Small Circuit vs Grand Circuit and Pink-Sandstone Banteay Srei

When you discuss your plans with a Siem Reap remork driver, you will immediately hear two terms coined by early-twentieth-century French archaeologists that still organise every visit today: the Small Circuit (Petit Circuit, 17 km) and the Grand Circuit (Grand Circuit, 26 km). Understanding how these two loops interlock lets you avoid the main tour-group wave and balance monumental state temples with quiet forest ruins.

How the Small Circuit and Grand Circuit work

• The Small Circuit: loops around the core twelfth-century monuments just north of town, linking Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Bayon, Baphuon and the Terraces), Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei (facing Srah Srang reservoir). Pro tip: after watching sunrise at Angkor Wat, ask your driver to take you in reverse straight to Ta Prohm or Banteay Kdei first while almost everyone else heads to Angkor Thom South Gate, then work back toward the Bayon in the late afternoon.
• The Grand Circuit: branches north and east out of Angkor Thom's North Gate in a wider loop through four extraordinary temples that feel far more spacious and tranquil: Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som and East Mebon (plus Pre Rup for sunset).

Highlights of the Grand Circuit: Preah Khan, Neak Pean and East Mebon

Begin the Grand Circuit at Preah Khan ("Sacred Sword", 1191), a vast flat monastery built by Jayavarman VII in memory of his father. Walk from the west moat to the east moat through a telescopic perspective of sandstone doorways, past the two-storey round-columned pavilion and giant garudas carved into the outer wall. Continue east to Neak Pean, reached via a wooden boardwalk across lotus-filled water to a circular island shrine where stone serpents once fed ritual healing pools. Finish the loop at Ta Som (where a strangler fig swallows the eastern gate) and tenth-century East Mebon and Pre Rup, guarded by life-sized monolithic stone elephants.

Banteay Srei (Citadel of the Women) and outlying temples

Thirty-seven kilometres north of Siem Reap (best paired with the Grand Circuit on Day 2 of your itinerary) stands Banteay Srei, consecrated in 967 AD. Built on an intimate scale from fine-grained pinkish-red quartz sandstone, every inch of its pediments and lintels is carved like ivory with three-dimensional scenes from the Ramayana. On the drive back, stop at the Cambodia Landmine Museum or dedicate an extra morning to unrestored Beng Mealea.