Phnom Penh, Cambodia 6 Day Itinerary
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: 6-Day Itinerary
Tuk-tuk drivers parked outside the Royal Palace will tell you it’s closed for the day, then offer to take you somewhere else “better.” It is almost never actually closed. Walk to the ticket counter yourself and check. That one habit will save you more hassle in this city than any packing list.
Day 1 - Arrival & Settling In Phnom Penh’s airport is now Techo International Airport, which opened in 2025 to replace the old Pochentong terminal, and it sits farther from the center than the old one did, budget 1 to 1.5 hours for the ride in. A tuk-tuk to downtown runs roughly 8 to 15 dollars at a fixed rate, while Grab or a metered taxi lands somewhere between 10 and 20 dollars depending on the vehicle and time of day. Most passport holders can get a visa on arrival for 30 dollars cash, USD only, or apply for the e-visa online beforehand for a similar price, either way you get a 30-day stay with one 30-day extension possible later.
Check into a riverside hotel, that stretch of Sisowath Quay puts you within walking distance of most of what matters in the first few days. Lunch at Friends the Restaurant is worth doing early in the trip, it’s a training restaurant for at-risk youth and the food is genuinely good, not just a charitable gesture. In the evening, walk the riverside strip but keep your guard up, the touts along here sell everything from tuk-tuk rides to things you don’t want, the easiest move is to just keep walking and not engage.
Day 2 - Historical Exploration Start at Wat Phnom, the hilltop temple the city takes its name from, built in 1372 according to local legend around a woman named Penh who found Buddha statues washed up on the riverbank. It’s a quick visit, twenty minutes is plenty, so don’t build your whole morning around it. The National Museum of Cambodia next door holds the country’s best collection of Angkorian-era stone and bronze sculpture and gives useful context before you see anything else Khmer.
The afternoon is heavier. Tuol Sleng, the former S-21 prison where the Khmer Rouge tortured and interrogated thousands between 1975 and 1979, costs 5 dollars entry, and Choeung Ek, the Killing Fields site outside the city, costs 6 dollars including an audio guide, both cash only. Go to both in the same afternoon if you can stomach it, they tell one connected story and splitting them across separate days doesn’t make either easier. My honest opinion: skip a guided combo tour that bundles this with anything upbeat afterward, sit with it, get dinner somewhere quiet, and don’t schedule nightlife right after.
Day 3 - Royal Palace & Central Market The Royal Palace and adjoining Silver Pagoda enforce a genuinely strict dress code, shoulders covered, no tank tops, knees covered for shorts and skirts, and shoes come off before the Silver Pagoda and Throne Hall specifically. Guards will turn you away if you show up in shorts, there’s a stall near the entrance selling cover-up clothing if you get caught out, but it’s cheaper and faster to just dress right the first time. Go early to beat both the heat and the tour groups.
For lunch, look for contemporary Khmer restaurants doing dishes like fish amok with a modern plating rather than the tourist-menu version, it’s a noticeably different experience than what gets served at the big riverside chains. Spend the afternoon at either Central Market, the striking Art Deco domed building locals call Phsar Thom Thmei, or the more chaotic Russian Market for cheaper souvenirs and street food stalls. Book a table for dinner at one of the city’s higher-end Khmer restaurants if you want to try a full tasting menu of Cambodian cuisine done properly, reservations matter on weekends.
Day 4 - Peaceful Escapes Visit Wat Ounalom, the seat of Cambodian Buddhism and home to the country’s Buddhist patriarch, a quieter and less crowded stop than Wat Phnom despite its higher religious standing. From there, arrange a day trip to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, about an hour outside the city, home to rescued sun bears, gibbons, and tigers confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, it’s run as a genuine rescue and rehabilitation operation rather than a zoo, and it shows in how the animals are kept. Bring cash, there’s no card payment on site and the drive back can take longer in afternoon traffic.
Back in the city for dinner, look for a restaurant specializing in dishes from Cambodia’s flooded forest regions around the Tonle Sap, freshwater fish preparations you won’t find as easily outside the country.
Day 5 - Leisure & Relaxation Slow the pace down. Walk Sisowath Quay along the river in the morning, past the confluence where the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers meet, one of the more underrated free views in the city. Book a traditional Khmer massage at a spa in the afternoon, prices here run a fraction of what the same treatment costs in Bangkok or Singapore, and it’s a genuinely good way to recover before a long travel day. For dinner, pick a Khmer fine-dining spot away from the main tourist strip, the quieter locations tend to have better service and a calmer setting for a last proper meal in the city.
Day 6 - Farewell Phnom Penh Keep the morning loose for a final coffee or a last pass through a market you liked. Head to Techo International Airport with real buffer time, it’s farther out than the old airport was and traffic on the access road can be unpredictable at peak hours. If you’re carrying leftover Cambodian riel, spend it before security, it’s not easy to exchange back once you’re home, and small vendors near the terminal will usually take it for last-minute snacks or coffee.