PhnomPenh Map

Phnom Penh is a heart of Cambodia. There are four rivers to meet each other Makong river, Tonle Sap, Basak river and Chaktomok river. The popular place for the people go are super market, royal palace.....

List of Phnom Penh Administrative Units
Name of district khan (since January 2003)	Number of communes sangkat (since September 2006)	Number of villages phum (since December 2006)
Chamkarmon	12 sangkats	95 kroms
Daun Penh	11 sangkats	134 kroms
Prampir Makara	8 sangkats	33 kroms
Tuol Kork	10 sangkats	143 kroms
Dangkor	15 sangkats	143 kroms
Meanchey	8 sangkats	30 kroms
Russei Kaew	12 sangkats	59 kroms

PhnomPenh Information

Legend has it that in 1372, a local widow named Penh discovered four Buddha statues that had been washed up by the waters from the Mekong River. She saw them as bearers of good fortune and erected a temple on the hill to house them, and so the city grew around this structure, known as the Hill of Penh (Phnom Penh).

Once considered to be the loveliest of Indochina's French-built cities, this untidy capital sprawls at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonlé Sap Rivers. Concrete buildings in need of repair, unsealed roads riddled with potholes and a confusion of boulevards crammed with traffic, all make uninviting first impressions. Traces of Khmer and colonial eras can be found in the little details, redeeming those first hasty conclusions. These can be found in the heart of the city where French villas and street-side cafes perch along tree-lined boulevards and the occasional majestic Khmer building catches the eye.

Phnom Penh has a number of Wats (temple-monasteries), museums and other places of interest in and around the city, as well as sunset cruises on the Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers, and a bustling market place. There has also been a recent boom of new hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs sprouting up through the city and a nightlife that promises fun and flavor.

Phnom Penh has a limited public transport system, with no bus service. The city is relatively small and is easy to negotiate on foot. Taxis can usually be arranged through hotels, though can also be telephoned or found outside hotels. Taxis are not metered. Bicycle rickshaws ( cyclos) are widely used, but are best for short distances only and motorbike taxis are a popular option. Fares should be negotiated before hand. Car rental agencies are available, as well as motorbike hire, but traffic can be hectic.

The Royal Palace

This is the principal attraction of the city and contains the best examples of 20th-century Khmer architecture. The Royal Palace is the official residence of King Norodom Sihanouk. Set among the perfectly maintained gardens is the exquisite Throne Hall, the Elephant Pavilion where the king's elephants were kept, the Royal Treasury and the Chan Chaya Pavilion, made especially for performances of classical Cambodian dance. Although mostly off-limits to the public, the Silver Pagoda can be visited. The highlight of the compound, the Silver Pagoda, takes its name from the floor of the temple, which is completely covered in silver tiles. The internal walls are decorated with frescoes depicting episodes of the Ramayana myth, painted in 1903 by 40 Khmer artists. Also called the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, the magnificent baccarat crystal image of the Emerald Buddha sits in the center on a gilt pedestal. There are other intricately carved Buddha images on display, notably the life-size solid gold statue that stands in front of the pedestal, decorated with 9,584 diamonds.

Address: No. 63, Street 348, Sangkat Toul Svay Prey II, Khan Chamkamorn

Phone Number: (0)2 321 1593

Hours: Daily 7.30am to 11am and 2.30pm to 5pm

Admission: US$3; additional camera charge US$2

National Museum

The museum houses the country's most important collection of ancient Cambodian culture and Khmer art. It is made up of four galleries containing relics, sculpture, art and crafts covering history from the pre-Angkor period (4th century) until the present. The pieces are arranged in chronological order and the collection continues to grow as new treasures previously hidden from the Khmer Rouge are discovered. There are also original relics and sculptures from the temples of Angkor.

Address: Next to the Royal Palace on Streets 178 and 13

Website: www.cambodiamuseum.info

Hours: Daily 8am to 5pm

Admission: US$3

Tuol Sleng Museum

When the Khmer Rouge came into power in 1975 they commandeered and converted a secondary school into a primitive prison where they detained and tortured anyone suspected of anti-revolutionary behavior. Between 1975 and 1979 an estimated 20,000 victims were imprisoned in Security Prison 21, or S21, as it was known. The museum was established after the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and today it appears exactly as the fleeing Khmer Rouge left it, and serves as a testimony to the crimes and atrocities of the organization. It is a tremendously depressing experience, and the pictures, instruments of torture and bloodstained walls give a thorough idea of the extent of the pain and horror borne by the Cambodian people. Thousands of victims were transported from here to the extermination camp outside the city, Choeung Ek.

Address: Corner of 113 and 350 Streets

Hours: Daily 8am to 11.30am and 2.30pm to 5pm

Admission: US$2

Choeung Ek

Choeung Ek was the extermination camp where the prisoners from S21 (now the Tuol Sleng Museum) were transported to and executed. Also known as the Killing Fields after the movie of the same name, about 17,000 people were buried here in mass graves. A tall Memorial Stupa was constructed to commemorate the dead and more than 8,000 skulls are displayed behind the glass. At the entrance, a handwritten sign in Khmer and English summarises the atrocities caused by the Khmer Rouge.

Address: Just over 9 miles (15km) southwest of Phnom Penh

Hours: Daily

Admission: US$2