Must-see attractions in Phnom Penh

In 1975 Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21); it soon became…

The National Museum of Cambodia is home to the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture: a millennium’s worth and more of masterful Khmer design…

Within the Royal Palace compound is this extravagant temple, also known as Wat Preah Keo or Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Silver Pagoda is so named…

With its classic Khmer roofs and ornate gilding, the Royal Palace once dominated the skyline of Phnom Penh. It's a striking structure near the riverfront,…

Between 1975 and 1978, about 20,000 men, women, children and infants who had been detained and tortured at S-21 prison were transported to the…

A landmark building in the capital, the art deco Psar Thmei (literally 'New Market') is often called the Central Market, a reference to its location and…

Cambodia finally got a sizable contemporary arts space in 2019, when Kbach moved into three galleries covering 400 sq metres of Factory Phnom Penh. The…

This 3.4-hectare Levi's garment factory, 2km south of town, was completely transformed in 2018 into a graffiti-covered hub for entrepreneurs, artists and…

The Silver Pagoda complex is enclosed by walls plastered with an extensive and, in parts, spectacular mural depicting the classic Indian epic of the…

The main attraction in the palace compound is the Throne Hall. Topped by a 59m-high tower inspired by the Bayon at Angkor, it was inaugurated in 1919 by…

Set on top of a 27m-high tree-covered knoll, Wat Phnom is on the only ‘hill’ in town. According to legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in…

This wat is the headquarters of Cambodian Buddhism. It was founded in 1443 and comprises 44 structures. The wat received a battering during the Pol Pot…

Located at the northern end of Monivong Blvd, the French embassy played a significant role in the dramas that unfolded after the fall of Phnom Penh on 17…

Despite the lofty name, this multipurpose sports complex has never hosted an Olympic Games. Nevertheless, it's a striking example of 1960s 'New Khmer'…

Modelled on the central tower of Angkor Wat, Independence Monument was built in 1958 to commemorate the country’s independence from France in 1953. It…

Wat Moha Montrei was named in honour of one of King Monivong’s ministers, Chakrue Ponn, who initiated the founding of the pagoda (moha montrei means ‘the…

Helmed by the ever-popular Friends restaurant, this new community space aims to become the cultural heart of central Phnom Penh with a regular lineup of…

The National Library is in a graceful old building constructed in 1924, near Wat Phnom. During its rule, the Khmer Rouge turned the building into a stable…

Check out this curious iron pavilion, located south of the Throne Hall. Given to King Norodom by Napoleon III of France in 1876, it was hardly designed…

This shrine is dedicated to Kantha Bopha, one of former King Father Sihanouk’s daughters, who died of leukemia when she was just four years old. There are…