Phnom Penh, Cambodia is crude, wild, and untamed. What’s more, traveling to Phnom Penh will probably be the best thing that you at any point do. You will fall in affection with that city from the time you visit and proceed to have a consistently delighted Phnom Penh stopover.
Like the remainder of Cambodia, there is a very “frontier” mentality in the city. It appears as though anything goes here in light of the fact that it usually does.
It is a city of controlled disorder and that enthusiasm is the thing that sucks you in. You can have Phnom Penh tours along with reputed tour operators and you will not feel the passage of time exploring and enjoy at the diverse destinations in and around Phnom Penh.
Each visit will make you remind the change in Cambodia. You will think about the international characteristics of Phnom Penh and it never losing its edginess.
Phnom Penh has grown a great deal and is currently a worldwide digital traveler hub, a city with some mind-blowing nightlife, and truly outstanding and quickest developing foodie scenes in the area.
This Phnom Penh travel guide will enable you to explore the preferred city in the nation.
Top activities in Phnom Penh
During your Phnom Penh day tours, you need to visit the below places to have a gander at the historical, cultural and social life.
Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda are set adjoining one another, traversing 174,870 square meters of amazing Khmer design and abundant greenery. In spite of the fact that the ruler of Cambodia still occasionally dwells in The Royal Palace, if the blue imperial banner is flying, the king is in residence, guests can explore a few structures inside the royal residence grounds and guided visits are accessible. You need to pay a fee to pay a visit to the Royal Palace.
Situated in Sisowath Quay, features at the Royal Palace incorporate the Throne Hall and Moonlight Pavilion. Meanwhile, access to the Silver Pagoda is free, where you can visit the Emerald Buddha, which goes back to the seventeenth century and has decorations with Baccarat crystals.
Located at: Samdech Sothearos Boulevard, between 184th Street and 240th Street, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Monday–Thursday and Saturday from 8 AM to 5 PM, Fridays from 8 AM to 6 PM, Sundays from 8 AM to 5.30 PM.
National Museum of Cambodia
The National Museum of Cambodia is the place you can locate the social side of Cambodian history that goes back to the fourth century. The exhibition hall is inside a unique red sandstone structure and introduced in 1920 as the Musée Albert Sarraut during the French colonial period. It stands apart as an excellent delineation of conventional Khmer design.
There are more than 14,000 intriguing displays, orchestrated by ancient, pre-Angkor, Angkor, and post-Angkor periods, every one of which includes bronze and wooden models, earthenware items, ethnographic things and stone articles. Look at spectacular shows, for example, the sixth century, the 8-armed statue of Lord Vishnu.
Located at: Preah Ang Eng Street 13, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 8 AM to 5 PM
Cambodian Living Arts – Apsara and Traditional Khmer Dance
Cambodian Living Arts is a non-benefit association that hosts Apsara and conventional Khmer dance exhibitions at the National Museum of Cambodia. You need to purchase tickets to watch the shows and shows are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and weekends from 7 PM onwards. The association preserves traditional Khmer dance that goes back to the eighteenth century, however, was nearly lost under the Khmer Rouge regime.
Cambodian Living Arts restored the artistry by gathering enduring expert artisans to prepare and pass on their insight into the young ages. The troupe involves live singers and musicians in conventional Khmer dresses, performing eight old style dances of ethnic minorities from all over Cambodia.
Located at: Blvd Samdach, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 PM onwards
Central Market (Phsar Thmey)
Central Market locally called Phsar Thmey takes into account pretty much any traveler, regardless of whether you’re a shopping lover who needs to measure your bargaining and dealing abilities, a traveler intrigued to be a piece of a clamoring group, or quick to explore, and photo, Phnom Penh’s attractive structural designs.
Structured by French designer Jean Desbois and Wladimir Kandaouroff, this indoor market was the biggest of its sort in Asia when built in 1937. You can locate an extensive collection of products in Central Market, from people attire, gems, blossoms and shoes to gemstones, local artworks and new products.
Located at: Street 130, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 7 AM to 6 PM
Kids Park Koh Pich Amusement Park
Kids Park Koh Pich is an entertainment park at the South Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh. It can get very crowded at times and offers vivid approaches to have a great time, including a rollercoaster, a roller-skating zone with a significant wavy floor segment and loads of corners where punters attempt to blast inflatable with darts.
It is, obviously, not even close as unrestrained as Disneyland; however, this is an incredible spot for people-watching, particularly viewing local people getting a charge out of existence with loved ones – a suggestion to outsiders that there is presently substantially more to Cambodia than the dreary history of the Killing Fields.
Located at: Koh Pich St, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Golf in Phnom Penh
Golf in Cambodia is generally new and the number of clubs is restricted. The leading club to Timing in Cambodia, in 1996, was the 18-hole course at the Cambodia Golf and Country Club. On the edges of Phnom Penh, around 33 km west of the downtown area, it is set among 120 acres of land, and furthermore has a clubhouse, pools, tennis courts, convention facilities, and estates.
Reputed tour operators organize Phnom Penh golf tour, which will enable you to enjoy golf while you are in Phnom Penh.
Another golf course close Phnom Penh is the Royal Phnom Penh Golf Club. To arrive, you have to take Route 4 towards Sihanoukville and lookout for a significant sign for the club around 14 km from the city.
Independence Monument
Independence Monument is an iconic milestone that is set in the heart of Phnom Penh City Center. Locally known as Vimean Ekareach, it implies Cambodia’s freedom from the French who have colonized the country somewhere in the range of 1863 and 1953.
Accordingly, lively festivals of national celebrations, for example, Independence Day on November 9 and Constitution Day at September 24 happens here. On most days, the best time to visit is around evening time as that is when Independence Monument and its surroundings are lit up by blue, red and white floodlights.
Located at: Sangkat Boeng Keng Kang Ti Muoy, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Mekong Island
Mekong Island is the place to go to in the event that you wish to take a break from the buzzing atmosphere of Phnom Penh and adventure into a universe of harmony and quietness. The island is around 15 km north of the downtown area. Bounded by perspectives on rice paddies, vegetable ranches and organic product plantations, Mekong Island not just fills in as a setting for a nice day outing or picnic yet, in addition, empowers you to encounter the nation’s strong culture at its best.
This island involves a territory of around 10 hectares of land and is one of the noticeable focuses of customary crafted works in Cambodia, with artisans occupied with silk weaving, earthenware, woodcarving, and coloring in its towns. Perhaps the ideal approach to arrive is by boat from Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh. It is typically a 2.5-hour round outing. You can likewise procure a tuk-tuk from the city to the Japanese Bridge, from where you can proceed with your voyage to the island by boat.
Located at: Koh Dach, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Oudongk
Oudongk is a town at the foot of the hill of a similar name around 40 km north from Phnom Penh. The goal offers a getaway to the provincial field with the peak sitting above vast fields.
The social patrimonies and being the capital city between the years 1618 and 1866 makes this site additionally celebrated.
Located at: Oudongk, Cambodia
Phnom Tamao Zoo
Take a visit to Phnom Tamao Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Center (PTWRC) – the nation’s biggest zoo and untamed life asylum that is around a 45-minute drive outside town. Timing in 2000, it is more a natural life salvage focus than a zoo, filling in as a protected asylum to uncommon and imperiled creatures saved from the grip of poachers, dealers and unlawful untamed life brokers.
The untamed life focus’ inhabitants currently incorporate over a thousand creatures in addition to several colorful birds and reptiles. Overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry Department with help from WildAid and Free the Bears Fund, the zoo involves around 1,200 hectares of land out of a 2,500-hectare forest ensured the region of Phnom Tamao that appreciates beautiful surroundings containing mountains and old sanctuaries, for example, Phnom Tamao Temple and Thmor Dos Temple.
Located at: National Road No 2, Tro Pang Sap village, Tro Pang Sap commune, Ba Ti District, Takeo Province, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 8 AM to 5 PM
Frizz Cooking Class
Frizz Restaurant is an incredible spot to find out about Khmer food, including its history that goes back far into history. On later occasions, the food of Cambodia has influence from close by nations just as by the French.
Nevertheless, back 1,000 years to when the Khmer Empire managed over the more significant part of Southeast Asia and, a few students of history, the sustenance in the subject nations was itself impacted by Khmer food. Get a hands-on involvement of cooking bona fide Khmer dishes to take in progressively about the fixings from local specialists.
Located at: #67 Oknha Chhun St. (240), Phnom Penh 12207, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 10 AM to 10 PM
Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh
Sisowath Quay is one of Phnom Penh’s most clamoring regions, with a column of boutiques, bars, bistros, cafés and lavish hotels covering its length. The road ranges around 3 km long, at the crossing point of the Tonle Sap and Mekong streams.
Sisowath Quay’s fresh and loosening up environment gives you a chance to appreciate a great escape and fills in as a focal gathering purpose of practically all streets that lead to the city’s key attractions.
Located at: Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sovannaphum Arts Association and Art Gallery
Phnom Penh is not as dynamic as Siem Reap is about Khmer performing arts. Overall, you can discover a portion of the performing arts schools in the city is available to people in general during the day, permitting you the chance to watch artists in training.
Among these, an absolute necessity visit is the Sovannaphum Arts Association and Art Gallery on 111 Street 360, corner of Street 105. Begun in 1994 by a gathering of understudies from the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, the affiliation has a theater where conventional social shows happen each Friday and Saturday night at 7.30 PM.
Shows incorporate shadow Puppet Theater, traditional Apsara dance, and folk and mask dances. On sale at the display at the auditorium, you can buy shadow puppets produced using leather, melodic instruments and that is just the beginning. Another excellent performance center to visit is the Chatomuk Theater at Sisowath Quay.
Located at: 166 St 99, Phnom Penh 12307, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 8 AM to 9 PM
Ta Prohm Temple at Tonle Bati
Ta Phrom Temple at Tonle Bati goes back to the late twelfth century, including perfectly preserved stone carvings and bas-reliefs of Hindu folklore – this sanctuary is comparable in style to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. Available inside an hour’s drive from Phnom Penh City Center in the Takeo Province, there is an extra charge to visit the sanctuary, making it reasonable and helpful choice for explorers who are remaining in the capital of Cambodia.
Different attractions in Tonle Bati incorporate Yey Peo Temple, found 200 meters north of Ta Phrom Temple and Tonle Bati Lake, a well-known picnic spot among local people. Extraordinary for loosening up in the wake of visiting the sanctuaries, you can likewise lease huts and hammocks at moderately low costs.
Located at: Tonle Bati, Cambodia
The Killing Fields- Choeung Ek and Toul Sleng
The Killing Fields, otherwise called Choeung Ek Memorial, is a bone-chilling token of Cambodia’s deplorable history. Around 17 km south of Phnom Penh City, it is one of the many slaughtering fields or execution and graveyard utilized by the Khmer Rouge system during its standard of the nation from 1975 to 1979.
Mass graves were found after the Khmer Rouge fled the city, prompting the development of a Buddhist commemoration for more than 15,000 unfortunate casualties in The Killing Fields. Day tours to this remembrance and S-21 Prison include enlightening sound guides in numerous dialects just as a declaration from survivors and guards of the system.
These are the murdering fields of the Khmer Rouge. Choeung Ek is a progression of uncovered mass graves while Toul Sleng is the previous secondary school that the Khmer Rouge changed over into a torture center. You need to pay a fee to enter Choeung Ek and the historical center.
Nevertheless, you will have to employ a driver to take you there, if you are not with a tour operator, as it is around 45 minutes outside the city. Reputed tour operators organize day trips from Phnom Penh and being part of those you can easily visit this place.
Located at: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 7.30 AM to 5.30 PM
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison)
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was in the past Tuol Svay Pray High School. It then transformed into a cross-examination, torture and execution center by the Khmer Rouge regime. Otherwise called S-21 Prison, an expected 17,000 Cambodians entered this notorious scene. Just seven figured out how to make due until the end of the rule.
Most rooms are in the state found in January 1979, including classrooms separated into little cells. An essential stop while visiting Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum additionally shows 6,000 frequenting representations of its detainees for explorers to comprehend the ongoing terrible Cambodian history. It is a serious encounter visiting the old jail and will certainly give you a lot of something worth thinking over.
Located at: St 113, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 8 AM to 5 PM
Wat Langka
Wat Langka, close by Phnom Penh’s Independence Monument, is one of the five pagodas established by Ponhea Yat in 1442. This beautiful hallowed place was set up as a library of Buddhist sacred texts just as a gathering place for Cambodian and Sri Lankan priests, yet additionally utilized as a storage facility during the Khmer Rouge’s rule.
In contrast to most Buddhist sanctuaries in Cambodia, the stupas here are in an incredible condition and access to the sanctuary is for nothing out of pocket. Each Sunday at 8.30 AM, you can partake in Wat Langka’s meditation sessions, managed by English-talking priests.
Located at: Street 282, Samdach Louis Em, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 6 AM to 7 PM
Wat Ounalom
Wat Ounalom offers guests an in-detail exploration of the profound lessons, methods of reasoning and history of Buddhism in Cambodia. The most noticeable and most seasoned of five pagodas in the nation, Wat Ounalom is the focal point of Cambodian Buddhism and fills in as the house of the Patriarch of the Mahanikai School of Buddhism.
Worked in 1443 to revere an eyebrow hair of Lord Buddha, the place of worship housed more than 500 priests and the Buddhist Institute’s library that held more than 30,000 titles in its gathering before cleared out by the Khmer Rouge rulers. The displayed Buddha’s eyebrow supernaturally endure, making it the major draw among travelers from everywhere throughout the world. A 10-minute stroll from The Royal Palace, access to Wat Ounalom is complimentary.
Located at: 172 Ly Yoat Lay Street, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 6 AM to 6 PM
Wat Phnom
Wat Phnom is a sanctuary that sits on a hill toward the north of Phnom Penh. The sanctuary was reestablished and reconstructed as the years progressed, to be specific in 1434, 1806, 1894 and 1926.
Wat Phnom is an image of the Cambodian capital city and local fans that seek supplications bringing little contributions, or take an interest in meditation usually visited by.
Located at: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Cambodian Country Club Equestrian Center
Cambodian Country Club Equestrian Center, which Timinged in 2003, is in the Northbridge International School. A universal standard riding school and club, it offers riding and riding exercises for grown-ups and kids ages from 5 years of age and up. The institute likewise organizes showjumping occasions, presentations and a riding camp for children.
Located at: 2004 Street, Group 6, Sangkat Toeuk Thla, Khan Sen Sok, Phnom Penh 12101, Cambodia
Timing: Daily from 8 AM to 6 PM
French Institute of Cambodia
Institut Francais du Cambodge or French Institute Cambodia can be an incredible spot to watch French movies, aside from the few big-screen films around the local area, which for the most part show films in the Khmer language. You need to head down to Street 184, for the Institute’s French Cultural Center Cinema. This shows French movies, the vast majority of them with English captions.
Located at: 218 Keo Chea, Phnom Penh 12211, Cambodia
Timing: Monday–Saturday from 8 AM to 9 PM, it is closed on Sundays
Some cash sparing tips
Cambodia is probably the least expensive nation in Southeast Asia, and Phnom Penh is no exemption. There genuinely are not any enormous cash saving tips here. Nourishment, accommodation, and transportation are generally very economical, however. Nevertheless, a few ways will help you to set aside cash in Phnom Penh.
Negotiate with tuk-tuk drivers – Make sure you arrange the cost early.
Besides, do not take the first number they give you — it is inflated. In case you do not know what value, you ought to go for, ask your hotel staff ahead of time. They can, for the most part, help you book a confided in a driver, too.
Stay away from the river – The most costly accommodation is by the river. In the event that you need less expensive accommodation, head towards the southern and central part of the city.
Minimize your beverages – Every beverage is a dollar and before you know it, you have spent more cash on beer than on nourishment and accommodation.
Work for your room – It’s entirely regular to find a new line of work in a lodging so as to remain longer in Phnom Penh so on the off chance that you stay at an inn and like the vibe, inquire as to whether they’ll give you an opportunity to work there. This is good if you are not with a tour operator and travel alone.
Book visits and day visits as a gathering – You have the opportunity to book your tour and visits before your coming. It is good to book with a reputed tour operator who will place you in a group of likeminded people. They even customize your tour schedule according to your desire so that you can visit places that are of interest to you.
Use a water bottle with a purifier – It is not sheltered to drink the faucet water in Phnom Penh, it is best to purchase bottled water and be safe.
Where to stay
Hotels in Phnom Penh are staggeringly modest, even by Southeast Asia principles. In case you are searching for the absolute best places to remain, here are portions of our suggested spots:
Manor House
Eighty8 Phnom Penh
Onederz
Mad Monkey
Sla Boutique Hostel
How to get round
Tuk-tuks – Tuk-tuks are modest taxis, and indeed, they are all you have to use to get around the city. They are all over the place and you will never need to hang tight for a ride. Outings should cost affordable inside the city ensure you arrange your cost in advance. You can even book a tuk-tuk to the other destinations if you wish to visit once more after the tour that you have.
Cabs – If you are taking a taxi around the city or to the other destinations, ensure it charges on the meter or arranges the passage forthrightly. They are more costly than tuk-tuks, nevertheless, and are for the most part pointless. The primary time it is essential to take a taxi is to and from the air terminal.
Contract a driver – If you need to do a significant day of touring, you can lease a vehicle and driver. The driver will take you wherever you have to proceed to and will sit tight for you between stops. It is advantageous and a decent method to see the city in a limited time.
You will need all these if you wish to revisit those places after the tour.
The best time when to go
Phnom Penh is warm all year, and the vast majority wants to visit from November to February when the temperatures are milder and dampness is not exceptionally extraordinary. Still, at the end of the day, it is warm and exquisite — temperatures infrequently go beneath 68°F. Precipitation is heaviest from September to October, however more often than not this fair means short impacts of rainfall in the evenings.
Temperatures are likewise most sultry from May to October, running from 71°F to as high as 100°F, particularly in April and May. The humidity during this time is additionally extraordinarily high, and the days can be truly awkward. The tourism traffic is lower during this time, in any case, and the warmth is tolerable if you are truly prepared. Along the coast, you will catch the sea breeze.
So, what are you waiting for? Contact Travel Authentic Asia and it is for sure you will have the best exploration and an enjoyable vacation in Phnom Penh. You will have the guidance of local guides, best of transport and accommodation during your stay. They have the ability to customize their schedule to match your preferences. Call at +84 912221442 to speak to their travel experts.
