Phnom Penh 3 Day Itinerary
Three days covers Phnom Penh’s core sights at a comfortable pace, with room for the markets and riverside that a tighter 2-day trip has to skip. Land at Techo International Airport, allow 45-75 minutes into the city, and this plan works from a Riverside/Daun Penh or BKK1 base.
Day 1
Open with the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (about $10) at 7:30am, dress code, shoulders and knees, enforced at the gate, followed by the National Museum of Cambodia (about $10) a short walk away for the country’s best Khmer art collection. Lunch at Friends (215 Street 13), $10-15 per person, supports the restaurant’s youth training program. Spend the late afternoon at Wat Phnom ($1), then walk the Sisowath Quay riverside as the light drops. Concrete tip: buy your Palace ticket in cash and keep the receipt, since bag checks at the gate are routine.
Day 2
This day is a solemn half-day, not sightseeing in the usual sense. Start at Tuol Sleng (S-21) (about $5, plus a $5 audio guide) when it opens at 8am, then continue to Choeung Ek (about $6 with audio guide), 15km south, a 30-45 minute tuk-tuk ride, expect $15-20 round trip including wait time. Give both sites the time they need rather than rushing to fit in something else that morning.
In the afternoon, the tone can shift: the Russian Market (Psar Toul Tom Poung) is dense and bargaining is expected, worth an hour or two for souvenirs and silk. For dinner, Romdeng serves rural Khmer dishes in a converted colonial villa, $10-15 per person, a quieter option that suits the day. Concrete tip: give yourself a gap between the memorial sites and the market, even just returning to your hotel for an hour, rather than moving straight from one to the other.
Day 3
Start at the Central Market (Psar Thmei), the 1937 Art Deco building, for an early look before the heat and crowds build, then visit Wat Ounalom, Cambodia’s Buddhist headquarters on the riverside, free with a donation. In the afternoon, see the Independence Monument, then book a sunset river cruise over the Chaktomuk confluence (roughly $15-20, an hour to 90 minutes) for a last look at the city from the water. Close with dinner near the riverside, fish amok or lok lak run $5-10 at most local restaurants. Concrete tip: reconfirm your departure transport to Techo Airport the night before, since it’s a 45-75 minute transfer and outside the old, more central PNH location travelers may still expect.
For a shorter version of this plan, see the 2-day itinerary , or extend into day trips with the 4-day itinerary . The travel tips guide covers the entry paperwork and safety details behind this plan.