9 Best Sights in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Sprawling across one large block near the riverside, the official residence of current King Sihamoni and former residence of the late King Sihanouk and Queen Monineath Sihanouk (who also still lives here) is a 1913 reconstruction of the timber palace built in 1866 by the former King Norodom. The residential areas of the palace located to the west are strictly off limits to the public, but within the main compound are several structures worth visiting, including Wat Preah Keo Morokat, aka the Silver Pagoda; the Throne Hall, with a tiered roof topped by a 200-foot-tall tower; and a pavilion donated by the Emperor Napoléon III and shipped here from France.

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, built from 1892 to 1902 and renovated in 1962, is one of Phnom Penh's greatest attractions. It's referred to as the Silver Pagoda because of the 5,329 silver tiles—more than 5 tons of pure silver—that make up the floor in the main vihear (temple hall). At the back of the vihear is the venerated Preah Keo Morokat (Emerald Buddha)—some say it's carved from jade, whereas others maintain that it's Baccarat crystal. In front of the altar is a 200-pound solid-gold Buddha studded with 2,086 diamonds. Displayed in a glass case are the gold offerings donated by Queen Kossomak Nearyreath in 1969; gifts received by the royal family over the years are stored in other glass cases. The gallery walls surrounding the temple compound are covered with beautiful murals depicting scenes from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Indian epic, the Ramayana. Pride of place outside is given to a bronze statue of King Norodom on horseback, completed in Paris in 1875 and brought here in 1892.

Within the Royal Palace grounds is Phnom Penh's greatest attraction: the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, built 1892 to 1902 and renovated in 1962. The temple is often referred to as the Silver Pagoda because of the 5,329 silver tiles—more than 5 tons of pure silver—that make up the floor in the main vihear (temple hall). At the back of the vihear is the venerated Preah Keo Morokat (Emerald Buddha)—some say it's carved from jade, whereas others maintain that it's Baccarat crystal. In front of the altar is a 200-pound solid-gold Buddha studded with 2,086 diamonds. Displayed in a glass case are the golden offerings donated by Queen Kossomak Nearyreath (King Norodom Sihamoni's grandmother) in 1969; gifts received by the royal family over the years are stored in other glass cases. The gallery walls surrounding the temple compound, which serves as the royal graveyard, are covered with murals depicting scenes from the Indian epic, the Ramayana. Pride of place is given to a bronze statue of King Norodom on horseback, completed in Paris in 1875 and brought here in 1892. There's a nearby shrine dedicated to the sacred bull Nandi.

Phnom Penh's splendid yellow colonial-era Central Market was built in the late 1930s on land that was once a swamp. This wonderfully ornate building with a soaring dome retains some of the city's once prominent art-deco style. The market's Khmer name, Phsar Thmei, translates as "new" market to distinguish it from Phnom Penh's original market, Phsar Chas (old market), near the Tonle Sap River; however, it's popularly known as Central Market. Entry into the market is through one of four grand entrances that face the directions of the compass. The main entrance, facing east, is lined with souvenir and textile merchants hawking everything from cheap T-shirts to expensive silk textiles, handicrafts, and silverware. Other stalls sell electronic goods, cell phones, watches, gold jewelry, household items, shoes, flowers, and just about anything else you can imagine. There is delicious street food sold from the stalls on the perimeter of the market.

Under Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979, thousands of prisoners who had been tortured at the infamous Tuol Sleng prison were taken to the rural Choeung Ek extermination camp—long known as the "Killing Fields"—for execution. Today, the site is a memorial consisting of a monumental glass stupa built in 1989, filled with 8,000 skulls exhumed from nearby mass graves. It's an extremely disturbing sight: many of the skulls, which are grouped according to age and gender, bear the holes and slices from the blows that killed them. Located about 14 km (9 miles) southwest of downtown Phnom Penh, the peaceful site can be reached in 30 minutes by tuk-tuk or taxi (fares start at around $12) and an excursion is often combined with a visit to the Genocide Museum. The audio tour, available in English, is excellent and included in the fee.

One of Cambodia's two main museums houses an impressive collection of archaeological treasures that have survived war, genocide, and widespread plundering. More than 14,000 artifacts and works of art chronicle the various stages of Khmer history and cultural development, from the pre-Angkor periods of Fu Nan and Zhen La (5th to 8th century) to the Indravarman period (9th century), the classical Angkor period (10th to 13th century), and post-Angkor period. A palm-shaded central courtyard with lotus ponds hosts the museum's showpiece: a sandstone statue of the Hindu god Yama, the Leper King, housed in a pavilion. Guides, who are usually waiting just inside the entrance, can add depth to a visit here, although the audio guide itself is excellent.

This popular covered market earned its nickname in the 1980s, when the wives and daughters of Russian diplomats would often cruise the stalls on the lookout for curios and antiques. Today the market has a good selection of Cambodian handicrafts and produce for sale. Wood carvings and textiles abound, as do "spirit houses" used for offerings of food, flowers, and incense. Colorful woven straw mats, hats, and baskets are popular. The market is one of the city's best sources for art objects, including statues of the Buddha and Hindu gods; you can also buy old Indochinese coins and paper money printed during different periods of Cambodia's history—though note sometimes these are just replicas. A jumble of stalls concentrated at the market's south side sells DVDs and electronics. It's also a great place to buy overstock clothes from Cambodia's numerous garment factories at a fraction of their official retail price. There are many cafes, eateries, and rooftop bars in the streets surrounding the market.

This sobering museum is a horrific reminder of the cruelty of which humans are capable. Once a neighborhood school, the building was seized by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge and turned into a prison and interrogation center, the dreaded S-21. During the prison's four years of operation, some 14,000 Cambodians were tortured here; most were then taken to the infamous Killing Fields for execution. The four school buildings that made up S-21 have been left largely as they were when the Khmer Rouge retreated in January 1979. The prison kept extensive records and photos of the victims, and many of the images and documents are on display; particularly chilling are the representations of torture scenes painted by S-21 survivor Vann Nath.

Opposite the riverfront, a block north of the National Museum, the 15th-century Wat Ounalom is now the center of Cambodian Buddhism. Until 1999 it housed the Institute Buddhique, which originally contained a large religious library destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Wat Ounalom's main vihear (temple hall), built in 1952 and still intact, has three floors; the top floor holds paintings illustrating the lives of the Buddha. The central feature of the complex is the large stupa, Chetdai, which dates to Angkorian times and is said to contain hair from one of the Buddha's eyebrows. Four niche rooms here hold priceless bronze sculptures of the Buddha. The sanctuary is dedicated to the Angkorian king Jayavarman VII.

According to legend, a wealthy woman named Penh found four statues of the Buddha hidden in a tree floating down the river, and in 1372 built this hill and commissioned this sanctuary to house them. It is this 90-foot knoll for which the city was named: Phnom Penh means "Penh Hill." Sixty years later, King Ponhea Yat had a huge stupa built here to house his ashes after his death. You approach the temple by a flight of steps flanked by bronze friezes of chariots in battle and heavenly apsara (traditional Khmer dancers and messengers of the Gods). Inside the temple hall, the vihear, are some fine wall paintings depicting scenes from the Buddha's lives, and on the north side is a charming Chinese shrine. The bottom of the hill swarms with vendors selling devotional candles and flowers, food stands serving local street food, and some beggars.