|
Phnom Penh Maps & Attractions Guide
Phnom Penh maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Phnom Penh
|
!
Search & Compare Cheap Phnom Penh Hotels, Holidays
& Deals
|
|
?
More Information & Other Links
|
This map is interactive: Click and drag to view the map of Phnom Penh.
Zoom in using the controls provided.
Phnom Penh
Attractions - Things to do
1. The Royal Palace
|
What is it? This is the principal attraction of the city
and contains the best examples of 20th-century Khmer architecture.
The Royal Palace is the official residence of King Norodom
Sihanouk. Although off-limits to the public, several buildings
within the gleaming yellow walls of the compound can be visited.
Set among the perfectly maintained gardens is the exquisite Throne
Hall, the Elephant Pavilion where the king's elephants were kept,
the Royal Treasury and the Chan Chaya Pavilion, made especially for
performances of classical Cambodian dance. The highlight of the
compound, the Silver Pagoda, takes its name from the floor of the
temple, which is completely covered in silver tiles. The internal
walls are decorated with frescoes depicting episodes of the
Ramayana myth, painted in 1903 by 40 Khmer artists. Also called the
Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, the magnificent baccarat crystal
image of the Emerald Buddha sits in the centre on a gilt pedestal.
There are other intricately carved Buddha images on display,
notably the life-size solid gold statue that stands in front of the
pedestal, decorated with 9,584 diamonds.
Hours of Operation: Daily 7.30am to 11am and 2.30pm to 5pm
Phone: |
2. National Museum
|
What is it? The museum houses the country's most
important collection of ancient Cambodian culture and Khmer art. It
is made up of four galleries containing relics, sculpture, art and
crafts covering history from the pre-Angkor period (4th century)
until the present. The pieces are arranged in chronological order
and the collection continues to grow as new treasures previously
hidden from the Khmer Rouge are discovered. There are also original
relics and sculptures from the temples of
Angkor.
Hours of Operation: Daily 8am to 5pm
Phone: |
3. Tuol Sleng Museum
|
What is it? When the Khmer Rouge came into power in 1975
they commandeered and converted a secondary school into a primitive
prison where they detained and tortured anyone suspected of
anti-revolutionary behaviour. Between 1975 and 1979 an estimated
20,000 victims were imprisoned in Security Prison 21, or S21, as it
was known. The museum was established after the Vietnamese invasion
of Cambodia and today it appears exactly as the fleeing Khmer Rouge
left it, and serves as a testimony to the crimes and atrocities of
the organisation. It is a tremendously depressing experience, and
the pictures, instruments of torture and bloodstained walls give a
thorough idea of the extent of the pain and horror borne by the
Cambodian people. Thousands of victims were transported from here
to the extermination camp outside the city, Choeung
Ek.
Hours of Operation: Daily 8am to 11.30am and 2.30pm to 5pm
Phone: |
4. Choeung Ek
|
What is it? Choeung Ek was the extermination camp where
the prisoners from S21 (now the Tuol Sleng Museum) were transported
to and executed. Also known as the Killing Fields after the movie
of the same name, about 17,000 people were buried here in mass
graves. A tall Memorial Stupa was constructed to commemorate the
dead and more than 8,000 skulls are displayed behind the glass. At
the entrance, a handwritten sign in Khmer and English summarises
the atrocities caused by the Khmer Rouge.
Hours of Operation: Daily except Monday from 8.30am to
4.30pm
Phone: |
Phnom Penh Holidays guide
|
Transport -Phnom Penh has a limited public transport
system, with no bus service.
More information at the |
|
|
! Bookmark
Page
| Travel Alerts FREE newsletter - cheap flight alerts + more!
Subscribe now. |
|
