The Top 3 Things to Do in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

1.Go Jewelry Shopping at the Central Market

Shoppers can get some of the city's best deals for precious stones, metals and jewelry in and around Central Market — beyond the stalls in the Market's interior, shoppers can cross over to the gold shops on the other side of the road, too.

2. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh

is an important site to visit to have a deeper understanding of what the Cambodian people have been through.

It is such an intense experience — one you will be glad you had to better understand Cambodia and what people and their families have been through.

3. Visit the Royal Palace

It is recommended to visit right after you’ve gone to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum or the Killing Fields just to balance out the very heavy feelings that those two places can bring up.”

Popular stops in the Palace grounds include the Silver Pagoda, whose interiors house a series of Buddha statues encrusted in precious metals and gems, most notably the life-size Maitreya Buddha studded with over 9,000 diamonds; and the Moonlight Pavilion, a venue for traditional dance set alongside the Palace walls.