City Highlights and the Killing Fields Day Tour

The Royal Palace, located on the riverside, is the official residence of the Cambodian King and his family. Here you will visit a range of ornate and colourful buildings with golden roofs and towering spires, that are a great examples of classic Khmer architecture. Our tour includes the Throne Hall, Napoleon III Pavilion, and the Silver Pagoda with its silver tiled floor and amazing artifacts. A visit to the Palace provides an interesting insight to Cambodia’s regal past and the richness of Khmer artistry and craftsmanship.

The impressive, Angkorian styled, Independence Monument was built in 1958 to commemorate Cambodia's 1953 independence from its colonial past under the governance of France. Located on a large roundabout, at the intersection of two major boulevards, it is in the very heart of the city. The Monument provides a notable landmark, reference point, and is the center of activity during many national celebrations.

Tuol Sleng, is a museum recording the Cambodian genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979 . The museum is the site of a former secondary school which was used as Security Prison 21 (S21) by the Khmer Rouge. A visit to this museum, and the closely associated Killing Fields, is essential to gaining understanding into the heartbreaking and tragic events that have shaped modern day Cambodian society. Toul Sleng was a place of detention, interrogation and torture, and its preservation maintains evidence of that recent and tragic period in Cambodia’s history. Visiting the museum serves to encourage visitors from around the world to promote peace.

The Killing Fields are sites around Cambodia where altogether about 1.3 million people were killed and buried by the then government under the leadership of the Khmer Rouge and Prime Minister Pol Pot. These terrible crimes against humanity are known as the Cambodian genocide. Most famous of these is Choeung Ek, a former orchard about 15 km from Phnom Penh, and now preserved as a museum for visitors to know and understand what happened during that tragic time. Choeung Ek was closely associated with the Tuol Sleng detention centre.

Central Market (Phsar Thmei) is a prominent art deco building in the shape of a cross with a spectacular central dome. The four wings of the cross are filled with stalls selling gold and silver jewellery, antique coins, fake name-brand watches and souvenirs. There are hardware stalls, a wet market, clothing and household items, food outlets…a huge range of products for sale. This is a popular place for tourists to browse, find a bargain or buy gifts and memorabilia to take home.

Wat Phnom is a Buddhist temple built on a tree-covered, man-made hill on the North side of the city. This is an historic and cultural landmark, and a place of tranquillity in the bustling city. The main stupa sits spectacularly atop the hill and enshrines the ashes of King Ponhea Yat who in 1434, arrived and built the city of Phnom Penh. Wat Phnom has become a central attraction in the city for both Khmer and overseas visitors and is a ‘must visit’ when in Phnom Penh.