Cambodia, Phnom Penh: hotels, attractions, guest reviews

An exotic country, which recently became accessible to tourists, after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime was reborn from the ashes. Lost in the jungle kingdom with a huge number of luxurious palaces and original temples attracts amazing nature and rich history, leaving its traces literally everywhere.

A lot of travelers who crave bright emotions and unforgettable rest, go to the fabulous Cambodia. However, it is worth remembering that the tourist destination in the Asian country is not yet very developed, and only in large cities you can find inexpensive, but comfortable hotels.

City of contrasts

It is no coincidence that most vacationers choose the capital of the state, where ancient Buddhist pagodas peacefully coexist with modern skyscrapers, which the unique Cambodia is proud of. Phnom Penh (Phnom Penh ) is a noisy city of bright colors, standing at the junction of the past and the future. Luxury and depressing poverty, refinement and complete chaos, filth and magical nature - all this characterizes the metropolis, which will add to the urgency of any journey.

A bit of history

According to legend, in 1372 a nun named Pena caught a statue of Buddha from the river and built a huge hill for the shrine. It is believed that next to him and appeared a beautiful city, standing at the confluence of four rivers. The growing settlement was called the "Hill of Mother Penny" - Phnom Penh.

For many centuries, the beautiful Kampuchea (Cambodia) was transferred from one city to another in its capital. Phnom Penh in 1866, during the reign of King Norodom I, finally acquired the status of the main city of the country. After 14 years, the state finds itself in the hands of the French colonialists, after which its economic growth begins.

The bloody regime that claimed millions of lives

Before the advent of the cruel Pol Pot in 1975, the capital of Cambodia was remarkably beautiful. During one of the most terrible regimes of the 20th century, more than three million people were tortured to death, about 500,000 were missing, and the survivors of invalids, widows, orphans expelled from cities to villages worked for days in communes, dying of physical exhaustion And hunger. It was a very terrible period, which Cambodia never forgets. Phnom Penh has lost a lot of residents and lost important sights, and only half of the crowd destroyed more than 600,000 cultural, educational, religious institutions, many of which are forever lost to descendants.

It was a country isolated from the whole world, where they severely dealt with the intelligentsia and priests, and the execution was threatened for reading and writing. Only four years later the bloody dictator lost power, and in 1993 proclaimed his independence the Kingdom of Cambodia. Phnom Penh began to slowly recover from the Khmer Rouge regime, which caused great damage to the metropolis.

Tourist center of the country

Now it is a developing industrial city, where new shopping centers and offices of the world's largest companies are opening. For several years, the Asian pearl has become the main tourist center of the state, which turned out to be extremely attractive for foreign investments.

The air gate of the capital

What do you need to know for everyone who wants to get acquainted with the natural and man-made treasures that Cambodia is famous for? Phnom Penh (photos of the capital convey the unique atmosphere of the city of contrasts) for tourists begins with air gates, located seven kilometers from the center of the capital. A few decades ago they were in extremely bad condition, until the authorities decided to modernize Phnom Penh International Airport. In a short time, the airport of Cambodia, serving more than two million people, has incredibly transformed .

Phnom Penh, or, as it is also called, "Asian Paris" because of the huge number of beautiful monuments, takes care of the safety of its guests and does everything so that they do not experience any inconvenience. The airport infrastructure includes modern terminals, VIP halls for luxury guests, luggage storage, restaurants with national cuisine.

In the basement there is a currency exchange office - an official and non-understating course. It works from 8.00 to 18.00, and all tour operators recommend changing cash here, to avoid fraud in the streets. In the country, you can pay with the national currency (riel) and dollars. As evidenced by the reviews of tourists, the second option is preferred by almost all local traders.

Royal Palace

Selecting tours to Asia, tourists know that it is considered a country of ancient magical temples and unusual in beauty palaces mysterious Cambodia. Phnom Penh, whose attractions amaze the imagination, is famous for its unique complex located on the bank of the Mekong River.

The delightful Royal Palace is the main attraction of the metropolis, and local guides recommend starting your journey through the capital with this sample of Khmer architecture. Since 1866, in a building that surprises with beauty, which can not be expressed in words, the royal dynasty lived, except for the period when Pol Pot was in power in the country.

In the twentieth century, the palace changed after the reconstruction, but did not lose its charm, which no visitor of Phnom Penh could withstand.

Sights of the Palace

What is a unique architectural complex?

• Throne room, where the coronation of monarchs took place. Inside it are the busts of all Cambodian kings, and the spire of the building's painted building is decorated with a Buddha's head with faces turned to the four corners of the world.
• The official residence of the ruler. Khemarin Palace is separated from the main architectural ensemble by a wall and is hidden from the eyes of visitors for security purposes.
• Silver Pagoda (Temple of the Diamond Buddha). Inside it are statues of the founder of the teachings, one of which is made of pure gold and is decorated with diamonds, and the second is cut from a precious stone - an emerald. The pagoda is decorated with silver, and plates weighing more than one kilogram make an indelible impression on the visitors.
• Pavilion Chan Chayya, towering above the palace.

Phnom Da

The capital of Cambodia Phnom Penh takes care of its history and cares about the preservation of the majestic temples. The mysterious city is fascinated by the structures that appeared after the VI century. And one of such religious monuments is the temple of Phnom-Da. Situated on the top of a hill, it surprises Europeans with unusual architecture and is recognized as a real decoration of the southern neighborhoods of the metropolis.

Wat Phnom

Wat Phnom is a legendary temple erected on the site where the nun Pen in honor of the found Buddha statues poured earth, as a result of which a tall hill appeared. On a beautiful stone staircase, guarded by images of lions and fantastic snakes, visitors enter the sanctuary, in which they make wishes and pray for happiness and success. After the fulfillment of the dream, it is customary to return to Wat Phnom with the offering to personally thank the Buddha.

In the massive stupa rest remains of the king of the country, thanks to the efforts of which the capital was transferred to Phnom Penh. The place of pilgrimage of believers and tourists from different countries, towering on a tree-covered mountain, leaves very strong feelings. Around the symbol of the capital, located near the royal residence, the square is divided, where you can take a breath and enjoy the wonderful nature.

Tuol Sleng

What else will the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia - Phnom Penh surprise your guests with? Watch what happened during the genocide, tourists are very difficult, and for a trip to the prison-museum you need to tune psychologically. Tuol Sleng is a unique institution where visitors can experience all the horror and nightmare that was going on in the whole country. As recognized by visitors who went to the museum, this is some final point in which you realize that the long-suffering people of Kampuchea survived.

About 20,000 prisoners passed through the S-21 isolator, but eight remained alive. Of course, the emotions of tourists go off scale, because the walls of the prison saw so much pain and sorrow that many feel the black energy that has accumulated inside. Blood stains, preserved in the concentration camp, stands with faded photos of prisoners, iron beds - all this makes a terrible impression.

When foreign visitors pass through the stone corridors in which prisoners were subjected to nightmarish tortures, then they squeal to the point of trembling. The museum of genocide leaves a very heavy deposit, so impressionable natures better to refrain from going to jail.

Choeung Ek Memorial

15 kilometers from the city there is another terrible evidence of the genocide of Pol Pot. According to the official version, 17,000 people lost their lives in the firing squares, most of which had no relation to politics. The place where prisons were killed is visited by up to 500 people a day, but it should be noted that this spectacle is definitely not for the faint-hearted. In the Buddhist stupa, behind the glass, there are more than nine thousand skulls found in excavations of the cemetery.

Tourists differ in their attitude to what they saw, but everyone understands that this way they try to show the past without embellishment, remembering their history of Cambodia. Phnom Penh, reviews of tourists about the bloody sights of which are full of contradictory opinions, opens new exhibitions dedicated to the most difficult period of the country's life.

Hotels on any wallet

Despite the fact that the tourist center was the capital of the state only recently, any guest can find hotels for every taste and purse. As the foreigners note, hotels in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) are very different: there are very primitive rooms with one bed and a fan, but there are also truly luxurious hotels, the cost of living is not available to everyone.

The price depends not only on the class, but also on the location. As the tourists tell, the most inexpensive hotels (guesthouses) are in the Boeung Lake district, it is within walking distance of the temple of Wat Phnom. On the 93rd Street are Number 10 Lakeside, 11 Happy, Grand View, where you can live for $ 4 per day, but not everyone will enjoy the Spartan living conditions.

As the guests of the city note, there are other modern guesthouses with spacious rooms, free internet and a shower: Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Dodo Guesthouse, Boeung Meas Guesthouse, Rawuth Guesthouse, Long Thai Ly Guesthouse.

Those who want to admire the marvelous view are chosen by comfortable hotels on the waterfront next to the Royal Palace: Nagaworld Hotel & Entertainment Complex, Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, Sokha Phnom Penh Residence, Blue Lime, Bougainvillier Boutique Hotel, Raffles Hotel Le Royal. The rooms, made to a high standard of quality, will appeal to adults and children. Beautiful interiors, a lot of entertainment, restaurants with the best cuisine in the world will make your stay unforgettable.

What should tourists know?

• When choosing Phnom Penh (Cambodia) hotels, find reviews about them and photos posted on tourist sites. This will help to avoid frustration on the spot.
• When you check in you need a passport, from which you will take a photocopy. In cheap hotels, it may not even be necessary, and in the issued questionnaire you can write any data.
• At the reception they speak French and English, but none of the employees speak Russian.
• If tourists go to Phnom Penh with their children, it is very important that the hotel meets all the requirements, because there are not intended for family holidays. Therefore, it is worthwhile to ask in advance and find out exactly what the hospitable Cambodia offers its guests.

Phnom Penh, a holiday in which it is becoming more popular, is waiting for tourists, and new hotels are opened every month. Even the cheapest hotels are in quiet places, and their owners are constantly improving their living conditions. Tourists say that at one level for a few years now has been keeping its prices colorful Cambodia.

Reviews of tourists: Phnom Penh-2016

Russian tourists, when they see compatriots living in an exotic country, are asking about life with interest, because many believe that this backward state, which has many problems in the economy. I must admit that one of the first rebelled from the ruins of the metropolis, leaving all the troubles in the distant past. Now it is the main cultural and scientific center of the country of the most ancient civilization. Here the best universities are concentrated, and for the children of our compatriots all conditions for obtaining a certificate of secondary education are created, and for almost 30 years now there has been a school at the Russian embassy in Cambodia.

Phnom Penh, which seemed to tourists as a dirty and dusty metropolis, revealed itself in a completely different quality, and few people are disappointed by the trip to Asia.

Guests celebrate the amazing beauty of modern buildings and the poverty of urban slums.

In the metropolis there is no public transport, and this is unpleasantly surprising for tourists, and motorikshi (tuk-tuki) often confuse the streets. To avoid getting lost, experienced travelers recommend to preload Google maps in advance.

A hot climate can become an obstacle for someone, but a good sunscreen will protect against burns. The ideal time to visit Phnom Penh - from November to February, it is during this period is sparing the weather.

Tourists are noted for a wonderful and inexpensive cuisine, which is very pleased guests of the metropolis. Here you can try both the familiar and exotic dishes from snakes, frogs and insects. And lovers of shopping will not be disappointed, because branded things in stock shops are quite inexpensive. But jewelry often turns out to be a well-executed fake.

Tourists notice that nightlife is very different from other resorts not for the better, but in the city there are several clubs where you can spend fun time.