Asia,  Cambodia

Visiting Phnom Penh: 24 Hour Guide

This is your travel guide to 24 hours in Phnom Penh

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When we went on our Southeast Asia trip in Summer 2022, we visited Phnom Penh for 24 hours before heading to Siem Reap for two days. Cambodia completely blew us away! Not only is it extremely inexpensive, but the Cambodian culture is so welcoming. To get around definitely download the Grab app to book TukTuks. It works just the same as Uber and Lyft.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Khmer Rouge regime, you should read about it because we didn’t meet anyone in Phnom Penh that didn’t have a connection to the sad history of that time. Some of the activities we recommend doing involve the history of the Khmer Rouge, so having some background knowledge will be helpful to you. With that said, let’s get into the 24 hour guide to visiting Phnom Penh.

1. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 Prison)

As I mentioned above, the Khmer Rouge wreaked havoc in Cambodia in the 1970’s, killing 2 million people in a three year timespan. You would be remiss to skip out on learning about this terrible time in Cambodian history because it has shaped the current culture. While the stories and information are hard to stomach, I think it’s important to know about that dark part of their history.

In Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge turned a high school into the S21 Prison. It is now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. You can take a tour here, either with a tour guide or as a self-guided tour. We opted to take a tour with a guide. Our tour guide was a young child during this time and lost many of her immediate family members to the genocide. She was able to escape to Vietnam for a short period of time. Hearing a personal testimony of what this time was like was hard to digest, but very powerful. You can tour the prison, read about the atrocities that occurred there, and even see photographs that were taken at the prison-turned-museum. There are still blood stains on the floor of the prison cells. It’s hard information to take in, so I wouldn’t bring a child under 12. Also if you’re a crier like me, maybe bring some tissues.

2. The Killing Fields

For full disclosure, I was unable to accompany our friends to The Killing Fields. The tour of the museum was hard on me emotionally, and I couldn’t manage to go with them. They are glad they went and so I’ll share the information with you. The Killing Fields are a mass grave site where millions of people were executed under the Khmer Rouge regime. There are skulls and articles of clothing scattered about. It is not uncommon to see the skulls of babies and children, too. If you want to do a combined tour of both The Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, you can book it here.

3. Visit the Central Market

Markets in Southeast Asia are amazing! They are filled with hustle and bustle. You definitely want to hold onto your belongings closely in these busy markets, but don’t fret about your safety and enjoy your time. I recommend wearing purses on the front of your body or putting wallets in your front pocket to avoid pickpockets. You can haggle at the market. A general rule of thumb a local told us is to ask how much something costs, offer a price half that amount, if they say no walk away and they will start haggling with you. If they accept your initial offer right away, walk away because it’s probably still too high.

4. Get a Massage or Spa Treatment

Cambodia is known for its spas and there is no surprise why. Not only are the treatments inexpensive, but they are also phenomenal. We went to Samatha Spa which was incredible. We went one evening for massages because after traveling so far across the world you’ll find your back a bit achy. We went again the next morning before our plane ride to Siem Reap because why not. When in Cambodia, definitely treat yourself!

5. Visit a Local Bar

We decided to go out for a few drinks and went to Top Banana Bar, which is located near Samatha Spa. The drinks were very cheap and the bar was super interesting. There are a lot of young people there because it’s a part of a hostel.

6. Eat at a Local Restaurant

Searching for restaurant recs online was difficult because many places had closed due to the pandemic. We found Malis Restaurant which has a beautiful outdoor garden with coy pond. Harry and I went there for a traditional Cambodian breakfast. The breakfast didn’t disappoint at all! It was multiple courses accompanied by tea. The price was shocking to us because as I stated earlier, Cambodia is very inexpensive for American tourists. Please note that the restaurant is also opened for lunch and dinner. All of the other meals we ate at other locations were delicious, too, and we have no negative comments to make about Phnom Penh.

This is enough to fill up your 24 hours in Phnom Penh. If you’re going to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat on your trip, check out this blog post. Remember to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more!

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