Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda: Tickets and Tips

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The Royal Palace complex, on the riverside in central Phnom Penh, is a working royal residence and one of the city’s two essential sites alongside the history museums — a lighter, more architecturally focused visit.

What’s included

The complex includes the Throne Hall (used for royal and state ceremonies), several pavilions, and the Silver Pagoda, named for its floor of over 5,000 silver tiles and home to the Emerald Buddha and a life-sized gold Buddha statue decorated with diamonds. Not all buildings are open to the public, since the palace remains an active royal residence.

Tickets and hours

Entry costs around $10 and covers both the Royal Palace grounds and the Silver Pagoda. The complex is typically open mornings and afternoons with a midday closure — check current hours before visiting, as they can shift around royal events.

Dress code

A strict dress code applies: shoulders and knees must be covered, and clothing showing this is required for entry — sarongs or cover-ups are sold near the entrance for visitors who arrive underdressed, though bringing appropriate clothing avoids the extra cost and hassle.

How long to budget

Most visitors spend 1-1.5 hours at the complex, enough to see the Throne Hall, main pavilions, and Silver Pagoda without rushing.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to visit the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh?

Around $10, which covers both the Royal Palace grounds and the Silver Pagoda.

What’s the dress code for the Royal Palace?

Shoulders and knees must be covered; cover-ups are available for purchase near the entrance if needed.

How long does a visit to the Royal Palace take?

Most visitors spend about 1-1.5 hours seeing the main pavilions and Silver Pagoda.

Related guides

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• Day Trips from Phnom Penh: Oudong, Koh Dach and Beyond
• Central Market and Russian Market: What to Buy
• Phnom Penh Food Guide: Where and What to Eat
• Phnom Penh Riverside: What to Do Along Sisowath Quay

What’s actually inside the Royal Palace grounds

The Royal Palace complex includes the Throne Hall, still used for royal and diplomatic ceremonies, and the Silver Pagoda (officially Wat Preah Keo Morakot), named for the more than 5,000 silver tiles covering its floor — most are now protected under carpet, but a section near the entrance is left exposed so visitors can see them. Inside the Silver Pagoda sits the Emerald Buddha (actually carved from Baccarat crystal, despite the name) and a nearly life-size gold Buddha statue studded with diamonds, one of the most valuable single objects in Cambodia.

Visiting logistics

Entry costs $10 for foreign visitors, and the complex is open daily from 8am to 5pm with a midday closure around 11am-2pm on some days — check current hours before planning your visit, since these do shift. A strict dress code applies: shoulders and knees must be covered, and sarongs are available for rent near the entrance if you arrive underdressed, though bringing your own light scarf or long pants avoids the rental line.

Making the most of a short visit

Budget 1 to 1.5 hours for a thorough visit, closer to 45 minutes if you’re moving efficiently — the grounds are large but photography inside the Silver Pagoda itself is prohibited, so the visit is more about seeing than photographing. Combine it naturally with the National Museum just a short walk north, or the riverside promenade directly across the street, to make a half-day of central Phnom Penh sightseeing without much additional transport.

Etiquette specific to this site

Beyond the standard shoulders-and-knees dress code, visitors should remove hats and sunglasses when addressing monks or officials on the grounds, and speak quietly inside the Silver Pagoda itself, which remains an active religious site rather than purely a museum piece.

Nearby sights to pair with your visit

The National Museum, just a short walk north, houses one of the world’s best collections of Khmer sculpture and pairs naturally with a Royal Palace visit — many travelers do both in the same morning before the midday heat sets in.

Photography restrictions in detail

While photography is generally permitted across most of the palace grounds, the Silver Pagoda’s interior specifically prohibits photography to protect the Emerald Buddha and gold Buddha statue from flash damage and to maintain a respectful atmosphere around what remains an actively venerated religious site — exterior shots of the pagoda building itself are fine, just not the interior.

Guided tours vs self-guided visits

Official guides can be hired at the entrance for roughly $10-15 and add meaningful historical and cultural context that’s easy to miss on a self-guided walk through — particularly useful for understanding the significance of specific buildings and objects that aren’t extensively signposted. A self-guided visit with a good guidebook or downloaded audio content works fine for a shorter visit, but a guide noticeably deepens the experience for history-focused travelers.

How the Royal Palace fits into Cambodia’s constitutional monarchy today

Cambodia retains a constitutional monarchy, and the Royal Palace remains the working residence of the King alongside its role as a historical and tourist site — this is part of why certain areas remain closed to the public and why the dress code and behavior expectations are enforced more strictly here than at a purely historical site with no ongoing ceremonial function.

Combining this visit with the National Museum for deeper context

The National Museum’s collection of Angkor-period sculpture provides useful visual and historical context for understanding the broader Khmer artistic tradition that later influenced the Royal Palace’s own architecture and decorative style — visiting the museum either just before or after the palace helps connect the two experiences into a more coherent picture of Khmer artistic and royal history.

A final practical tip for a smooth visit

Arrive with your sarong or long pants already on rather than planning to change at the entrance, since the rental and changing process during busy periods can add a genuine 15-20 minute delay to your visit — a small piece of advance preparation that noticeably smooths the start of what should be one of Phnom Penh’s more memorable sightseeing stops.

For most visitors, this remains one of the two or three sites in Phnom Penh that genuinely shouldn’t be skipped, regardless of how tight the overall itinerary is.