UltimateCity Guide Phnom Penh
Our favourites
The Chanchhaya Pavilion of the Royal Palace, with golden roofs and a spire above the royal gardens The Chanchhaya Pavilion of the Royal Palace, with golden roofs and a spire above the royal gardens The Silver Pagoda inside the Royal Palace compound under a deep blue sky The red Khmer-style roofs of the National Museum of Cambodia around its garden courtyard The Throne Hall of the Royal Palace, with its golden roofs and twin spires Angkor Wat and its palms reflected in the pool in front of the temple

The city guide to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Best of Phnom Penh

Where four rivers meet: the golden roofs of the Royal Palace, the sculpture of Angkor, Raffles Hotel Le Royal since 1929, and the sunset promenade on Sisowath Quay. Phnom Penh, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

Where to eatWhat to see
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Phnom Penh, at the four faces

Phnom Penh stands where the Tonle Sap meets the Mekong and the Bassac leaves it: the Royal Palace and the riverside, Wat Phnom and the French Quarter, BKK1 and the Russian Market, and the new districts across the water. Here are its grand hotels and Khmer tables, its markets and museum, the memorials that ask for a quiet morning, and trips to Oudong, Koh Dach, Kampot, Kep and Angkor. Every listing is checked against the venue’s own website or an official source, and anything we can’t confirm is left out.

The city at the four faces: Phnom Penh’s great sights

In depth

The city at the four faces

Phnom Penh·In depth

The palace on the river, Wat Phnom’s hill, the Art Deco market and the museum’s sculpture: how to read the capital in a day and a half.

Read the story

Phnom Penh, quarter by quarter

Eight quarters, each with its own guide: the riverside promenade and the palace, Wat Phnom’s hill and Raffles Hotel Le Royal, the villas of BKK1, the small bars of Bassac Lane, the Russian Market, the Art Deco Central Market and the new riverside across the water.

The palm-lined riverside promenade of Sisowath Quay in late golden lightNeighbourhood guideThe Riverside & Sisowath QuayWhere four rivers meetThe Throne Hall of the Royal Palace, with its golden roofs and twin spiresNeighbourhood guideThe Royal Palace QuarterThe palace, the museum and Street 240The naga balustrades and stairway up the hill of Wat PhnomNeighbourhood guideWat Phnom & the French QuarterThe hill, Le Royal and the towerThe lotus-shaped tower of the Independence Monument under a blue sky with white cloudsNeighbourhood guideBKK1 & the Independence MonumentVillas, cafés and the monumentPhnom Penh at dusk, with the tower of Vattanac Capital rising above the rooftopsNeighbourhood guideTonle Bassac & Bassac LaneThe Sofitel and the small bars

At dusk

Walk Sisowath Quay as the heat goes out of the day, with the palace roofs catching the last of the light across the lawns.

  1. Neighbourhood guideToul Tom Poung & the Russian MarketSilk, crafts and breakfast
  2. Neighbourhood guideThe Central MarketAn Art Deco dome
  3. Neighbourhood guideKoh Pich & Chroy ChangvarThe new riverside

Before you go

Arrival at Techo International Airport, the official e-Visa, dollars and riel, dress for the palace and the memorials, and three days that work for a first visit.

The lotus-shaped tower of the Independence Monument under a blue sky with white cloudsBefore you goPhnom Penh essentialsThe e-Visa, the airport, money and 117/118/119Tuk-tuks and cyclos waiting outside the Central MarketGetting aroundGetting aroundThe airport, the railway, coaches and tuk-tuksThe Chanchhaya Pavilion of the Royal Palace, with golden roofs and a spire above the royal gardensItineraryPhnom Penh in three daysThe palace, the museum, the memorials and the marketsThe white façade of Raffles Hotel Le Royal, its name in gold above the arched entranceLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe white façade of Raffles Hotel Le Royal, its name in gold above the arched entranceItineraryThe Gold weekendLe Royal, Malis and the palace
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Rosewood, Sora and Topaz

Our advice

Give the memorials a morning of their own

Tuol Sleng opens daily from 8am to 5pm; cover arms and legs, take the audio guide, and leave the afternoon quiet. Neither memorial is suitable for young children. Visiting the memorials

Beyond Phnom Penh

The stupas of Oudong and the weavers of Koh Dach are close by; Kampot’s pepper and Kep’s crab lie on the south coast; Angkor deserves two or three nights of its own.

A carved royal stupa on the hill of Phnom Udong against a blue skyBeyond Phnom PenhOudongThe old royal capitalA carved royal stupa on the hill of Phnom Udong against a blue skyBeyond Phnom PenhKoh DachThe silk islandA carved royal stupa on the hill of Phnom Udong against a blue skyBeyond Phnom PenhTonle Bati & Phnom TamaoA temple and rescued wildlifeA boat on the Kampot river at sunset, with Bokor Mountain behindBeyond Phnom PenhKampotThe river town and its pepperThe Chanchhaya Pavilion of the Royal Palace, with golden roofs and a spire above the royal gardensBeyond Phnom PenhKepCrab and the sea
  1. Beyond Phnom PenhSiem Reap & AngkorThe temples of Angkor

Our advice

Fly, don’t drive, to Thailand

Overland crossings to Thailand are suspended at the time of writing: fly to Bangkok, and buy your Angkor Pass only from Angkor Enterprise. Phnom Penh essentials

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Phnom Penh in depth

The palace and the markets, the Khmer table, the arts the country rebuilt, the grand hotels, the new airport and the rules for buying: the stories behind Phnom Penh.

Kravanh’s fish amok, set in a banana-leaf cup with a coconut-cream top, beside a breadfruit leafThe back storyPhnom Penh at the tableRoyal recipes, the river and the marketA pavilion and sculpture in the garden courtyard of the National Museum of CambodiaThe back storyDance, sculpture and the 1960sThe arts the country rebuilt

South-East Asia with the ULTIMATE guides

Phnom Penh is a short flight from Bangkok and Singapore: the ULTIMATE guides go on from here, by air, by river and by rail.

The Grand Palace reflected at dawnULTIMATE BangkokBangkokA short flight westLongtail boats on West Railay beach beneath the limestone cliffsULTIMATE Thai IslandsThe Thai IslandsBeaches across the gulfThe towers of the Central Business District lit up at night, reflected in Marina BayULTIMATE SingaporeSingaporeThe city-state to the south

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HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

From our readers: Phnom Penh’s visitors and locals on its Khmer tables and markets, the riverside, tuk-tuks, the heat and the road to Angkor.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    The National Museum of Cambodia

    This week's pick

    The National Museum of Cambodia

    Royal Palace quarter·Museum

    The cool season begins in November: the best weeks to walk the riverside and spend a morning with the sculpture of Angkor at the National Museum.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    A pavilion and sculpture in the garden courtyard of the National Museum of CambodiaItinerarySculpture, dance and the 1960s in a dayOne dayA boat on the Kampot river at sunset, with Bokor Mountain behindItineraryA weekend in Kampot and KepTwo daysPhnom Penh at dusk, with the tower of Vattanac Capital rising above the rooftopsItineraryA property viewing day: BKK1, Koh Pich and Chroy ChangvarOne day

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Phnom Penh at the table: royal recipes, the river and the marketPhnom Penh · In depth
    2. 2Restaurant Le RoyalWat Phnom · Royal Khmer cuisine
    3. 3MalisRoyal Palace quarter · Cambodian cuisine
    See all 12

    Cafés

    1. 1Brown CoffeeAcross the city · Cambodian coffee house
    2. 2Java Creative CaféBKK1 · Café and art space
    3. 3ARTillery CaféRoyal Palace quarter · Café and gallery
    See all 6

    Bars

    1. 1The Elephant BarWat Phnom · Hotel bar
    2. 2SoraWat Phnom · Rooftop bar
    3. 3The Whisky LibraryWat Phnom · Whisky bar
    See all 7

    Hotels

    1. 1Where Phnom Penh sleeps: from Le Royal to the riverWat Phnom · In depth
    2. 2Raffles Hotel Le RoyalWat Phnom · Grand hotel
    3. 3Rosewood Phnom PenhWat Phnom · Grand hotel
    See all 8

    Sights

    1. 1The city at the four faces: Phnom Penh’s great sightsPhnom Penh · In depth
    2. 2The Royal Palace and the Silver PagodaRoyal Palace quarter · Royal palace
    3. 3The National Museum of CambodiaRoyal Palace quarter · Museum
    See all 11

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Dance, sculpture and the 1960s: Phnom Penh’s artsPhnom Penh · In depth
    2. 2National Museum of Cambodia: the sculpture galleriesRoyal Palace quarter · Museum
    3. 3Cambodian Living ArtsBKK1 · Performing arts
    See all 16

    Parks

    1. 1The Riverside ParkRiverside · Riverside park
    2. 2The Royal Palace ParkRoyal Palace quarter · Square
    3. 3Wat Botum ParkRoyal Palace quarter · City park
    See all 6

    Walks

    1. 1The riverside and the palaceRiverside · Walk
    2. 2Wat Phnom and the French QuarterWat Phnom · Walk
    3. 3Streets 178 and 240Royal Palace quarter · Walk
    See all 5

    Shopping

    1. 1Vattanac CapitalWat Phnom · Luxury mall
    2. 2AEON Mall Phnom PenhTonle Bassac · Shopping mall
    3. 3Exchange SquareWat Phnom · Shopping mall
    See all 7

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: police 117, fire 118, ambulance 119Cambodia · Emergency numbers
    2. 2Royal Phnom Penh HospitalSen Sok · International hospital
    3. 3Sunrise Japan Hospital Phnom PenhPhnom Penh · Private hospital
    See all 9

    Property

    1. 1Buying in Phnom Penh: strata titles, the river and the new districtsPhnom Penh · In depth
    2. 2The law on foreign ownership of co-owned buildingsCambodia · The rules
    3. 3Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and ConstructionPhnom Penh · Government ministry
    See all 6

    Developments

    1. 1Techo International AirportSouth of the city · Airport
    2. 2Vattanac CapitalWat Phnom · Tower
    3. 3Koh PichKoh Pich · Island district
    See all 5

    Cars & Drivers

    1. 1GrabPhnom Penh · Ride-hailing app
    2. 2Hotel cars and private driversPhnom Penh · Private driver
    3. 3Tuk-tuks and remorksPhnom Penh · Tuk-tuk
    See all 5

    Getting Around

    1. 1Getting to and around Phnom Penh: the new airport, the railway and the riverPhnom Penh · In depth
    2. 2Techo International AirportSouth of the city · Airport
    3. 3Royal RailwayDaun Penh · Railway
    See all 6