Hello, my name is Didier Leroy, I am from France. I did a Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary with Autour Asia, Cambodia Travel Agency, last October. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and is also the transportation hub of this city. It is famous for its famous tourist attractions, which help to trace the vivid but somewhat painful history of Cambodia. What to do in 2 days in Phnom Penh? In this article, I want to share my experience of visiting Phnom Penh in 2 days and I hope to give you the most complete and authentic vision of my experiences in Phnom Penh. For those who are hesitant to visit Phnom Penh or not, I hope my article will be useful to you.
I. Why Choose to Visit Phnom Penh in 2 Days?
How many days in Phnom Penh? Two days are enough for the main sights: the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, the National Museum, Wat Phnom, and the memorial sites of Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng, as in the itinerary below. If you are travelling with children, or have a third day to fill with the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, a water park and a Mekong cruise, see Mrs. Asselot's 3 days in Phnom Penh with her family.
As soon as I had the intention to travel to Cambodia, I hesitated a lot whether to go to Phnom Penh or not after reading mixed reviews about my experiences in this city. However, after learning about the famous tourist destinations in Phnom Penh, I decided to spend some more time in this city during this trip to Cambodia. What to do in 2 days in Phnom Penh? I think it would be a shame not to visit Phnom Penh, because this city is a great place to understand the history and culture of Cambodia. A Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary is in my opinion the best duration to explore the highlights of Phnom Penh, but if you have more time, I think a week is probably still suitable to explore Phnom Penh without getting bored. After this trip, I found that Phnom Penh has more interesting things than I thought.
II. Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary with Autour Asia
I left from France and had to transit through Bangkok to get to Phnom Penh. Since I only had 2 days in Phnom Penh, my travel schedule was quite tight so as not to miss any places to visit.
1. Day 1: Explore the best sights in Phnom Penh
I spent the first day of the Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary focusing on exploring the famous tourist attractions in Phnom Penh, concentrated in the city center. I left at 8am because I wanted to have time for breakfast. My first destination was Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple perched on top of a hill in Phnom Penh. The story goes that a wealthy old lady named Doun Penh found a Koki tree floating in the river that had four different Buddha statues and one of Vishnu inside. She then asked the villagers to build a temple on the hill to house them, which was the first Wat built on Wat Phnom Hill. I was really impressed by the lion and snake statues guarding the stairs on the east side. It is known that people here often come to this temple to make offerings and pray for good luck. The temple is open daily from 7am to 6pm and costs only $1 to visit. I highly recommend visiting Wat Phnom during your visit to Phnom Penh.
Before visiting the Royal Palace for 2 days in Phnom Penh, I stopped by the National Museum of Cambodia right next to the Palace. Here, I admired one of the world's largest collections of Khmer art, sculptures, ceramics and a series of archaeological objects. From what I discovered, over 14,000 artifacts are on display and have existed from prehistoric times to the rise and fall of the Khmer empire. The red terracotta architecture of the museum is also very unique and makes a strong visual impression. I had a very good experience at the museum.
I had lunch at a small restaurant right next to the National Museum called David's Restaurant Homemade Noodles. David's Fresh Noodle is a lively and affordable restaurant in Phnom Penh, famous for its fresh noodles prepared by Chef Nak de Takau. The menu features tasty dishes like tomato-egg pho, chicken stir-fried noodles, cold beef noodles, and pork buns.
After lunch, I visited the Royal Palace. I mainly toured part of the palace and walked around the gardens. Note that you will not be able to visit the area where the royal family resides. A special feature of this tour is that I entered the magnificent throne room with the golden spire and there is a small building on the left. Here, I saw replicas of outfits worn by King Norodom Sihamoni during his coronation. In addition, many locals are sitting on the grass and relaxing or feeding the birds. It was a relaxing scene for me, although it did not give me the feeling of going from surprise to surprise like when exploring the National Museum.
The Silver Pagoda is a destination located in the Royal Palace. The name “silver” comes from the fact that the floor was covered with five tons of silver tiles, although most of them were covered. This place is also distinguished by many beautiful statues, including the Emerald Buddha made of Baccarat crystal and a life-size solid gold Buddha statue studded with 2,086 sparkling diamonds!
After a day of sightseeing, I had dinner at the French restaurant Topaz. I chose this restaurant because of its reputation and the service did not disappoint. The lamb dish here is the most impressive for me, the other dishes are quite good. I had a delicious dinner to end the first day of my Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary.
2. Day 2: Discover the painful history of Cambodia
The second day in Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary was dedicated to exploring the painful history of Cambodia. Honestly, I was mentally prepared for an emotional experience on Monday. However, the experiences on the second day were heavier than I thought! So I think you need to prepare yourself carefully because the places on the second day will not bring you much relaxation.
The Choeung Ek Genocide Museum was the first destination on my second day out of 2 days in Phnom Penh. The Choeung Ek Genocide Center records the most painful memories of the horrific period of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia. Initially, this place was just a garden, but later it turned into a place where many innocent people were executed. Today, although it has become a tourist destination, the dark atmosphere and images of mass graves and brutal torture still make visitors shudder. To commemorate the victims, the Cambodian government built a memorial in Choeung Ek. Inside the memorial are about 8,000 skulls bearing signs of torture with knives, axes, and sticks.
The Tuol Sleng Torture Prison (S21) was the destination soon after. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was once a school, but from 1975 to 1979, it was converted into a prison called S-21 by the Khmer Rouge regime. The museum holds the most detailed documents about this prison and the crimes of the Khmer Rouge regime. From 1976 to 1979, about 20,000 people were detained there (the exact number has not been determined). The prisons usually hold between 1,000 and 1,500 people at a time. They were subjected to brutal torture and forced to confess, even implicating their relatives.
I ended the second day of the Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary with a sunset dinner cruise on the Mekong River. Enjoy a delicious dinner on the boat, prepared by famous restaurants in the city, including a vegetarian menu. From the water, the sunset and the twinkling lights of the city are a perfect end to your day. I really felt more relaxed after the rather emotional experiences of the second day thanks to this cruise experience. At the price of $87, I highly recommend this experience to anyone who wants to go to Phnom Penh.
III. Practical tips for the best Phnom Penh 2-day Itinerary
After an experience of Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary, I have some tips to help you better plan your trip:
- When to go to Phnom Penh? The best time to have a Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary is from November to January, with cool and dry weather but high crowds and high prices. Avoid the months of March to May if you don't like intense heat and humidity. The rainy season, from June to October, brings unpredictable monsoons, making travel difficult.
- Getting around Phnom Penh: Phnom Penh is a bustling and often very hot city, where the most convenient and enjoyable way to get around is by tuk-tuk. You can also take a taxi, motorbike taxi or bus, but tuk-tuks are generally considered the safest and most recommended option over motorbike taxis.
In 2 days in Phnom Penh, you will have the opportunity to discover the essence of this vibrant city, between its rich cultural heritage and its unique atmosphere. From must-see visits such as the Royal Palace and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, to tuk-tuk rides and local flavors, every moment will immerse you in the history and daily life of Cambodia. Although a Phnom Penh 2-Day Itinerary is short and you will encounter quite chaotic traffic, which can be difficult to adapt to immediately, visiting Phnom Penh in 2 days will leave you with unforgettable memories and a curiosity that will keep you coming back to explore more of this fascinating country.
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