See the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh

What the experience is

The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh was begun in 1866, when King Norodom moved his capital here from Oudong. It faces the point where the Tonle Sap river meets the Mekong. The king still lives in part of it, which is closed. The ceremonial buildings and the adjoining Silver Pagoda are open, and a visit takes about two hours.

The palace

The Throne Hall, inaugurated in 1919 on the site of an earlier one, is used for coronations and state ceremonies. Its roof rises in tiers to a spire 59 metres high, crowned by the four faces of Brahma. Nearby stands the Moonlight Pavilion, an open hall used for performances of court dance, and a small iron pavilion that was a gift from Napoleon III.

The Silver Pagoda

A gate leads to a second courtyard and the temple whose formal name means the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Its floor is laid with 5,329 silver tiles. Most are covered by carpet for protection, and a section is left bare near the entrance. On a high gilded pedestal sits a small Buddha of green crystal. In front of it stands a Buddha of gold set with thousands of diamonds, made in the palace workshops in the early twentieth century.

The wall of the cloister around the courtyard is painted with the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana, in a mural painted in 1903 and 1904. It is faded in places and has been under restoration. The courtyard also holds the stupas of kings, including the one containing the ashes of King Norodom Sihanouk.

When to go

December to February, when the mornings are cool. Go at opening time. The compound has little shade and, in its usual pattern, is open in the morning and again in the late afternoon, with a break in the middle of the day.

Good to know

Shoulders and knees must be covered, and the dress code is enforced at the gate; a scarf draped over bare shoulders may not be accepted. Shoes are removed at the Silver Pagoda, and photography is not allowed inside it or inside the Throne Hall. The palace may close without notice for royal ceremonies.

Why OKYTO recommends it

Angkor shows the Khmer court of eight centuries ago. The palace shows that the court continues, with the same forms, the same epic on the walls and the same dance. It takes a morning, and the National Museum next door completes it. Rosewood Phnom Penh is a few minutes away by car.