Attractions in Phnom Penh

Choeung Ek is the most prominent of the more than 300 Killing Fields sites across Cambodia. Between 1975 and 1979, approximately 17,000 men, women, and children were transported from S-21 prison and executed here. A commemorative stupa containing over 8,000 skulls stands at the centre of the site.

The Royal Palace has been the residence of the King of Cambodia since its construction in 1866. The sprawling complex blends traditional Khmer architecture with French-influenced elements, featuring golden spires, ornate throne halls, and manicured gardens along the Tonlé Sap riverfront.

Wat Phnom is a Buddhist temple perched on the only natural hill in Phnom Penh — a 27-metre mound that gives the city its name. According to legend, a woman named Penh found four Buddha statues washed ashore and built a small shrine here in 1372, around which the city grew.

The Phnom Penh Central Post Office is one of the finest surviving examples of French colonial architecture in the city. Built in the early 20th century, its cream-and-ochre façade, arched windows, and classical proportions are a reminder of the French protectorate's architectural legacy.

The Olympic Stadium is a 1964 masterpiece of New Khmer Architecture designed by Vann Molyvann, Cambodia's most celebrated modern architect. Though the 1963 GANEFO Games it was built for were a modest affair, the complex — with its sweeping concrete canopies and landscaped grounds — is considered one of Southeast Asia's finest modernist buildings.

Wat Langka is one of the five original pagodas of Phnom Penh, established in 1422 to house a delegation of Pali-scripture monks from Sri Lanka (Lanka). It remains an active centre for Buddhist study and meditation, surrounded by a quiet compound in the heart of the city.

The Silver Pagoda, officially named Wat Preah Keo Morokat (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), sits within the Royal Palace compound. Its floor is paved with over 5,000 silver tiles, each weighing about one kilogram, and the temple houses Cambodia's most sacred Buddhist artefacts.

The Independence Monument stands at the intersection of Norodom and Sihanouk boulevards, commemorating Cambodia's independence from France on 9 November 1953. Its lotus-shaped tower, designed by Vann Molyvann, has become the city's most recognisable landmark.

Wat Ounalom is the most important Buddhist monastery in Cambodia, serving as the seat of the Mohanikay order — the country's largest Buddhist fraternity. Located at the northern end of Sisowath Quay, the compound includes numerous stupas, a library, and residential buildings for monks.

The Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument is a socialist realism sculpture located on the southern end of Norodom Boulevard. It depicts a Cambodian and a Vietnamese soldier with a woman holding a child, symbolising the alliance that overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

Kilometre-long riverside promenade with sunset views, exercise groups, and street-food vendors..

Social-enterprise restaurant where Cambodian street youth train as chefs, serving Khmer-fusion tapas..