Cambodia's capital where the Mekong meets the Tonle Sap: the gold-roofed Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, the National Museum of Khmer art, and Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, which tell the tragic story of the Khmer Rouge. Markets are cheap, street food is tasty, and in the evening you can take a sunset boat along the riverfront. There are no direct flights from Ulaanbaatar — connect via Seoul, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City or Hong Kong. Mongolians need a $30 tourist visa (e-visa or on arrival).
🛂 Visa: e-Visa · 30 days✈ Flight: 10h☀ Best months: November, December, January, February
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: November, December, January, February.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda★ 4.4 (25,000)
Culture$10 (≈40,500៛); Cambodians free8:00–11:00, 14:00–17:00 (closed on holidays and ceremony days)
The golden-roofed Royal Palace complex: the Throne Hall, gardens, and the Silver Pagoda with a floor of more than 5,000 silver tiles and the Emerald Buddha. Cover shoulders and knees; the king's living quarters are closed.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goMongolians need a Cambodian visa, but it is easy to get: an online e-visa or on arrival.+
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Visa: $30 tourist e-visa
Mongolian ordinary passport holders need a visa (the visa-exemption agreement covers only diplomatic and official passports). A tourist (T) e-visa on evisa.gov.kh costs $30, arrives as a PDF in ≈3 working days, allows a 30-day stay and must be used within 3 months. Or get a visa on arrival at Techo airport for $30 (US dollar cash, passport photo). Your passport must be valid for 6+ months.
Tip: Only evisa.gov.kh is official; look-alike sites in search results charge extra.
Within 7 days before your flight, complete the free Cambodia e-Arrival on arrival.gov.kh (or in the app): immigration, health and customs declarations in one form. It replaces the paper arrival card and is separate from the visa.
There are no direct flights from Ulaanbaatar: connect via Seoul, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City or Hong Kong. Buy both legs on one booking so your bag is checked through. When connecting in mainland China, remember you must stay airside.
Tip: Get travel insurance, including medical evacuation.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityThe new Techo airport (KTI) is a long way south of the city, so plan your ride in advance.+
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Airport Express bus
The Phnom Penh city bus authority's Airport Express runs to Kouch Kanong roundabout: 1,500៛ (≈$0.40), daily from 5:30 am until the evening, 1–1.5 hours depending on traffic. Have small change ready.
A car booked in Grab or PassApp costs ≈$10–20 and takes 45–60 minutes; from the official taxi rank ≈$17–30. Turn down unofficial drivers who approach you inside the terminal.
With children or a late arrival, a pick-up booked through your hotel is the calmest option: the driver waits with your name on a sign and adjusts if your flight is delayed.
Tip: The bus doesn't run late at night, so book your pick-up in advance.
📶Phone and internet+
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SIM at the airport
Smart, Cellcard and Metfone have counters in the arrivals hall: a tourist SIM costs ≈$5–10 with plenty of data, registered with your passport. Smart is strongest in cities, Metfone in the countryside.
🚇Getting aroundThere is no metro; tuk-tuks, Grab and PassApp are the usual way to get around.+
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Tuk-tuks and remorks — by app
Book a small auto-rickshaw or a traditional remork in Grab or PassApp and the price is shown upfront. If you hail one in the street, agree the fare first. With children choose a car.
Motorbikes and tuk-tuks are chaotic and sometimes ride against the flow: look both ways and cross at a calm, steady pace. Pavements are mostly taken by parking and stalls. Avoid long walks in the midday heat.
💳Money+
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US dollars and riel
Prices are usually in US dollars, with small change given in riel (៛). Torn or worn dollar notes are refused, so bring new, clean bills. ATMs mostly dispense US dollars but charge a per-withdrawal fee.
Cards work in hotels, malls and larger restaurants; markets, tuk-tuks and street food are cash. Haggling is normal at the Central and Russian markets, while supermarkets and restaurants have fixed prices. Tipping isn't required but is appreciated.
🍜FoodKhmer food is close to Thai and Vietnamese cooking but less spicy, with sour-sweet flavours.+
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What to eat
Amok — fish steamed in coconut milk; lok lak — stir-fried beef with rice; bai sach chrouk — breakfast pork and rice; Khmer noodle soup; crab with Kampot pepper. For children, fried rice, grilled chicken and tropical fruit.
Tip: Eat where the locals are crowding — high turnover means fresh food.
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Water, ice and hygiene
Don't drink tap water — use bottled water. Restaurants and cafés usually use factory ice. With street food, choose dishes cooked fresh and served hot.
The Central and Russian markets have cheap food stalls inside, and street food sets up along the riverside in the evening. On a first visit, a guided evening food tour is the quickest introduction.
Police 117, fire 118, ambulance 119. Operators usually speak Khmer, so asking hotel staff to call is faster. Phnom Penh tourist police: +855 12 942 484.
Snatching from motorbikes and tuk-tuks is the most common crime: keep your phone away in a tuk-tuk and your bag between your feet. Take care along the riverside and around BKK1 at night. Fake charity collectors and 'free' guides are common scams.
Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, Sunrise Japan Hospital and Raffles Medical have English-speaking doctors. Drink plenty of water in the sun and rest indoors at midday. In the rainy season use mosquito repellent against dengue.
Cover shoulders and knees at the Royal Palace and in pagodas, and take shoes off in temple halls. Women shouldn't touch monks, and don't point the soles of your feet at a Buddha.
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At memorial sites
Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek are memorials to the victims: stay quiet and respectful, don't take smiling selfies, and don't walk over the open grave pits.
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People and the law
Greet with the 'sampeah', palms pressed together. Don't touch people's heads or raise your voice in an argument. Insulting the monarchy or government, and drug offences, carry very severe penalties.
Grab and the local PassApp are the go-to for tuk-tuks, cars and food delivery; prices are shown upfront, so there is no haggling. If one app is pricey, check the other.
Fill in your arrival card in the Cambodia e-Arrival app. Google Maps gives walking and driving directions, and Google Translate's camera mode translates Khmer menus and signs.
The new airport is far from the city and traffic is heavy at rush hour and in the rain, so leave early and allow plenty of time for an international flight. Automated departure Smart Gates operate at the new airport.
The 30 days count from your arrival day; overstaying means a daily fine at exit. To stay longer, extend once through the General Department of Immigration. Spend leftover riel before the airport — it is hard to exchange abroad.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
★ 4.4 (12,000)
Culture$10 (ages 10–17 $5, under 10 free)8:00–17:00 (last ticket 16:30)
Angkor-era sculpture, bronze deities and a great Vishnu statue in a red traditional Khmer building, with a calm courtyard garden and fish ponds. No photography in the galleries.
The school the Khmer Rouge turned into the S-21 prison and interrogation centre: the cells and thousands of prisoner photographs remain as they were. Essential to understanding Cambodia's history; very heavy emotionally and not suitable for young children.
The Khmer Rouge mass execution site ≈15 km south of the city: a memorial stupa holding over 8,000 skulls, mass graves and an audio-guided walking trail. Often combined with Tuol Sleng in one day; not suitable for young children.
The city's oldest temple on the small hill that gave Phnom Penh its name (founded, legend says, in 1372): climb the steps to see the statue of Grandma Penh and Buddha shrines. The shady park around it fills with locals in the evening.
A yellow Art Deco domed market built in 1937: gold and silver jewellery, watches, clothes, souvenirs, fruit and cheap food stalls inside. Well ventilated, so comfortable even at midday; haggle on prices.
A cramped warren of narrow aisles named after the Russian expats who shopped here in the 1980s: silk scarves, factory-surplus clothing, handicrafts, antiques and Khmer coffee. Surrounded by cafés and boutiques.
Riverside (Sisowath Quay) and sunset cruise★ 4.3 (8,000)
CityRiverside free; cruise ≈$9–20 per personRiverside 24 hours; boats usually leave around 17:00 (1–1.5 hours)
A wide promenade along the Tonle Sap: in the evening locals exercise, children play and food carts appear. From a boat at sunset you see the meeting of the Mekong and Tonle Sap and the skyline with the Royal Palace.
A lotus-shaped monument built in 1958 to mark independence from France in 1953; next to it stands the King Norodom Sihanouk statue and a long park where families stroll among fountains in the evening.
Villages on a Mekong island where families weave silk on wooden looms and sell it on the spot. A calm half-day escape from the city noise — cycle around and relax by the river; good for families.
Cambodia's capital from 1618 to 1866, a sacred hill ≈40 km north of the city: climb about 500 steps to royal stupas and the vihara holding a Buddha relic, with wide views over the plains. Go early for cooler air.
Japan's Aeon air-conditioned mega-mall: kids' play areas, a cinema, a supermarket and a Japanese-Khmer food court. The most comfortable place for families on a hot or rainy day.
