1. Introduction to the Royal Palace Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is a large city and the famous capital in the center of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is famous for its splendid Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, a paradise for fans of history and architectural perfection.
The Royal Palace of Cambodia is a very sacred place and is highly respected by the Cambodian people. The whole palace is a magnificent building with tall towers.
With its graceful Khmer roof, ornate gilding, and lush gardens, the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh has become a symbol of the capital and a must-see for visitors. It is the official residence of the current King and his royal family and is also the site of royal and national ceremonies. Not all places in the palace are open to visitors, but only a few are.
2. History and Architecture of the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh
The palace was built in 1866 by King Norodom I, with the perfect combination of Khmer architecture and outstanding French style creating the brilliant Royal Palace of Phnom Penh, covering an area of 174,870 square meters. Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk is the full name of the Cambodian Royal Palace in Khmer.
The palace is separated from the outside by a wall with extremely skilled and sophisticated sculptures. In addition, the architectural complex of the Royal Palace also has many unique architectural works and gardens adorned with rare plants and flowers with meticulous care, further enhancing the beauty of the Royal Palace Bow.
The Royal Palace is the place where royal ceremonies, important royal ceremonies, or solemn ceremonies are held to receive diplomatic delegations and is the venue for major and important events in Cambodia.
Although it has existed for nearly 200 years, it is still quite intact.
3. Address and opening hours:
- Address: Samdach Sothearos Boulevard, Daun Penh, Phnom Penh city, Cambodia.
- Open: 08:00 a.m – 11:00 a.m và 14:00 p.m – 17:00 p.m
- Ticket price: 6.25 USD/ticket, 2 USD/camera and 5 USD/camcorder.
4. Best time to visit Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
Cambodia is located in the tropics under the influence of two monsoon zones: the northeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon. Accompanying that are the rainy season and the dry season here.
The rainy season takes place from June to November, with a lot of rain. There are peak months where floods can occur. Therefore, this is definitely not the time to visit the royal palace of Cambodia.
On the contrary, the dry season is the time when you should come here because the weather is favorable for tourism. The period from November to February has dry weather with moderate temperatures and cool air, so traveling to the Royal Palace of Cambodia at this time is the most beautiful.
Go to the next period from March to May with a little more hot weather. However, April is the festival season in Cambodia, so you can combine visiting the palace with participating in these very interesting festivals.
5. How To Get To The Royal Palace In Phnom Penh
This palace is located in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. If you are in Vietnam, you can go here by road or plane.
By plane: You can take a plane from Noi Bai airport (Hanoi) or Tan Son Nhat airport (Saigon) of Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, etc; with prices ranging from about 85 USD – 128 USD, to Phnom Penh international airport.
By road: For those in the southern region, you can take a coach or bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh for about 17 USD – 23 USD; travel time is 6-7 hours. Note that only those who live in the Saigon area can go by road.
Coming to Phnom Penh city, you can easily get to the palace by renting a tuk-tuk, hiring a taxi, or renting a bicycle to explore the palace as well as the beautiful city of Phnom Penh. The price for these services is only about 2–3 USD per time and per person. The main gate of the Royal Palace is located on Sothearos Street, quite close to the National Museum, Chaktomuk Conference Hall, and Wat Botum Park.
6. Attractive attractions in the Royal Palace complex of Cambodia
Currently, the Cambodian royal family still lives and works at this palace. So that area is not open to visitors:
6.1. Golden Temple (Silver Temple):
Inside the Royal Palace Complex in Phnom Penh, there is a pagoda separated by a wall, commonly known as the Silver Pagoda. The Silver Pagoda is located at the southern entrance of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.
The official name of the Silver Pagoda is Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot or Wat Preah Keo, which means Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In the temple is an extremely rare Emerald statue; there are only 5 such statues in the world. The size of this statue is quite small; it is only about 60cm high and made entirely of precious green jade.
For Western tourists, they often call this pagoda the Silver Pagoda because the pagoda has more than 5000 floor tiles made from solid silver, each weighing about 1kg.
Meanwhile, Asian tourists prefer to call this the Golden Temple, because at the temple there is a statue of the future Buddha in pure gold weighing nearly 90kg. This statue is really an extremely valuable treasure, not only in spiritual value but also in material value. More specifically, there are about 2100 diamonds attached to this statue, some of which are more than 20 carats.
6.2. Chanchhaya stage
This is one of the most famous attractions in the Royal Palace of Cambodia. This place is also known by another name, “moonlight stage,” because royal dances are often performed here. In addition, on some special occasions, the King of Cambodia also holds lectures and meetings with the people at this stage.
This stage was rebuilt twice. The first time Chanchhaya was built with wood materials was under King Norodom. Later in the reign of King Sisowath, this stage was rebuilt according to the original architecture.
6.3. Stateroom
In Khmer, the stateroom is called Preah Thineang Vinnichay (Saint of Judgment). Perhaps the most special thing about this room is the king’s throne. This building is still used today for official activities, diplomatic meetings, and religious events.
As a place of such national importance, this room has a rather formal architecture. On the outside, you can see that this is a building with three spires. The roof top in the middle is 59 meters high and has a statue of Brahma. Inside the throne room, visitors can see sculptures and busts of the kings of Cambodia, three thrones (including two traditional thrones and one modern western-style throne), and many sculptures made of gold.
6.4. Phochani Palace
Phochani Palace was built in 1912 and is located in The Phochani Royal Garden. This place was built for the purpose of royal dance activities. Although not too famous in terms of history, Pavilion Phochani is checked in by many visitors because it possesses very beautiful architecture.
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6.5. Flower garden
The flower garden located in the palace is home to many rare and valuable plants. Right at the entrance, you can immediately see the sala tree, the tree of Buddha Shakyamuni. Going deeper, you can also admire more types, such as the golden scorpion or si tree, which have a long life, at least over 100 years.
6.6. Things to note when visiting the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh
When visiting the Royal Palace, visitors should dress discreetly and politely; do not wear shorts or slippers; women should not wear short skirts, thin clothes, etc. Otherwise, you will have to rent appropriate clothes to enter.
Do not take photos of works and artifacts in the Royal Palace without permission.
When visiting the temple, you need to show respect to the Buddha statues and not point and touch them, actions that offend the beliefs.
In sanctuaries, visitors should not laugh or talk too loudly.
When traveling to Cambodia by tour, visitors should listen carefully and follow the instructions of the guides to limit unnecessary risks.
Cambodians have great respect for kings, queens, and members of the royal family. Therefore, you should show respect when referring to the Royal Family of Cambodia.
Conclusion
Metta Voyage shared some information about the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh in the above article. Let’s explore with Metta Voyage a trip to Phnom Penh palace!
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