A riverside capital at the meeting of rivers
Phnom Penh stands where the Tonle Sap river meets the Mekong, with a riverside promenade lined with cafés and French colonial buildings. The Royal Palace and its Silver Pagoda, floored with silver tiles, and the National Museum, full of Angkorian sculpture, show the grandeur of Khmer culture. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek killing fields are harrowing but essential for understanding the Khmer Rouge era. The Central Market and the Russian Market are good places for food and shopping.