Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is the memorial site of the S-21 interrogation and detention center of the Khmer Rouge regime. Located in the heart of Phnom Penh, it preserves a tragic period in history with the aim to encourage visitors to be messengers of peace. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is the memorial site of “Security Office 21” (S-21) of Democratic Kampuchea (also known as the Khmer Rouge regime) and located in what was then the abandoned city of Phnom Penh, whose citizens had been evacuated on 17 April 1975. S-21 served as the central hub of a vast prison system throughout the country and was used throughout the period as a secret facility for the detention, interrogation, torture and extermination of those deemed “political enemies” of the regime. Due to a policy of guilt-by-association, at times whole families were detained at the center. Only 12 former inmates survived the opening of S-21 when Phnom Penh was liberated. Four of them were children.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • julesng07
    Singapore, Singapore356 contributions
    Must go to understand country history
    Must go to understand the history of the country. Looking at the pain, hopelessness in the eyes of the prisoners made me tear up. Place has good information on the who, what was used in torture and the conditions in the prison. The audio guide was useful. Will recommend anyone who visits Phnom Penh to visit this museum. Saddening … this happened around the time before I was born, people going through such a painful and difficult period here.
    Visited December 2022
    Travelled with family
    Written 11 December 2022
  • Darlo Globetrotter
    272 contributions
    A sobering experience
    A very sobering experience. Even after researching beforehand and the actual visit, it is still unbelievable to try and wrap your head around what happened here. This history is very raw, touching, emotional and is still fresh. Block in around 2-3 hours for your visit. Take the audio headset or even get a guide. Take your time, reflect, take moments to process things or to give yourself a breather... and be the carrier of the stories that you hear and see. (I felt that it was inappropriate to take any photos).
    Visited December 2022
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 21 December 2022
  • Chris B
    Brisbane, Australia29 contributions
    A sobering experience
    You hear about these places, you maybe see photos but it's not until you go there that you truly understand the hell that was gone through by an entire population. The museum is extremely well done. There is no attempt to sugarcoat the detials. The audio guide is first class and offers not only a guide to the buildings, but also includes recordings by survivors which are harrowing. However, the narrator, himself a survivor does give due warning so you can skip a recording if you don't feel you can listen. Obviously the buildings have been cleaned up but it doesn't take much to imagine what happened in those rooms. as a guidebook says, the museum's location is incongruous, as it is surrounded by normal street life. I think that one of the other things which struck me was the respect in which all the visitors I saw treated the experience. There is no doubt that places like this horrify us, but it is important that we have them as we must not forget what happened here. Yes, visit this if for no other reason that to remind yourself how lucky you are.
    Visited December 2022
    Written 21 December 2022
  • Daniel K
    Gothenburg, Sweden99 contributions
    Visit this place
    Audioguides are excellent. The swedish one is the best if you know Norwegian or swedish. The place needs to be taken care of better. Things are falling a part and care is not given. Despite it being what it is. Worth a visit when in Phnom Penh!!
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 31 January 2023
  • Jayne E
    Gloucester, United Kingdom79 contributions
    Heartbreaking
    When in Phnom Penh this is surely a must visit but the stories told are absolutely heartbreaking. It is almost impossible to believe that this could have happened in our lifetime. Please ensure that you have tissues with you are it is sure to bring you to tears.
    Visited February 2023
    Written 6 February 2023
  • CHD6265
    Odiham, United Kingdom353 contributions
    Sad, sobering, important.
    Clearly a must-visit attraction but a place for sober reflection and remembrance. The $10 (with audio guide) is probably expensive given the condition of the infrastructure (I understand that it is important to preserve the building as-was, but footpaths could have been better - too many trip hazards for a country with only basic healthcare!). That said, if the admission fee helps those in this poor country preserve this important archive of human atrocities then it is money well spent.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 February 2023
  • aroberts55
    20 contributions
    Terrible and an Honor
    The audio tour is extremely well done. I listened to every recording - some more than once. I also came face to face with a survivor. I was so choked up that I couldn’t speak; other than to ask him the honor of signing a book. Please go.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 14 February 2023
  • afinetraveler
    Washington DC, District of Columbia957 contributions
    the museum is so much better
    It’s been 10 years since my last visit and the museum is so much better! There’s a great audio guide, and the photo displays are now provided with background and in-depth explanations. There are lots of benches to sit at and listen to the audio guide. And the landscape offers a lot of protection from the sun. I’m glad I returned for another visit, especially to see how the Khmer Rouge story is being told.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 20 February 2023
  • Ali07London
    Enfield, United Kingdom455 contributions
    Harrowing but necessary reminder.
    Such a moving experience in this bustling city. Just the barbed wire around the old High School to guide you into the museum. We chose an audio guide which was harrowingly informative. Going at your own pace is needed here and I had to step out a few times as the exhibits are disturbing. A place of education made into the torture chamber of a regime that sought to change a country. The grounds are peaceful and there are plenty of places to sit and reflect. The statistics are horrifying as nearly 1/4 of the population of Cambodia died under this regime. Somewhere you should visit and talk about. We hired a tuk tuk for a half day to take us from our hotel to yhe Museum and then to The Killing Field in South Phnom Penh
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 February 2023
  • Rachel P
    6 contributions
    Informative but harrowing
    It’s a harrowing place to visit and find out what took place there. I paid for audio guide and thought it was very informative. There were personal stories you could choose to listen to also. The audio would warn you if the narration was going to contain particularly difficult material. I’m glad I went as it’s stands as a warning and reminder of totalitarian regimes and a dark time in the country’s history.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 28 March 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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R. K. V.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam2,521 contributions
Nov 2023 • Solo
came back after many years- and while tourisim has boomed and there were a lot of people-- the place maintains a real sense of dignity and is a good place for reflection about the horrors of recent history.
Written 17 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ratna K Nadarajan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia79 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
An interesting visit. It was a place that was used to incarcerate and torture prisoners during the Pol Pot era. A creepy and negative aura can be felt throughout . Don't go if you are easily affected by this. You leave with a feeling of sadness. At the end of the tour, you will meet some survivors of the genocide. Real people that had been imprisoned there, sad.
Written 10 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lena W
Hamburg, Germany11 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
This is an amazing museum with a lot of information.
I recommend to take the tour with an audio guide, so you get all the information and stories.

Be prepared that some parts are very difficult to be in. It was such a hard time for Cambodia.
Written 10 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Palmer L
Phnom Penh, Cambodia6 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
Visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh is a must-do for anybody seeking an enlightening history lesson. This creepy former prison turned museum offers a fascinating look into Cambodia's horrific past. Skilled staff, a spooky setting, and well selected exhibits come together to provide an important yet emotional experience. a strong incentive to remember and learn from history. A sight that no tourist should miss.
Written 23 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sharon B
5 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
I was ignorant of the history. I was shocked to discover humans behaved like this and still are now 💔
Written 17 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

midway42
Georgia3,089 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
It is estimated that at some point in the 20th century over half of the member nations of the UN have had examples of concentration/execution camps: Russia’s gulag-system, The United States’ Japanese internment camps during WW2, Britain’s Boer War camps, etc. While all of these vary in their severity and mortality rates, a strong argument can be made that none of them reached the level of brutality found in Tuol Sleng from 1976 to 1979. Originally constructed as a high school and named after a relative of King Sihanouk, the group of buildings was repurposed in early 1976 into a combined interrogation center and prison. It is estimated that over 20,000 people passed through its doors with a very small percentage surviving. Soon after the Vietnamese deposed the Khmer Rouge in early 1979, the building was turned into a museum and has been dedicated to educating people about the torture and killing of the Khmer Rouge.

I visited the facility twice during my time in Phnom Penh, once with a guide and a few days later by myself. The group of bulidings is located in the center of the city and is easily accessible by taxi or tuk-tuk. It consists of four buildings and two courtyards, all of which address the activities carried out here by different methods. Building A profiles most of the interrogation and torture facilities with a minimalist approach, while building B teaches about the Khmer Rouge (“The Faces of Angkar”) and the sorting process of the interrogees. Buildings C and D show the facilities largely as they were left including examples of solitary confinement, while examples of torture equipment are found in the latter. Personal stories abound throughout and the experience is bookended by a group of anonymous graves and a Memorial to the Victims of Genocide. There are rotating exhibits on the upper floors covering topics such as “Restoring and Preserving Clothing” and “A History of the Museum.” If this wasn’t enough, there were survivors present on both days who autographed books and presented themselves for pictures.

It's tough to “rate” a place like Tuol Sleng as it really is an essential visit more than it is a desirable one. That aside, as a tourist attraction regardless of topic it was very well organized, and the audio guide in particular was thorough and easy to use. To be honest I thought a guide here was a bit superfluous; even if your time is limited the audio guide has an option for those in a rush. There was a proper mix of detailed personal stories and issues relating to the larger context of the Khmer Rouge. The lack of modern digitization was a huge plus here, as my imagination was engaged without constant overstimulation. If you add in the fact that this museum covers one of the most brutal genocides in world history then you have your answer on whether to visit Tuol Sleng regardless of how much time you have in the country.
Written 27 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah M
4 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
A very moving experience. We had a guide organised by us separately, but you can also get an audio guide at the entrance for 5 dollars extra. We learned a lot during this visit, definitely worth it to understand the dark times during Khmer Rouge rule. We even met some survivors of the S21 towards the end, and we bought books regarding their experience.
Written 2 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sammy G
Burnaby, Canada64 contributions
Aug 2023
Definitely worthwhile, great museum, solemn but necessary to understand the history of Cambodia better and to pay respect to the past and learn from it so it is not repeated.
Written 14 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kylie B
City of Casey, Australia23 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
A must see when in Phnom Penh. Heart wrenching in its past and facts that are shown & discussed; but to remember those that died and pay tribute to survivors I think it’s important for all to see.
We met the last 2 survivors and were able to chat with them and buy there book (only $10), was surreal.
Written 11 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ashardde
Mumbai, India3 contributions
Jul 2023
This is a must stop to visit to learn more about Cambodia. We had known nothing about this place before our arrival here.
Written 28 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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