Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison)
A school converted into Cambodia's most important prison in 1975. More than 14,000 people were tortured here before being killed at the killing fields; only 8 prisoners made it out alive. The museum is easily accessible and a must-see for everyone interested in Cambodia's horrific history. The beautiful courtyard with palm trees makes for an unsettling contrast with the horrors remembered in the museum: concrete cells, skulls stacked in cabinets, implements of torture and disturbing photographs of people dying. For an introduction and further reading, try David Chandler's Voices from S-21 . Documentary movie S-21 can be purchased in Phnom Penh for US$1.50-2. There is also a short movie screening featuring some survivors that plays at 09:30 upstairs in the far building. An audio tour (available in several languages) is enough to understand the place and lets you go at your own pace. Plan to spend about three hours at the museum if you do the audio tour. There are survivors of the camp who sell their memoirs on site. Across from the museum (No 54 & 56, St 113, is a little shop called CHA (http://www3.online.com.kh/users/wthanchashop) that sells inexpensive handmade goods that are made by women disabled from polio and land mines. If you ask, you will also be able to tour the shop, meet the female workers and see where they study English.
- Address
- St 113, Boeng Keng Kang 3, Chamkar Morn
- Hours
- Closed · opens 8 am
Weekly hours
Mon 8 am–5 pm Tue 8 am–5 pm Wed 8 am–5 pm Thu 8 am–5 pm Fri 8 am–5 pm Sat 8 am–5 pm Sun 8 am–5 pm - Price
- US$5 entrance, US$5 for audio tour or guided tour
Listing from Wikivoyage: Phnom Penh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.