What this trip is really like
Two nights is enough for the capital if you use them well: the palace when it opens, the markets for lunch, the history told carefully at Tuol Sleng, and the river at sunset from a small wooden boat.
Three rivers — the Mekong, the Bassac and the Tonle Sap — converge at Phnom Penh, and two nights here focus on two contrasting sides of the city: the gilded splendour of the Royal Palace and the sobering Khmer Rouge record kept at Tuol Sleng. Take it as a standalone break, or fold it into a longer Cambodia itinerary as the Phnom Penh section.
Arrival and departure bracket a single full day, so the schedule runs tight rather than leisurely. The Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and a Mekong sunset cruise are all packed into that one carefully sequenced day — a plan that favours travellers passing through briefly over those wanting an unhurried city stay.
Highlights
- Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, seat of the Cambodian monarchy
- Wat Ounalom, the historic seat of Cambodian Buddhism
- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21), once a school converted for Khmer Rouge detention
- Sunset cruise along the Mekong River
The trip, day by day
Day 1 — Land in Phnom Penh, riverfront evening
Phnom Penh International Airport is where your flight lands, with a transfer waiting to carry you into the city and your hotel. The remainder of the day is unplanned: rest after the journey, or take an early stroll along the riverfront, before the sightseeing gets under way the next morning.
Day 2 — Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, Tuol Sleng, sunset on the Mekong
Cambodia's king has used the Royal Palace as his official residence since 1866, and the compound occupies your morning together with the neighbouring Silver Pagoda, so called because close to 5,000 silver tiles line its floor; inside stand a golden Buddha figure and, separately, one fashioned from crystal. From there you continue to Wat Ounalom, long regarded as the centre of Cambodian Buddhism.
Recent history fills the afternoon. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) — once a school the Khmer Rouge converted for interrogations — is where a guide walks you through what the building witnessed under the regime. A Mekong River sunset cruise typically rounds off the day before you head back to the hotel.
Day 3 — Departure
Phnom Penh International Airport is your last stop, once a free morning winds down and a transfer collects you for the flight onward or back. Otherwise the morning is unplanned, so use it for a spot of last-minute shopping or a stroll by the river.
What's included
- Rooms with breakfast in the grade you choose — we favour Khmer-owned hotels and guesthouses
- Meals named in the day-by-day, taken where possible at family-run places rather than hotel dining rooms
- A Cambodian guide who speaks English and knows the temples as more than a checklist
- Private air-conditioned transport for transfers and touring days
- Angkor passes and every other entrance fee on the route
- The Mekong sunset boat and Tonle Sap boat where the plan includes them
- Two bottles of drinking water per person on every touring day
- Taxes and service charges
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Cambodian visa (on arrival or e-visa) — we tell you which suits your passport
- Single-room supplement if you are travelling alone
- Meals not named in the day-by-day, drinks, laundry and optional outings
- Travel insurance
- Tips for guide and driver
- Early check-in and late check-out (rooms are normally ready from 14:00 and given up by 12:00)
- Bank transfer charges
Book this trip
- Days
- 3 days / 2 nights
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