Things to do in Phnom Penh

Neighborhood · Chamkarmon

The embassy-and-espresso district — leafy streets, serviced apartments, international schools and most of the city's foreign residents.

Local tip: Rents inside BKK1 carry a real premium; walk five minutes into Tonle Bassac or Toul Tom Poung and the same flat costs a third less.

Landmark · Daun Penh

The gilded seat of the Cambodian monarchy, with a pagoda floored in five tonnes of solid silver tiles.

Local tip: Shoulders and knees covered or you will be turned away at the gate; go at opening time before the heat and the tour groups.

Culture · Boeung Keng Kang

The former S-21 prison, kept almost exactly as it was found in 1979. The most important and hardest place in the city.

Local tip: Take the audio guide, which is narrated by survivors, and don't schedule anything for afterwards. Go before Choeung Ek, not after.

Food · Toul Tom Poung

A cramped, tin-roofed maze of fabric, motorbike parts and one of the best cheap food courts in Cambodia.

Local tip: The food stalls are at the northwest corner. Come before 11am — the tin roof turns the whole market into an oven by midday.

Nightlife · Tonle Bassac

A single narrow lane of tiny owner-run cocktail bars that started Phnom Penh's modern drinking scene.

Local tip: Each bar seats about fifteen people, so bar-hopping is the point rather than settling in. Starts late, even by Cambodian standards.

Nature · Mekong, north of the city

A flat, green river island of stilt houses, weaving workshops and sandbank beaches, twenty minutes from downtown by ferry.

Local tip: Take a bicycle on the vehicle ferry from Prek Leap and ride the perimeter — it's the cheapest way to get out of the city on a Sunday.