Luxury hotels in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh guide

Phnom Penh: the Royal Palace and the riverfront

The Silver Pagoda, the National Museum and the memorials that tell Cambodia's story.

The Royal Palace and its Silver Pagoda, whose floor is laid with silver tiles, are Phnom Penh's most cited sights, beside the riverfront where the Tonlé Sap meets the Mekong. The National Museum next door holds the finest collection of Khmer sculpture in the world.

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek memorial tell the story of the Khmer Rouge years, a difficult but important visit. End the day with a sunset cruise on the Mekong, and visit from November to March, the dry and cooler season.

The Central Market and Phnom Penh's art deco

Phsar Thmei, the Central Market, an art deco hall of 1937 crowned by a great yellow dome, is one of Phnom Penh's most cited sights, with stalls of silver, gems and silk. The Russian Market, Toul Tom Poung, is the place for crafts and textiles.

The city is also known for its New Khmer Architecture of the 1950s and 1960s, led by Vann Molyvann, and for colonial villas around Wat Phnom. A guided architecture walk or a cyclo ride in the early evening shows both sides of the capital.

Khmer cuisine and the Mekong islands

Phnom Penh has become one of Southeast Asia's most interesting food cities, and a tasting of Khmer cuisine, from fish amok steamed in banana leaf to dishes seasoned with Kampot pepper, is among its most cited experiences. Several restaurants train young people from vulnerable backgrounds.

Across the Mekong, the island of Koh Dach, known as Silk Island, is reached by boat or bridge; its villages weave silk on wooden looms. A sunset cruise back to the city, where the Tonlé Sap meets the Mekong, completes the day.