8 Best Things To Do In Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Must See Destinations)

Last Updated: November 24 2020

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and is rich in history. It sits between the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap Rivers, so is the perfect place to go on a walk by the river. There are so many things to do in Phnom Penh so it’s a great city to visit.

Two of these things to see are Cheoung Ek and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This is because of the horrific Khmer Rouge regime which decimated the population of Cambodia.

In this blog post, we are going to go through the best things to see and do in Phnom Penh. We will go through the top attractions in Phnom Penh and why you need to visit them. In this post, we will also go through where to stay and onward travel options.

Phnom Penh is probably one of the most upsetting places to visit in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge did horrific things here and learning about it is very difficult. However, it is important to understand the history of this country.

The Top Things to do in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

There are plenty of things to see in Phnom Penh. Here are just some of the Phnom Penh attractions that you need to visit!

Wat Phnom

Wat Phnom is a Buddhist temple located within the city centre. The temple was built in 1372 and is the tallest religious structure in Phnom Penh. It is also one of the most important.

Many people come here to pray for good luck and success. Once their wish is granted, they then return to make an offering. The temple and its surroundings offer people relaxation from the busy streets of Phnom Penh.

Tickets & information

It costs $1 to head up to Wat Phnom. The temple is located in the town centre, so is easily accessible.

The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is a stunning complex. It serves as a residence to the King of Cambodia and was built in the 1860s. It has been occupied ever since apart from when the country was in turmoil due to the Khmer Rouge.

Its full name in Cambodian is ‘Preah Barum Reachea Veang Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol’ but that is a mouthful haha so people just call it The Royal Palace instead. It is one of the most popular Phnom Penh tourist spots, so can get very busy!

The palace is very grand, and the architecture is phenomenal. The complex is split into four separate compounds; each with something to see. There is the Silver Pagoda, Khemarin Palace, and the central compound which contains the Throne Hall and Inner Court.

The whole complex wasn’t all built at the same time and some buildings have been replaced as late as the 1960s. There is even an emerald buddha temple and a moonlight pavilion which is an open-air pavilion where traditional dances take place.

Tickets & how to get there

The Royal Palace costs $7 to enter, which also includes entry to the Silver Pagoda. If you want to hire a guide you are looking at around $10 an hour.

The Royal Palace is easily accessible from most places in the city, just by walking. We stayed in the centre of Phnom Penh and it only took us 10 minutes to walk here.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 Prison)

The S21 prison is found in the centre of Phnom Penh and is one of the best places in Cambodia to get a sense of the horrific history this country has.

During the Khmer Rouge period which was between 1975-1979, 1.5-2 million Cambodians were murdered by the regime. At the time this was about 1/3 of the countries population.

The s21 Prison was originally a school but was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge to hold people before executing them. They actually stopped all education within the country.

Although extremely difficult to visit, the prison is an excellent place to learn about this horrible period of Cambodia’s history.

When visiting the prison, you will need to be prepared to see some graphic images. In the rooms where they would keep prisoners, there are some photos of how people were tortured and left to die.

There is a wall located within the prison that you must take a look at. It has photos of all the prisoners that were kept here and some of their stories. Although a horrific location, it is now used to commemorate and to educate people. It is a way to remember all those that lost their lives.

This isn’t a place you will enjoy but is one you must visit when in Cambodia. There were nearly 20,000 people held here at one point who suffered unimaginable pain and suffering. It is part of Cambodia’s history and it is important to learn about what happened here.

Most days there is an amazing survivor who goes to the prison to talk to visitors. He also has a book too which he has written about his time here.

Tickets & information

It costs $8 to enter the museum with an audio guide and $5 to go in without one. We recommend getting the audio guide, as we didn’t and regretted it!

From central Phnom Penh, you can easily walk to The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. It took us about 40 minutes, or you can get a tuk-tuk. Just make sure to haggle the price.

The Killing Fields (Choeung Ek)

Choeung Ek (also known as the Killing Fields) is another difficult location to visit in Phnom Penh. It is located 17km outside of the city centre but is easy enough to get to by tuk-tuk. Visiting the Killing fields is one of the most popular things to do in Phnom Penh city and its because of the history here.

Choeung Ek is a former orchard where the Khmer Rouge took prisoners to execute them. They would tell prisoners they were taking them to a ‘better place’ before taking them out in the night to kill them in the most brutal ways.

The Khmer Rouge were evil, and we can’t believe how people could treat other people this way. They got away with killing people here for so long because they used to play really loud music at night. This was to mask the screaming so that local farmers wouldn’t realise what was going on here.

It is a tough destination to visit, but you will gain a lot of knowledge. There is also a memorial here to commemorate the people that have been lost. It contains the skulls of 5,000 murdered Cambodian people.

The audio guide will tell you which sites to visit first, and you also get a map. It will tell you all about the area you are at, followed by some very sad stories from survivors.

The most horrific part of this place is the Killing tree. It was used to murder children, with the Khmer Rouge beating the children against the tree until they died. The children were then dumped in pits which is just awful. The trees are now decorated in colourful bracelets to remember the poor children who died here.

Click HERE for our ‘All you need to know about S21 Prison & the killing fields of Phnom Penh’ blog post.

Tickets & information

It costs $8 to enter Choeung Ek with the audio guide included.

It is roughly a 30-minute drive by tuk-tuk to get to the killing fields. The driver will drop you off at the fields and arrange a time for you to meet him afterwards in the car park.

We got our driver to wait for 1 hr 30 minutes which in all honesty was a bit of a rush. In our opinion, you need more time than this to walk around the whole area. To get to Choeung Ek and back to the city, with the wait in between cost us $13. If you get your driver to wait longer he will want more money, and understandably so.

Preah Sisowath Quay

Preah Sisowath Quay is a brilliant place to walk along the Mekong River. It is a nice place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre and enjoy a more peaceful Phnom Penh.

This Riverside path is a vibrant walk with lots of colourful flowers and palm trees. There are a lot of spots where you can stop to take photographs, and benches so you can have a relax in the sun. We spent a couple of hours here during our stay in Phnom Penh just because it was the most relaxing part of Phnom Penh.

Tickets & information

Preah Sisowath Quay is an open public space, therefore is free.

Ounnalom Pagoda

Ounnalom Pagoda was located at the end of the road we were staying on so we walked past it most days. It is a Buddhist temple compound and was built in 1443.

This small compound is well worth checking out because it isn’t a massively popular attraction so will be rather quiet.

Ticket & information

There is no price to enter this pagoda so you can have a look around for free.

The Ounnalom Pagoda is only a few streets away from the riverside path. and is found on Preah Ang Eng Street.

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The Statue of King Father Norodom Sihanouk 

The statue of the king commemorates the former King Norodom Sihanouk. It is near the S21 prison so they can be visited on the same day.

The statue is 4.5m tall and surrounded by a 27-metre high stupa. It took around 8 months to build, and cost around $1.2 million to build. The independence monument is also found here, so this place is very meaningful to the people of Phnom Penh.

Tickets & information

You don’t need a ticket to go here, as it is a free public space.

You can find the statue and the monument at Preah Suramarit Boulevard or Sihanouk Boulevard.

The Independence Statue

The Independence Statue is in the same place as the King Father Norodom Sihanouk statue. It is just further up the path and you can’t miss it!

The monument sits on the middle of the roundabout and is there to memorialize Cambodia becoming independent from France in 1953.

The statue is in the shape of a lotus flower stupa and is made in the style of that seen in the Khmer temple at Banteay Srei. The monument is 37m high and during national celebrations, it is the focal point for the entertainment. Floral tributes are put down at the front of the monument and a flame is lit by a high ranking official.

Tickets & information

Just like the statue of the king this monument is free to take a look at.

The monument is on the roundabout between Sihanouk Boulevard and Norodom Boulevard.

Phnom Penh Markets

Cambodia’s capital has some great markets dotted around the city. The central market is the biggest of these and is a large dome full of small markets.

Another notable market to visit is Tuol Tompoung Market. This market is a bit more traditional and is full of handmade goods and a wide variety of fruits. We suggest you ty the Mangosteen here because it is delicious.

You can get to both of these markets by tuk-tuk or depending on where you are staying you could quite easily walk. Exploring the markets is one of the best things to do in Phnom Penh as there are so many goodies!

Food options in Phnom Penh

There are plenty of great food options in Phnom Penh. If you head to Preah Ang Eng Street you will find so many restaurants. We ate there all the time because there was so much choice.

There are western restaurants selling burgers, Indian restaurants selling curries and so many more. The Phnom Penh night market is also another great choice, and you can find a lot of street food here.

Where to stay in Phnom Penh

You will want to stay somewhere central so you are close to all of the Phnom Penh tourist attractions. We were travelling on a budget so stayed in a very cheap place, called B52 Hostel.

For £9 a night we got a brilliant double room with a private bathroom in a perfect location. The location was only a 40-minute walk away from the S21 Prison and a 10-minute walk from the Royal Palace and Riverside Path. It is also on Preah Ang Eng Street (where all the good restaurants are).

Here are some more options if you have a larger budget:

Budget Accommodation

B52 Hostel- £9 A night for a double room with a private bathroom.

Medium Budget Accommodation

Prantara Heritage Suites- £26 a night for a superior double room.

Hight Budget/Luxury Accommodation

PAVILION- £50 a night for a superior double room.

How to get to Phnom Penh

We arrived in Phnom Penh from Battambang by bus. The bus cost £9.50 for the two of us. You can also get buses to Phnom Penh from other destinations such as Siem Reap, Kampot, Kep, Kratie and even from Vietnam.

Whilst travelling around Cambodia we booked our transport through accommodation o a travel agent. A good way to gauge the price is by checking the price in a few different agents before booking your tickets.

Onward travel from Phnom Penh

From Phnom Penh, we went to Kampot by bus. The bus costs £13 for two people. You can buy them from a local travel agent. We went onwards to Vietnam the second time we visited Phnom Penh because that was the next country on our list. For £22 we went from the city to Ho Chi Minh City.

Hopefully, this list has given you ideas on what to do in Phnom Penh. Cambodia’s capital is a must-visit city as there are plenty of things to see and do in Phnom Penh.

If you have visited Phnom Penh, we would love to know what you think about this city!

P.S If you want to see more of our travel tips, why not follow our Pinterest by clicking HERE.

Thank you for reading,
Jack & Abbie

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