Phnom Penh, the capital and largest city of Cambodia, is located at the confluence of the Mekong and the Tonle Sap rivers. Despite its reputation as a 'rough' city, Phnom Penh is easy to get around and qualifies to be a great introduction to Cambodia. By the 1920s, Phnom Penh was known as the Pearl of Asia. In the recent years, Phnom Penh has experienced rapid growth with new hotels, restaurants, bars and residential buildings springing up around the city. Phnom Penh's incredible wealth of historical and cultural assets make it a sought after tourist destination.

Phnom Penh's hot and dusty weather might cause you to not like the place the very instant you get out of the aircraft (especially if you're from the colder parts of the world), but the ravishing beauty of the city and it's warm people will soon make you immune to insignificant factors like the heat. Phnom Penh exhibits a great balance between pursuing modernization, while retaining all the aspects that made it a Paris of the east. The city's French colonial buildings are beautiful, so its streetscapes provide a pleasant treat to the eyes. Beautiful wide boulevards, royal colonial architecture and a park like riverfront with cafés and restaurants make Phnom Penh a worthwhile tourist destination. Phnom Penh is a place to relax, watch the street life and absorb the life of the colorful locals. This city without pretenses and without ever feeling the need of proving a point to the world makes itself a unique tourist destination in the Asian subcontinent. The colonial influences are strong and can be felt in the city's culture, architecture, food, arts & crafts and language. The destructive impact of the Vietnamese war can still be seen in terms of the few poorly developed areas and the poverty that still clutches some locals. However, it would be useful to remind ourselves about the fact that the Cambodian Government got a fair opportunity to start rebuilding it's capital only after the year 1992 and owing to this, the development in Phnom Penh has been considerably reasonable.

There are bundles of captivating attractions for tourists in this city. The Royal Palace and the two magnificent Buddhist structures in the Palace Grounds; the Silver Pagoda and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, are exquisite public buildings really worth seeing. The National Museum is like an artifact treasure with its rich collection from the time of Cambodia's rule by Angkor. The main attraction is the statue of King Jayavarman VII in a serene meditative pose. Then comes Sisowath Quay, more popularly known as 'Riverside', which is an attractive boulevard that runs along the banks of the Mekong River and Tonle Sap. The Independence and Liberation memorials consist of a Buddhist-style independence memorial that signifies the celebration of the departure of the French from Phnom Penh. Now you know that you will not run out of beautiful and historically rich places to see in this truly magnificent city. You must be wondering about how to access these spots, which is a perfectly valid concern for any tourist. Read further to find out.

Phnom Penh's main streets are in good shape and there are an ample number of locomotive options that the city offers its locals and tourists alike to get around their stipulated destinations. Starting from motorbikes, motorbike-taxis, taxis, cyclos (three-wheeled cycle-rickshaws), to good old walking; the city has it all.

Exploring Phnom Penh will be like rapidly oscillating between a silent movie and a high definition motion picture. This city will teach you how to move ahead with time, while treasuring the fortunes of it's past.