Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia.
Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industrial, and cultural centre. The city's name derives from Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple, and Lady Penh, the city's founder. It sits at the confluence of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers, and is the start of the Bassac River. It is also the seat of Cambodia's monarchy, based at the Royal Palace.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Phnom Penh
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01National Museum of Cambodia
The National Museum of Cambodia is Cambodia's largest museum of cultural history and is the country's leading historical and archaeological museum. It is located in Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh.
1 km · art museum, archaeology,and history in Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Wikipedia - 02Wat Phnom
Wat Phnom is a Buddhist temple in Doun Penh, Phnom Penh. The site features a pagoda, a stupa symbolizing the name of Phnom Penh, and a historical site that is part of the Khmer national identity.
800 m · Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia · Wikipedia - 03Royal University of Phnom Penh
The Royal University of Phnom Penh is a national research university of Cambodia, located in the Phnom Penh capital. Established in 1960, it is the country's largest university.
3.2 km · national research university in Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Wikipedia - 04Olympic Stadium
The National Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It has a capacity of 30,000.
1.6 km · multi-purpose stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Wikipedia - 05National Library of Cambodia
The National Library of Cambodia is the national library of Cambodia, based in Phnom Penh, created by France in 1924. From 1975-1979, the Khmer Rouge destroyed many of the books and bibliographical records, it is commonly thought that about 20% of its 65,000 materials survived, though the true number lost remains unknown.
800 m · national library in Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Wikipedia - 06Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh
The Silver Pagoda is located on the south side of the Royal Palace in Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh. The official name is Wat Ubaosoth Ratanaram, also known as Wat Preah Keo Morakot which is commonly shortened to Wat Preah Keo in Khmer.
1.4 km · notable Buddhist temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Wikipedia - 07Central Market
The Central Market is a market and an art deco landmark in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The bright yellow building completed in 1937 has a 26-metre high central dome, with four tall arch-roofed arms branching out diagonally across the block, creating vast hallways housing countless stalls and a variety of goods.
0 m · building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia · Wikipedia - 08Mosque Nur ul-Ihsan
The Nur ul-Ihsan Mosque was, until 2018, the oldest mosque in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It was situated 7 km north of the centre of the city.
7 km · mosque in Cambodia · Wikipedia - 09University of Cambodia
The University of Cambodia is a private university located on North bridge Road in Sen Sok District, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. Founded in 2003 by Dr.
1.8 km · Cambodian university · Wikipedia - 10Wat Ounalom
Wat Ounalom is a wat located on Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, near the Chaktomuk Royal Palace. As the former seat of Cambodia's Mahanikaya Order, it is regarded as the most important wat in Phnom Penh and the central institution of Cambodian Buddhism.
1 km · Buddhist temple in Cambodia · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
France's Cambodian colony was acquired late and largely neglected. Historic colonial architecture was limited to start with and has largely decayed. The Grand Post Office Building, Central Market and Raffles Le Royal Hotel are notable exceptions. Generally, any building in good condition, old or new, will be behind a big wall and security guards.
- 01The National Museum of Cambodia
St 13, Sangkat Chey Chumneas, Khan Daun Penh (Opposite the Royal Palace), +855 12 621 522 (mobile), fax: +855 23 211 753, museum_cam@camnet.com.kh.
- 02The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
Sothearos Blvd (one block to the west of Sisowath Quay).
- 03Sisowath Quay
Phnom Penh is a bite-sized town, and it's easy to combine sightseeing, shopping, eating and drinking into a single walk through the city.
- 04Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
- 05The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
- 06Former M-13 Prison
The remains of one of the largest Khmer Rouge prison and torture camps, in the outback, about 50 km northwest of Phnom Penh.
From Wikivoyage: Phnom Penh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
- 01Mekong River Cruises
Boats leave every evening for a river cruise.
- 02NagaWorld Casino
Thunder Ranch Shooting Range (Near killing fields of Cheoung Ek).
From Wikivoyage: Phnom Penh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Phnom Penh offers some interesting culinary treats not found elsewhere in the country. These include French-influenced dining and Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian dishes. Pizzas, banana pancakes, and fried rice are always easy to find. The recent influx of Chinese capital in Phnom Penh has brought with it an influx of Chinese cuisine as well, including a significant number of regionally focused restaurants.
From Wikivoyage: Phnom Penh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Phnom Penh
- Airports
- Techo (KTI), 23 km · Sihanouk (KOS), 179 km · Phú Quốc (PQC), 186 km
- Stations
- Phnom Penh International Airport, 8.8 km · Phnom Penh railway station, 600 m
- Preah Sihanouk → Phnom Penh183 km · quickest by road, 3h 19m · $7–10
- Ta Noun → Phnom Penh86 km · quickest by road, 1h 48m · $3.5–5
- Siem Reap → Phnom Penh231 km · quickest by road, 4h 52m · $11–15
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Phnom Penh
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Phnom Penh. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inBuses arriving from Pakse enter the city at night (around 19:30-20:00) via Monivong Ave, leaving tired and emotional travellers prone to being preyed on tuk-tuk touts.
- Get inFerries connecting Phnom Penh to Siem Reap have been suspended since COVID.
- Get inThere are apparently several choices of boat between Phnom Penh and Chau Doc in Vietnam: Hang Chau Speedboat (tour guide, water, snack, insurance, no pick up).
- Get inLeaves from the ferry pier on Sisowath Quay, and seems to be the main affordable option other than the mythical "slow boats" (see below).
- Get inTakes 4 hr, US$32 Mandarin Cruises, 5 hr, US$65 Victoria Speed Boat, 5 hr, US$65 The relevant border crossing to Vietnam is called "Song Tien landport" on Vietnam's e-Visa website, despite this place name not seeming to appear on any maps.
From Wikivoyage: Phnom Penh, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01136 km
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If you know how people move in Phnom Penh – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Phnom Penh
- Chamkarmon Districtdistrict in Phnom Penh, Cambodia2.8 km
- Toul Kork Districtdistrict in Phnom Penh, Cambodia2.4 km
- Russei Keo Districtdistrict in Phnom Penh, Cambodia5.7 km
- Daun Penh Districtdistrict in Phnom Penh, Cambodia700 m
- Prampi Makara Districtdistrict in Phnom Penh, Cambodia1.1 km
- Meanchey Districtdistrict in Phnom Penh, Cambodia5.5 km