Top must-visit destinations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh is a beautiful Southeast Asian city and the capital of Cambodia. Once the capital of the French colony of Cambodia and Manchuria, Phnom Penh has an interesting pre and post-colonial history, giving rise to a plethora of things to do in Phnom Penh.

Its great boulevards are still lined with old colonial French villas and buildings but the country’s Buddhist heritage endures in the many gorgeous monasteries and pagodas located here. As a busy capital and major economic and cultural center, Phnom Penh gets a lot of visitors. So, become one of them and witness a culture trip to experience Combodia like never before.

National Museum of Cambodia

Located next to the Royal Palace, the National Museum of Cambodia is home to more than 5,000 artefacts dating back to the ancient Angkorian period. Various rooms display a range of rare statues, lingas and other items, including the Leper King from Siem Reap and a giant 11thcentury bronze Vishnu. It equips visitors with some great knowledge ahead of a trip to Angkor Wat Archaeological Park.

Killing Fields

If you are looking for some unusual things to do in Phnom Penh, this is where you must head to. S-21 prison was the most brutal of Khmer Rouge extermination camps. It is the site of the mass killing burial of over 15,000 people.

After its discovery, a Buddhist monument called the Choeung Ek was built as a mark of respect for their souls. You can get half-day tours of the Killing Fields where you are provided with informative audio guides as well as tours of the prison facility that housed the victims. This is a must on your Phnom Penh itinerary.

The Royal Palace

Built in the 1860’s, this opulent palace has since served as the royal residence in Phnom Penh, discounting a brief point of abandonment during the Khmer Rouge.On site, there are multiple golden temples and quarters, each more beautiful than the next. The entire complex sits riverside where you can watch motorboats and paddle boats floating on by and capture some great photos of daily river life in Phnom Penh.

You will get a chance to learn about the history of the royal family in Cambodia and the history of Phnom Penh with the help of informational plaques and guide available on site.

The Old Market

The Old Market, also known as Phsar Chas, is an authentic Cambodian market known to the locals as the best produce shopping spot. If you want to taste truly fresh and organic mangoes or jackfruit- this is the place.

Located in the Old French Quarter next to the river, this market is the perfect place to start your morning. Sit on a bench with your fresh finds and watch morning traffic zooming motorbikes and food stalls feeding workers on their way to work.

Koh Dach

Also known as Silk Island, Koh Dach is approximately an hour’s journey from the capital, including a short ferry ride to the island that sits in the middle of the Mekong River. Guests can learn about Cambodian silk weaving by visiting the weaving villages dotted across the islands, where they can watch workers use handlooms to spin silk while others dye materials to create stunning designs. The quiet island is also home to pristine countryside and a great way to escape the city for the day without going too far.

Sisowath Quay Boardwalk

Visit the boardwalk in the evening and you will be rewarded with beautiful views of the orange sun setting over the city. The boardwalk is lined with comfy benches where you can rest as vendors, both adult and adolescent, come up to you selling peanuts, popcorn, beer, coconuts, and more. Keep you beer or soda cans to give to can-collecting kids passing by.

On the main street across from the boardwalk, you will find both Khmer and Western restaurants, as well as bars serving ice-cold Ankor beer. There are shops to get your shoes repaired, keys made, passport photos taken, hair cut- the whole lot.

Read more: 10 best signature dishes in Cambodia

The Vibe Café

Enjoy a dinner at The Vibe Cafe. This is the only totally vegan restaurant in the Cambodian capital. There are plenty of homemade recipes that are a rage here. At dirt cheap prices, this is your destination for the great and the healthy. The restaurant is located in a trendy locale with chic interiors and terrace seating as well, so it is a great place to have dinner if you are staying in Phnom Penh city.

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The 5 best museums in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh’s range of museums offers a fascinating insight into Cambodian culture and heritage and its turbulent past. Here are five museums to add to your itinerary of activities in the Cambodian capital.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CAMBODIA

Located next to the Royal Palace, the National Museum of Cambodia is home to more than 5,000 artifacts dating back to the ancient Angkorian period. Various rooms display a range of rare statues, lingas and other items, including the Leper King from Siem Reap and a giant 11th-century bronze Vishnu. It equips visitors with some great knowledge ahead of a trip to Angkor Wat Archaeological Park.

THE ROYAL PALACE AND SILVER PAGODA

The Royal Palace serves as the King’s residence, a venue for court ceremony and a symbol of the Kingdom. Selected areas are open to the public. The palace compound is also home to the Silver Pagoda, a renowned temple that takes a prominent place on the riverside and is named for its gleaming silver floor. Guests can stroll through the manicured gardens and discover the ornate temples, libraries and galleries inside the palace grounds.

CHOEUNG EK GENOCIDAL CENTER

Between 1975 and 1979, the Pol Pot-led Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, with an estimated two million people killed or dying from starvation and exhaustion. Almost 9,000 bodies were discovered at the mass graves of Choeung Ek, more commonly known as the Killing Fields. Now serving as a memorial, the site features a Buddhist stupa filled with human skulls retrieved from the fields. Visitors can walk around the exhumed graves and learn more through a headset-guided walking tour.

TUOL SLENG GENOCIDE MUSEUM

This former high school in central Phnom Penh makes for a sobering visit for the horrific role it played during the Khmer Rouge regime. During that time, the former school was transformed into a political prisoners’ camp known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). Only seven prisoners survived, while many others were tortured and killed, or sent to their deaths at Choeung Ek. Much of the site has been left as it was discovered in 1979 when the Vietnamese army liberated Phnom Penh. The blood-splattered walls, tiny brick cells and abandoned torture tools offer a chilling insight into the brutal regime.

BOPHANA AUDIOVISUAL RESOURCE CENTER

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center is a cinema and hub for photography, television, film, and sound. As many image and sound archives were destroyed during decades of conflict, Bophana collates and archives surviving material and puts it on display to the public. The center also serves as an educational site where young Cambodians can learn audiovisual techniques, multimedia practices, broadcasting and film production. Visitors can peruse photographs that date back to 1866 and view treasured film footage. Space also regularly hosts exhibitions, workshops and film screenings.

See more: 10 best signature dishes in Cambodia

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Where to have local lunch in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodian cuisine attracts many tourists with its unique taste. If you want to try a great local lunch, here is a list of amazing lunch spots for you.

Friends The Restaurant

Running as one of two training schools for NGO Friends International’s hospitality and chef students, Friends the Restaurant cooks up a range of creative tapas dishes, all centred around contemporary Cambodian cuisine. Dishes include palm sugar and cinnamon braised duck leg with cranberry orange relish, prawn and glass noodle salad with fresh herbs and chilli lime dressing, and sun-dried tomato hummus with crispy wontons.

54 Langeach Sros

Definitely one of Phnom Penh’s culinary bright spots, 54 Langeach Sros is a local Khmer-style barbeque and beer garden that serves a mean plate of ribs, tangy with a hint of sweetness and slightly spicy. Do not bother ordering just one plate. The ribs can take a half-hour to arrive, but they are always worth it. Goat with black ants, “fried fish on the fire lake” and crab with young green pepper are all excellent and remarkably affordable.

Mok Mony Restaurannt

Specialising in authentic Khmer and Asian cuisine, diners can enjoy their food in the tropical garden or air-conditioned glass section. The menu takes in a range of delights, including grilled betel leaf with marinated beef, Khmer red chicken curry, blue Mekong prawns and Kampot pepper squid. It also serves daily and weekly specials.

Tummy Filler Cafe and Pub

If you cannot decide whether you are in the mood for traditional Khmer or Western food, Tummy Filler Cafe in Toul Tom Pong offers the best of both worlds. Their menu boasts Asian soups, fried rice, noodles, and Khmer classics like lok lak and amok. But it also serves up Western salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes and fish and chips. Tummy Filler opens early every day with a range of breakfast foods and specialty coffee drinks. Their bar menu includes wine, beer, and mixed drinks with a selection of unique fruity and frozen cocktails.

Phka Slaa Restaurant

Putting a modern spin on Cambodian comfort food, Phka Slaa presents a range of delicious dishes that are served in style. Offering a range of breakfast options, the cool contemporary setting is a great place to indulge in a leisurely lunch and sits right around the corner from the Royal Palace and National Museum, making it the perfect spot to take a break from sightseeing.

Khmer Surin Restaurant

Spread across three floors, each offering its own atmosphere, Khmer Surin serves authentic Khmer food in sumptuous surroundings. The ground level is a great spot to enjoy breakfast, and people-watch from among the tropical foliage. Traditional Cambodian food can be enjoyed throughout lunch, taking in salads, steamed dishes, curries, soups and fried options.

Read more: 7 reasons why you should visit Cambodia at least one time

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A day trip in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh is the popular tourist destination you should not miss when coming to the Kingdom of Cambodia. Along with its outstanding cultural, historic and architectural values, Phnom Penh also offers a wide range of free activities.

8 a.m. 

Like Vietnam, Cambodia was once a French colony, which means breakfasts of cafe, crusty baguettes and fresh croissants, with tropical fruit, in stately colonial buildings. The main cafe-restaurant strip is on Sisowath Quay, the riverside road that hugs Tonle Sap River. Sink into the wicker chairs at Riverside Bistro, on the corner of Street 148 and start your day with a mocha frappe.

9 a.m.

Visitors who are feeling super ambitious should spend about an hour or two exploring the somewhat decrepit temples in the area before making their way to the next stop on our itinerary.
Many tourists leave these temples off their to-do lists for the day, however, the temples, even in their diminishing states, are certainly a sight to see. You will run into monks who reside at these temples.

11 a.m.

Another must-see is Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in downtown Phnom Penh, a former high school that became S-21, Pol Pot's most feared prison. Tens of thousands of people were kept shackled in tiny, purpose-built cells, interrogated and tortured.

Read more: Discover Cambodia with the most haunted destinations in Halloween

1 p.m.

Across the road from the genocide museum is the Boddhi Tree, a shady garden cafe that serves vegetarian and health food and was the first organic restaurant in Phnom Penh. It supports community projects such as ChildSafe, which works to reduce child abuse in Cambodia. Order something long and cool from the menu, most iced drinks or shakes in Phnom Penh are made with “clean ice”.

2 p.m.

There are many ways that visitors can educate themselves on this genocide, including visiting the Killing Fields, or Choeung Ek, just outside of Phnom Penh. This is the site where thousands of Cambodians were buried who died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. The entrance fee is $6.

6 p.m.

Phnom Penh is situated along the Mekong, the Bassac and Tonle Sap rivers. Eating at a restaurant along the river is both a romantic and relaxing experience, even if you are traveling solo. Eating along the peaceful river is a good way to refresh yourself after having a long, emotionally draining day. Visitors will find that there are a variety of dining options, including Khmer, Western and vegetarian cuisine.

9 p.m.

Cross Sisowath Quay, the main road that leads along the riverfront, to Mekong River Restaurant. Its tiny upstairs cinema screens two documentaries, one about Pol Pot, the other about landmines, in French and English, several times a day. The $US3 admission entitles you to discount drinks downstairs afterwards, do not miss Angkor beer in Cambodia.

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