Temples in Southeast Asia: 10 Worth the Trip and How to Visit Them (2026)

Southeast Asia has more great temples than any one trip can cover, so the trick is picking the ones worth building a route around. These ten are the ones we’d plan for: the Khmer stone of Angkor, the Buddhist mountain of Borobudur, the ruined capital of Ayutthaya and a few quieter places that most people skip. For each one you’ll find when to go and what’s changed in 2026.

1. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Built in the early 12th century, Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world and the reason most people go to Siem Reap. Go for sunrise once, then come back in the late afternoon, when the light hits the west-facing towers and the crowds have thinned. You need an Angkor pass, which covers the whole park, and most visitors buy a three-day pass. Our guide to Angkor Wat tickets has the current prices and how to buy one.

2. The Bayon and Ta Prohm, Cambodia

Inside the same park, these two feel completely different from Angkor Wat. The Bayon, at the center of Angkor Thom, is a crowd of stone towers carved with more than two hundred calm, smiling faces. Ta Prohm has been left partly to the jungle, with silk-cotton and fig roots splitting the walls. Do them early in the morning, before the tour groups. Our guide to visiting Angkor from Siem Reap suggests an order for the temples.

3. Banteay Srei, Cambodia

About an hour north of the main temples, Banteay Srei is small, built in pink sandstone and covered in the finest carving at Angkor. It’s a good way to end a morning, and it pairs well with a stop at the landmine museum nearby. See our page on Banteay Srei and the outer temples.

4. Borobudur, Indonesia

Borobudur, in central Java, is a 9th-century Buddhist monument built as a stepped mountain, with more than 2,600 relief panels and rows of Buddhas in stupas on the upper terraces. To protect the stone, climbing the structure is limited. You book a climbing ticket online through the official site rather than at the gate, you go up with a guide, and you wear the special footwear handed out at the start. Indonesian press reported in November 2025 that the daily limit was raised from 1,200 to 4,000 people, so it’s easier to get a slot than it was, but still book ahead. Without a climbing ticket you can walk the grounds and see the monument from below. More on our Borobudur page.

5. Prambanan, Indonesia

An hour from Borobudur, near Yogyakarta, Prambanan is the great Hindu temple of Java, also from the 9th century. Its tall, pointed shrines to Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu are lovely at sunset. Borobudur and Prambanan were listed by UNESCO in the same year, 1991, and most people see them on consecutive days.

6. Ayutthaya, Thailand

Ayutthaya was the Siamese capital for four centuries after it was founded in 1350, until Burmese armies burned it in 1767. What’s left are brick chedis, headless Buddhas and the famous stone head caught in the roots of a tree at Wat Mahathat. It’s a day trip from Bangkok, by road or by boat on the Chao Phraya, and it’s been a World Heritage site since 1991. Go early. By midday there’s very little shade.

7. Wat Pho and Wat Arun, Bangkok

In Bangkok, Wat Pho has the 46-meter reclining Buddha and is the home of traditional Thai massage. Across the river, Wat Arun is covered in pieces of Chinese porcelain and looks best from the water in the early evening. Both are near the Grand Palace, so they fit into one morning. Dress for temples: shoulders and knees covered. Our guide to things to do in Bangkok has more.

8. Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, Chiang Rai

This one isn’t old. The artist Chalermchai Kositpipat began rebuilding it in 1997, and it’s still being added to. The whole temple is white, set with mirror glass, and the murals inside mix Buddhist themes with pop-culture figures you won’t expect. Since January 2026, foreign visitors pay 200 baht to enter, while Thais go in free. Our White Temple guide covers the rest of Chiang Rai too.

9. Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang’s most beautiful temple has sweeping roofs that come down almost to the ground and a back wall covered in a glass-mosaic tree of life. The town around it has been on the UNESCO list since 1995. Go in the early morning, when the monks are about and the light is soft. See things to do in Luang Prabang.

10. Wat Phou, southern Laos

Wat Phou is a Khmer temple on a hillside near Champasak, older than Angkor Wat and far quieter. You climb a long stone stairway lined with frangipani to the sanctuary at the top, with the plain and the Mekong spread out below. It’s been a World Heritage site since 2001 and fits easily into a trip to the Four Thousand Islands. Our guide to things to see in Laos shows how.

Also worth knowing

My Son, in central Vietnam, is a valley of red-brick Cham temples about an hour from Hoi An, listed by UNESCO in 1999. It was badly damaged in the war, but it’s still a striking place early in the morning.

Bagan and the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar would be on any list like this. For now, though, the US State Department’s advice for Myanmar is Level 4, Do Not Travel (May 2026), so we’d leave them out of your plans.

How to fit them into a trip

Angkor, Ayutthaya and Bangkok sit naturally on the same route, and Luang Prabang is a short flight from either Bangkok or Siem Reap. Borobudur and Prambanan are best done from Yogyakarta, which you can combine with Bali. Our Southeast Asia itinerary shows routes for two to four weeks, and the UNESCO sites guide has more places on the list.

Everywhere, cover your shoulders and knees, take your shoes off where you see others do it, and don’t touch or climb on Buddha images. November to February is the coolest and driest time for most of these temples. In Java, the dry season runs from about April to October.

Planning it with us

We plan private trips across Southeast Asia with your own guide in each country, so temple visits can be timed around the light and the crowds. My Way Travel is rated 4.8 to 5.0 on Tripadvisor across its listings in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Spain, Germany and the United States, with more than 3,000 reviews in total. Tell us which temples you’d like to see and we’ll build the route around them.

Sources: Antara and TIMES Indonesia on Borobudur climbing rules (November 2025, read in Indonesian); Ayutthaya Provincial Office and Silpa-Mag on Ayutthaya (read in Thai); Chiang Rai Times on the Wat Rong Khun fee (Thai edition); UNESCO World Heritage listings; US State Department travel advisory for Burma. Last checked October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous temple in Southeast Asia?

Angkor Wat in Cambodia, built in the early 12th century and the largest religious monument in the world.

Can you still climb Borobudur?

Yes, with a climbing ticket booked online through the official site, a guide and the special footwear provided. The daily quota was raised to 4,000 people in November 2025.

What is the best time to visit temples in Southeast Asia?

November to February for Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, when it’s cooler and dry. In Java, April to October. Visit early in the morning wherever you are.

How much does the White Temple in Chiang Rai cost?

Foreign visitors pay 200 baht from 1 January 2026. Thai nationals enter free.

What should you wear to temples in Southeast Asia?

Clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. Some temples lend sarongs, but it’s easier to bring a light scarf or long trousers.