Angkor Sunset: Pre Rup, Phnom Bakheng, Srah Srang and the Quiet Alternatives (2026)

Pre Rup is the best sunset at Angkor for most visitors, and Phnom Bakheng, the one every list puts first, is the one to skip unless you like crowds and climbs. The difference comes down to direction, capacity and closing time: Pre Rup has an open western view, no cap and stays open until 7:00 p.m., while Bakheng caps its summit at 300 people and fills by mid-afternoon in high season.

Most sunset pages rank the same five spots without saying which way each one faces, when the guards start clearing the terrace, or which month puts the sunset after a temple has closed. They also leave out the 4:45 p.m. rule, which turns a pass dated for tomorrow into a free sunset tonight and is the best-value hour in the park. This guide gives the hours, the direction of the view, the walk and the crowd for each spot, with sunset times by month. The pass and the entry rule are covered in the Angkor Pass guide.

Prices, hours and transport times below were checked against operator websites and official sources in October 2026.

The Sunset Is About Closing Time and Direction

Two facts decide an Angkor sunset before the weather does.

The first is closing time. Most temples close at 6:30 p.m. and Angkor Wat at 6:00 p.m. Only a handful, Pre Rup, Srah Srang, Phnom Bakheng, Phnom Krom and Tonle Om at the Angkor Thom south gate, stay open until 7:00 p.m. for exactly this purpose. From April to August, when the sun sets after 6:15 p.m., a sunset at a 6:30 p.m. temple means being swept out in the best light. Guards start clearing upper terraces 20 minutes before closing, not at closing.

The second is direction. A sunset needs an open western horizon. Angkor Wat faces west, which means its facade takes the late light, but the sun goes down behind the person looking at it. Srah Srang’s reservoir is laid out for the sunrise, which comes up over the water. Pre Rup and Phnom Bakheng are the two temples where you can stand high and look west with nothing in the way, which is why they draw the crowds.

Put the two together and the choice narrows: a 7:00 p.m. temple with a western view, or a different kind of evening at one that faces the other way.

The 4:45 p.m. Rule

A pass dated for tomorrow admits you to the park from 4:45 p.m. today. The evening does not count as one of the pass days. Angkor Enterprise publishes the rule in its FAQ.

On an arrival afternoon, buy a pass dated for tomorrow at the Road 60 ticket office, which closes at 5:30 p.m., or online that morning. Enter from 4:45 p.m., be at Pre Rup by 5:15 p.m. in December, climb, and watch the sun go down over the rice fields. Tomorrow at 5:00 a.m., the pass starts its first full day.

Two details catch people. The pass must be dated for tomorrow. A pass dated today and first used at 5:00 p.m. has spent a whole day on 90 minutes of light. And the office closes at 5:30 p.m., so an arrival that reaches Road 60 at 5:40 p.m. has lost the evening. Buying online removes both problems. The three-day Siem Reap itinerary builds the first evening around this rule.

Sunset Times by Month

Times are for the 15th of each month, for Siem Reap.

Month	Sunset	What it means
January	5:56 p.m.	Angkor Wat still open at sunset. Clear skies.
February	6:10 p.m.	Haze starts late in the month.
March	6:15 p.m.	Hot, hazy, reliable.
April	6:17 p.m.	Hottest month. Storms in the last ten days.
May	6:23 p.m.	Afternoon storms most days.
June	6:32 p.m.	Tight at Pre Rup, swept from about 6:40 p.m.
July	6:35 p.m.	Latest sunset of the year. A gamble with cloud.
August	6:25 p.m.	Rainy season, dramatic skies when they clear.
September	6:05 p.m.	Wettest month.
October	5:45 p.m.	Skies clearing late in the month.
November	5:34 p.m.	Earliest sunset of the year. Be in place by 5:00 p.m.
December	5:40 p.m.	Clearest light of the year, biggest crowds.

From May to August the sun sets within 30 minutes of the 7:00 p.m. closing, which leaves little time for the afterglow. From October to January the sun sets with an hour to spare, and the color after sunset is part of the evening. The best time to visit Siem Reap sets these months against the heat and the crowds.

The Main Spots

Pre Rup

The honest verdict: the best sunset at Angkor for most visitors. Pre Rup is a tenth-century temple-mountain of brick and laterite on the grand circuit, south of the East Mebon, with three tiers and five towers. The upper terrace is wide, and the view west runs over rice fields and treeline, so the sun goes down without a temple in front of it. It is open 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with no cap on numbers. Guards begin clearing the upper terrace at about 6:40 p.m., so be at the top by 6:00 p.m. at the latest and earlier in the cool season. Pre Rup is about 20 minutes by tuk-tuk from the Bayon and 30 to 35 minutes from central Siem Reap. The climb is steep but short, on original steps with no rail on the lower flights. The limitation: it draws several hundred people in high season, the west side of the terrace fills first, and the climb down in the dusk on steep steps needs a light and care.

Phnom Bakheng

The honest verdict: the famous sunset with a queue attached. Phnom Bakheng is the late ninth-century temple-mountain built under Yasovarman I on a hill between Angkor Wat and the south gate of Angkor Thom, the center of the first city at Angkor. It is open 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and limits the summit to 300 people. On peak-season weekends the cap can fill by 4:00 p.m., and 2026 guidance is to arrive by 3:30 p.m. The walk up the hill path takes about 20 minutes, and the last stretch to the terrace is a steep stairway. The view west is over the West Baray, the great reservoir, with the forest in between. Angkor Wat is to the southeast through the trees, not in front of the sun. Guards clear the top about 20 minutes before closing. The limitation: two hours of waiting in a crowd for a view that faces away from the temple most people came for. Skip it with children, and skip it on a December weekend.

Srah Srang

The honest verdict: the easiest evening at Angkor and a better sunrise than sunset. Srah Srang is the stone-lined royal reservoir opposite the east gate of Banteay Kdei, with a landing stage of steps and lions where visitors sit at the water’s edge. It is open 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and needs no climb. The reservoir is laid out for the east, so at sunset the sun goes down behind you over Banteay Kdei, and the show is the sky reflected on the water. The road runs beside it, which makes it the safe choice in the rainy season when a storm may come in. The limitation: there is no horizon to watch the sun meet, and food stalls along the road sell to the same crowd that came for the sunrise. It is the right answer for families, for limited mobility and for wet evenings.

Angkor Wat from the west

The honest verdict: a different kind of evening, about the temple rather than the sun. Angkor Wat faces west. In the last hour of daylight the sun lights the west facade, the causeway and the five towers, and the moat turns gold. The temple closes at 6:00 p.m., so a sunset inside works only from about October to January. The rest of the year, the place to be is the moat road outside the west entrance, where Cambodian families sit on the grass and the pass is checked at the temple entrance, not on the road. The limitation: the sun sets behind you, so there is no sunset photograph here in the usual sense, and the reflecting pools inside the gate, which are the sunrise spot, are off limits after closing. The Angkor Wat sunrise guide covers the other end of the day.

The Quiet Alternatives

Phnom Krom

The honest verdict: the best sunset that almost nobody watches. Phnom Krom is a 140 m hill 12 to 13 km south of the Old Market, on the road to the Chong Kneas boat landing, with a late ninth-century temple of three towers on the summit, built under Yasovarman I on the same plan as Phnom Bakheng. It is covered by the Angkor Pass and open 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The view west and south is over the flooded plain and the Tonle Sap, which is at its largest from September to November. The climb is a long stairway or the road up. Drivers price it like a Chong Kneas run, which is quoted at $13 to $20 round trip by tuk-tuk. The limitation: it is the opposite direction from the temples, so it does not fit at the end of a temple day, and the towers are in poor repair. The Phnom Krom guide has the route.

Tonle Om, the Angkor Thom south gate

The honest verdict: a quiet hour on the causeway rather than a sunset view. The south gate of Angkor Thom, with the four faces on its tower and 54 stone figures pulling a serpent on each side of the causeway, is open 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The moat lies on both sides, and the low sun comes across the water from the west. Monkeys work the parapet. The limitation: no height and no horizon, and tuk-tuks and cars pass through the gate until closing. The Bayon and Angkor Thom guide covers the gates.

East Mebon

The honest verdict: Pre Rup’s quieter neighbor, for the cool season only. East Mebon, a tenth-century temple once on an island in the East Baray, stands a few minutes north of Pre Rup, with stone elephants at the corners of its terraces. It closes at 6:30 p.m. with the main grand circuit temples, so it only works when the sun sets before about 6:10 p.m., from October to February. The view west is over the dry bed of the old reservoir. The limitation: the clearing starts around 6:10 p.m., so the afterglow belongs to Pre Rup. The Banteay Samre and East Mebon guide pairs it with the other temple east of the park.

Bakong at Roluos

The honest verdict: a sunset for a Roluos afternoon, not a detour for its own sake. Bakong, the first great sandstone temple-mountain, is 15 km east of town on National Road 6, about 25 minutes by tuk-tuk, and covered by the pass. It closes at 6:30 p.m., so like East Mebon it suits the months when the sun sets before about 6:10 p.m. A working pagoda stands beside it, and monks are often in the grounds in the evening. The limitation: the view is of trees and the pagoda roof rather than a horizon. The Roluos group guide covers the three temples.

Not a temple at all

The roof of a hotel or bar in town gives a sunset with a drink and no climb, and costs nothing against the pass. The rooftop bars guide compares them. The balloon and helicopter flights over the park are the other way to see the sun go down over the temples, compared in Angkor from above.

Weather, Season and Getting There

From November to February, sunsets are clear on most evenings and the light is the cleanest of the year. December and January also bring the biggest crowds at Pre Rup and the earliest Bakheng cap.

From March to May, the sky is hazy and the sun often turns orange well above the horizon, then disappears into the haze before it reaches the treeline. It is still the most reliable sky of the hot season, and the late afternoon at 5:00 p.m. is cooler than any hour since 10:00 a.m.

From May to October, the afternoon storm arrives most days, often between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Some evenings clear into the most dramatic skies of the year, others stay grey until dark. A Pre Rup sunset during a lightning storm on an exposed pyramid is a bad idea. Srah Srang, with the road beside it, is the safer bet, and the rainy season guide explains why the mornings make up for the evenings.

Getting there: most visitors fold the sunset into a tuk-tuk day, and the driver waits at the foot of Pre Rup or Bakheng. A small circuit day costs $18 to $25 for the vehicle and a grand circuit day $25 to $30. A sunset added to a short afternoon, or a separate evening run, is priced on request. Bring a headlamp or a phone light for the steps down, and agree the meeting point with the driver before climbing, because the car parks are dark. The options are compared in tuk-tuk, car, bicycle or e-bike at Angkor.

By Situation

You arrive this afternoon

Buy a pass dated for tomorrow before 5:30 p.m. or online, enter from 4:45 p.m., and go straight to Pre Rup. The evening is free.

You want the classic photograph

Pre Rup, at the west edge of the upper terrace by 5:00 p.m. in the cool season. The Angkor photography guide covers the lenses and the light.

You are traveling with children

Srah Srang. No climb, no cap, the road beside it, and a stone landing stage to sit on. Bakheng and Pre Rup are steep in the dark on the way down.

You hate crowds

Phnom Krom, or the Angkor Thom south gate. Both are open until 7:00 p.m. and rarely busy.

It is July

Hold the sunset as an option and decide at 4:00 p.m. by the sky. If it clears, Pre Rup, with the swept terrace at about 6:40 p.m. and sunset at 6:35 p.m. If not, the moat road at Angkor Wat.

You insist on Phnom Bakheng

Arrive by 3:30 p.m., carry water, and choose a weekday outside December and January.

What It Actually Costs

A sunset costs nothing beyond the pass and the ride. Prices in US dollars.

Item	Cost	Notes
Angkor Pass, 1 day	$37	A pass dated for tomorrow admits from 4:45 p.m. today.
Angkor Pass, 3 or 7 days	$62 / $72	Any 3 days within 7, any 7 within 30.
Children under 12	Free	Passport may be requested.
Tuk-tuk, small circuit day with sunset	$18 to $25	Whole vehicle.
Tuk-tuk, grand circuit day ending at Pre Rup	$25 to $30	Whole vehicle.
Tuk-tuk to Phnom Krom	$13 to $20 round trip, as for Chong Kneas	Same road.
Car with driver, park day	$35 to $60	Air conditioning.
Water at the temple stalls	About $1 a bottle
Bakheng, Pre Rup, Srah Srang entry	Included in the pass	No extra ticket for sunset.

Change under a dollar comes in riel at about 4,000 to the dollar. Torn notes are refused. Dress for the temple, not the evening: shoulders and knees covered applies at sunset too, as the Angkor dress code guide explains.

What Other Guides Get Wrong

1. “Phnom Bakheng is the best sunset at Angkor.” It is the most famous. It caps at 300 people, fills by 4:00 p.m. on busy days and faces away from Angkor Wat. Pre Rup has the same sun and no cap.
2. “Watch the sun set behind Angkor Wat.” Angkor Wat faces west and sunset is behind the viewer. The temple glows, but the sun does not set over it.
3. “The sunset ticket is a free trick after 5:00 p.m.” It is a published rule, the entry time is 4:45 p.m., and it only works with a pass dated for the following day.
4. “The temples close at 5:30 p.m.” That was the pandemic-era schedule. The sunset temples stay open until 7:00 p.m. and most others until 6:30 p.m.
5. “Arrive at sunset.” Guards clear the upper terraces about 20 minutes before closing, and from May to August the sun sets after 6:20 p.m. Arrive an hour before, not at the time.
6. “Srah Srang is a sunset spot.” It is a sunrise spot that stays open late. At sunset the sun goes down behind you.

Where to Go Next

The 4:45 p.m. rule, the pass prices and the opening hours of every temple are in the Angkor Pass guide. The morning end of the day is in the Angkor Wat sunrise guide, and the hour-by-hour logic for every temple is in the best time of day for each Angkor temple. For a sunset away from the park, the Phnom Krom guide covers the hill above the Tonle Sap.