Phnom Penh

Cambodian Living Arts is a non-profit organisation dedicated to reviving and preserving Cambodia's traditional performing arts, which were nearly destroyed under the Khmer Rouge. Their evening performances at the National Museum feature Apsara dance, shadow puppetry, and classical music.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, also known as S-21, occupies a former high school that the Khmer Rouge converted into a secret prison and interrogation centre from 1975 to 1979. An estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned here, of whom only a handful survived. Today it serves as a museum and memorial.

Former high school converted into a Khmer Rouge interrogation prison, now a genocide museum..

The National Museum of Cambodia is the country's leading historical and archaeological museum, holding the world's largest collection of Khmer art. Housed in a striking terracotta-red building from 1920, it covers Cambodian history from prehistoric times through the Angkorian period to the present.

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.

Memorial site and museum at the former Khmer Rouge execution ground, with a glass stupa containing 5,000 skulls..

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 Phnom Penh Night Market sets up along the riverfront near Sisowath Quay on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. It offers a mix of local fashion, handicrafts, street food, and live entertainment, drawing both locals and tourists for evening strolls.

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.

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 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 Botum Park is a small public green space adjacent to the Wat Botum pagoda, just south of the Royal Palace. It is one of the few manicured parks in central Phnom Penh and serves as a gathering place for locals who come for morning exercise, tai chi, and quiet relaxation.

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.

Phsar Thmei, known as the Central Market, is a striking 1937 Art Deco building designed by French architect Jean Desbois. Its distinctive yellow dome — one of the largest in the world at the time of construction — crowns four symmetrical wings that radiate outward like a cross.

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.

Koh Pich, or Diamond Island, is a 100-hectare island development at the confluence of the Mekong and Bassac rivers. Once marshland, it has been transformed into a modern leisure district with parks, fountains, and entertainment venues that attract Phnom Penh residents every evening.

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 Boeung Kak area, once Phnom Penh's most famous backpacker lakeside neighbourhood, has been transformed after controversial land-filling in 2010–2012. Despite the loss of the lake, the remaining community has evolved into a creative neighbourhood with murals, community spaces, and a spirit of resilience.

Japanese-owned modern mall — air-conditioned respite with international brands and a cinema..