48 Hours in Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

If you feel adventurous and are an experienced 2-wheel driver in cities, rent a scooter to go around. It is a great alternative to the omnipresent “tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk!” and will give you a lot of flexibility. Careful: traffic is hectic!

In the heart of the city, this high school is where some of the most horrendous exactions of the Khmer Rouge regime were taking place. The visit is a must and it will shake you. Plan half a day to take in the disturbing exhibits and try and process such inhumanity.

The national museum of Cambodia houses one of world’s largest collections of Khmer art, including and not limited to the period of the Khmer Empire, which at its height stretched from Thailand to southern Vietnam. Abandoned during the Khmer Rouge regime and with most of its staff murdered, the museum reopened quickly at its fall and is paramount to promote Cambodian identity and pride.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of a few must-see and pointers that will also help you understand the history of Cambodia and decrypt its art better especially if you are planning on visiting some temples such as Angkor Wat.

The building itself looks like an enlarged Cambodian temple coming straight out of an ancient bas-relief. The naturally ventilated galleries showcase the evolution of Khmer sculptures, influenced by politics and religions over the centuries. Their common characteristics remain their harmony of composition and precision of execution, resulting in a delicate balance between simplicity and details, humility and grandeur, subtlety and expressiveness. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).