2 Days in Phnom Penh: First-Timer Plan
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Two days covers Phnom Penh’s essentials and nothing more: the Royal Palace and National Museum on day one, then a deliberately unhurried day two for Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek. This isn’t a light itinerary emotionally, and it isn’t meant to be rushed alongside sightseeing elsewhere. If you have a third day to spare, the 3-day plan adds Central Market, the riverside, and a sunset cruise.
Day 1: Royal Palace, National Museum, and the riverside
Start at the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (about $10), open during the morning session, roughly 7:30-11am. It’s an active royal residence, so dress modestly, shoulders and knees covered, or you won’t get past the gate; budget 1.5-2 hours.
Walk a few minutes to the National Museum of Cambodia (about $10, $5 for youth; daily 8am-5pm), home to the world’s best collection of Khmer and Angkorian art in a red-brick building from 1917-20. No photos inside the galleries. Grab lunch nearby, fish amok, the coconut fish curry steamed in banana leaf that’s Cambodia’s national dish, is the thing to order.
In the afternoon, walk Sisowath Quay, the riverside promenade facing the Palace at the visible meeting point of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. For dinner, try Friends (215 Street 13), a genuine TREE Alliance restaurant that trains at-risk youth and serves solid Khmer food.
Day 2: Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
This is a heavy day, and it’s meant to be. In the morning, visit Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) (about $5 plus a worthwhile $5 audio guide, daily 8am-5pm), a former high school the Khmer Rouge converted into their central prison and interrogation center from 1975-79; an estimated 14,000-20,000 people were held here, almost all of them killed. Book direct at the official site rather than through a tour markup.
From there, take a tuk-tuk (30-45 minutes) to Choeung Ek, about 15km south, the best-known killing field and the execution site for prisoners sent from S-21 (about $6 including audio guide, daily 7:30am-5:30pm). The memorial stupa holds more than 5,000 recovered skulls. Doing the two sites in this order, detention then execution, follows the same sequence prisoners went through, and gives you time to process between them rather than rushing straight to a third stop.
In the evening, decompress at the Russian Market (Phsar Toul Tom Poung) for souvenirs and silk, then a quiet dinner back at the riverside.
Where to stay
Base yourself in Riverside/Daun Penh, walkable to both the Palace and the Museum; the historic Raffles Hotel Le Royal anchors the area if you want a splurge, or search other options nearby .
Getting around
Tuk-tuks via the PassApp or Grab apps cover both days without haggling over price. Keep bags away from the road: motorbike bag and phone snatching is a real riverfront and BKK problem, and the advice if it happens is to let the bag go rather than fight for it.
Concrete tip: do Tuol Sleng before Choeung Ek, not the other way round; the chronological order, detention then execution, is easier to sit with than the reverse. Plan ahead: file the Cambodia e-Arrival Card at arrival.gov.kh before you leave home, since it’s separate from your visa and checked at the airport.