Phnom Penh Historical Tour: S21 and Killing Fields

Visit the top 12 attractions in the city, including S21 and the Killing Fields, in an air-conditioned van with an experienced official tour guide. Sina will guide you at each stop, ensuring you enjoy the journey with good company and excellent English. You’ll leave Phnom Penh with a deeper appreciation for its history and culture.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Wat Phnom - Discover the history and see the actual hilltop pagoda that gave birth to the capital city’s name.
  • Wat Ounalom - One of the city’s oldest pagodas, founded in the 15th century, renowned for its association with the Buddha’s eyebrow.
  • National Museum of Cambodia - The largest and most significant museum in Cambodia, showcasing artifacts from the pre-Angkorian, Angkorian, and post-Angkorian periods for both locals and international visitors.
  • Royal Palace - Explore the Royal Palace complex with an official guide, where you can view the royal throne and the official residence of the king and queen.
  • Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument - Erected by Khmer politicians to thank the Vietnamese army after the liberation from the Khmer Rouge regime, this monument is located in a park near Botomvotey pagoda, close to the palace.
  • Statue of King Father Norodom Sihanouk - Situated in a nearby park, this bronze statue, built in 2013, honors the beloved former king, Norodom Sihanouk.
  • Independence Monument - A lotus-bud-shaped monument located at the end of the garden, built in 1962 to commemorate Cambodia’s independence from France in 1953.
  • Koh Pich City Hall - Once a swamp land with a small fishing community, this area has been developed since 2004 into a business center and residential area for the affluent.
  • Buddhist Institute - On the way back from Koh Pich, capture photos of this impressive architectural site, the largest and most important center for preserving Khmer culture and historical documents.
  • Choeung Ek Genocidal Center - Formerly a Chinese cemetery, this site became a killing field during the Pol Pot regime, where 200,000 victims were executed. A tour guide will provide detailed information.
  • Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - Once a high school, this site was converted into the largest prison by the Khmer Rouge to detain perceived traitors. A tour guide will offer insights.
  • Russian Market - Originally run by locals, this market became popular with foreigners, especially Russians, in the 1980s. It’s a great spot for bargain hunters looking for clothes, shoes, souvenirs, and electronics.
What's Included
  • Air-conditioned Van & experienced driver
  • Hotel pick up and drop off
  • Pure drinking water and coke
  • Official experienced tour guide
What's Not Included
  • Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (Killing Fields) Entrance USD 3/pp
  • Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Entrance fee USD 5/pp
  • Wat Phnom Entrance fee USD 1/pp
  • Personal expenses
Location
Wat Phnom
Street 96, Norodom Blvd
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(61 Ratings)
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Simone_s
Aug 29, 2024
The only way to tour Phnom Penh - Cina, what an incredible day! Your knowledge, experience and explanation of your countires history was refreshing. Thank you for taking us around Phnom Penh's attractions; pagodas, killing fields, palace, S21, and even a spot of shopping in a local market. Definitely the only way to tour the city!
Review provided by Viator
Ashleighm784
Aug 12, 2024
Excellent guide - Excellent guide, Sine. He showed us everything and explained / answered all of our questions. He was very considerate around our welfare. We saw everything that we wanted to see and had a great day. Would highly recommend 👌
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meridian_m
Aug 2, 2024
Fun and Informative! - Mr. Sina is truly the best! Grounded, full of knowledge, and deeply kind, his tour is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to Cambodian life and history.
Review provided by Viator
Lakisha_c
Jul 15, 2024
Sisters in Cambodia - Exploring the vibrant city of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia with Sina who was incredible. We embarked on an unforgettable adventure, discovering the heart of this culturally rich country. From the back of a tuk-tuk, we experienced the bustling streets and hidden gems of this city. We visited the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum, where we learned about the harrowing history of the Khmer Rouge era. It was a moving experience, reminding us of the strength and resilience of the Cambodian people. We also went to the Royal Palace, with its rich history and stunning architecture, which left us in awe of its beauty. Lastly, we visited Wat Phnom, a historic Buddhist temple founded by Lady Penh. The temple provided a peaceful retreat and a glimpse into the spiritual traditions that have shaped Cambodia for centuries. This was an amazing tour, so don’t walk run and book this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Ther118
Jul 5, 2024
Sina is awesome! - Best English speaking drive and guide in the area. Sina was very accommodating, friendly, and knowledgeable. He took us on fantastic excursions every day of our dream vacation! Sina made our trip to Cambodia the most memorable time imaginable!!!! Thank you, Sina!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Josephkp9625vs
Jul 4, 2024
Amazing tour guide and wonderful driver! - Sina is amazing! He is so kind and trustworthy. He won't try to swindle any "extra" or "hidden" fees on you. His English is amazing so if you don't speak the language, no problem! He has a tuk tuk for the Cambodian experience or a lovely van if you wish to travel with a bit more comfort like AC. Some people wish for the comfort and security while traveling, but I encourage you to try out the full Cambodian experience on tuk tuk. His tuk tuk is one of the larger ones so space won't be too bad. I'm 6'3 and my friend is 6'5. We both were able to fit in the tuk tuk. Sina will also book custom trips outside of what is advertised, so if you need a driver for something not advertised, use him! He is great and I always call him on WhatsApp when I am in country for all my driving needs!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sunshinejane66
Jul 3, 2024
Sein was a terrific host. Very informative and friendly. - Great guide, the day was bitter sweet. Killing fields and genocide museum hard to comprehend such terror and how it could happen. The temple, museum etc was great. Our guide was very informative. Lunch was yum.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Graham_r
Jun 21, 2024
Excellent tour of Phnom Penh - This was an excellent insight into Phnom Penh and Cambodias history. This complimented other tours we have also done whilst in Cambodia and now we have a greater appreciation of the richness of Cambodias history. Sina is a wonderful, intelligent and happy tour guide. We were lucky to have him.
Review provided by Viator
Kxtz
Jun 19, 2024
Absolutely fantastic heart-felt tour. - This truly is a magnificent tour taking you to all the important sites of Phnom Penh, including the Royal Palace, Wat Phnom, the National Museum, and most significantly, the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum. Riding in the comfort of a Tuk Tuk, with open panoramic views of the city and the fresh wind to cool down the temperatures, we first went to Wat Phnom. This is a magnificent temple situated in the heart of and soaring above the city. Climbing the steps we entered the temple and steeped ourselves in it's beautiful and serene surrounds, adorned with many Buddhas, and laid with silver paving and murals above on the high ceiling. From here we ventured out of the city along newly minted roads to the Killing Fields, a dark and tragic moment in Cambodian history covering the despotic rule of the disgraced leader Pol Pot. Be prepared to be moved as this really is sombre affair. The fields are laden with the bones and mass graves of innocent victims that were tortured and executed, men, women and even children, peasants, intellectuals, even foreigners caught in amongst the turmoil of the period. This truly felt like Year Zero, as historians sometimes refer to as. In the middle of the Killing Fields is a stark reminder of the innocence of the victims in a brutal period of history, a tall concrete, commemorative stupor, housing the bones of the executed, standing metres tall overlooking fields. Truly sad and sombre. A reminder to all of the sacrifices past generations made for the future of those to follow. From there we rode back into the city, to a place equally stark if not moreso, S-21 detention centre, now preserved as the Genocide Museum. Here within the grounds is the place of torture, interrogation and ultimately execution of many innocent civilians. There are rooms filled with photos of those who perished, including their remains, instruments of torture, paintings of the torture process. Even more ominous, rooms that were converted to house makeshift individual prison cells. The myriad of tiny individual brick and wooden cells contained in these rooms underscores the terror and claustrophobic nature of the detention centre and this period of history. The museum also contains the graves of the last 14 victims to perish just before the National Liberation Army arrived. From here the tour continued on to the Royal Palace grounds, a magnificent space adorned with the most treasured and beautiful buildings to grace Phnom Penh, laced in gold, silver pavestones, the most exquisite furniture and decorations. There are many buildings on the site, each a sight to behold. A must see for any traveller visiting Phnom Penh. Above all else the quality of this tour was made possible by my tour guide and operator, Sina. I can't thank him enough for his guidance. His knowledge of the sites is impeccable, going into great detail the history, culture and social significance of each that we visited. But most significantly his heart-felt descriptions of the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum really conveyed to me the spirit and tragedy of the times. Whilst audio-guides are available on the site, in no way could they have conveyed to me the feelings that Sinan did. A fantastic tour. My most sincere gratitude to Sina for hosting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
744andrewa
May 28, 2024
10/10 TUK TUK tour. - Excellent from start to finish. The guide was very knowledgeable, spoke good English , always professional and informative when describing the sights we were seeing. This Tul Tuk tour is a full day and in my opinion the best way to see the city and its sights if you are short on time. 10/10
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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