UltimateCity Guide Phnom Penh
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Stories from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Phnom Penh City Guide, in one place.

Areas

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

Practical

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 addressesA tiled colonnade with lanterns at Raffles Hotel Le RoyalItineraryThe 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

Day trips

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 capitalBeyond Phnom PenhKoh DachThe silk islandBeyond 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 pepperDried shrimp and sacks of Kampot pepper on a stall at the Kep Crab MarketBeyond 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

In depth

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.

Tall trees and forested hills in Kep National ParkIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild Phnom PenhThe Mekong, dolphins and rescued wildlifeKravanh’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

At the table

Order fish amok in its banana-leaf cup and something with Kampot pepper: then you have tasted the country.

  1. The back storyWhere Phnom Penh sleepsFrom Le Royal to the river
  2. The back storyGetting to and around Phnom PenhThe new airport, the railway and the coaches
  3. The back storyBuying in Phnom PenhStrata titles and the new districts
  4. RememberingVisiting the memorialsTuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, with respect
  5. Fun factsPhnom Penh fun factsThings you might not know

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