Cambodia - Phnom Penh Travel and Touring Guide.
A holiday guide about Cambodia's Capital City and major tourist destination of Phnom Penh including a little about hotels, restaurants, ways to travel to Phnom Penh and various locations to visit such as the Royal Palace.
Located in
Cambodia's South-central Region Phnom Penh is bordered by several
lovely rivers - The wide Mekong, Tonlé Sap and the Bassic - the city is quite clean and spacey
and a major destination for tourists. Phnom Penh in particular borders the Tonle
Sab (Sap) and much of the area along the river is paved with lots of seating, flower beds and shrubs
creating an excellent area to wander around especially during the evening following
a nice meal in one of the numerous restaurants in the area. Phnom Penh seemed
very easy and very safe to wander around at any time with plenty of gardens and
seating areas within the City.
A good source of information about the history and development of Phnom Penh and Cambodia
right up to the present time can be found via wiki
Visas and Travelling to Phnom Penh.
Cambodia Visas - On Arrival. A tourist visa is required when
travelling to Cambodia but fortunately these can be obtained on arrival at Phnom
Penh and also at Siem Reap airports and at various border crossings. If travelling by boat up from Vietnam
along the Mekong River the boat will stop off at the border for travellers to
obtain visas there. Note that visas have to be payed for in US Dollars - as of
April 2010 a single entry visa is USD20 plus USD3 "handling" plus a passport
size photograph and the visa is valid
allows up to 30 days stay in Cambodia. Cambodia Entry Visas
in Advance. You can also get your visa before travelling - for instance
at the Cambodian Embassy London
Flying - Phnom Penh is served by an International Airport which is located just
7 kilometres outside the city - there are direct flights available from Bangkok,
Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
By Boat from Vietnam. Fast and semi-fast boats ply
along the Mekong River between Chau Doc in Vietnam typically leaving between
0700 and 0830 hrs each morning for Phnom Penh and generally do the return trip
at around 1300hrs. (important - if travelling from
Cambodia to Vietnam remember you must have a valid visa in advance - you cannot
get Vietnam Visas at the borders). The journey from Chau Doc really does vary in both cost and
duration - from a cost point of view the most expensive by far is the Victoria
Hotel Chau Doc boat (only available if staying at the hotel) - this can cost 100
USD however there are other far less expensive boats available - for around
USD23. The length of
the trip depends on the mood of the staff when you stop off to get your visa
stamped on exiting Vietnam and then a few minutes later how long the Cambodian
authorities sort out issuing their visa. When we did the trip the whole journey
took just under 4 hours but it can take 5 or 6 or worse - it's just pot luck. The docking
area at Phnom Penh is quite insignificant - you hardly realise you have actually arrived at the City.
There are usually taxis and tuk-tuks awaiting the boat arrivals - both will probably quote quite
ridiculous amounts to take you to your hotel (which they will try and tell you is many kilometres away etc
so try and check how far it is to said hotel before arriving), probably 4 USD for a 3 or 4 kilometre ride is plenty to pay.
By Bus or Coach. Long distance buses operate out of a
bus station located by the Central market - with direct connections possible to
various locations including Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Siem Reap, Poipet and
Battambang. The comfort level etc on these buses is pretty much reflected on how
much you are willing to pay for your seat - it is usually advisable to book your
seats in advance which can be done either at your hotel travel desk or at
various travel agents (the latter are usually cheaper than the hotels).
Leaving Cambodia. Remember to keep 25USD in your pocket
available as you have to pay an exit fee when leaving Cambodia.
Cambodia - currency - ATMs etc. Although
Cambodia's currency is the Riel (KHR) you will find that everything - from hotel
bills to supermarkets and even tuk-tuks expect to be payed in US Dollars - the
only sign of a Riel would be if any change under 1USD is necessary. ATMs are
widely available in Phnom Penh however all the ones we found would only issue US
Dollars - not a sign or option of getting any Riel.
Phnom Penh - climate and the best time to visit. Generally Phnom Penh's climate is moderate to hot with temperatures easily reaching 38 to 40 degrees centigrade during the day and only dropping to around 20 degrees at night. The tropical climate has two variations i.e. wet or dry - monsoons arrive from the Indian Ocean between May and October with the weather being extremely wet and humid and therefore not too good for sightseeing. The dry season is between November and March and therefore ideal for tourists - with temperatures somewhat lower and also there is much less humidity. If you can be flexible a good time to take your holiday is probably mid February and throughout March - the tourist season is starting to ease back and its much quieter and easier to get around - and also even get seats in the restaurants without queuing.
Hotels and restaurants in Phnom Penh. There are plenty of hotels of all types and prices
in Phnom Penh many of which can be found on the web. The hotels closest to the river front are generally quite
expensive but you can get quite reasonable rates if happy to stay a little further into the city. Remember that
tuk-tuks and taxis are widely available so getting back to your hotel will never be an expensive problem.
There are numerous restaurants and cafes opposite the river area in Phnom Penh offering a wide variety of
dishes from Indian to Thai to you name it. Prices generally are not too bad although Indian restaurants worldwide
always seem to be more expensive than any other type.
Places to visit and tour in Phnom Penh and getting around.
Wandering around the main part of the City is probably easiest and sometimes quickest by foot - the city roads are particularly
congested in the early evening. There are many tuk-tuks and taxis around - taxis seem quite a waste of time and money if only wanting to go a few
kilometres as they are often jammed up in the traffic. The tuk-tuk drivers are of course brilliant at whizzing around and through
impossible gaps in heavy traffic and therefore a much better bet and considerably cheaper to use. Remember to agree your price before getting into
any taxi or tuk-tuk and be clear your agreed price is for all passengers (and any luggage if applicable).
The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda.
The Royal Palace is certainly the one place to visit whilst in Phnom Penh - it
is open daily from 0800-1100 and from 1400-1700. The entrance fee is fairly
expensive at 6USD for adults but this does include use of a still photo camera.
Also you do have to be suitably dressed - long shorts seemed to be ok but
certainly no sleeveless tops and as usual no shoes can be worn within most of
the Palace buildings.
Apart from the huge amount of beautiful buildings there are nicely planted and laid out gardens throughout the Palace area - you do need to
allow plenty of time to see everything whilst the Palace is open as closing times are strictly adhered too.
Wat Lang Ka Wat Lang Ka is located near to
Independance Monument - it has been restored since the overthrow of the Khmer
Rouge. The Wat is open daily and there is no entrance fee. Founded in 1422 Wat
Lang Ka was one of Phnom Penh's original wats and is still in active use and you
will find quite a few saffron robed monks wandering around.
The area is generally very busy especially outisde of the entrance gate as there are many street urchins, beggars, people selling drinks and youngsters trying to sell small birds in cages which you are meant to relase once you get up into the Wat. Apparently these birds are quite well trained to simply return to their cages - only to be re-sold of course. However it is worth a visit because of the site's importance and it is just about the only hill in town. Set in gardens with trees all around it makes a good place to sit and relax for a while - and you can watch time go by by checking the large garden clock.
The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek.
Located around 13km southwest of Phnom Penh Choeung Ek is where Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge soldiers executed nearly
19000 people between 1975 and 1979 and buried them in mass graves.
A Buddhist Stupa now forms part of the memorial - the Stupa has glass sides and contains over 5000 human skulls.
As you walk round the area you can see signs of the burial
pits - there is also a small museum containing photographs and information about Pol Pot.
The site has become a major tourist attraction and at
around 14km from Phnom Penh is easily reached by tuk-tuk. Opening times are 0800 to 1730 every day and there is a
small entrance fee. The area is obviously a very sad place to visit and visitors should show respect not only by
being quiet but also in considering what clothing they should wear.
You may be interested in our other topics about touring and travelling in Cambodia :- Siem Reap Travel Guide and Touring Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom + Angkor Archaeological Park.
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