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Jan
10
Phnom Penh Travel & Sightseeing Guide
Filed Under Cambodia
A trip to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s largest city and its capital, located at the point where the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers merge in the south-centre of the country. Once considered the region’s most beautiful city, it has more recently been associated with the genocide of the Khmer Rouge regime of the late 70s. As past troubles fade, tourists are returning in ever-increasing numbers, drawn by Cambodia’s compelling cultural heritage and lovely colonial architecture.
Flights to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh’s international airport is served by carriers arriving from all major points in Asia, although most tourists fly in from Bangkok. Buses connect the capital with most all parts of the country although road conditions are not good. Buses also arrive daily from Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam.
As the major attractions of interest to tourists in Phnom Penh are found in a reasonably compact area, it’s possible to make the rounds by a combination of walking and motorcycle taxi. Bicycles are another option, but it can be quite hot and humid, making that choice somewhat less appealing. Taxis are also available, but there isn’t a city bus service. If you are looking for a cheap flight to Phnom try Expedia.
Phnom Penh
Sightseeing in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh’s attractions include some interesting museums focussed on the country’s history, a number of spectacular temples and also a selection of art galleries. The city’s famous silver pagoda is a highlight, boasting more than 5000 silver tiles and a golden Buddha image studded with 9000 diamonds.
Grim reminders from the Khmer Rouge period also attract many visitors. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek stand as memorials to the unbelievable number of Cambodians massacred between 1975 and 1979. Although disturbing places to visit, they are of significant historical interest.
Fun by night – eating drinking and partying
You’ll find plenty to do at night here, with many clubs and bars to choose from, and a small selection of live music venues as well. The choice of nightspots ranges from the seedy to the quiet and friendly and also includes some of the ‘hostess bar’ type clubs. Sisowath Quay, along the river, features the highest concentrations of places to try out.
One particularly popular spot for a drink is the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, which also has a good restaurant with views out over the river. The Club offers up a selection of western and Asian dishes, ranging from curries to pizza. For traditional Cambodian fare, you’ll find such popular dishes throughout Phnom Penh as machou bangkang, a prawn soup, samla chapek, which is a pork and ginger soup and samla machou banle, a fish soup. Khao phoune is a local favourite, a rice noodle dish served with a coconut-based sauce.
Fun by day - shopping and activities
The city boasts plenty of markets, with the central market, known as Psar Thmei, the largest and the best – where tons of bargains can be found. Located in an art deco structure dating from the late 1930s, it’s divided into four wings that are packed with goods, including such items as antique coins, clothing, fake designer brands and jewellery. Another interesting market is called Psar Tuol Tom Pong, or the Russian Market. Located to the south of the centre, it features a similar selection of goods and souvenirs.
Daytrips
The Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, while having reaffirmed itself as the financial and political centre of the country, is compact enough for a determined traveller to see its few attractions in a day. A more leisurely visitor might spread their sightseeing over two, while three would require the utmost of restraint.
An inconvenient distance from any town or city with an established service infrastructure, Phnom Penh rests encircled by rural communities and dangerously mined jungle. As such, daytrips are practically a necessity during any stay longer than a weekend.
Possessing an unfortunate worldwide fame, the fruit orchards of Choeung Ek, 15kms from Phnom Penh, remain a memorial to Cambodia’s bloody past. Known as the Killing Fields, it is the location at which more than 17,000 people were slaughtered and buried during the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. A sinister monument resembling a narrow, glass display case towers beside uncovered graves. Levels of shelves within the monument, from the base to the tapering peak, are stacked with bones and skulls recovered from the surrounding burial pits.
Must-see attractions
Not far from the Royal Palace, which is currently closed to visitors, the terracotta structure of Cambodia’s National Museum reveals an exceptional exhibit of ancient Khmer art. In addition to the beautiful sandstone sculptures, the museum is home to, presumably, the largest colony of bats living within a manmade construction in the world. Having dwelt among the rafters for years, the huge colony is known for its striking entrances and exits at dawn and dusk.
City tours can start with a drive through the city’s better preserved areas of French colonial homes and Khmer temples before stopping at the National Museum. The Silver Pagoda, a shrine upon the royal grounds with a floor made from 5,000 solid silver tiles, is a worthy stop off. After lunch, check out the disturbing Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum at the city’s edge, a school converted by the Khmer Rouge into a gruesome torture prison.
The city landmark of Wat Phnom looms up from the summit of a manmade hill in the city centre. An uneven route leads up the 15th century artificial mound to a stupa, within which rest the ashes of an ancient king.
Best time to go
Daytime high temperatures remain in the low to mid 30s (°C) year round, but the evenings and early mornings are cooler during the months of December through February following the monsoons. This is peak tourist season, however, and prices are higher and accommodation availability occasionally limited. The hot season, from March to early June, sees the fewest number of visitors and offers the lowest prices, but the nights can often be almost as stifling as midday.
Rainy day suggestions
In the event of bad weather, a few options are available to pass the time out of the worst of the rain. The covered, tent-like labyrinthine mazes of Phnom Penh Market and the Old Russian Market are always interesting shopping experiences. Ongoing revitalisation has seen internet cafés appearing everywhere, although little progress has been made in the quality of connections. An afternoon spent at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club, or perched upon a stool at the once macabre and imposing Heart of Darkness Bar, presents obvious pros and cons.
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