National Museum of Cambodia

The National Museum was opened in 1920 in a terracotta-red building designed in a Khmer idiom by the French scholar George Groslier, four galleries around a planted courtyard with pools, and it holds the finest collection of Khmer sculpture anywhere. The sequence runs from pre-Angkorian Funan and Chenla work through the classical Angkor period to the post-Angkorian, and the individual pieces are the point: the eighth-century Harihara from Prasat Andet, the bronze reclining Vishnu recovered from the West Mebon, a large Jayavarman VII in meditation. Several works looted during the twentieth century have been returned in recent years and are displayed with that history noted. The courtyard, full of frangipani and bats in the roof, is part of the visit.

What you actually see

• Pre-Angkorian sculpture - Funan and Chenla figures of great refinement.
• The bronze Vishnu - the reclining figure recovered from the West Mebon.
• Jayavarman VII - the meditating portrait of the great builder king.
• The courtyard - frangipani, pools and bats in the roof timbers.

When to go

November to March for comfortable weather; the museum is open daily and is a good option in heat or rain. Mornings are quietest. An audio guide is worth taking as labelling is uneven.

Honest expectations

Labelling is limited and the chronology is not always obvious without a guide. Photography inside the galleries is not permitted. The building has no air conditioning in the galleries and is warm. Two hours is enough for most visitors.

Nearby

The Royal Palace is next door; the riverfront is a short walk east.