Royal Palace, Phnom Penh

Built in the 1860s, when the capital moved to Phnom Penh, the Royal Palace is still the official residence of the King of Cambodia. Behind its yellow walls, near the riverfront where the Tonle Sap meets the Mekong, are lawns, frangipani trees and pavilions with soaring, golden-tipped roofs.

Visitors walk through the main courtyards and can look into the Throne Hall, used for coronations and royal ceremonies. Next door, the Silver Pagoda takes its name from the silver tiles covering its floor, and houses a small emerald-green Buddha and a life-size golden Buddha set with thousands of diamonds. Murals of the Reamker, the Cambodian Ramayana, line the surrounding cloisters.

Shoulders and knees must be covered, and photography is not allowed inside the Silver Pagoda. Go in the morning, then stroll along the riverside promenade to the National Museum nearby.