EmPhnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, and a bustling, thriving modern city. As a tourist city, it’s definitely under the shadow of it’s more famous sibling Siem Reap, but there are good reasons that you should make time for Cambodia’s capital on your trip around Cambodia. Phnom Penh is the centre of Cambodia’s recent history, and the best place to understand the devastating impact of the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s. No visitor to Cambodia should leave without fully understanding the impact of these very recent events.
Contents:
- A brief history of modern Cambodia
- How to get to Phnom Penh
- How to get around in Phnom Penh
- Where to stay in Phnom Penh
- What to do in Phnom Penh
- Honourable mentions: Things I didn’t do
A brief history of modern Cambodia
I’ll be honest – Phnom Penh is not the most exciting, or aesthetically pleasing city I’ve visited on my travels. It’s not particularly tourist friendly (at least compared to Siem Reap). It definitely feels like a city where modern Cambodians live and get on with their lives. So why visit?
The main reason to visit Phnom Penh is to understand the recent history of Cambodia. During the 1970s, Cambodia was under the control of the Khmer Rouge, a Communist movement led by the infamous Pol Pot.
Between 1976-1978, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were responsible for the Cambodian genocide, which killed up to 3 million people. While there are scars from these horrific events across Cambodia, the best places to visit to understand this appalling history are in Phnom Penh.
I’m obviously not an expert on Cambodian history, and there is so much that’s important. For further understanding of Cambodia’s history since the end of the Khmer Rouge, I recommend taking a walking tour with Martin (see below).
How to get to Phnom Penh
As a capital city, Phnom Penh is a transport hub, and you can arrive in a variety of different ways.
Air
Phnom Penh has a busy international airport that’s not too far from the main city. This is how I arrived, but I only accessed arrivals so I can’t say whether it has good departures facilities.
However, arriving into Phnom Penh airport was easy and immigration was relatively quick. I recommend applying for the E-visa in advance if you’re eligible as this speeds the process up.
It was easy to get taxis or tuktuks from the airport into the centre of Phnom Penh. Like most airports in Cambodia, there is a dedicated Grab waiting area – just follow the signs. You can get a Grab car or tuktuk. As it was a reasonably long journey through traffic, and I had luggage, I opted for a car to avoid some of the pollution and have more space.
There were also a lot of tuktuks hanging about here – if you don’t want to use Grab, make sure to negotiate the price in advance.
Bus from inside Cambodia
Cambodia has an extensive bus network that runs to all the major cities. The most common routes for travellers are from Siem Reap, Battambang or Sihanoukville (the gateway to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem). Roads to major destinations in Cambodia are generally good, as there are a lot of new motorways being built.
From Siem Reap to Phnom Penh is about 4 hours by bus.
Bus companies I used in Cambodia:
- Vireak Buntham – the biggest provider of buses in Cambodia, with extensive routes and times. Vireak Buntham offer different vehicles – check the vehicle type before you book tickets. I used their minivan, which was very comfortable, and a less comfortable mid-sized bus called a Coaster.
- Vireak Buntham VET Airbus – I also used Virek Buntham’s new airbus to go from Phnom Penh to Battambang. This bus is available on routes into Phnom Penh including from Siem Reap. This is a new service, clearly designed to mimic Vietnam’s famous VIP buses. The bus was serious luxury – like travelling business class. The hostess even brought me a coffee! If you want to travel on these, book in advance – they sell out quickly!
- Giant Ibis – a smaller company which offers certain routes. Grand Ibis made a point of saying on their website that they always have two drivers on board, and encourage drivers to drive slowly to promote safety.
International Bus
It’s also possible to get a variety of international buses into Phnom Penh. The most common are probably from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, or Bangkok in Thailand.
Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh is about 7 hours. While this isn’t the longest trip in South East Asia, it’s a good while if you’re uncomfortable. Research your bus type in advance, and if possible, take the Airbus or another bus that has 3 seats across instead of 4. Giant Ibis also run a VIP bus on this route.
Bangkok to Phnom Penh is about 12 hours. Most of the options on 12goasia are minivans – I would personally not sit in a minivan for a 12 hour trip. Vireak Buntham offer the Airbus for this trip – this would be my choice.
It’s also newly possible to get buses from Laos to Phnom Penh. Vireak Buntham offer a new service from Pakse, Don Det and even Vietiane. However, unless you don’t want to see Angkor Wat I think most people will stop off in Siem Reap before arriving in Phnom Penh.
How to get around in Phnom Penh
One great thing about Phnom Penh is that it’s really easy and cheap to get around. Grab is widely used, and you can quickly order both cars and tuktuks. The Tuktuks are mostly small two person electric ones, which are absolutely great. I felt like I was whizzing about the city.
As with most of South East Asia, you can also find private Tuktuks around, which tend to be the older kind. They congregate on street corners in busy areas, and outside bigger hotels. If you want to use one of these, negotiate a price in advance.
Phnom Penh is also a pretty easy city to walk around. A lot of the main tourist area is fairly small, and you can explore this area easily on foot.
Where to stay in Phnom Penh
Most hotels in Phnom Penh are located in the central tourist area, and this is a great place to stay. It gives you easy walking access to all the restaurants and bars in this area, as well as shops.
- Julieka’s Guest House – this is a great budget option, but beware that it’s really budget. Opposite the National Museum, the location couldn’t be better. My room was dark and incredibly basic, but clean and functional. I’d stay again.
- Pacific Hotel – the first couple of days I was in Phnom Penh I stayed in the Pacific Hotel, at the top end of my budget. I loved this place – for British readers, it was like a really good Premier Inn. Spotlessly clean, great bed linen, great lighting options in the room and a good breakfast. However, it’s not in the centre of the city, and there are no restaurants or shops nearby. Note that if you stay here, you’ll need to take Grab Tuktuks to get to central Phnom Penh.
- Aquarius Hotel and Resort – while I didn’t stay here, I did extensive research into nicer places in Phnom Penh when I was planning a less budget trip. This is the hotel I ended up selecting. It has a rooftop infinity pool and gorgeous looking rooms, as well as excellent reviews. If you’re looking for something higher end, this is the place for you.
What to do in Phnom Penh
Understand the history and impact of the Cambodia Genocide
It’s hard, writing this blog two months after visiting, to know what to say about these sites. The experience still feels very present and raw, and nothing I write will truly encompass the horror of the visits. One of the most difficult parts of the visit was understanding how much this is in living memory. Both victims and perpetrators of this violence are still alive in Cambodia today.
The two museums are incredibly well set up and run, and I truly feel that any visitor to Cambodia should understand this history.
I have detailed some particular trigger warnings for each site below, but these visits are very difficult. Please take care of your mental health during and after your visit.
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21)
Tuol Sleng is one of two places in the city that are must-dos to understand this devastating history.
Originally a school, Tuol Sleng was repurposed into a prison under the Khmer Rouge. It’s now a well run museum which documents the atrocities that took place there. Notably, the man who ran Tuol Sleng was one of the very few members of the Khmer Rouge who were actually prosecuted.
Tuol Sleng is not for the faint of heart. You’ll see and hear extensive evidence of torture, including photos dead bodies, photos of the victims and the small cells they were imprisoned in. Most chilling for me were the pictures of the guards, most of whom were young boys aged 10-15, and many of whom are still alive in Cambodia.
Tuol Sleng can be visited independently, with an audio guide, or as part of an organised tour with a guide. If you choose an organised tour, it will be combined with the Killing Fields. See my thoughts on each of these options below.
Tuol Sleng is relatively central in Phnom Penh, and you will easily be able to organise a tuktuk or car if you wish to visit independently.
Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre
The other major Khmer Rouge site in Phnom Penh is the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre, otherwise known as the Killing Fields. Just one of many mass graves around Cambodia, prisoners from prisons such as Tuol Sleng were transferred to the Killing Fields for execution.
As with Tuol Sleng, the centre is well set up and there are audio guides available. It is also an extremely difficult visit. Cambodia has not shied away from this past, and at Choeung Ek bones are sometimes still visible in the ground. The memorial also contains skulls and other body parts. Any guided tour or the audio guide will detail horrific violence, including against children.
The centre is not as central to Phnom Penh, and will take longer to get to.
Guided tour v independent visits
I chose to take a guided tour for my visit, but many people choose to visit independently and use the audioguides.
For me, the benefit of having a guide was enormous. On the journey, he gave us detailed context for this period of Cambodian history, including the previous French colonisation and the short period of democracy in between this and the Khmer Rouge. This really helped me to understand the political conditions which allowed this to occur. In addition, he also brought his own personal experience of the genocide to the tour. Throughout, he talked of the enduring impact on the Cambodian people, including family members that he lost during the genocide.
However, I’ve also met people travelling who preferred the audio guides. They felt that these were detailed enough to give the context they needed. My experience in general is that Cambodia has done an amazing job of presenting this difficult history, and therefore the audio guides are likely to reflect this. Most importantly, they let you experience the sites at your own pace, without feeling rushed or needing to move on when they weren’t ready.
If you want to take the guided tour, I used this Viator option which I’d highly recommend.
Take a walking tour of Cambodia’s history (and eat fried tarantulas)
While I’ve put this lower in my list, if you’re able to I really recommend making this tour the first thing you do in Phnom Penh.
Run by an accredited tour guide named Martin, this walking tour takes you to key sites in Phnom Penh. These include the Independence Monument, a buddhist monastery, and Wat Phnom Daun Penh (see below).
Martin is passionate about Cambodian history, and at the start of the tour he gave us a run down of recent Cambodian history. This started with the end of French colonisation in the 1950s, right up until the present day. I found this incredibly useful as background for understanding Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek the following day.
On a lighter note, the tour also included a trip to Phnom Penh’s night market to try Cambodian specialities. Our first stop was to try fried tarantulas (too adventurous for me!) followed by bugs, and we moved on to easier options like coconut-based deserts.
I can’t recommend this tour highly enough if you like history. It was a long walk – around 4 hours – but absolutely packed with information about Cambodia. You can book it on Get your Guide and pay up front, or you can join the tour and pay what you think it’s worth at the end. I’ve put the details below.
Visit Wat Phnom Daun Penh
This is the most famous temple in Phnom Penh, and considered a sacred site for the country of Cambodia. Towards the far end of the centre of Phnom Penh, it’s worth taking the time to visit this site (if you haven’t already with Martin).
Founded in 1372, legend states that the temple was founded by Lady Penh, who gave the city her name. It’s on a hill, and to enter you climb a magnificent stairway before reaching the main pagoda. This site remains important to Cambodians, and you are likelky to see people worshipping while you’re there.
There is a small fee for foreigners (around $1), which you need to pay before accessing the site.
Visit Independence Monument
Cambodia’s Independence Monument was built in 1958 to symbolise Cambodia’s independence from France. It takes the form of a giant lotus-shaped stupa, and towers above the roads that surround it. While you won’t need to spend much time here, it’s an easy site to pass as you explore Phnom Penh.
Honourable mentions: Things I didn’t do
As always, there are things in Phnom Penh that are recommended but that I didn’t get to do. I’ve listed a couple below.
Take a river cruise
A popular option in Phnom Penh is to take a river cruise down the Mekong at sunset. Many of these cruises come with open bars and are a great option to while away a couple of hours in the early evening.
If you’re keen to do this, you’ll find tickets sold online, in your hotel, in tour agencies, and on the banks of the Mekong from about 4pm.
Visit the Royal Palace
You can’t miss the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. This huge building takes up a lot of the waterfront, with huge portraits of the Cambodian Royal Family on display as well. Constructed in the 1860s and rebuilt in the early 20th century, it’s their official residence.
The most famous part of the palace to visit is the Silver Pagoda. It contains many treasures and a silver floor made of 5 tonnes of the precious metal.
It costs $10 to visit the Royal Palace, which is ultimately why I chose not to. If you do visit, however, note that you need to have shoulders and knees covered.
Top Tip:
A common scam in Phnom Penh is tuktuk drivers meeting you in the square in front of the palace to tell you it’s closed. They then offer you a trip in their tuktuk to other sites in Phnom Penh. I was a bit confused about whether the palace was actually open or not when this happened to me, as some online sources said it was closed during the middle of day, but others said this had changed. I didn’t end up visiting the palace, but I also didn’t fall for the tuktuk scam.
gnoring the tuktuk drivers and walking to the entrance further down the street to find out for yourself. You can always walk back to the tuktuks if you decide you want the tour!
Hopefully this has given you some idea of why a visit to Phnom Penh is just as important as your visit to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. If you found this useful, or if I’ve missed anything, let me know in the comments!
