When my husband and I first arrived in Phnom Penh in 2002, my first impression was that it was steeped in history and culture, but lacked the luxuries, excitement, and convenience of modern, urban life. At that time, we would go home from work at five, have dinner and at six, we would look at each other and wonder what to do.
More than five years later, Phnom Penh has become a lively and bustling urban city. There are so many restaurants, bars, hotels and tourist places. At night, Phnom Penh is very bright and full of life. Most of my favorite channels are available via cable, and we actually have high speed internet in our home.
At the same time, Phnom Penh remains picturesque and true to its historical and cultural past, with its wide boulevards, well-kept parks, river walks, museums, galleries, and cultural performances.
accommodation
There are accommodations for all budgets in Phnom Penh, from the $ 5- $ 10 guesthouses to the most luxurious first-class hotels such as the Intercontinental Hotel and the Raffles Hotel Le Royale.
There are also those in between like La Parranda, Imperial Garden Hotel, Sunway Hotel, and Cambodiana Hotel.
( Note from guide: you can book a room from this selection of hotels in Phnom Penh.)
Transport in Phnom Penh
You cannot hail a taxi on the street in Phnom Penh. You have to organize a taxi or a tuktuk from your hotel. I do not recommend driving a moto dohp (moto taxi) for safety reasons, although more adventurous foreigners often ride these.
It is quite easy to get to the places you want to go if you arrange with your hotel to speak with the driver beforehand.
- Cambodia Travel Information: Enter, Move
Culture shock
I had my first culture shock in Phnom Penh while driving and almost collided with Sam Bo, the huge Phnom Penh elephant, wandering the boulevard. But Sam Bo wasn’t the only danger on the streets. Traffic here in Phnom Penh is still one of the main talking points for expats.
Besides elephants, one has to navigate the roads of Phnom Penh with cars, vans, swarms of motorcycles, tuktuks, cyclos, trucks, pedestrians, carts, and even skaters.
Foreigners are treated with respect in Phnom Penh. Locals are quickly learning how to speak English, making it easy to communicate around the city. Cambodians look up to many foreigners as they are perceived as their partners in Cambodia’s development and recovery from the ravages of war.
What to see in Phnom Penh
Of course, when one goes to Cambodia, one has to go to Siem Reap (about four hours drive from Phnom Penh) to visit Angkor Wat and the other ancient temples. But the capital Phnom Penh also has a lot to offer on its own.
One of my favorite tourist spots in Phnom Penh is the Royal Palace , which in my opinion could rival the palaces in other Asian countries as well as Europe.
( Guide note: The Palace was built in 1866 and still serves as the residence of the Royal Family. Visitors will only be allowed to see the Silver Pagoda and nearby buildings; the rest of the complex is off-limits, for protect the privacy of the royal family.)
- Opening hours: 7:30 am-11 : 00pm; 2:00 pm-5: 00 pm [/ span]
- Entrance fees: US $ 3.00 per adult. Visitors will be charged $ 2.00 for bringing their cameras inside and $ 5.00 for video cameras. [/lapse]
There is also the National Museum which houses Angkorian artifacts. ( Guide note : The Museum opened in 1920 and displays over 5,000 objects ranging from Angkor-era statues to post-Angkor Buddha figures. Outside the Museum, a large selection of art galleries can be found at 178 street).
- Opening hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, open every day
- Entrance fees: $ 3.00 per adult. Visitors will be charged $ 1.00 to bring their cameras inside.
- Address: Ang Eng (St. 13), corner Street 184, 12206
- Telephone: 023 211 753; 012 873 707
And of course, to explore Cambodia’s dark history during the Khmer Rouge era, you could also take visitors to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields . I always have to warn my guests in advance of the looming sadness that usually follows visits to these sites that witness the horrible and brutal period of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Toul Sleng Genocide Museum
- Address: corner of Calle 113 and Calle 350
- Entrance fees: $ 2.00
- Opening Hours: Open every day, including holidays, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Closed for lunch.
Killing fields
- Address: 15 km southwest of Phnom Penh
One place that most of my visitors always enjoy is the Toul Tompong or the Russian market, where you can buy Cambodian souvenirs such as semi-precious stones, silk, silver, and wood products. The garments are one of Cambodia’s main exports and you can also buy authentic branded garments such as Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry, etc. from this market at very low prices.
Eating in Phnom Penh
Cambodian fare is easy enough to find anywhere, but we generally take guests to Malis, Khmer Surin, or Sugar Palm.
The Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake have the most abundant variety of freshwater species in the world and you must try their specialties like amok fish and prawn.
What you notice with a small city like Phnom Penh is that when it comes to international food, they are quite authentic. When you go to a Vietnamese restaurant, your pho is cooked by a Vietnamese. When you go to a Japanese restaurant, a real Japanese chef would roll your sushi. When you go to a Lebanese restaurant, the Lebanese chef will serve you your hummus and taboules. When you go to an Italian restaurant, an Italian cooks your pizza like they do in Rome. And when you go to a French restaurant, the French chef serves you like a true French gourmet.
Budget in Phnom Penh
You can rent a car or taxi for the whole day for around $ 25 to $ 35. But you can also get a tuktuk (motorcycle trailer) for just $ 10 to $ 15. For food and lodging, Phnom Penh is the kind of thing to do. city where there is something available for every budget.
If you go shopping, if you have a hundred dollars, you would take it far and if you spend it all, you would need to buy another suitcase to take all your purchases home!
Phnom Penh in a nutshell
Cambodia’s huge contrasts are evident in Phnom Penh – the city introduces you to the magnificence of the great Angkor civilization, as well as the horrors of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.
The city is located at the confluence of the three great rivers of the region: the Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Tonle Bassac. It is the capital of Cambodia and offers a wide range of cultural and historical attractions. It is also the gateway to the land of Angkor in Siem Reap, as well as the unspoiled beaches of the south (Sihanoukville and Kep).
Phnom Penh remains one of the few cities where one can leisurely stroll through the park, fly a kite, enjoy the wind in your hair, watch the river flow along the shore, have a cup of coffee for half a day at a from the open-air bars along the riverside, or marveling at the colorful fountain at the Independence Monument for hours.
Toe is an expat based in Phnom Penh.
