-tuk with a driver who waits is far better than walking between sites, and an air-conditioned car is worth the extra in April and May. Carry more water than seems sensible, plus hats and rehydration sachets. Steep, rail-less stairs at Ta Keo and Pre Rup are the main hazard; the upper level of Angkor Wat has a modern staircase but a minimum age and a dress code.