Phnom Penh places to visit

Once considered the "Paris of the East", Phnom Penh was built at the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers. The Kingdom of Cambodia's violent past, which was once a French colony, continues to have a strong influence on Phnom Penh today. The city is taking steps forward. On the wide streets, people are smiling and chatting comfortably, friendly – a rare thing in big cities.
Threeland will accompany you to discover the beautiful capital of Cambodia - Phnom Penh right here!

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are adjacent to each other. With an area stretching 174,870 square meters with spectacular impressive Khmer architecture and verdant trees. This is the residence of the Cambodian royal family since the 1860s.
Visitors can see that the pavilion of the complex is a great example of classical Khmer architecture. In particular, both the Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda area - located in a manicured garden - are open to the public. You will visit the throne hall built in 1917, they have been replaced by an earlier wooden structure.

The most famous Silver Pagoda in Cambodia, originally built of wood in 1866, was expanded in 1962 by King Sihanouk. This is the home of the Emerald Buddha and a giant 90 kg gold Buddha image encrusted with thousands of diamonds.
Visitors can explore the vertical drawers containing gifts for the royal family and dignitaries inside. Along the inside of the recently restored 600-metre external wall is a colourful mural depicting scene from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana.
Open daily (except some celebrations of big ceremonies as announced one day before) start from 8:00am to 11:00am and from 2:00pm to 5:00pm and ticket stop selling 30 minutes before close of each time.

National Museum

The National Museum of Cambodia is a place where you can find the cultural side of Cambodia's history dating back to the 4th century. With their impressive red sandstone architecture and inaugurated in 1920, they are called the Albert Museum. Sarraut during the French colonial period. It stands out and is meant as a beautiful illustration of traditional Khmer architecture.
Inside, the array of ancient Khmer art is resplendent, which displays more than 1,800 objects. This is a must-visit for anyone interested in Cambodian history.

The main highlight of the galleries in the museum is the head of Vishnu excavated near the vast Angkor Wat temple complex. Did you know that the Angkorian collection is amazing, with statues from the temples of Koh Ker and Angkor Thom. Along with a large exhibition of pre-Angkorian artifacts traces the Funan and Chan Lap periods of Cambodia.
The museum is open daily from 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m and tickets stop at 4:00 pm. with an entrance fee of $10 per person. Visitors should pay attention to the opening and closing times to schedule a visit accordingly.

Toul Sleng (Prison S21)

Formerly, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was formerly Tuol Svay Pray High School. It was later turned into a center for interrogation, torture, and execution by the Khmer Rouge regime. Also known as S-21 Prison, an estimated 17,000 Cambodians entered this notorious site with unparalleled brutality. The horrible truth is that only 7 people survive until the end of the mode.

In particular, almost all the prisoners brought here were former members of the Khmer Rouge. They were the ones who were deposed in one of the regime's many internal purges. There are photographic evidence displayed on the walls of the sparse cells giving a realistic feel, besides the empty beds are lonely.
Of note is the entrance to the museum on the west side of 113 St, just north of 350 St. Opening hours daily from 8 am to 5 pm. Admission is US$5 per passenger.

Cheung Ek (Field of Death)

The guest name of the Killing Fields is the Cheung Ek Memorial. It is a bone-chilling reminder of Cambodia's tragic history.
The field is only about 17 km south of Phnom Penh city. This destination is a memorable reminder of the persecution of the Khmer Rouge, the brutal regime, intent on transforming Cambodia into a socialist peasant society, ruling the country from 1975 to early 2015. 1979.
The truth is that in less than four years, an estimated one to three million Cambodians were killed under Pol Pot's dictatorial command. This relic houses about 17,000 men, women, children and infants (including nine Westerners), held and tortured at S-21 prison (now Tuol Sleng Tang). All were transported to destroy to avoid wasting precious bullets.

A total of the remains of 8,985 people, many of whom were bound and blindfolded, were unearthed in 1980 from mass graves in this old orchard. Officials discovered 43 of the 129 graves of the communes here are still intact. They found human bones and pieces of cloth scattered around the decomposing pits. Unearth more than 8000 skulls, sorted by gender, visible behind the transparent glass panels of the Memorial Stupa.
Passengers pay attention to opening hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an entrance price of USD 3 per person.

Wat Phnom

Compensation on top of a tree covered mountain 27m high. In particular, Wat Phnom is the only hill in the town.
This is actually a house located on a hill to the north of the capital Phnom Penh. The first religious building in this place was built in the 14th century. Accordingly, this temple was restored and rebuilt over the years, in 1434, 1806, 1894 and 1926 respectively.

Wat Phnom is famous as the symbol of Cambodia's capital city. This temple is regularly converted by slow-visiting local devotees, who come to pray, bring small offerings or engage in meditation.
Visitors pay attention to opening: Daily from 8 am to 5 pm with entrance fee 1 USD / person

Independence Monument (Vimean Ekareach)

It is an Angkorian-style tower, inimitable in the whole city, located in the heart of the capital.
This monument was built in 1958 and inaugurated in 1962 during the Sangkum Reastr regime on the occasion of Cambodia's Sybilles Independence Day. Immediately after regaining independence from the French protectorate on November 9, 1953, they were built. In recent years, the Monument has attracted a lot of tourists because of its strange appearance but unique style that is different from the buildings in the city.

This place is also used as a place to commemorate the Cambodian patriots who died for the country.
This is a war memorial of the dead Cambodia. At night, they are illuminated with red, blue and white floodlights, the colors of the Cambodian flag. More importantly, it is the venue for celebrations and services on holidays such as Cambodia's Independence Day and Constitution Day.

Mekong Sunset River Cruise

There is no better way to enjoy a wonderful evening than relaxing along the Mekong or Tonle Sap Rivers. That's when the sun fades into the horizon to mark the end of another day. Visitors have many options, varying in price and quality of each sightseeing trip.

You can choose a normal boat excursion with a 1-hour cruise for Sunset. Or if you're looking for a variety of boat trips, including dinner buffets and entertainment, Tara Boats and Kanika are a great choice.

Local market

The very famous Central Market (Phsar Thmey) was designed by French architects Jean Desbois and Wladimir Kandaouroff. This indoor market was the largest of its kind in Asia when it was built in 1937.
Visitors can also find a wide variety of goods in the Central Market (Phsar Thmey) at reasonable prices. Items range from men's and women's clothing, jewelry, flowers and shoes to gems, local handicrafts and fresh produce.

Russian Market (Toul Tom Poung) is the most famous market for tourists and foreigners. Many people think that this place is probably the best place to buy souvenirs for friends and relatives. From the outside, it's not much. Once inside, however, you'll find everything from beautifully hand-carved statues to colorful lanterns and handmade silk scarves. Even the fake bags, printed t-shirts and DVDs look incredibly sophisticated.
The reason why it is called the Russian market is because it was a popular market among Russian expats in the 1980s. At that time, when most Western expats in Phnom Penh were Russians.

Silk Island (Koh Dach)

Koh Dach is one of the Mekong River islands near the capital Phnom Penh, only about 15 km north of the city center.
If you want to temporarily get away from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh, you can venture into a world of peace and tranquility that is Koh Dach.
The island is surrounded by views of rice fields, vegetable farms and orchards. As a result, Mekong Island is not only a place for an exciting day trip or picnic but also allows visitors the opportunity to experience the country's authentic culture at its best.

In addition, this is also one of the outstanding traditional handicraft centers in Cambodia. Gather and bring together artisans of silk weaving, pottery, woodcarving and dyeing skills in its villages.
The best way to reach this Island is by boat from Phnom Penh. You can then rent a tuk tuk or bicycle to explore this island. The whole round trip only takes about 2.5 hours to 3 hours or more conveniently you can get there by car.

Mount Oudong

Oudong is a town and at the foot of this hill of the same name. This place is only about 40 km north of the capital Phnom Penh. This tourist destination offers an escape into the rural countryside with its hilltop overlooking the vast plains providing an enjoyable experience for visitors.
There are three names for this hill: Phnom Udong, Phnom Preah Reach Troap and Phnom Edthareus.
This mountain consists of the peaks of five hills: Chetdei, Trai Treung, Chetdei Kampul Buon, Preah Ang Chol Nipean and Ariya Kasaks. The peaks of Chetdy and Trai Treung have the same elevation. Did you know the area of Phnom Udong is about 1,500 meters by 700 meters from east to west.

Therefore, this mountain is also famous for its cultural heritage and was once used as a capital city in the years 1618-1866.

Thank you for reading Threeland's article. We hope that, with the above knowledge will help your trip go well.