20 Feb
Cambodian Cultural Village
It may be kitsch, it may be kooky, but it’s very popular with Cambodians and provides a diversion for families travelling with children. This is the Cambodian Cultural Village, which tries to represent all of Cambodia in a whirlwind tour of recreated houses and villages
20 Feb
Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre
The Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre is a worthwhile place to include on a trip to Banteay Srei and the Cambodia Landmine Museum.
20 Feb
Phnom Bakheng
When King Yasovarman I (r 889-910) moved the capital to Angkor proper, he built Phnom Bakheng as his capital. The temple, a 65m five-tiered pyramid, is a study of Hindu numerology. At the summit, five towers form a quincunx to echo the five peaks of the heavenly mountain.
20 Feb
Angkor National Museum
Looming large on the road to Angkor is the Angkor National Museum, a state-of-the-art showpiece on the Khmer civilisation and the majesty of Angkor.
20 Feb
Wat Ounalom
This wat is the headquarters of Cambodian Buddhism. It was founded in 1443 and comprises 44 structures. It received a battering during the Pol Pot era, but today the wat has come back to life. The head of the country’s Buddhist brotherhood lives here, along with a large number of monks.
20 Feb
Ta Prohm
The laterite temple of Ta Prohm was built by King Jayavarman VII (r 1181–1219) on the site of an ancient 6th-century Khmer shrine.
20 Feb
Independence Monument
Modelled on the central tower of Angkor Wat, Independence Monument was built in 1958 to commemorate the country’s independence from France in 1953.
20 Feb
Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
Between 1975 and 1978 about 17,000 men, women, children and infants who had been detained and tortured at S-21 were transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. They were often bludgeoned to death to avoid wasting precious bullets.
20 Feb
National Museum of Cambodia
Located just north of the Royal Palace, the National Museum of Cambodia is housed in a graceful terracotta structure of traditional design (built 1917–20), with an inviting courtyard garden. The museum is home to the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture – a millennium’s worth and more of masterful Khmer design.
20 Feb
Wat Phnom
Set on top of a 27m-high tree-covered knoll, Wat Phnom is on the only ‘hill’ in town. According to legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in 1373 to house four statues of Buddha deposited here by the waters of the Mekong River and discovered by Madame Penh.
