Phnom Penh: 5-Day Itinerary

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Five days gives Phnom Penh’s core three full days plus two genuine day trips, enough time to slow down rather than rush the memorial sites. Land at Techo International Airport (KTI), 25-30km south, opened September 2025; book the transfer through PassApp or Grab.

Day 1: The Palace and the Museum

Morning: the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, open 7:30-11am, about $10, dress code enforced, shoulders and knees covered. Afternoon: the National Museum of Cambodia, about $10, daily 8am-5pm. Evening: Sisowath Quay at sunset, dinner riverside.

Concrete tip for the day: rent a sarong at the Palace gate if you show up underdressed, it’s faster than doubling back to your hotel.

Day 2: Wat Phnom, Wat Ounalom and the riverside

Morning: Wat Phnom (about $1), then Wat Ounalom, quieter and closer to the water. Afternoon: Central Market for the Art Deco dome, lunch at Friends on Street 13. Evening: a sunset river cruise around 5pm.

Concrete tip for the day: go to Central Market before 9am to photograph the dome without the crowds.

Day 3: Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek

This day is deliberately heavier. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21), about $5 plus a $5 audio guide worth adding, open 8am-5pm, comes first. Choeung Ek, about 15km south (30-45 minutes by tuk-tuk), about $6 including its audio guide, open 7:30am-5:30pm, follows. Budget three to four hours total, and don’t schedule anything cheerful directly after. Afternoon: the Russian Market for souvenirs. Evening: a quiet dinner.

Concrete tip for the day: do both memorial sites back to back rather than splitting them across days, the history connects and neither is easier when spread out.

Day 4: Koh Dach (Silk Island)

Morning: a short crossing plus a ferry to Koh Dach, rural silk-weaving villages and quiet cycling lanes about 30-45 minutes from downtown. Afternoon: return to the city, spend the evening on the riverside.

Concrete tip for the day: arrange the boat crossing early in the morning, workshops are livelier and less crowded before midday heat sets in.

Day 5: Oudong and departure

Morning: Oudong, about 40km northwest (1-1.5 hours), Cambodia’s former royal capital, with hilltop stupas reached by roughly 500 steps, a half to full day depending on how much you climb. Afternoon: return to the city, check out, and confirm your Techo Airport transfer with real buffer time given the 25-30km distance.

Concrete tip for the day: if Oudong’s climb feels like too much on a departure day, swap it for a slower morning at the Russian Market instead, it’s a fine substitute if you already covered Oudong-style history at the memorial sites.

Things to know

  • Most visitors need an e-visa (about $36 via evisa.gov.kh) or visa on arrival (about $30), plus the mandatory e-Arrival Card at arrival.gov.kh, filed within 7 days before landing.
  • Carry crisp US dollar bills, torn or worn notes are refused at ticket counters and shops.
  • Hold bags away from the road on tuk-tuk rides, motorbike bag-snatching along the riverfront and BKK1 is a real risk.

For a longer trip with a third day trip added, see our 6-day itinerary , and for the full day-trip picture, our day trips guide .