Phnom Penh: what to see and do in Phnom Penh

The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda

the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh is not just a Palace, but it is a complex composed of 9 buildings where to day, the Cambodian Royal family continues to use as his residence. The silver Pagoda is a pagoda located on the inside of the area of the Royal Palace, the most striking are floors, made of tiles of solid silver, hence its name.
The whole complex forming the Royal Palace, the silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh was built in 1860, mixture of European and Asian architecture. Without a doubt one of the greatest tourist attractions of the city of Phnom Penh and visit obliged to discover the splendor of the Kingdom of Cambodia.



the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh is open to the public every day of the week from 7:30 until 11:00 and from 14:00 until 17:00.
More information on Phnom Penh 's Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda.

The National Museum of Phnom Penh

located just opposite to the Palacio Real in Phnom Penh, in the northern part, the National Museum of Cambodia. Building easily recognizable by their pointy roofs in reddish, which could well be confused with a temple or one building of the Royal Palace, houses one of the largest collections of art of the Khmer culture, with more than 14,000 exhibits.



At the National Museum of Cambodia can see sculptures, ceramics, crafts, etc... belonging to the Khmer Empire from the prehistoric period until the subsequent decline of Angkor (there is another Museum in the city of Siem Reap). The Museum was inaugurated in the year 1920 and the highlight is the permanent exhibition entitled "Treasures of Cambodia". One of the most beautiful parts of the complex are the central gardens (number 14 in the schematic drawing).

Hours and admission price to the National Museum

Phnom Penh National Museum is Open every day of the week without interruption from 8:00 to 17:00 (ticket office closes at 16:30). The entrance fee to the Museum national of Cambodia are $5, children do not pay entrance. The visit can be done alone or with an official guide of the Museum, a guided visit in Group costs additional$3 with a duration of 1 hour. The national museum guides speak English, French, khemer and Japanese.

Information of Interest National Museum

On the inside of the Museum is forbidden to take photographs or videos, however the Interior of the Museum gardens yes they can photograph (we advise you to leave backpacks on the slogan but take the camera inside the Museum).
On the street which is just behind the National Museum is the so-called Street of artists, where it is easy to find pictures, paintings, and other souvenirs.

The National Museum of Cambodia official Web: www.cambodiamuseum.info

Wat Phnom

among all the temples or the city of Phnom Penh the most famous of all wat is Wat Phnom, also called Pagoda mountain. It is a Buddhist temple built in the 14th century who at 27 meters of height makes it the highest religious construction of the city. The Wat Phnom Temple is famous for their stairs that lead up to the main Chapel and also for its gardens, where it has built a huge clock using the lawn and hedges.

Watch out! No confused Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh with Wat Phnom Banan located in the city of Battambang.

Hours and admission price to Wat Phnom

the Wat Phnom Temple is Open every day of the week from 8:00 until 18:00, entrance fee is $1.

The Central Market in Phnom Penh

on the aerial view of the city of Phnom Penh stands out a peculiar building in the form of X, this curious building of colonial style art-deco is the Phnmom Penh Central market, also known by its official name Psah Thmei. With 4 wings and a central dome, the market was built in the year 1937 and recently renovated to retrieve characteristic ochre colour that looks today, the market was built in the area occupied by a Lake antigo and today, during the rainy season, the entrance to Psah Thmei and adjacent streets often flood water.



Inside the central market selling jewelry, electronics, technology, apparel, replicas of Khmer pieces, books, guide books, etc.... On the outside the central market there are lots of little stalls selling shirts, second hand clothing, anything typical like a bazaar and curiously, also sell flowers.

Central Market Hours in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh central market is open every day of the week from 5:00 to 17:00 from inimterrumpida, access is free and open.

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum of Khmer

A visit very interesting but very hard is the Toul Sleng Museum of the Cambodian genocide (not suitable for children).



Toul Sleng was an Institute, the instituto Chao Ponhea Yat, which was converted by the Khmer Rouge in a prison: the S-21 prison. In this place they were interrogated, tortured and killed more than 20,000 men, women and children. Toul Sleng was one of 150 extermination camps of the regime of the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot. The regime, which lasted from the year 1975 to 1979, a third of Cambodia's population exterminated.



The Toul Sleng Museum is preserved as the Khmer Rouge left the installation in his flight after the Vietnamese liberation. The fearsome Khmer Rouge before fleeing killed all the prisoners that they could, surviving only 12 people.
In this gloomy place we can see how classrooms have been converted into tiny cells, corridors were opened by cutting holes in the walls and how the diabolical human mind is capable of transforming a place of study in a hell on earth.


On the outside you can see the strict rules and code of conduct to be followed by the prisoners, as well as graves of those who died in that horrible place.

Toul Sleng Museum Address

Prison S-21 or Toul Sleng Museum is located to the southwest of the city of Phnom Penh, between the street 113 and street 350.

Hours and admission price to Toul Sleng Museum

the Toul Sleng Museum opens its doors every day of the week from 8:00 until 17:00 inimterrumpidamente. The price of admission to the Toul Sleng Museum are $3.

Choeung Ek killing fields

As tourist attractions on the outskirts of Phnom Penh is Choeung Ek, better known as the extermination camps. Choeung Ek is located 15 kilometres to the South of Phnom Penh, about 25 minutes by car. In this terrible place there are buried in mass graves, more than 8,000 people, about collective graves there is a monument to the memory of the victims. Many of the victims who perished here first passed through S-21 facilities (Toul Sleng Museum today).
Undoubtedly one of the hardest points of the visit are the shelves full of human skulls.

Hours and admission price to Choeung Ek

the Choeung Ek killing fields is open every day of the week from 8:00 until 17:00 inimterrumpidamente. The price of the entrance to Choeung Ek is $2.