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Top beautiful sights in Cambodia
Must–see sights in Cambodia!
Traveling around Asia is like diving into history and in Cambodia you’ll find temples, shrines and ancient sites galore. With every step you take into the country’s ancient roots, there’s a story to tell.
Here’s a list of the sights we highly recommend you see in Cambodia, and that’s just a small slice of the country’s spectacular culture.
Check out our Group Travel to Asia where we visit Cambodia, among other places!
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1. Angkor Wat
A sight that just oozes Cambodia is the iconic Angkor Wat temple near the city of Siem Reap. The country’s biggest attraction and one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Be captivated by the Khmer’s amazing building style and enjoy this impressive creation on your adventure trip.
Don’t miss the beautiful sunrise that puts the temple in its absolute most picturesque perspective. Of course, we experience Angkor Wat on our trips to Cambodia!
2. The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
This royal site gives you a glimpse into Cambodia’s past and present. A visit to this well-maintained site, packed with history and beautifully ornate buildings, is a must-do.
It gives you a respite from the bustling surrounding cities and allows you to enjoy the decorative surroundings instead. Along with the palace, you’ll also find the Silver Pagoda, which contains statues, gifts from past rulers and paintings of the country’s history.
3. Central Market – the new market
If you’re a big shopping enthusiast and love roaming through stalls and shops, then Central Market is the place for you. Also known as Psar Thmei, meaning ‘the new market‘, it’s a trademark of Cambodia’s urban life.
Here you’ll find a wide range of goods, from souvenirs and clothing to jewelry and electronics. A great place for bargain hunters and a city with stunning architecture to admire.
4. Kbal Spean
Back in Angkor, you’ll find a riverbed with a lot of carvings of the Hindu god, Linga, forming a natural stone bridge. This is why the area and this river is popularly known as the ‘River of Thousand Lingas’.
A place located deep in the jungle, you can walk 2 km of a long beautiful trail that takes you up through the forest area, through boulder formations and overlooking the water flowing over the divine carvings.
5. Phimeanakas
In the northwestern part of Angkor city you’ll find the small Hindu temple, Phimeanakas, partially surrounded by the densely packed forest and the quiet river.
This three-tiered pyramid’s name translates to “Heavenly Palace” and was once used by the king, Jayavarman VII, as his private temple. At the top of the temple, you’ll find yourself on a platform surrounded by the first vaulted art exhibition to be built in Angkor.
This temple holds a lot of history for this ancient city and is a fascinating sight both physically and historically.
6. Srah Srang
If you have a great vantage point guarded by two statues shaped like lions, then you have Srah Srang. The ancient site that points you out towards the large lake gives you one of the best views in Angkor city.
In the late evening, you can watch the exquisite sunset slowly settling behind the trees in the Angkor Valley. This sight is just as breathtaking as the sunset over Angkor Wat and gives you a pleasant peace of mind with its totally relaxing scenario.
Visit Srah Srang if you want to reward your eyes with a dreamy view, relax your body and enjoy the moment.
7. Ta Prohm
Angkor City is a major centerpiece of Cambodia for sightseeing and is home to many impressive temples, each with their own unique character. Ta Prohm is one of the most popular temples and gives you a real sense of discovery and stepping into an ancient site.
Trees and branches wind over, under, around and through the stone blocks and are both responsible for the many collapses the temple has, but also help to hold the ancient structures together.
Furthermore, the area where this temple can be found is the location where the famous 2001 movie Tomb Raider was filmed. Many of the other temples were altered afterwards in the editing of the movie, but Ta Prohm was the least edited due to the authentic feel of the temple. Definitely worthy of any tour of Asia.
Explore Tah Prohm for a true experience of mysticism in an ancient setting.
8. wat Phnom
In Cambodia’s capital, at the top of the only mountain in the city, you’ll find the temple of Wat Phnom.
Legend has it that a widow named Daun Penh, who lived close to this area, found a tree trunk in the nearby river that contained four bronze statues of Buddha. Amazed by this discovery, Daun Penh and her neighbors built a temporary shrine to the statues on top of the mountain until a temple was built for them by the last king of the Khmer Empire 60 years later.
You can now visit this temple today, where in the entrance you are greeted by 2 lion statues guarding this sacred place. An amazing story that you can delve deeper into when you visit Wat Phnom on your adventure trip.
9. National Museum of Cambodia
At the National Museum of Cambodia you’ll find a lot of sculptures from the former Khmer Empire, which this museum is home to. Khmer rule has been a big part of Cambodia’s history and many of the distinctive exhibits give you a good idea of what life was like back then.
In addition to this exciting journey through Cambodia’s past, this museum also has an inviting courtyard garden just north of the Royal Palace. Here you are surrounded by legendary exhibits with amazing stories and impressive royal buildings. This museum and its grounds are a must-see stop on your trip.
10. Terrace of the Elephants
When you walk on the royal square in Angkor Thom, you’re bound to find the Terrace of the Elephants. As part of this ruin and temple complex, this terrace was built by servants and princes as a dedication to Buddhists.
The former king, Jayavarman VII, used the terrace as a platform to receive his victorious soldiers returning from war. The terrace is 350 meters long and was also used for public ceremonies.
These engraved elephants have thus been of great importance to Cambodians throughout history and remain a legendary place to visit to this day.
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Cambodia is filled with even more sights and each one of them is an experience that will make your tour of Asia even more amazing.
