Royal Palace, Cambodia

One Day Independent Phnom Penh Highlights Travel by Tuk-tuk

Tour Code: TKH201
► Independent Route: Royal Palace → National Museum → Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison) → Killing Fields of Choeung EK

► Recommended Transport: Tuk-tuk, which is the most popular mode of transport in Cambodia for locals and tourists alike. It can accommodate 2 to 3 people, and the price is usually 2 to 3 dollars per time if you travel around the downtown area. The total fare should be agreed clearly in advance.
  Routes: and Schedules
8:00 - 10:00 Visit the Royal Palace
The Royal Palace, built in 1866 by the French, is located in the heart of Phnom Penh, so if you stay in the downtown area, it is convenient for you to take a walk or tuk-tuk there. There are more than 20 buildings setting in gorgeous lush gardens inside the Palace. You can see good examples of traditional Khmer architecture and also French colonial architecture. The whole palace is divided into two parts, the north and the south. Visitors are not allowed to explore the north part given that the royal family remains in residence.

► Must-sees: The Golden Pagoda, also known as the Throne Hall; The Silver Pagoda, which houses many stunning Buddha statues and murals, including the priceless Emerald Buddha and the 90-kilogram golden Buddha inlaid with thousands of diamonds; the Hindu Ramayana epos painted in the year of 1900 on the outside wall of the Silver Pagoda.
► Admission Fee: USD10; optional guide USD10 per hour.
► Opening Hours: 7:30 - 11:00 and 14:00 - 17:00. Entry is not allowed one hour before the palace closes, which means you cannot enter at 10:00 to 14:00 and after 16:00. Please well plan your time.
► Recommended Sightseeing Time: 1.5 to 2 hours
► Photography: No photography is allowed inside any of the buildings.

► Tips: 
• The door in the middle of the palace is open to royal guests. Tourists can only enter from the side door. 
• The best time to visit this palace is in the early morning since all the buildings face east.
• You cannot wear too revealing clothes when entering the palace. It is recommended to wear a shirt with sleeves and knee-length pants or skirts, otherwise, you may be refused entry.
• To enter the Golden and Silver pagodas, you need to take off your shoes and hat.
Royal Palace
Royal Palace
10:00 - 12:00 Visit the National Museum 
From the Royal Palace, you can walk for around 10 minutes to the National Museum, which is an architecturally beautiful museum with manicured gardens. The museum showcases a good selection of art and historical artifacts dating back to the 4th century. The collection of Angkor-era statues including the one return by the Metropolitan Museum in New York is attractive. Although not big, the museum could enable you to trace the ancient Khmer history and culture.

► Admission Fee: USD10 for adult & USD5 for ages between 10-17; the ticket booth and entrance are at the corner of Street 13 and Street 178.
► Opening Hours: Every day from 08:00 to 17:00; stop selling tickets at 4:30 pm.
► Recommended Sightseeing Time: 1.5 hours
► Photography: It is not allowed within the museum galleries.
► Tips: If you don't plan to donate, don't accept the jasmine bouquet from the old lady in the museum. Cambodians usually use a jasmine bouquet or a bunch of hanging bananas to offer to the Buddha.
National Museum
National Museum
12:00 - 13:30 Enjoy Lunch of Authentic Local Food
Not far from the road diagonally opposite the entrance of the museum, there are many restaurants along both sides of the street, among which the Kabbas is the one we recommend to you. It is a small restaurant, but popular with its delicious local food and reasonable prices. The staff can speak very good English. Hope you will enjoy your lunch there.

13:30 - 15:30 Visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison) 
Tuol Sleng is about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the National Museum, so you could take a tuk-tuk there at USD3 to USD4. Once a secondary school, it was changed into the concentration camp operated by the Khmer Rouge under the murderous Pol Pot regime from 1975 to 1979. It is a hard and shocking experience to see the torture devices, prison rooms, photographs and descriptions of what those innocent victims had gone through in this on-site museum.

► Admission Fee: USD5 for adult & USD3 for ages between 10-18; USD3 for audio guide.
► Opening Hours: Every day from 08:00 to 17:00.
► Recommended Sightseeing Time: 1.5 to 2 hours
► Photography: It is allowed for non-commercial, personal or research use.

15:30 - 17:30 Visit the Killing Fields of Choeung EK
The Killing Fields of Choeung EK is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the downtown area. You could continue to take a tuk-tuk to get there at around USD15 for a round trip, or take a taxi at around USD25, including waiting time.

Many of those who were tried and tortured in Security Prison No. 21 were sent to the killing fields for mass execution. This killing field which used to be an orchard, is only one of the many killing fields spread across the country and witnessed the death of many lives. Now in the middle of this site, Cambodians have built 17-story pagoda to pray for peace.

► Admission Fee: USD6 including a multilingual audio guide and headphone; Audio guide is highly recommended. Payment must be in cash.
► Opening Hours: Every day from 07:30 to 17:30.
► Recommended Sightseeing Time: 1.5 hours
► Photography: There were few photo restrictions here.

17:30 Get back to the Hotel
After this one day independent trip, please take a tuk-tuk or taxi back the hotel.
This trip can be customized to meet your individual needs!
Why Choose Us?