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 Traveller's Tales: Places to go and see in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Take a tour of the top places to go in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. You may read about must see places and activities in the area. Also, you might want to read our
Angkor / Siem Reap city guide,
and Phnom Penh city guide.
Pages (1 of 9):
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| D Mills |
10 August 2005 |
Stayed at Pacific - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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The museum has a beautiful collection, particularly the stuff from the Ankor area. The palace is okay. The markets are horribly hot, smelly and crowded. The people were always friendly and helpful. The chef at the FCC does great food and it's a fantastic location to watch the world and the rivers go by.
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| G Proske |
10 August 2005 |
Stayed at Inter-Continental Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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You always need taxis in Phnom Penh, so the location is not really a problem. Go to the Russian Market and see one of the most nicest tourist markets in Asia. Very cheap souvenirs.
Silver Pagoda, King's Palace an National Museum are average. Not to compare with temples in Bangkok. Two days are enough for sightseeing in Phnom Penh.
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| C Evans |
24 May 2005 |
Stayed at Cambodiana Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Booked taxi driver who took me from airport, to go to Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Prison -- dirt road to Killing Fields VERY potholed, so would recommend car. Haunting experience, to be in such places -- but essential for any visit to Cambodia. Read a book called 'Stay Alive My Son' to get the full picture of the horror of the Pol Pot years! After that, hired a tuk-tuk from outside Hotel Cambodiana to take me around for 2 days -- ask for a driver called Bhu, who is brilliant. In tuk-tuk you get the 'feel' of Phnom Penh in a way you don't in a car -- but be careful with possessions. I was warned all the time to hang on to my bag. Must-do's are Russian Market, Wat Phnom, cocktails in Elephant Bar of Le Royal, lunch at Friends restaurant and Le Rits (both helping disadvantaged Phnom Penhois), shopping at Centre for Disabled Persons (Norodom Boulevard, near Wat Phnom), lunch / sundowners at Foreign Correspondents' Club. Khmer Surin restaurant (street 57) offers great food for dinner in lovely old Khmer house with lots of atmosphere -- also surprisingly cheap! Take plenty of dollars, as money flies through your hands in Phnom Penh! I loved it there (you can still see lots of raw Indochina, rather than the sanitised version available in Asian cities such as Bangkok) and will certainly be going back.
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| B Arabian |
03 May 2005 |
Stayed at Raffles Hotel Le Royal - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Visits to the Royal Palace and of the Silver Pagoda are of course indispensable. If you look for decor items and beautiful silk, Russian market is the place to go. Shopping at NGO-supported shops also helps these organizations in their much-needed actions; they are mentioned in every good guidebook.
One thing to mention for travellers going to Cambodia with young children is that it is still a very poor country deeply scarred by the civil wars and the genocide of millions. Disabled people are ubiquitous and this may be shocking for sensitive souls, although the kindness of Cambodian people highly smoothens this feeling.
Also, the contrast is very strong between the ambience of the streets and the one of the Raffles, something that one has to handle.
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| C Bachmann |
17 April 2005 |
Stayed at Raffles Hotel Le Royal - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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We had 2 weeks to spend which seems quite fitting to take in most of the highlights: 3nights PNP, car to Battambang, next morning boat trip to Angkor, 3 full days Angkor, flight to PNP and car via Kampot (overnight) and Bokor to Sihanoukville. It was a good experience to see smaller towns like Battambang and Kampot, which do not feature too many interesting things but give you some impression of "normal life" besides all the bars and internationalised restaurants in the more touristy places. The roads to both towns are sealed and in good condition. Be aware that during the dry season boats from Battambang take more than 7 hours (we even had to go by pickup for the first 1,5h - extremly dusty experience).
Take a taxi from the pier to SiemReap since the road is very bad. Angkor: If you know vaguely which temples you want to see, it is easy enough to hire a tuctuc (usually through your hotel) for the day (USD 12) and the driver will tell you which things to do first etc. Even during the hottest season I wouldnīt recommend taking a taxi since a) the difference in temperature can be quite dangerous and b) the tuktuks offers more direct contact to the environment. (Donīt be afraid: practically all roads around Angkor are sealed). Try "Khmer Kitchen" next to Old market for delicous and diversified Khmer food and donīt miss the Apsara Theatre. In Kampot the new "Long House" has a nice outward appearance (havenīt seen the rooms)- unfortunately the food is quite westernized. Bokor hill station is nice for the trip through the jungle and the spooky feeling at the remains of the hotel but donīt expect more than a fine half-day excursion.
We spent the last days at Sokha Beach which offers all you can expect from a new resort (=lacks a bit of atmosphere) and has a magnificent private beach and a good seafood restaurant. All other beaches we saw (though principally of the same quality) were rather dirty (plastic etc). Donīt miss Claudeīs crow-nest for dinner - excellent wines and wonderful seafood. In PNP, SiemReap and Sihanoukville free copies of restaurant/hotel guides are available: very useful and reliable!!
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| D Sun |
11 January 2005 |
Stayed at Pacific - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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T & Coffee across the road about 50 yards. Great Trung coffee and cakes and crossants. Most restaurants on Sisowath Blvd are good. Great Italian restaurants.
Be prepared to pay 5 USD for short return trips from your hotel from Monivong Blvd to Sisowath quay for example.
Bargain with taxis before getting in, fix dollar charges for trips, avoid motorbike pillion riding, unsafe. Be careful crossing roads, few traffic lights; if any, the Red lights not observed, Cambodians follow the chaotic french system of driving on the wrong side of road; hazardous unruly traffic.
Cambodians are gentle friendly people, do not let your cultural expectations color your views negatively. Poverty is rife, on the opposite spectrum, extreme wealth - both equally astonishing.
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| A Machado |
30 December 2004 |
Stayed at Cambodiana Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Phnom Penh is a pleasant and dynamic city, much smaller than HCM City. One day should be enough to visit the National Museum, and the Royal Palace, visit the killing fields (not a good feeling at all), go to the markets to have some local snacks and ice coffee, to go the FCC for a drink and to a French restaurant if you fancy.
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| A Patel |
24 December 2004 |
Stayed at Sunway Hotel Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Cambodia is a fascinating country to visit. If you want glitz and glamour that isn't the place for you. But the country and its history makes it a place with a lot more 'depth' than most other prosperous destinations. Its people are simple and friendly. Siem Reap and its temples are fascinating. For Indians like us, more enriching since we are familiar with all the tales and myths surrounding the carvings. For the unfamiliar, it would help to brush up on basics of Hindu mythology before a trip to the temples (especially the Great Epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata).
Phnom Penh is any grimy polluted city. But interesting to soak in its sights and sounds and understand where it comes from. Cambodia's recent morbid history is evident in the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Museum. Depressing but helps understand Cambodians better. Check out the traditional dances at the Sovanna Phum Arts Association. Performances every Friday night. Always a good way to get in touch with local flavours and culture.
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| R Lubrich |
19 November 2004 |
Stayed at Phnom Penh Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Phnom Penh is for sure worth to travel. Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Wat Phnom are place to be visited. But as well Cheung Ek (Killing fields) and Toul Sleng should not be left out to have an understanding of the actual situation of the country and its people after the horrible genocide of the Khmer Rouge during the '70th.
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| S Belkin |
15 October 2004 |
Stayed at Juliana Hotel - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Make sure your guide takes you across the river at the Japanese bridge to eat at restaurants frequented by Cambodian locals. Food was terrific, ambience was unlike anything I've ever experienced...in a good way! The Genocide Museum was incredibly moving. Since there were vivid pictures of the Killing Fields themselves, you might spare yourself the long and bumpy ride to the Killing Fields outside of town. We were emotionally drained enough at the museum. There is a shooting range about 3 miles past the airport on an army base. I'm not much of a gunslinger, but it was a thrill to fire off an M-16, AK-47, Uzi, etc. Very safe place and helpful and skilled staff---army cadets!
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Book a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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