Phnom Penh

Things to see and do

Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda

The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda sit side by side on Sothearos Boulevard and while they are two separate complexes, they are visited as one. The palace has four gates. The eastern Victory Gate leads directly to the entrance of the throne hall and is used only by royalty and VIPs. The ... read more
Wat Phnom

This small hill, or phnom, at the northern end of Phnom Penh give's Cambodia's capital its name. Legend has it that a Khmer woman Penh was dawdling by the riverbank when she noticed four Buddha images floating by. She grabbed the lot of them and lugged them over to the hill, where a wat was built ... read more
Cambodia-Vietnam Soldiers Monument

Northeast of the Independence Monument heading towards the Royal Palace, this monument was built to a Vietnamese design in the late 1970s. Following demonstrations two decades later, the area surrounding the monument was dubbed Democracy Square. Today it is still used for political gatherings -- ... read more
Wat Lang Ka

This wat is of only passing interest to the typical traveller, although it is a popular one for VIP ceremonies of various kinds. You can tell when something VIPish is happening as they'll close the roads in the area, causing complete chaos. Toward the rear of the compound, by the entrance on ... read more
Wat Prayuvong

This small wat is hidden away to the east of Norodom Boulevard, about a five-minute walk from the Independence Monument. The wat is not signposted in English, but keep an eye out for the spirit houses lining Norodom and head down the nearby alley where industrious workers are making concrete ... read more
Boat trip

Phnom Penh can get oppressively hot, particularly in March through May. One fine way to escape is to take an afternoon boat ride along the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers. You'll often be approached by touts along the river to go on an organised trip, but if you can rustle together your own group you ... read more
Choeung Ek

Choeung Ek, 15 kilometres from Phnom Penh, is Cambodia's best known killing field, although many travellers do not realise that this was just one of the many, many that dot the country. More than 15,000 people, transported from Tuol Sleng, are believed to have been murdered here -- some shot, many ... read more
Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre

An organised day trip to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, about 40 km from Phnom Penh, leaves from Lazy Gecko restaurant on the lakeside at 10:00 and usually returns at about 17:00. It costs $30 per person, which seems steep, but the price includes jeep transport, entry fee, a fantastic Khmer ... read more
Phsar Thmei (Central Market)

Built in 1937, this stunning ochre-coloured art-deco ziggurat designed by Vann Molyvann is the most unlikely of buildings in Phnom Penh. A huge dome with four wings, it's an amazingly cool place to seek refuge in the middle of the day and is also a fascinating market to wander through. The area of ... read more
Phsar Tuol Tom Pong (Russian Market)

This market got its name due to the masses of Russians who shopped here in the 1980s. Though the Russians have disappeared, the bargains haven't. Popular with expats and tourists alike picking up pirated DVDs and CDs, fake designer clothing, handicrafts, real and replica antiques and other knick ... read more
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

S-21 or Tuol Sleng was the Khmer Rouge's primary interrogation and extermination centre, designed to purge anti-Khmer Rouge elements from the new society Pol Pot and his henchmen were hellbent on creating. Before the 1975-79 regime, the building was a school. Smaller interrogation centres were ... read more
Shooting Range

Phnom Penh's notorious shooting range has long been a place of interest to tourists -- if not to visit in person, then to shake their heads at. If shooting really big guns is your thing, this is the place for you. For $30 you can fire 30 rounds of an AK-47 or 20 rounds of an M16. According to many ... read more
Koh Dach

Koh Dach is an island about 15km north of Phnom Penh on the Mekong River. There are two reasons to visit this 30 square kilometre island -- for the beach, or to check out the handicrafts that local artisans make. The beach is very popular with locals on the weekends but during the week you will ... read more
Kien Svay (also called Koki Beach)

Located 15km east of the Monivong Bridge on NH1 toward Ho Chi Minh City, Kien Svay is a popular spot for locals from the city. A sign for Koki Beach is on the left but easy to miss, so watch your odometer and keep your eyes peeled as you get near the 15km mark. A huge tree marks the turn, which is ... read more
Khmer Architecture Tours

Khmer Architecture Tours run regular visits to Phnom Penh's fascinating but rapidly vanishing modern architectural sites. From Vann Molyvann's high-density housing project now slated for pull-down (his national theatre has already gone, sadly), to imposing-but-crumbling university buildings, and ... read more
Independence Monument

Also known as the Victory Monument, this Vann Molyvann-designed reddish-brown coloured edifice was built in 1958 to celebrate independence from the French and as a memorial to Cambodia's war dead. Sitting in the centre of Phnom Penh's largest roundabout, the monument is a favourite among tourists ... read more