The Top 3 Things to Do in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Global visitors to Cambodia always spend their schedule exploring the capital Phnom Penh. In the article below, let's check the top 03 things to do in Phnom Penh that travelers must try when coming here.

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Top 03 Amazing things to do in Phnom Penh

If visiting the Cambodian capital, any tourist should do the following 03 things:

1. Visit Phnom Penh Royal Palace

Phnom Penh has the Royal Palace which is a complex of buildings that serves as the royal residence of the King of Cambodia with a Khmer architectural style. Phnom Penh Royal Palace is a popular tourist attraction with a number of rules and regulations that are strictly enforced.

Royal Palace is home to the King of Cambodia, His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Sihamoni. The royal palace has four gates. The eastern Victory Gate leads directly to the entrance of the throne hall and is used only by royalty and VIPs.

Royal palace Phnom Penh is open daily, from 8:00-10:30 AM and 2:00-5:00 PM. On Friday, it closes at 4:30 PM.

During the serious Covid pandemic, the Royal palace of Cambodia closed on March 18, 2020, after the first few cases of Covid-19 in Cambodia were detected.

The Cost for entry is $10 USD per person, cash only. Entry is only permitted via one of the many gates into the Royal Palace.

Location to visit: HW7J+HG6, Samdach Sothearos Blvd (3), Phnom Penh.

2. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or simply Tuol Sleng is a museum chronicling the Cambodian genocide. This place is known for Internment, interrogation, extermination, and human experimentation camp used by the Khmer Rouge.

It consists of four buildings. The museum houses an archive as well as photographs and works of art that preserve the documents and instruments used for tortures.

Located in Phnom Penh, the site is a former secondary school that was used as Security Prison 21 by the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 until its fall in 1979.

Exhibits on Tuol Sleng museum grounds may not be appropriate for visitors 14 years old and younger.

The cost of entry for non-Cambodian travelers is $5.00 for Adults and $3.00 for between 10-18. The visitors can choose personal tour guides who speak Khmer, French, and English. The Audio guide for Cambodian is $1.00 and Non-Cambodian: $5.00

Address: St 113, Phnom Penh 12304, Cambodia

Opening time: 8 AM - 5 PM

3. Discover the Phnom Penh Night Market - things to do in Phnom Penh at night

The Phnom Penh Night Market is one of the favorite markets in Cambodia, which attracts both local people, as well as tourists worldwide. Let’s discover Phnom Penh's nightlife for travelers!

Here is the list of 03 must-visited Night Markets in Phnom Penh.

• The Night Market in Phnom Penh

The Night Market is located on the riverfront close to downtown Phnom Penh. This local night market only opens from 5 PM to 11 PM on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays.

Things to do in Phnom Penh at night for Cambodians and tourists who come to enjoy a cold night include tasting local street food and beer and shopping for cheap clothes, souvenirs, and local jewelry.

Phnom Penh Night Market Activities

It is a famous place to shop and dine in Phnom Penh along with enjoying the riverfront.

Phnom Penh restaurants, nightclubs and cafes housing live music, dance performances, and local music bands entertaining the visitors.

The most popular items sold in the night market are extensive ranges of cheap clothes for men, women, and children. Besides, second-hand clothes are also being sold for all ages to encourage people's savings.

Next come the souvenirs popular among tourists including Cambodian handicrafts, silver and gold jewelry, handmade jewelry, silk fabrics, artworks, paintings, handmade jute bags, purses, Buddha statues made of wood, stone sculptures, wallets, wooden carvings, and other local products.

Food at the Phnom Penh night market is the most exciting feature for food lovers. Head to the food section famous for BBQ sticks, fish balls, Buffet menu including many varieties of noodles and rice, desserts including the famous coconut ice cream, cakes, and smoothies.

The night market is located close to the downtown of Phnom Penh, and can easily be reached on foot in about 20 minutes. You can rent a Tuk-Tuk or hire a motorbike. 

This is one of the things to do in Phnom Penh with kids for travelers.

• The Russian Market

Russian Market is a noteworthy street market in Phnom Penh. Russian Market is called from the 1980s when most of the Market's visitors were large groups of Russian expats shopping here.

This is the hippest market in town and one of the largest in Phnom Penh. Shopping at the Russian Market is a nice choice for those who want to buy something to gift friends in their home country. Stalls selling wooden handicrafts, antiquities, miniature Buddhas, fruits and veggies, jewelry, etc occupy this market. And of course, you’ll see plenty of knock-off products with various brand tags.

The market is also famous for Khmer iced coffee, elephant pants, grilled bananas, and bargaining. If you are looking for Cambodian souvenirs that are affordable, make it the top place to buy them. Many options to choose from an extensive range of wooden handicrafts, statues of Buddha, many stones and wood carvings, antiques, handmade products like bags, purses, recyclable products, silk fabrics, handmade silver jewelry, musical instruments, postcards, decorated lamps, artworks, and paintings.

The Russian Market is located in downtown Phnom Penh close to Monivong Boulevard and Mao Tse Tung streets and takes about 20 minutes to reach. If you go on food, it will take you about 35 minutes to reach this market.

The best time to visit the Russian Market is early in the morning or evening when the weather is relatively pleasant.

Visit the Russian market by renting a Tuk-Tuk for about 8 USD for a round trip that can be shared. Or you can hire a motorbike for about 8 to 10 USD per day to get there.

Timings: 6 AM to 5 PM

• The Central Market

The Central Market, which opened in 1937, is housed beneath a dome and four extending 'legs' (hallways). It's a popular market in Phnom Penh, and it's always bustling with locals and tourists looking for bargains.

It's a Cambodian Art Deco building with a bright splash of yellow on the outside. It has numerous stalls selling everything from gold and silverware to electronics and food.

Address: Calmette St. 53, Phnom Penh

Time: 7 AM to 6 PM

With the top 3 things to do in Phnom Penh on a budget to help you plan to visit this Capital. Don't forget to contact our services to apply for a Cambodia visa ticket to visit this country. Fast - safe - economical are words to describe our process to get visa approval.