What are the best 7 things you must do in Phnom Penh 2018?
So, you’ve booked or are thinking about booking your tickets to Cambodia.
About Phnom Penh
Firstly a little about Phnom Penh in general. The city of Phnom Penh is a busy city, which is rather spread out and has no specific city centre.
Phnom Penh has a population of over 1.5 million people.
The city sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers. It was a hub for both the Khmer Empire and French colonialists.
Today I would love to share with you the 7 things you must do in Phnom Penh 2018 , which I gathered after my recent trip to Cambodia.
1 > Psar Thmei Central Market, Phnom Penh
A trip to Phnom Penh is not complete without a visit to the Central Market.
The French colonial government constructed the Psar Thmei Central Market between 1935-1937. The style of the market is a beautiful art deco style building.
The Psar Thmei building is an attraction in itself. The building is shaped in the form of a cross and has a beautiful clock tower right in the centre of the building. Four ‘wings’ which form the cross were apparently made that way, to allow for maximum ventilation.
I loved the building mostly, but there was also some great bargains to be had throughout the market. Each wing consists of an array of items, one wing of the market was mainly women’s clothing another wing was mostly electronics.
The central area was filled with lots of bling jewellery, watches, traditional Asian trinkets, stones, silver, gold and other jewellery.
In between the wings and around the outer are many stalls selling everything from souvenirs, clothing, luggage, and fresh and dried foods.
We bought a pair of sun glasses for my son. The stall holder was very happy for him to try and a bunch of them until he found the right size and fit. You can bargain here and things are quite cheap compared to any western country.
I really enjoyed taking time to just wander around and seeing what was on offer and of course taking in the architecture of the building.
2 > Russian Market, Tuol Tom Poung, Phnom Penh
The Russian Market is located in the Tuol Tom Poung area of Phnom Penh.
So why is this called the Russian Market?
This is a question I was asked after visiting, so I did some research. Apparently many years ago when the market started there was an lot of Russians expats living in the area. These expats did all their shopping at the market, so it became the Russian market.
Today the Russian market sells everything from your tourist trinkets, clothing, fabrics, appliances, and knock off and legitimate branded shoes and clothing, DVD’s and headphones. Nearly everything you would ever need, including every motor part you would need to build a scooter!
The area surrounding the market also has a fruit and vegetables stalls and there is also many shops along the surrounding roads.
The market is only open during the day, but in the evenings one street of the market is full of fruits and vegetables and live creatures of varying types and also recently alive creatures in many varieties!
One of the funniest things we saw was a fruit and veg stall who had diversified their business, they were also selling Bras. Good to know where you can buy a pair of bras if you need them – shop in the vegetable stalls.
On another side of the market in the evening there are many food stalls and you can buy all sorts of delicacies here.
In the area surrounding the market you will see many many non Cambodian people mostly due to this being a tourist area and lots of tour groups and individuals come to check out the market.
The other reason you will see many foreigners is due to a many volunteers workers and expats living in the vicinity in apartments buildings in the surrounding area.
3 > Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh
Wat Phnom is a Buddhist temple surrounded by gardens in the centre area of Phnom Penh. It is situated on top of the only hill in Phnom Pen, which is 27 meteres high.
Legend has it that the hill was named after a wealthy widow names Penh. The temple was made by the locals living in the village to protect their statues.
The Wat Phnom temple It is believed to have been originally constructed in 1372 and then there have been many rebuilds over the years.
On the same site there is also a tourist art gallery area where there are many items available to look at and to purchase if you wish.
The Gardens which surround the temple are well maintained and with all the greenery around make the area quite a bit cooler than other parts of Phnom Penh.
A large garden clock is located on the grounds. The clock has an hour, second and minute hand spinning around which is pretty cool.
A number of paths lead up to the temple itself, when you go to enter the temple please be aware that you will need to take your shoes off and you should really have your knees and shoulders covered.
Inside the temple you’ll find people praying to the statues, gifts of flowers, paper money, real money, incense and candles which have been given to the gods. The ceiling is quite ornate and so are the walls, all of which have been beautifully painted.
Please be aware that there’s an entry fee to enter the temple and surrounding grounds.
The cost of entry was only $1 USD for adults, my son who was 10 years old didn’t have to pay. This is a great way to just unwind a bit, take the time to wander around and have a look at the gardens.
I mostly enjoyed the cooler air and greenery.
4 > NGO Organisations in Phnom Penh
While in Phnom Penh take the time to visit An Ngo organisation, there are many to choose from.
There are quite a few NGO group run restaurants, these restaurants help young people in trouble, with issues or have been on the streets. These NGO’s teach these young people and help them by teaching them hospitality or how to be a chef.
We ate at a couple of these restaurants and found the food and service was really good. We noticed a couple of chains called Eleven One Kitchen and the other Jars of Clay Cafe. One of each the Eleven One Kitchen restaurants and Jars of Clay Cafe’s are located not too far from the Russian market. I ate at Eleven One and the food and service was fantastic.
A simple google search for ‘NGO Restaurants Phnom Penh’ will show a great list of more places.
A number of the NGO’s have places that you can visit, you may need to pre-arrange your visit but it will be worth it
We, via prior arrangement, made a visit to ‘She Rescue Home’s Shopfront’. She Resume Home is a rescue organisation. She Rescue is an Organisation that helps girls, who have been sold for prostitution or have been raped. It then helps them come to terms with what has happened. It also to teaches them skills that they can use in their future life.
As you can imagine there are many more charities and groups assisting and helping the locals. Do some research before you leave and see what else you can come with up with and show your support.
Some NGO organisations have shop fronts which sell products made by people which the organisations are helping. Please consider a purchase of something to help the great work these NGO’s are doing for the wonderful people of Cambodia.
5 > Killing Fields, Choeung Ek
To truely appreciate a country and it’s people, you kneed to know about it’s history. The Killing Fields which are located just a short drive from Phom Penh, is a very sobering experience.
Grab your audio guide when you arrive and follow the numbered signs and listen to the stories of what occurred here.
The picture above is what was called the killing tree, it was used to bash heads of babies and small children to kill them. This is just one of the sites at the killing fields.
At the Killing Fields there are mass graves everywhere. Bodies how now been removed and the graves filled with dirt. Still to this day pieces of clothing and bone surface as winds blow and rain falls and moves the earth around.
What atrocities are committed against ones own kind, I cannot understand.
A hard place to visit but also an necessary to assist in understanding the atrocities that the Cambodian people went through.
6 > S-21 Tuol Sleng Genoside Museum, Phnom Penh
I visited the Genoside Museum with my 10 year old son.
Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot forces in the mid 1970’s. The Pol Pot regime turned the school into the S21 Genoside Prison.
It was the largest torture and detention centre in Cambodia. More than 17,000 people who were held at the S21 Prison were sent to the killing fields.
The Genoside Prison has now been turned into the S-21 Tuol Sleng Museum and is located in Phnom Penh.
Here their are audio guides, you can also pay for a personal guide or just wander at your own pace.
7 > Sisowath Quay
Sisowath Quay runs for 3 kilometre’s along the Meekong and Tonle Sap Rivers. It’s a busy part of the city with many bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels.
Sisowath Quay seems to be a meeting point for Cambodian families in the evenings. Due to the temperature dropping a bit in the evening its a great place for them to meet up. As a tourist you may enjoy the evenings with a visit to the night market which is located right opposite the quay.
Restaurants and cafe’s in the area offer an array of variety whether looking for local traditional food, Italian, Mexican or Indian. If you are just looking for a drink there is a plethora of options.
Closely located to the quay is also the National Museum and the Royal Palace.
More Reading on Cambodia –
What to see in Siem Reap, Cambodia?
I hope you have enjoyed my 7 Thing you Must do things in Phnom Penh 2018. Of course there are many other wonderful places to see, I hope that this just gives you a taste.
If you’ve been to Phnom Penh or heard about other great places to visit in Phnom Penh, please leave a comment below. I’d love to know about it and I’m sure my readers would too.
Book Recommendations
Cambodia Travel Guide Book
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Northern Thailand, Travel Guide
Angkor Temples Travel Guide
First They Killed My Father – Novel
Cambodia – a Pictorial Guide
Accommodation Recommendations
Budget – Panorama Meekong Hostel
Mid Range – The Frangipani Living Arts Hotel and Spa, The Frangipani Royal Palace Hotel
Top end – Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra
Air BNB –
I hope you liked an insight into my 7 things you must do in Phnom Penh 2018. Let me know below, what other places would you add to my list?
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