Things to do in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh stands where the Mekong, the Tonlé Sap and the Bassac rivers meet. It has been the permanent capital since 1866, when the court left Udong. The Royal Palace went up soon after.

The centre

• The riverfront. A promenade along the Tonlé Sap, with cafés and the sunset boats.
• The Royal Palace. The Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda, whose floor is laid with more than 5,000 silver tiles. It closes over midday.
• Wat Phnom. The hill that gave the city its name, crowned by a temple founded, by tradition, in 1372.
• Independence Monument. Built in 1958 to mark independence from France.
• Central Market. An art deco dome from 1937, with jewellery and clothes stalls inside.

The Khmer Rouge sites

The Khmer Rouge emptied the city in April 1975. Tuol Sleng, once a school and then the S-21 prison, is a museum with a UNESCO-registered archive. Choeung Ek, about 15 kilometres south, holds the mass graves and a memorial stupa.

A half-day car tour links the two. Expect a heavy morning.

Out of town

• Udong. Cambodia's capital from 1618 to 1866, with hilltop stupas that hold the remains of kings. It pairs well with a sunset boat on the river.
• The two-day loop. Tonle Bati's small Ta Prohm, not the one at Angkor, then the hilltop temple of Phnom Chisor and Tamao zoo, with Udong and Longvek on the second day.
• Siem Reap. About 320 kilometres away, five to six hours by private car.

Practical

• Weather. Hot all year. January highs reach 31C and April pushes past 35C. Rain falls from May to October, some 1,400 millimetres a year in all.
• Money. Dollars are used everywhere and riel come back as change. Carry small notes.
• Entry fees. Private tours usually leave them out, so pay at the gate in dollars.
• Dress. Shoulders and knees covered at the palace, at Wat Phnom and at the memorial sites.
• Bags. Phone and bag snatching from passing motorbikes is the common street crime, so keep them on the side away from the road.