Phnom Penh

Why Phnom Penh works

Phnom Penh sits at the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac rivers, and its riverside promenade — lined with restaurants, bars, and a steady flow of evening strollers — remains the most pleasant introduction to a city still visibly working through a complicated recent history. The Royal Palace complex, with its gleaming Silver Pagoda floored in over five thousand silver tiles, continues to serve as the residence of the Cambodian monarchy and offers a formal counterpoint to the city's otherwise unpretentious character. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school converted by the Khmer Rouge into the notorious S-21 prison, and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields on the city's outskirts, together form one of the most sobering but essential visits in Southeast Asia, documenting the Khmer Rouge's genocide of an estimated 1.7 to 2 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979. The National Museum, housed in a distinctive terracotta-red building, holds the world's finest collection of Khmer sculpture, offering important context on the civilisation that built Angkor before exploring the temples themselves further north. Central Market (Phsar Thmei), an Art Deco-era domed structure, and the surrounding streets of Cambodia's old French quarter reflect a colonial architectural layer that survives alongside the city's rapidly rising contemporary skyline. Phnom Penh's restaurant scene, increasingly strong across both Khmer and international cuisine, has grown considerably as the city continues its rebuilding since the 1990s.

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