Things to do in Phnom Penh
Attractions and distractions
Attractions and distractions
Use the quick links below to jump to a particular section of our sights and activities coverage for Phnom Penh.
The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda sit side by side on Sothearos Boulevard and between them form one of the most popular attractions for first time visitors to Phnom ... Read more about Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda .
Cambodia’s National Museum (saa-ra moo-un dti if you want to impress your tuk tuk driver) is a reference point around Phnom Penh, an impressive red-tiled, red-walled building set in carefully tended tropical gardens—it is also arguably the best museum in the country. ... Read more about National Museum .
A school, a prison, the end of the road; Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was one of hundreds of detention and interrogation centres created all over Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge—who gave the former high school the sinisterly innocuous name S-21—where countless thousands of Cambodians were ruthlessly processed until they were ... Read more about Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum .
A mass grave for victims of one of the worst manifestations of control, paranoia and terror created by the Khmer Rouge, haunting and disturbing Choeung Ek was the preferred execution site for people who had been through Tuol Sleng, the Khmer Rouge’s most notorious detention and interrogation ... Read more about Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre .
For many travellers to Cambodia, the capital Phnom Penh is but an after thought to the main attraction of Angkor Wat, but the capital retains its own particular charms and is pretty to boot. Here’s what we’d do with three days in the city, striving for a mix of history and hedonism—mix and match to suit. ... Read more about 3 days in Phnom Penh .
Food tours are all the rage in Southeast Asia and in January 2019 we tried out three Phnom Penh food tours to see what their take was on what Cambodian food has to ... Read more about Food tours in Phnom Penh .
Khmer Architecture Tours run weekly visits to Phnom Penh’s fascinating but rapidly vanishing modern architectural sites, with the aim of both promoting an understanding of the genuinely Cambodian style known as New Khmer Architecture and also, more generally raising awareness of the value and beauty of the city’s historic architecture. ... Read more about Khmer Architecture Tours .
At first glance Phnom Penh might not appear to be much of a walking city, but it is actually an excellent place for a walking tour— as long as you pace yourself, drink plenty of water and are sure to look in all directions—including ... Read more about Phnom Penh walking tour .
The fulcrum of Phnom Penh’s north, the story goes that Wat Phnom is the hill from which the capital city drew its name. ... Read more about Wat Phnom .
Apart from Wat Phnom, which is situated atop an artificial hill, Wat Ounalom is the Cambodian capital’s most conspicuous temple and arguably the most ... Read more about Wat Ounalom .
A magnificent construction that lives with a constant threat of destruction, the Olympic Stadium is a metaphor for the short-sighted mindlessness, grubbiness and political manoeuvring that attend a great deal of Phnom Penh urban “planning”. ... Read more about Olympic Stadium .
These three monuments represent three periods of Cambodian history. The Angkor-inspired Independence Monument, the monument to the much loved King Sihanouk and one to the Vietnamese involvement in the country. All are easily reached on foot from the Royal ... Read more about Monuments on and near Sihanouk Blvd .
The stunning butter-coloured art-deco ziggurat that is Phsar Thmei is the most unlikely of buildings in Phnom Penh, and within you’ll find everything from jewellery to avocados and deep fried crickets to white goods—just be prepared to negotiate hard as the prices are higher here than at any other market in the city. ... Read more about Phsar Thmei .
Despite the name, the one thing you can’t buy at Phnom Penh’s Russian Market is a Russian. But for almost everything else, this warren of stalls has it covered. ... Read more about Phsar Tuol Tom Poung (Russian Market) .
Phnom Penh’s only formal night market, Phsar Reatrey overlooks the riverside from the central reservation that separates downtown and northern Phnom Penh, and it is popular with foreigners and locals ... Read more about Phnom Penh Night Market .
Phsar Chas is a great little Phnom Penh market conveniently located for travellers to check out but targeting locals—head here instead of striking out to distant suburbs to experience a genuine Cambodian ... Read more about Phsar Chas .
One block back from the riverfront, Phnom Penh’s Phsar Kandal is centrally located off Street 154, just a five-minute walk from Street 172 and opposite the north side of Wat Ounalom, so chances are you’ll pass by—if you do, it’s well worth a ... Read more about Phsar Kandal .
Phnom Penh’s primary downtown wholesale market, Phsar Orussey is a one stop shop for just about anything—especially if you want that anything in ... Read more about Phsar Orussey .
Chances are you may have heard of muay Thai (Thai kick boxing), but what about Kun Khmer (also known as Pradal Serey)? Want to know more? Khmer kick boxing is on every Friday through Sunday and best of all it is ... Read more about Kun Khmer (Khmer kickboxing) .
If you’re all done with the top shelf sights and attractions in Phnom Penh but still have some time up your sleeve, then don’t fret, there is plenty to keep you busy for ... Read more about Stuff to do in Phnom Penh .
For a small city, Phnom Penh offers a diverse range of possibilities for yoga fans. Whether you’re a devoted yogini or yet to bend your limbs to anything resembling a cow pose, the scope is here to extend your practice or try out something completely new, safe in the knowledge that no one you know can see ... Read more about Yoga .
In a city awash with chic cafes and hipster bars it should come as no surprise that the shopping in Phnom Penh is none too shabby. Be it high fashion, low-key flip flops, gourmet pepper or just a gift for Grandma, the city can deliver on many of your souvenir and shopping ... Read more about Shopping in Phnom Penh .
Just a short bike, boat or moto ride away from the hurly-burley of Phnom Penh, Koh Dach (often referred to as Silk Island) offers a peaceful, pastoral respite, and the chance to pick up some choice silks and cottons. ... Read more about Koh Dach (Silk Island) .
With a beautiful river-side setting, dozens of floating bamboo salas to choose from, and plenty of cheap beer and food, Kien Svay makes for a terrific lazy lunch and afternoon away from the big smoke of Phnom ... Read more about Kien Svay .
An excellent and newish initiative by Phnom Penh transportation authorities, the taxi boat service is really a river bus scheme with scheduled, public boats connecting the city’s southern and northern suburbs to the city centre and it makes for a great way to explore around Phnom Penh by boat. ... Read more about Explore around Phnom Penh by taxi boat .
The tick-list of things to see in Phnom Penh is often heavy on the brutal history, leaving visitors sometimes reeling and with only a bite-sized impression of the country’s rich heritage—one of the best ways to address this is by catching a performance of traditional Cambodian dance. ... Read more about Traditional Cambodian dance .
One of the most popular past times in Phnom Penh is taking a stroll along the riverfront overlooking the waters of the Tonle Sap, Bassac and Mekong rivers. For a different outlook, spend the late afternoon admiring Phnom Penh’s fast changing skyline from the deck of a sunset boat ... Read more about Sunset boat trip .
Long gone are the days when 27-metre tall Wat Phnom was the pinnacle of Phnom Penh and today the city boasts a whole range of view point bars that you can avail yourself of. Here is the wrap on a few of our favourites—note this list is far from ... Read more about Bars with a view in Phnom Penh .
Getting a lovely massage, facial, body treatment or pedicure is a quintessential part of the Cambodia relaxation experience, and even the expensive spas are affordable by Western standards, so go ahead and treat ... Read more about Spas .
