Royal Palace, Phnom Penh

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What I really love the most in Phnom Penh is The Royal Palace. It is situated on the bank of the Mekong river. It was built over a century ago and begun by King Norodom I. We can see the Khmer architecture inside which are so admirable. In the Royal Palace Compound is the Silver Pagoda where the Emerald Buddha is situated. We can enjoy the impressive cultural heritage of Asia.
The Royal Palace is opened to public daily but it closes from 11:00 to 2:00. Make sure you will leave the place before the closing hour or the guards will force you to leave. The entrance fee is $ 6.25 for foreigners and extra $ 2 for camera fees. But, be careful that there are some buildings which are prohibited to take photographs.

It is really awesome, I recommend.

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It is a striking structure near the riverfront, bearing a remarkable likeness to its counterpart in Bangkok. It stands on the site of the former citadel, Banteay Kev and looks out on to Samdech Sothearos Blvd between street 184 and street 240. Visitors are only allowed to visit the palace's Silver Pagoda and its surrounding compound.

It is an extra USD2 to take in a camera and USD5 for a video camera. However, photography is not permitted inside the pagoda itself.

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The Royal Palace was built in 1866 on the banks of the Mekong River., though there are many buildings that were added over the following decades.

Inside the walls you will find the Throne Hall, the Chan Chaya Pavilion, the Napoleon III Pavilion, offered to King Norodom by Queen Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, and the King's and Queen's residential quarters.

However now you can only go into the Silver Pagoda. This is also called the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha and is in the grounds of the Royal Palace. The floor of the Pagoda is constructed of 5000 silver tiles.

In the center of the pagoda there is a magnificent 17th-century emerald Buddha statue made of baccarat crystal. The walls enclosing the pagoda are covered with frescoes depicting episodes from the Khmer version of the Ramayana. This pagoda is the most visited due to its display of priceless historical objects.

Definitely worth a visit.

Entry Fee: $$3 per person, $2 per camera, $5 per video camera

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Built in 1866 the Royal Palace was high on my list of "must sees" in Cambodia and it didn't disappoint. There was a bit of a line going in and anyone with shorts or sleeveless shirts were not admitted. Scarves over sleeveless shirts were also refused entrance.

The Palace and temple was everything we expected .The buildings with their glistening coloured tiled roofs were stunning! The Palace actually consists of many building that were built over time .Many of the buildings of the Royal Palace, were constructed using traditional Khmer architectural . It still serves today as the Residence of the King .The King's living area, which actually takes up half of the total palace ground area is closed to the public.

I particularly like the long house ,fronted by narrow covered corridors. The walls of the corridors were painted by typical landscape scenes

We spent over an hour here for our visit and we could have spent longer ,but by now the hot humid afternoon weather was beginning to take its toll.

Note: The Royal Palace opens daily but closes from 11:00-14:00. Entrance fee is US$6.25. No photography is allowed inside the Silver Pagoda and some of the Palace buildings.

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The royal palace is set on a road adjacent to the Mekong river, if you arrive early before the gates open you can get some refreshment from the street vendors opposite the gate. I seem to recall the palace does not open until around 10am, which meant we had a bit of time to have a walk down the river.

Once inside the palace there are a number of buildings and temples you can go into.There are also some beautiful khymer statues in the grounds to admire. It takes a good two hours to look round properly so make sure you take some liquid refreshment in with you. On entry you are given a map or you can hire one of the guides to give you some more indepth information.

Note : Photography is prohibited in some buildings most notably the silver pagoda and there are keepers on hand to keep an eye on those trying to flaunt the rules.

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On the way out of the Royal Complex are two buildings containing artefacts used in the royal procession of King Norodom Sihamoni during his coronation in October 2004. On display are various procession group figures bearing the national, religious and monarchy flags, a drum of victory, spears of victory, swords of victory, crown jewels and other ceremonial objects.

This mostly cast-iron pavilion was originally erected in Ismailia, Egypt for French Empress Eugenie during the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869. It was then presented to King Norodom by Napoleon III and reassembled here in 1876. Today it is an art gallery of oil paintings and photos of the former Kings of Cambodia.

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This building is located on the left as you look at the Throne Hall. It was built between 1915-17 and is used to house the Cambodia Royal regalia and other court ceremonial accoutrements. You can visit the exhibits on display, inside, which include The Great Crown of Victory, The Great White umbrella of state, The Sacred Sword, The Victory Spear, The Fan and clothing worn during King Sihamoni's coronation. At the rear, note the seven mannequins wearing seven days' worth of colours.