Tickets and passes
At ancient sites the practical questions come first, and the biggest is the ticket. Angkor is covered by a single pass, USD 37 for one day, which carries your photograph and is checked at Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Ta Prohm and the outlying temples, so keep it on you all day. The Acropolis in Athens now requires a timed entry slot on its EUR 30 ticket, and in summer the best slots sell out days ahead. In India foreigners pay INR 600 at Khajuraho, Konark and the Ellora Caves, against INR 40 for Indians. Several Mexican sites, such as Tulum, Uxmal and Palenque, charge two separate fees.
Read what a tour actually includes. At Karnak entry tickets come with some offers and not with others, and at Borobudur climbing onto the monument needs a separate, quota-limited ticket sold in timed slots, with a local guide and woven sandals included. Combined passes, such as the Heritage Malta pass that covers the Tarxien Temples or the combined ticket at Ayutthaya, save money and queues.
Heat and crowds
Heat shapes the day more than anything else. Karnak and Abu Simbel open at about 6 am, and from May to September the forecourt at Abu Simbel is fiercely hot by late morning. At Chichen Itza the best plan is to be at the gate at opening, before the coaches from Cancun arrive at midday. Teotihuacan lies at about 2,300 m with little shade and strong sun, and Paestum and the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento offer almost none. Carry water, a hat and sun cream, and keep the middle of the day for lunch or a museum.
Crowds follow predictable patterns. At Angkor Wat sunrise packs the ponds in front of the temple, and staying on after the coach groups leave for breakfast, or coming back after 2 pm, is far quieter. In summer heatwaves the Acropolis can close in the middle of the day. Teotihuacan is busiest on Sundays, when Mexican residents enter free, and around the spring equinox in late March.
Climbing rules
Climbing rules have tightened almost everywhere. The pyramid of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza has been closed to climbers since 2006, and at Teotihuacan climbing has been restricted in recent years, so check on arrival what is open. At Borobudur climbers enter in small groups with a guide at a set time, wear the special sandals and may not touch the stones or statues. The steep stairway to the Bakan, the top level of Angkor Wat, admits limited numbers and closes on Buddhist holy days. At Ayutthaya and Sukhothai climbing on the chedis and Buddha images is forbidden.
Guides and how to choose
At large, layered sites a guide earns the fee. Karnak, Luxor Temple and Angkor are hard to read without one, and a good Egyptologist or Angkor guide also solves the logistics of timing, transport and the order of the temples. Hire licensed guides only, from official desks or established operators, and check whether entry, transport and lunch are included. For a compact site such as the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens or the Roman Temple of Evora, a site plan and the catalogue page are enough.
Still sacred in places
Many ancient temples are still places of worship, and there the usual rules apply. Angkor Wat is an active temple: shoulders and knees must be covered across the park, the rule is enforced at the steps to the upper terrace of the Bayon, and hats come off in the upper sanctuary. Ask before photographing monks. At Ayutthaya and Sukhothai the Buddha images in the ruins are still venerated, so cover up and keep off them. At Khajuraho shoes come off before you climb into the temple interior, and at Ellora they come off in the Jain caves and any shrine still in worship.
Egypt, Greece and Mexico have no formal dress code at their ruins, but light clothing that covers the shoulders is both respectful and sensible in the sun. At Luxor Temple a working mosque stands on the ancient walls, and covered shoulders and knees are expected near it.
Conservation and touching
Ancient stone wears away under millions of hands. Do not touch reliefs, paintings or inscriptions, do not sit on fallen columns or lean on walls, and never take a stone or a shard as a souvenir. Flash is banned in the painted caves of Ajanta, where shoes also come off, and drones need permits almost everywhere or are banned outright. Keep to marked paths. At the Parthenon the worn marble is slippery, so flat shoes with good grip matter for safety as much as for conservation.
Common mistakes
The most common errors are practical: arriving at midday in July, booking a cheap tour that reaches the site with the coach crowds, forgetting the photo pass at Angkor, and underestimating distances, since Karnak, Angkor and Tikal all demand hours of walking. The other mistake is forgetting that some ruins are still holy. A temple that has stood empty for two thousand years and one where monks still chant each morning call for different behaviour, and the catalogue page for each site says which you are visiting.
