Phnom Penh

Overview

Phnom Penh is Cambodia's capital and its largest city, sitting at the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac rivers. It's most travelers' entry point into the country and a natural gateway before or after Siem Reap, pairing gilded royal architecture with a sobering, essential look at the country's recent history.

The city rewards a couple of unhurried days: mornings at the Royal Palace and riverside promenade, afternoons at the Central Market or a quiet cafe, and time set aside for the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Killing Fields, both critical to understanding modern Cambodia. Tuk-tuks and remorks make getting around simple, and the compact riverside core keeps most sights within a short ride of each other.

History

Placeholder history text. Phnom Penh became the capital of the Khmer kingdom in the 15th century, according to legend founded after a woman named Penh found four Buddha statues washed up on the riverbank and built a hill shrine, Wat Phnom, to house them. It grew into a major royal and trading city under French colonial rule in the 19th and early 20th centuries, which shaped much of its boulevard layout and architecture.

The city was forcibly evacuated in 1975 under the Khmer Rouge and left largely empty for years, a period documented at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek. Since the 1990s, Phnom Penh has rebuilt into Cambodia's political, economic, and cultural center, with a skyline that now mixes colonial-era buildings, riverside development, and modern towers.

Top Highlights & Activities

• Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda: The residence of Cambodia's king, with gilded spires, manicured grounds, and a pagoda floored in silver tiles.
• Tuol Sleng & Choeung Ek: A former school turned Khmer Rouge prison, and the Killing Fields memorial site, both essential and sobering visits.
• Riverside & Central Market: Stroll the Tonle Sap riverside promenade at sunset, or browse the Art Deco domed halls of Central Market (Phsar Thmei).

How to Get There

Placeholder directions. Phnom Penh's newest international gateway is Techo International Airport (KTI), located in Takhmao, Kandal Province, with international flights and regular domestic connections to Siem Reap. From KTI, it takes around 45 to 60 minutes into the city by car or taxi, or about 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours by the Airport Express Bus (AEB), a cheaper city bus service that runs directly between the airport and central Phnom Penh.

Overland from Siem Reap, the drive takes about 5 to 6 hours by road, with frequent bus and private car/driver options covering the route daily. Travelers arriving from Vietnam can cross overland from Ho Chi Minh City (around 6 to 7 hours by bus, including the border crossing) or take a scenic river boat along the Mekong. There's also a direct boat service from Siem Reap across Tonle Sap Lake during the wetter months, a slower but scenic alternative to the road, when water levels allow it. Once in the city, ride-hailing apps like Grab and PassApp, along with metered tuk-tuks and remorks, are the easiest way to get around.

• Flight from Siem Reap: ~45 min
• Bus from Siem Reap: ~6 hrs
• Private car/driver from Siem Reap: ~5 hrs
• Boat from Siem Reap (seasonal): ~5–6 hrs
• Bus from Ho Chi Minh City: ~6–7 hrs (incl. border crossing)
• Airport transfer/taxi into town (KTI): ~45–60 min
• Airport Express Bus (AEB) into town: ~1 hr 50 min–2 hrs