After landing in Cambodia, the very first monument I saw was Independence Monument in Phnom Penh City, which is capital of Cambodia. It's a beautifully maintained with green landscape around these monuments. The place is one of the most visited place by folks traveling to the city from other parts of the world. This post shares more about the place and why it makes to the list of places to explore in the capital city of Cambodia.
This place is pretty close to some of the other touristy places in the city. River-side of Mekong is close by where lot of folks come during evening to enjoy exceptional environment here. The Independence Monument stands 37 meters tall. Above photograph shows Norodom Sihanouk Memorial, constructed in 2013 and close to the Independence Monument.
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The Independence Monument in Phnom Penh city was built in 1958 to memorialize Cambodia's independence from France in 1953. It stands on the intersection of Norodom Boulevard and Sihanouk Boulevard in the centre of the city.
There are some interesting eating out places around Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh has been the national capital since French colonization of Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's economic, industrial, and cultural center. There is lot of hustle hustle around this place in Phnom Penh and the city has diverse set of habitats.
Once known as the "Pearl of Asia" Phnom Penh was considered one of the loveliest French-built cities. I couldn't notice lot of french architectures but modern architecture of Cambodia & it's cities.
I stayed in the city for 3 nights and we always preferred to stay close to Independence monument & the Mekong river. This place is very interesting and there are various places approachable by walk.
Phnom Penh, along with Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, are significant global and domestic tourist destinations for Cambodia.
Above photograph shows one of the close-by temple. Temple in Cambodia is known as 'Wat'. It's fun to walk around and you will come across very interesting things. That's the most fun part of this city and especially neighborhood around Independence Monument.
Other interesting places to explore around Independence Monument are -
Towering Spires of the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Founded in 1434, the Phnom Penh city is noted for its beautiful and historical architecture and attractions. There are a number of surviving French colonial buildings scattered along the grand boulevards.
There is huge green landscape around Independence Monument of Phnom Penh and we loved walking around it. And the temple around it very beautiful, peaceful and huge. We recommend walk round this place as much as you can. There would be lot of new things to experience and try.
Above photograph shows Supreme Court Building in Phnom Penh, which is at walkable distance from Independence Monument.
If you want to move around & don't like walking a lot, tuk-tuks are available at very reasonable price. For short distance they charge $2 and at times even $1, because lot of places are close-by.
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If you like trying different things, you can have plenty of food items to try around Independence Monument. Especially when you like non-veg food and especially the exotic stuff that you find on the streets of Cambodia.
Independence Monument is in the form of a lotus-shaped stupa, of the style seen at the Khmer temple at Banteay Srei and other Khmer historical sites.
The place is lit pretty well in the evening and these water fountains. I wish I was carrying a tripod to click them well. Most of these evening shots are taken by putting the camera at different things in the park and had to spend lot of time adjusting things and stabilizing my hands.
During national celebrations, The Independence Monument is the center of activity. A ceremonial flame on the interior pedestal is often lit by a royal or high official on these occasions, and floral tributes line the stairs.
If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling -
- Manage your waste well and don’t litter
- Use dustbins. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin.
- Avoid bottle waters in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem.
- Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits.
- Don't play loud blaring music in forests of jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.
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