The Royal Palace of Cambodia is a complex of buildings along with numerous other interesting buildings within the 183,135 square meters (421m x 435m) compound is The Khemarin Palace, also known as Prasat Khemarin or the “Palace of the Khmer King, even though it is generally understood to be the royal abode of the King of Cambodia. The compound was the citadel of King Ponhea Yat (1393-1463) and rebuilt to its present state in 1886, when King Norodom (1834-1904) relocated the royal capital from Oudong to Phnom Penh. The buildings with beautiful towering spires are a great example of classic Khmer architecture found in Cambodia today and also the officially residence of His Majesty, King Norodom Sihamoni.
Presently, Royal Palace used to be the symbol of the imperial power of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the residence of the royal family. In Khmer language, the full name of Royal Palace of Phnom Penh is Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk. The modern Royal Palace was designed by a famous French engineer, dating back to the end of the 19th century. The resplendent and magnificent Royal Palace is the typical Cambodia building, situated in the east of Phnom Penh and facing the confluence of Mekong River and Tonle Sap River. It is a magnificent building with golden roof and yellow walls surrounding it, consisting of over 20 palaces of various sizes, such as the golden palace, the silver palace and the treasure palace with exquisite reliefs on the winding corridors. The treasure palace is inside the golden palace, displaying precious treasures. Among all the buildings in the palace, the silver palace is the most gorgeous one, whose ground is paved with over 4,700 silver bricks. In the palace, there is also a natural jade Buddha statue with the height of about 60 centimeters, regarding as the national treasure of Cambodia. It is also the holy land for the Buddhist devotions of the successive kings.
- Opening Hours: Open daily 7:30am-11:00am / 2:00pm-5:00pm.
- Admission Fees: $3.00/person, $2.00/camera, $5.00/video camera.
- Dress Code: Dress appropriately (no bare legs or shoulders), but you can rent sarongs and oversized T-shirts for a token 1000 riel (plus US$1 deposit) at the palace entrance.
