The temple of Banteay Srei lies about 20km north of the main Angkor temples, and it is well worth a visit to this small sized temple highly decorated with carvings. The temple is constructed in pink sandstone and the relief and depth of the carvings, the high level of detail and decoration of the temple probably led to its modern name of 'Banteay Srei' which roughly translates to 'Citadel of Women'.

Built during the reign of king Rajendravarman, it was commissioned by one of the king's counsellors and was not a royal temple. The temple has three towers, the central and southern tower is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, and the north tower dedicated to Vishnu. Unusually there is not a tower dedicated to Brahma.

A long causeway leads up to the temple on the east side, this passes through a boundary wall and a moat surrounding the main temple. There is a viewing platform outside the wall on the northern side and there is a smaller entrance to the temple on the west side that is now closed off.

The Banteay Srei temple closes to visitors at 5:00 pm, due to the location of Banteay Srei, it is often combined with a visit to Kbal Spean / Phnom Kulen.