Phnom Penh 7-day itinerary

Start at the Royal Palace ($10), Cambodia's most important landmark. The Throne Hall's golden spire towers over manicured gardens, and the Silver Pagoda contains 5,329 silver floor tiles, a diamond-studded gold Buddha, and the Emerald Buddha. The gallery murals depict the Reamker across 604 metres of painted panels. Take your time — the compound is beautifully maintained and there is more detail than most visitors notice.

Walk to the National Museum ($10) — a beautiful terracotta building with the world's finest collection of Khmer sculpture. The reclining Vishnu from the West Mebon, rows of apsara figures, and Angkor-era bronze work are outstanding. The central courtyard with its lotus pond is a peaceful retreat. The museum provides essential context for the Angkor temples if you are heading to Siem Reap, or deepens your understanding if you have already been.

Walk the riverside promenade at sunset as Phnom Penh comes alive. Locals exercise, socialise, and gather at the food stalls lining the quay. Dinner one block inland on Street 136 — bai sach chrouk (pork rice, $1.50), Khmer curry ($2), and fresh spring rolls ($1.50). Happy hour at FCC rooftop for river views and $3 cocktails, or try the riverside beer gardens for $1 Angkor draught.

Visit Tuol Sleng ($5, audio guide $3) — the former high school that became the Khmer Rouge's S-21 interrogation centre. Between 1975–79, up to 20,000 people were tortured in the classrooms-turned-cells before being sent to their deaths. The prisoner photographs, shackle beds, and survivor testimonies on the audio guide are harrowing. Two known S-21 survivors occasionally visit the grounds and share their stories.

Tuk-tuk 15km south to Choeung Ek ($6, audio guide included). The memorial stupa containing over 8,000 skulls is the centrepiece, but the mass graves, the killing tree, and the bone fragments still surfacing from the soil are what make this site so devastating. The audio guide lasts 90 minutes and is the most important historical narrative you will hear in Cambodia. Take the full tour — do not rush this experience.

After the weight of the day, a quiet evening is appropriate. Dinner at Friends (Mith Samlanh) — a restaurant and social enterprise supporting former street children, serving excellent tapas-style Khmer dishes ($3–6 per plate) in a cheerful garden setting. The contrast between the horror of the past and the resilience of Cambodians today is stark and moving. A good book, a cold drink, and an early night prepare you for lighter days ahead.

Explore Phsar Thmei — the Art Deco central market with its distinctive yellow dome built in 1937. The four wings house gold dealers, gemstone sellers, watch repairers, and fabric merchants. The surrounding outdoor stalls sell dried fish, fresh produce, and electronics. Grab a Cambodian iced coffee from a cart ($0.50) — strong coffee with sweetened condensed milk over ice, served in a plastic bag. The market architecture alone is worth the visit.

Tuk-tuk to Toul Tom Poung (Russian Market) — Phnom Penh's best market for shopping. Silk scarves, silverwork, stone carvings, factory-second brand clothing, and Cambodian handicrafts fill the covered stalls. Bargaining is expected — start at 40% of the asking price and settle around 60%. The food court inside has excellent Khmer noodle soup ($1) and iced coffee ($0.50). The surrounding streets have growing numbers of cafes and boutiques.

Explore Bassac Lane — a revitalised alleyway that has become Phnom Penh's creative nightlife hub. Craft cocktail bars, live music venues, and intimate restaurants line the narrow lane. Lot 369 does excellent cocktails in a moody setting. Bong Bong has live bands on weekends. For cheap eats, the night food stalls on Street 19 near the riverfront serve Khmer BBQ — pick your own meat and grill it tableside with rice and dipping sauces ($3–5 per person).

Take the small ferry ($1 return) to Koh Dach — an island in the Mekong where traditional silk weavers work on wooden looms beneath their stilted houses. The village is genuine and uncommercialised — weavers demonstrate the full process from silkworm to finished fabric and sell scarves and cloth directly at fair prices ($10–30). Rent a bicycle on the island ($2) and ride through the mango orchards, rice paddies, and quiet village lanes.

Visit Wat Phnom ($1) — the founding temple of Phnom Penh on a 27-metre hill. Legend says Lady Penh found four Buddha images in a floating tree trunk and built this hill to enshrine them, giving the city its name. Walk south past the Independence Monument — a lotus-shaped stupa commemorating Cambodia's 1953 independence from France, beautifully lit at night. Continue to Wat Langka, one of the city's five original pagodas, where monks practise English conversation with visitors.

Experience Cambodian BBQ (Phnom Penh BBQ) — a dome-shaped grill surrounded by a moat of broth where you simultaneously grill meat on top and cook noodles and vegetables in the soup below ($5–8 per person for all-you-can-eat). The night food stalls along Sisowath Quay and near the Night Market sell grilled corn, fried insects, and num pang (Cambodian baguette sandwiches, $1). Browse the Night Market for souvenirs.

Rise early and visit Wat Ounalom — the seat of Cambodian Buddhism and the country's most important active pagoda. The temple survived Khmer Rouge damage and has been carefully restored. Monks in saffron robes move through the grounds for morning rituals. Walk the surrounding streets of the old quarter near the Royal Palace — colonial-era shophouses, street food vendors serving rice porridge ($0.75), and the quiet early-morning life of the city before the traffic and heat arrive.

Explore the Boeung Kak lake area — once a backpacker haven, now transforming with street art, indie cafes, and creative spaces. The surrounding streets have Phnom Penh's best specialty coffee shops: Brown Coffee, Connects, and Artillery all serve excellent Cambodian single-origin beans. The Cambodian coffee scene is growing rapidly — the Robusta-Arabica blends from Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri provinces are gaining international recognition.

Take a sunset cruise on the Mekong ($5–8 per person, 1 hour) departing from the riverfront near the Royal Palace. The boat cruises past the four-river junction (Mekong, Tonle Sap, Bassac, and Tonle Sap Lake) while the sky turns orange over the city skyline. Return for dinner on Street 308 (BKK1 area) — the expat dining strip with excellent Khmer, Japanese, and Western restaurants. Meta House cultural centre often screens films or hosts exhibitions.

Drive 40km north to Oudong, Cambodia's royal capital from 1618–1866 before the court moved to Phnom Penh. Two hills hold the remains of former temples and royal tombs — climb the 509 steps to the main ridge for views over the flatland plains of rural Cambodia stretching to the horizon. The temples are modest but the historical significance is immense, and the hilltop breezes are a welcome change from the city heat.

On the return from Oudong, stop at the silversmith village of Kompong Luong where artisans hand-hammer traditional Khmer silver bowls, jewellery, and decorative pieces using techniques passed down through generations. The prices are fair and you can watch the entire crafting process. Continue through the rice paddies and sugar palm-lined roads of rural Cambodia — a world away from Phnom Penh despite being less than an hour from the city.

Dinner at Romdeng — a social enterprise restaurant in a beautiful colonial villa, supporting former street youth. The menu features traditional Cambodian cuisine including adventurous options like fried tarantula and red tree ant dishes alongside excellent fish amok, green mango salad, and Khmer curries ($4–8 mains). Follow with craft cocktails at Juniper Gin Bar or Alchemy on Street 172 — Phnom Penh's cocktail scene has matured significantly.

Visit Orussey Market — a local market that tourists rarely find, where Phnom Penh families buy their daily groceries. The ground floor has fresh produce, spices, and the best selection of Kampot pepper in the city (buy a bag, $3–5). Upstairs has fabric and clothing. Grab a final Cambodian iced coffee from a street cart and walk through the old colonial streets between the market and the riverfront — the shophouses, temple gates, and morning bustle are Phnom Penh at its most authentic.

If the genocide history has settled, a second visit to Tuol Sleng can be more absorbing — details you missed the first time and a calmer emotional state allow deeper engagement. Alternatively, spend the afternoon at a riverside cafe, get a massage ($7–10 at shops along Sisowath Quay), or visit the small but excellent Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre (free) which preserves Cambodian film, photographs, and oral histories from before, during, and after the Khmer Rouge.

Final dinner at your favourite discovery of the week. Walk the riverside one last time as the lights reflect on the Tonle Sap. Phnom Penh is a city that stays with you — the weight of its history, the warmth of its people, and the energy of its resurrection. Whether heading to Siem Reap (bus: $12, 6hrs), Kampot (bus: $8, 3hrs), or the airport ($12 tuk-tuk), Cambodia has more layers than most travelers expect.