Royal Palace

Located on the site of the former citadel, the palace was built in 1866 by King Norodom, and is now home to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdach Preah Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia and Her Majesty Preah Reach Akka-Hohesey Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, the Queen.

Most of the buildings inside the palace walls are closed to the public except on special occasions. Within the palace compound are the coronation hall, the entrance, which houses an open-air theatre for the Royal Dance Troupe, and a balcony for Royal appearances. There is also an open-air pavilion often used for entertaining and viewing of the King's movies and the King's private residence, which houses a collection of Cambodian artwork from artists around the world.

The architecturally incongruous Napoleon III pavilion was shipped from France and reassembled in Cambodia as a gift of the French Empress Eugenie in the early 20th century. Outside the southeast wall of the palace is the House of the White Elephant, traditionally used for regal occasions including Royal births, deaths or weddings.

Silver Pagoda, also called the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, is located within the walls of the Royal Palace. The pagoda takes its name from the floor which is completely covered in 5,281 silver tiles, each weighing a little above 1 kg. In the centre of the pagoda there is a magnificent 17th century emerald Buddha statue made of baccarat crystal. The walls enclosing the pagoda are covered of frescoes from Khmer times.