Golden pavilions and flags line the riverside promenade in Phnom Penh, with locals walking by.

Cambodia

A river capital with a hard recent past

Phnom Penh sits where the Mekong meets the Tonle Sap, and it carries both a gilded royal quarter and the heaviest history in the region. Two nights lets you give each its due.

Plan my trip

Orientation

What the city is

Phnom Penh is a low-rise city that has grown quickly around a very old centre. The riverside, where the Tonle Sap joins the Mekong, is the part visitors know: a promenade, the golden roofs of the palace, pagodas, and French-era buildings in varying states of repair. A few streets back it turns into a busy, practical Asian capital with good food and a growing café scene.

It is also the place where the story of the Khmer Rouge years is told most directly. That is not an optional extra you can decline politely. Most visitors come away saying the morning at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek was the most important thing they did in Cambodia, and also the hardest. We plan the rest of the stay around it.

Nights: 2 — one if you are only passing through
From Chau Doc: 5-7 hours by river
To Siem Reap: 5-6h road, or a short flight
Best months: November to February
Where to stay: Riverside or the streets behind the palace

What to do

What is worth your time

The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda — the formal heart of the city. It closes over the middle of the day, so go at opening time; shoulders and knees must be covered.
The National Museum next door — the best collection of Khmer sculpture in the world, in a calm red building around a garden. Seeing it before Angkor makes Angkor easier to read.
Tuol Sleng, the former school that became the S-21 prison — small, quiet and very difficult. The audio guide is excellent and worth the full time it asks for.
Choeung Ek, the killing fields about 15 kilometres south of the centre. We do it in the same morning as Tuol Sleng, with a pause between, and no other plans until lunch.
The riverside and a sunset boat — an hour on the water where the rivers meet is the gentlest way to end a hard day.
The markets — the art-deco Central Market for its building, and the Russian Market for the stalls, the food and the chaos.

Ornate golden spires and tiered roofs crown the Throne Hall at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh under a blue sky.

Terracotta courtyard of the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh with ornate tiered roofs and manicured gardens.

Shoppers browse jewelry stalls beneath the domed art deco ceiling of Phnom Penh's Central Market.

A cargo boat glides along the Tonle Sap river at night beneath the illuminated Phnom Penh skyline.

Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek

Handling the history

We are asked most often whether it is right to take children, and whether it is voyeuristic to go at all. Our answer is that Cambodians generally want these places visited and understood, and that the sites are presented with restraint. Teenagers who have some background usually find it meaningful; young children should not go. Nobody should be pressured into it, and nobody should do both sites in the heat of the afternoon.

Behaviour at the sites

Speak quietly, do not photograph other visitors’ reactions, and do not climb or step over any rope. At Choeung Ek, fragments still surface in the ground after heavy rain; stay on the paths.

A memorial monument stands in the courtyard of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum surrounded by weathered classroom buildings in.

The Killing Tree at Choeung Ek memorial in Phnom Penh, adorned with colorful memorial bracelets and a wooden sign.

Advice

The things visitors get wrong

Treating it as a transit nightOne night between the river boat and Siem Reap leaves you choosing between the palace and the genocide sites. Two nights means you do not have to.

Stacking the heavy sites with everything elseAfter Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, most people want lunch, quiet and not much else. Leave the afternoon open.

Carrying a phone at the kerbBag and phone snatching from passing motorbikes is the one real nuisance here, as in Saigon. Hold things away from the road side.

Practical

Getting here and getting around

From Vietnam there are three sensible ways in. The river from Chau Doc takes five to seven hours and crosses the border on the water, which is one of the best travel days in the region. The road from Saigon via Moc Bai is six to seven hours. Or you fly. Commercial flights moved in 2025 from the old city airport to the new Techo International Airport south of the capital; the transfer to the riverside is roughly an hour and can be longer in the evening. Check that your visa type is valid at your entry point — the e-visa is not accepted at every land gate, and we confirm the gate before we book.

In the city, tuk-tuks and ride-hailing apps cover everything cheaply. Onward, Siem Reap is five to six hours by road or a short flight, and Kampot is about three hours south.

Timing

When to come

November to February is the comfortable season, dry and a little less humid. March to May is hot, and the city is at its most tiring in April. The rains run from about June to October, usually as heavy afternoon storms; it rarely stops you doing anything for long. The water festival, usually in November, fills the riverside with boat races and very large crowds — wonderful if you want it, difficult if you do not.

Not for everyone

Who should skip it

If your trip has no room for a heavy day, or you are travelling with young children, you can reasonably fly straight to Siem Reap and leave Phnom Penh for another visit. We would rather you skip it than rush it. And if you want a capital with grand old architecture and nothing difficult in it, this is not that city.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

How many days in Phnom Penh?

Two nights. One morning for Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, one for the palace and museum, and time on the river in between.

Should I visit the killing fields?

We think so, and so do most people who go. It is hard, it is presented with care, and it explains a great deal of modern Cambodia. It is not suitable for young children.

Is the boat from Chau Doc worth it?

Yes, if you can spare the day. You cross the border on the river and arrive at the city’s front door. Check that your visa works at that crossing first.

Is Phnom Penh safe?

Yes, with ordinary city care. Snatch theft from motorbikes is the one common problem; keep bags and phones on the side away from the road.