The Wat Preah Keo is Phnom Penh’s best known tourist attraction. One of the most splendid pagodas in the country, the silver pagoda certainly lives up to its name- it’s silver.   

Well, actually not all silver- but the floor is covered with 5281 silver tiles- and that is quite a lot of silver, when you come to think of it. The pagoda, built in 1962 to replace an earlier wooden structure, is quite magnificent, and houses some of Cambodia’s greatest treasures. Within its walls is a life-sized Buddha weighing 90 kg (all solid gold) and studded with 9584 diamonds (the largest is a whopping 25 karats). Other than that, there’s an exquisite Buddha crafted from Baccarat crystal and emerald.

Within the Silver Pagoda’s compound is another sight worth a visit- the temple of Wat Phnom Mondap, with its Buddhist relics- including a footprint of the Enlightened One. The entire compound wall enclosing the two Wats is covered with frescoes depicting the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana.

 The Royal Palace dates back to 1866, when the monarch, King Norodom, had it built in its typically Franco-Cambodian style: more Cambodian than French, actually. 

Currently the palace is the residence of the king and the queen, and although outsiders aren’t allowed into the palace, you can at least get a peek from the outside. Important parts of the Royal Palace include the balcony (reserved for royal appearances), the coronation hall, an open-air theatre for dance performances by the Royal Dance Troupe; and an open-air pavilion used for entertaining guests.

Another interesting pavilion is the Napoleon III pavilion, made in France (it was a gift from the French Empress Eugenie), and shipped in the early 1900s to Phnom Penh, where it was re-assembled and made a part of the Royal Palace. Also in the palace is the king’s private collection of Cambodian art-perhaps the best in the world. Outside the palace walls is the 'stable’ of the sacred white elephant that is used in parades at special occasions- royal births, weddings, and deaths.

The National Museum lies just north of the Royal Palace and contains one of the most complete collections of Cambodian art, craft and antiques in the country.  

The collection has about 5000 exhibits, dating back to the 6th century, and ranging from sculpture and paintings to palanquins and even the royal barges. It’s pretty large, and is a good place to see a glimpse- fairly comprehensive- of Cambodia’s culture. In the centre of the museum is a quiet and peaceful courtyard, with palm trees and lotus ponds- perfect for relaxing after your trek around the museum.

The highest artificial hill in Phnom Penh, the Wat Phnom is one of the city’s main centres of leisure activities- and it’s an interesting place for a tourist to visit, if for nothing other than people watching. A wealthy Khmer woman built the wat in 1434 to house four statues of the Buddha that she had discovered She is supposed to have found the statues in a tree after a terrible flood. Today, the wat is fairly significant, not just as a place of worship, but also as a centre for social and community life.

The Killing Field Museum (Tuol Sleng), are museums housed in former prisons, schools or wats that display the skulls and bones of the victims of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide. A lot of people go to see spine chilling evidence of man’s brutality to his fellow man and also to pay homage to those who died for no other reason than the fact that they were the intelligentsia or were too weak/disabled/sick to be allowed to live. Apart from this, you might like to visit Independent Monument, Cambodia’s celebration of its freedom from France. Built in 1953, the monument uses the motif of the snake (locally called 'naga’), a common Cambodian symbol. Just for a feel of the city, it’s a good idea to walk around a bit- try the Tuol Tom Market, the Psar Thmai and the Russian Market for their atmosphere.

If you’d like to venture out of Phnom Penh, there are a few places, which are good for day trips. The two temples of Tonle Bati and Phnom Chisor -the latter houses a 300-year old statue of the Buddha called the Black Lady lie south of the capital, and is good examples of Cambodian temple architecture. Around 40 km north of Phnom Penh is Oudong, the erstwhile capital of Cambodia; only a few ruins remain of the pagodas and palaces which once made up the city, but it’s still a popular place for local Khmers, who go to pay homage to former kings. Even if you’re not interested in that part of it, it’s a picturesque place.