Stand on Sisowath Quay at dawn and you will see the city at its most alive: rows of Cambodians doing callisthenics in front of the Royal Palace while the sun comes up over the Tonle Sap River. Come back in the cool of the evening and the same stretch of riverside fills with a quasi-carnival atmosphere of families, food and music.
Phnom Penh suits travellers who want a compact capital they can cross on foot and by tuk-tuk, and who are prepared for the weight of its recent history alongside its temples, markets and riverfront. The city's Khmer Rouge sites ask for time and composure; its palaces, museums and promenades reward an unhurried morning or evening.
This guide covers the sights and experiences worth building a trip around, followed by a one-day plan that strings the best of them together.
Top things to do in Phnom Penh
1. The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
The King of Cambodia still lives here, but much of the palace is open to the public. The manicured gardens are nearly as striking as the coloured glass tiles of the palace roof, and the two pagodas in the grounds, the Silver Pagoda and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, are among the few public buildings in the city really worth seeing. Built in the 19th century with French technology and Cambodian design, they survived the traumas of the 20th century remarkably well.
See them early in the day before it gets too hot. Dress decently: no bare legs or shoulders, and no scarves or shawls, though shorts covering the knees are acceptable. Photography is not allowed inside the Silver Pagoda or some palace buildings. There are no information panels, so a guide hired at the gate can explain the history of the palace and the monarchy.
2. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison)
A school converted into Cambodia's most important prison in 1975. More than 14,000 people were tortured here before being killed at the killing fields. The beautiful courtyard with palm trees makes for an unsettling contrast with what the museum remembers: concrete cells, skulls stacked in cabinets, implements of torture and disturbing photographs.
An audio tour, available in several languages, is enough to understand the place and lets you go at your own pace; plan about three hours if you take it. A short film featuring survivors screens at 09:30 upstairs in the far building, and survivors of the camp sell their memoirs on site. Across the street is a small shop selling inexpensive handmade goods made by women disabled by polio and land mines.
3. The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
This is where the Khmer Rouge killed many thousands of their victims. The site is marked by a Buddhist stupa packed with over 8,000 human skulls, its sides made of glass so visitors can see them up close, and there are pits where mass graves were unearthed. A small museum screens a documentary through the day. There is not much else to see, since buildings and materials were removed shortly after the Khmer Rouge period.
Wear respectable clothing, such as long trousers and no sleeveless tops, as a sign of respect. Flowers and incense can be bought in front of the stupa. A tuk-tuk from the centre takes roughly 40 to 60 minutes each way, and a tour bus that also stops at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is an option if you would rather not arrange transport separately.
4. The National Museum of Cambodia
Opposite the Royal Palace, this museum holds an excellent collection of art from Cambodia's golden age of Angkor, set around a lovely courtyard. A main attraction is the statue of King Jayavarman VII in a meditative pose. Other exhibits worth seeing include graceful statues of Hindu gods, ancient stelae inscribed in Sanskrit and old Khmer, and artefacts from a prehistoric burial site. In the middle of the courtyard is the original statue of the Leper King from the terrace of the Leper King at Angkor. The building itself was designed in the early 20th century by a French scholar of Khmer culture to evoke traditional Khmer architecture.
The pleasant little park in front is the site of the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony. The gift shop has a small selection of books on Cambodian archaeology, art, culture and history. It is an easy pairing with the Royal Palace across the way.
5. Sisowath Quay (Riverside)
Phnom Penh is a bite-sized town, and the riverside promenade along the west bank of the Tonle Sap River is the thread that connects its sights, shops, food and drink into a single walk. Every morning the Quay begins with an exercise session to music, and it is fronted by a long open space with lawns, palm trees and pathways. The built-up side of the street holds cafés, shops and the better class of bar.
The esplanade is popular with Cambodians, who come in the cool of the evening for the quasi-carnival atmosphere. It begins at the riverfront park opposite the Royal Palace and is perhaps best experienced in the early evening; dawn is also a busy time, with locals doing callisthenics in front of the palace and the sun rising over the river. Expect touts along the street, and keep your wits about you.
6. Independence and Liberation Memorials
The Buddhist-style Independence Memorial, commemorating the departure of the French in 1953, dominates the centre of the city. Nearby is the Liberation Memorial, marking the Vietnamese capture of the city in 1979. The area is especially popular on weekend nights with locals, when multi-coloured fountains are activated and communal music is played.
Time a visit for a weekend evening if you want to see the memorials at their liveliest rather than as monuments alone.
7. Olympic Stadium
Built in the 1960s for the Asian Games that never happened, this complex in the Modern style has been renovated and is once again in use as a venue. In the evenings a walk around the top perimeter is worthwhile: you can see hundreds of people attending exercise and dance classes, and get a view of the track below. There is also an Olympic-size swimming pool and diving pool with a 10-metre platform open to the public opposite the main building, across the track.
Go in the evening for the exercise classes and the view over the track.
8. Wat Botum
Historically favoured by royalty, this wat sits near the Royal Palace. It fits naturally into a walk that takes in the palace and the National Museum, and it is worth adding to that stretch of the day rather than making a separate trip.
9. Former M-13 Prison
The remains of one of the largest Khmer Rouge prison and torture camps, in the outback. You can see large pits where the prisoners were kept. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025, along with the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek.
This is a longer trip out of the city than the other Khmer Rouge sites, so treat it as a half-day or full-day undertaking rather than something to slot between city stops.
10. Central Market
The Central Market is one of the notable exceptions to the city's generally decayed historic colonial architecture, alongside the Grand Post Office Building and Raffles Le Royal Hotel. It is worth a look both for the market itself and as one of the surviving pieces of the city's colonial-era building stock.
11. Grand Post Office Building
Like the Central Market, the Grand Post Office Building survives as a notable example of the city's limited and largely decayed colonial architecture. It is a short, easy stop to fold into a walk through the centre.
12. Raffles Le Royal Hotel
The third of the notable exceptions to the city's lost colonial architecture, Raffles Le Royal Hotel is worth noting as one of the buildings in good condition from that era. As a rule in Phnom Penh, any building in good condition, old or new, sits behind a big wall with security guards.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Sisowath Quay at dawn, when locals do callisthenics in front of the Royal Palace and the sun rises over the river. Move on to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda as early as you can, before the heat builds, then cross to the National Museum of Cambodia opposite.
Afternoon: Spend the early afternoon at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, allowing about three hours if you take the audio tour. If you have the time and transport, continue to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, which pairs naturally with Tuol Sleng on a tour bus.
Evening: Return to Sisowath Quay for the cool of the evening and the carnival atmosphere along the esplanade. If it is a weekend night, the area around the Independence and Liberation Memorials is popular with locals when the fountains are running and music is played.
Frequently asked questions
How much time should I allow for the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum?
Plan about three hours if you take the audio tour, which is available in several languages and lets you go at your own pace.
What should I wear at the Royal Palace and the Killing Fields?
At the Royal Palace, dress decently: no bare legs or shoulders, and no scarves or shawls, though shorts covering the knees are acceptable. At the Killing Fields, wear respectable clothing such as long trousers and no sleeveless tops, as a sign of respect.
Can I visit Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields in one trip?
Yes. A tour bus to the Killing Fields also stops at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. If you go independently, a tuk-tuk from the centre to Choeung Ek takes roughly 40 to 60 minutes each way.
When is the best time to walk Sisowath Quay?
The Quay is perhaps best experienced in the early evening, when Cambodians come out for the quasi-carnival atmosphere. Dawn is also a busy time, with locals doing callisthenics in front of the Royal Palace and the sun rising over the river.
Work out which of these you want most, set aside a morning for the palace and a full afternoon for the Khmer Rouge sites, and start planning your days around the river.