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Phnom Penh

The beating heart of Cambodia is the city of Phnom Penh, situated at the meeting point for three great rivers - the Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Bassac. Today, the city has a real buzz as it continues to develop following its years of isolation. As with many cities across South-East Asia, Phnom Penh has a distinctly French feel to much of its grandest buildings; French colonial mansions stand alongside newly emerging designs. The French ruled Cambodia from 1869 until the country declared its independence in 1953 under King Norodom Sihanouk.

During the 1960s, Phnom Penh was a bustling, busy city with a happy population, growing café culture and vibrant street life. The atmosphere in the city changed completely in a single day - 17th April 1975 - when the Khmer Rouge took over the country and residents of the city fled into the countryside. After four years of brutal rule under Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge fled and the people of Phnom Penh slowly returned to reinvigorate their city.

The transformation has turned Phnom Penh into an exciting capital city, delightfully devoid of skyscrapers and ugly modern developments.

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1 result matching: Escorted Rail Tours to Phnom Penh

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Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong Delta
Save up to £300pp
4.8 stars(61 reviews)
2023NovDec
2024JanFebMarAprSep...
18 days from
£3,295 pp £3,095 pp
View Details
Save up to £300pp
18 days from
£3,295
£3,095
per person
View Details
tour map
  • DestinationCambodia, Vietnam
  • Starts / EndsLondon Heathrow
  • AccommodationRail, Hotel
  • TransportFlight, Rail, Coach
Map and accommodation
Our customers love our Phnom Penh tours
Grand Tour of Vietnam and Cambodia
14/Aug
Michael Hope
5 stars
“Local Tour Guides for both Vietnam and Cambodia were excellent. Hotels/ boat at Halon Bay were also very good in all the places that we stayed. Not enough time at some places to explore. The Great Rail Journey guide ( Caroline) was also very good (friendly, approachable). She had to cope with a broken ankle that happened to one of the tour members (half way down a motorway at a service stop on day 2). Possibly a bit more help for her when these things happened (training /local contacts). We had one problem with Cambodia Visas. We obtained them from the Cambodia Embassy in the UK before we went on holiday based on the border crossing given in the itinerary. This was changed and we had to pay again for both our visas as they were not valid for that particular crossing (an extra $60) The procedures for dealing with luggage on and off coaches/ hotels etc like our previous Great Rail Journey in India were excellent. A slightly smaller group might have helped. A few on the group wanted to change some aspects of the prearranged trips which must have been very annoying for both the local guides and Caroline Overall a very good holiday and a good introduction to Vietnam and Cambodia. Regards, Philippa and Michael Hope
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Royal Palace

The Royal Palace and the 'Silver Pagoda' occupy an impressive riverside location, surrounded by beautiful, manicured gardens. There is an ornate maisonette at the palace that was presented to King Norodom by Napoleon III. One of the most popular attractions at the Silver Pagoda is a golden Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds.

Toul Sleng

The former school is infamous as the centre of the Khmer Rouge's regime of terror, where 17,000 'enemies' of the state were interrogated and tortured. Many were then murdered in the surrounding 'killing fields'. Today, Toul Sleng is a museum charting the history of the Khmer Rouge and the atrocities committed in their name.

National Museum

The red-stone traditional Khmer building displays the rich history of the Khmer Empire. The artefacts on display are some of the only historical items to survive the rule of the Khmer Rouge.

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