Phnom Penh 6 Day Itinerary
Six days covers Phnom Penh properly and adds an overnight run to the coast, long enough to make Kampot and Kep worthwhile rather than a rushed day trip. Fly into Techo International Airport, 45-75 minutes into the city, and base yourself in Riverside/Daun Penh or BKK1 for the first four nights.
Day 1
The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (about $10) at 7:30am, dress code enforced at the gate, then the National Museum of Cambodia (about $10) nearby. Lunch at Friends (215 Street 13), $10-15 per person, then an evening walk along Sisowath Quay. Concrete tip: keep a printed or downloaded copy of your e-visa and e-Arrival confirmation on you the first day, in case you’re asked at any checkpoint.
Day 2
A solemn half-day at Tuol Sleng (S-21) (about $5, plus a $5 audio guide), then Choeung Ek (about $6 with audio guide), 15km south, 30-45 minutes by tuk-tuk. Afternoon at the Russian Market, dinner at Romdeng, $10-15 per person. Concrete tip: leave a genuine gap, at least an hour, between the memorial sites and anything else that day.
Day 3
Wat Phnom ($1), the Central Market (Psar Thmei), Wat Ounalom (free, donation welcome), and the Independence Monument, closing with a sunset river cruise (roughly $15-20). Concrete tip: this is the day to bargain at the markets; a reasonable opener is 50-60% of the asking price.
Day 4
A half-day trip to Koh Dach (Silk Island), 15km away, 30-45 minutes including a short ferry crossing, for silk-weaving villages and a bicycle ride past rice paddies. Use the afternoon to pack and confirm your onward transport to Kampot. Concrete tip: buses to Kampot run 2.5-4 hours; book your seat the day before during busier travel months.
Day 5
Travel to Kampot, about 136km and 3-4 hours by road. Kampot’s own draw is pepper: visit a farm producing the EU-protected Kampot pepper, and spend the evening on the riverfront, notably quieter and slower-paced than Phnom Penh. Stay overnight here rather than attempting the round trip in a day. Concrete tip: Kampot’s guesthouses are cheap and plentiful, but the better riverfront rooms fill up on weekends, so book ahead if you’re arriving Friday or Saturday.
Day 6
A short trip to Kep, about 25km from Kampot, for the crab market on the waterfront, fresh Kampot-pepper crab is the local specialty worth trying here specifically. Return to Phnom Penh by evening, or continue onward if the coast is your final stop. Concrete tip: agree your return transport to Phnom Penh, or onward to Techo Airport, before you leave Kampot, since same-day availability on the coast can be limited.
For the city-only version of this trip, see the 4-day itinerary , or add Oudong and more day trips with the 7-day itinerary . The day trips guide covers Kampot and Kep in more depth.