4 Days in Phnom Penh: First-Timer Plan
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Four days covers Phnom Penh’s city core in full and adds room for one day trip. This version sends day four to Koh Dach (Silk Island), the closest and easiest option; swap it for Oudong, the former royal capital about 40km northwest, if hilltop stupas interest you more than silk weaving. With less time, drop day four and use the 3-day plan ; with more, the 5-day version adds a second day trip on top of this same spine.
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. For lunch, order fish amok, the coconut fish curry steamed in banana leaf that’s Cambodia’s national dish. In the evening, walk Sisowath Quay and have dinner at Friends (215 Street 13), a genuine TREE Alliance restaurant that trains at-risk youth.
Day 2: Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
This is a heavy day, and it’s meant to be. Visit Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) in the morning (about $5 plus a worthwhile $5 audio guide, daily 8am-5pm), the former high school the Khmer Rouge converted into their central prison from 1975-79; an estimated 14,000-20,000 people were held here, almost all of them killed. Book direct at the official site . From there, take a tuk-tuk (30-45 minutes) to Choeung Ek, about 15km south (about $6 including audio guide, daily 7:30am-5:30pm), the execution site for prisoners sent from S-21; the memorial stupa holds more than 5,000 recovered skulls. In the evening, decompress at the Russian Market.
Day 3: Central Market, Wat Ounalom, and a sunset cruise
In the morning, visit Central Market (Phsar Thmei), a bright-yellow Art Deco building from 1937, then Wat Ounalom, Cambodia’s Buddhist headquarters, free with a donation welcome. In the afternoon, stop at the Independence Monument, a 37-meter lotus-shaped stupa designed by Vann Molyvann in 1958. In the evening, take a sunset river cruise from Sisowath Quay (around 5pm; prices vary by operator), and if it lands Friday through Sunday, follow it with the riverside Night Market.
Day 4: Koh Dach (Silk Island)
Cross to Koh Dach, about 15km out and 30-45 minutes including the ferry, for a half-day of silk-weaving villages and quiet rural cycling along the Mekong. There’s no marquee ticketed sight here, this is a change of pace rather than a checklist stop, and it’s genuinely doable in a morning or afternoon rather than a full day. If you’d rather see hilltop temples than weaving looms, swap in Oudong, the former royal capital about 40km northwest (1-1.5 hours), with its 500-step climb to the stupas.
Where to stay
Base yourself in Riverside/Daun Penh, walkable to the Palace, the Museum, and Sisowath Quay, or search other options nearby .
Getting around
Tuk-tuks via PassApp or Grab cover the city days without haggling; for Koh Dach or Oudong, hire a tuk-tuk or car for the half-day rather than trying to piece together local transport. Keep bags away from the road on the riverfront and in BKK, where motorbike bag and phone snatching is a real problem; let the bag go rather than fight for it.
Concrete tip: do the memorial day (day two) before the day trip, not after; it’s easier to process Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek with a lighter day ahead of you than behind you. 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.