11 of the best · Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, the National Museum, Wat Phnom, the Art Deco Central Market, the Russian Market, the riverside and the memorials of 1975–79.
Our 11 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
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Three Phnom Penh addresses we return to, chosen from this list by people who know the city well.
The King’s residence
The golden-roofed palace on the river, with the Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda open to visitors.
Khmer sculpture
The great collection of Khmer sculpture, in a red Khmer-style building beside the palace.
The palace, the hill, the markets and the memorials: the capital in a day and a half.
The back story
The palace on the river, the Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom’s hill, the Art Deco dome of the Central Market and the National Museum’s sculpture: how to read the capital in a day and a half.
The heart of the city.
Khmer sculpture
The great collection of Khmer sculpture, in a red Khmer-style building beside the palace.
The King’s residence
The golden-roofed palace on the river, with the Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda open to visitors.
Monuments, markets and the river.
Where four rivers meet
The riverside promenade facing the Chaktomuk, where the Tonle Sap meets the Mekong and the Bassac leaves it.
An Art Deco dome
The yellow Art Deco market hall of the 1930s, under its great dome, with jewellery, silk and food stalls.
A lotus tower
The lotus-shaped tower at the crossing of Norodom and Sihanouk boulevards, marking independence in 1953.
Silk, crafts and breakfast
The covered market of Toul Tom Poung: silk, crafts, homewares and food stalls, best early in the day.
Places of remembrance: visit quietly.
South of the city
The memorial at Choeung Ek, south of the city, where a memorial stupa honours the victims of 1975–79.
Daily 8am–5pm
The memorial museum in a former school that became the S-21 prison between 1975 and 1979.
Street 113, corner of Street 350, Boeung Keng Kang, Phnom PenhExplore View on map
