How to Spend Three Incredible Days in Phnom Penh

I’ve been visiting Phnom Penh for well over a decade.

I first stepped foot in this vibrant city way back in 2012 and most recently returned last year: yes, it’s certainly changed a lot since that initial visit! But that’s been one of the greatest joys of my regular visits; seeing how this city has grown and evolved into somewhere that’s a hell of a lot of fun to spend time in.

Phnom Penh is a city that’s crammed full of history, and it’s important to take the opportunity to learn more about the atrocities that have taken place in its past. I always urge visitors to visit the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, as difficult as the experiences may be, because it’s so important to remember and honour the millions of Cambodians who were murdered by the Khmer Rouge.

But at the same time, Phnom Penh is so much more than its past and it’s thrilling to dive headfirst into its exciting present, too.

In 2024, Phnom Penh is a bustling city with all the chaos that’s common to Southeast Asia, but with its own unique spin on it all. You might be surprised to learn that this is a destination with chic, high-end rooftop bars, hipster cafes serving avocado toast and flat whites, and some seriously modern accommodation options. As you explore the city, you’ll encounter world-class museums, glistening temples, and lively markets, then get to relax from it all beside the chilled-out waterfront.

I love this city and it’s taken me a decade to put this itinerary together, simply because I wanted to ensure I could do it justice. Three days is the perfect amount of time to spend in Phnom Penh, with enough time to see all of the main attractions without veering into feeling as though you’re scraping the barrel.

Without further ado, then, here is how I recommend spending three days in Phnom Penh:

I’ll confess that I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to Phnom Penh’s Killing Fields and Genocide Museum.

Visiting sounded like a challenging, confronting experience, and the prospect of learning about such atrocities left me feeling unsettled.

But travel isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. In order to understand Cambodia beyond its fun-filled attractions, you must first expose yourself to the country’s tragic history. It’s such an important visit.

I suggest making these the very first activities you undertake in Phnom Penh. Doing so will provide valuable context for the rest of your time in the city, helping you recognise its transformation and strength of its people.

But first, breakfast. I always stay at Aquarius Hotel in Phnom Penh — I have a full review of the property at the end of this itinerary — and our first stop is just a 10-minute walk away.

Forget eggs, toast, cereal, or bacon; in Phnom Penh, you should be eating noodles for breakfast.

My absolute favourite spot for num banh chok, otherwise known as Khmer noodles, is Sophath. This unassuming restaurant opens early, at 7 a.m., and closes at 8 p.m., so you don’t technically have to go there for breakfast. In my opinion, though, it does make for a particularly local way to start your day and isn’t that why you travelled to Cambodia?

The early start is an added bonus, too, as you’ll be looking to head off to the Killing Fields at just after 8 a.m.

English isn’t spoken by the staff at Sophath, but don’t let that put you off visiting. Instead you’ll be greeted by two vast steaming vats and invited to pick the one you want. Dave and I went for one of each — with little idea of the differences or what was in them — but both turned out to be amazing. If I had to choose just one to recommend, it would be the green-coloured rather than the red, but if you’re there as a party of two or more, it’s worth sampling some of both.

So what even is num banh chok? Well, it’s a typical breakfast dish here in Cambodia and one of the most beloved. It’s all about the noodles; they’re handmade daily and gently fermented, giving them such a light, fresh texture and taste. Fill the bowl with a coconut-based fish curry that’s packed full of tons of spices and you’ve got an interesting, flavourful breakfast. Accompanying the dish is a selection of fresh herbs, edible flowers, and other, less identifiable leaves — add them all to your bowl; they’re fantastic!

We paid less than $2 for each of our soups and rated it as one of the best meals in the city.

The Killing Fields is where these senseless murders took place. It’s located 17 kilometres, or 11 miles, outside of the city. I recommend hiring a guide for the morning ($19) to take you to both here and the Genocide Museum in one somber morning.

As you can imagine, this makes for quite a difficult experience, but it’s only through learning about these experiences that we can ensure they never happen again.

When you arrive at the site, you’ll need to pay a $6 entrance fee and then you’ll be handed a headset.

You’ll now embark on a self-guided experience through the fields, stepping over recently-emerged bones and tattered clothing; yes, really. Every single wet season, even in 2024, new bones emerge from the soil at the Killing Fields. Your audio guide will provide expert narration and firsthand stories of some who managed to survive the atrocity — I was so impressed with the quality of it. Honestly, I still get chills when I remember some of the narratives I heard; particularly the part where they played the music that would have been amplified across the Killing Fields, drowning out the sounds of executions.

This Killing Field is just one of many around the country. In fact, more than 20,000 mass graves have been discovered across Cambodia, with an estimated 1.7 million people buried within them. It’s chilling and devastating, but visiting will help you understand Cambodia’s past while ensuring you admire its resilience and growth since.

You can expect to spend two to three hours at the Killing Fields, then your tuk-tuk driver will take you to Toul Sleng: the Genocide Museum. It’s a 20 minute drive away.

The horrors committed by the Khmer Rouge weren’t limited to the Killing Fields. That’s why it’s just as important to spend an hour or two at Tuol Sleng. I visited the the Killing Fields first, then made my way over to S-21, which is the alternative name for this infamous security prison.

Horrifyingly, this complex was originally home to a high school; its open courtyard once filled with happy, playful children. Little did anybody know that it would soon be transformed into a detention centre, where tens of thousands of Cambodians were interrogated, tortured, and killed. The prisoners here included teachers, doctors, lawyers, and even Khmer Rouge members who fell out of favour. The conditions were deplorable and torture methods brutal. Today, S21 Prison stands as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, preserving the harrowing history of the Khmer Rouge era and serving as a reminder of the evils that took place during that time.

The museum pulls no punches, and neither should it, with the prison remaining much the same as it was during the height of the atrocities. It was within this building that over 17,000 people were locked up, while only a handful made it out alive. Some of those that did make it out now work at the museum, including one person who was rescued at the 11th hour after Vietnam invaded.

As you explore the museum and prison, you’ll walk by cells fitted with iron beds where prisoners were executed, their specks of blood remaining on the surfaces to this day. There’s also a display of hundreds of portraits that puts faces to the genocide victims. It’s a heart wrenching experience that, alongside the Killing Fields, helps you understand the brutality of the Khmer Rouge.

As with the Killing Fields, you can expect to spend two to three hours here. Once you’ve finished up, it’ll be lunchtime, so it’s time to sit down, have a meal, and attempt to process everything you’ve learned. I recommend taking the 15-minute stroll over to Backyard Cafe on Street 446, in the Tom Pong neighbourhood.

I mentioned how Phnom Penh has transformed in recent decades, so prepare to start feeling something akin to culture shock. After reading about so many horrifying events, it can feel jarring to leave the confines of the Genocide Museum and enter the bright vibes of a fun, modern city.

One of my favourite spots around Toul Tom Poung is Backyard Cafe, a health-focused eatery that wouldn’t be out of place among the brunchy restaurants of Australia. Relatedly, my favourite dish on the menu is the avocado mango toast; smashed avocado topped with mango, pickled radish, coriander, chilli, and lime.

(I know — I thought mango and avocado was a bit of a weird combination, but it works so well!)

They’ve got fresh fruit smoothies and all-day brunch dishes, along with salads, sandwiches, power bowls, and tons of healthy desserts. This is Phnom Penh! A thriving, modern city, with excellent brunches and fancy lattes. It’s come a long way.

When you’ve finished your meal, I recommend spending more time in the area to explore more of the hipster side of Phnom Penh.

Toul Tom Poung is one of Phnom Penh’s coolest neighbourhoods. This is where you’ll encounter vegan brunches, oat flat whites, craft beers, boutique stores, and a surplus of digital nomads. It’s a great place to spend an hour or two.

Toul Tom Poung is a classic rags to gentrification hipster story witnessed in cities throughout the world, but this district has its own wonderful Cambodian twist on it all.

Head to Penh Lenh to pick up some beautiful jewellery made by local artisans (including welded bracelets!). La Plantation Shop & Museum is jam-packed with high-quality Khmer spices, teas, and sauces (their Kampot pepper makes for great souvenirs!) while Be Eco Sustainable Shop is home to high-quality, ethically-made Cambodian handcrafts, from jewellery to clothing to dish cloths to toiletries to trinkets.

If you’re keen to pick up some gifts for friends and family from Cambodia, this neighbourhood has tons of locally-produced items to peruse.

If you want to further your shopping or people-watching, there’s only one place to head next. Fortunately, it’s just a few minutes away.

The Russian Market, originally known as Psar Toul Tom Pong, gets its name from the large number of Russian expats who would peruse the stalls in the 1980s. Don’t expect cheap vodka and Soviet-themed accessories here, though, as this busy spot is Cambodian through and through. It’s subsequently popular with tourists and locals alike.

Spots like these are often described as having everything but the kitchen sink, but this doesn’t quite hold true for the Russian Market. It actually has a kitchen sink!

As you can gather, you can find anything you might need here. There’s clothing, shoes, and bags, along with jewellery and souvenirs, statues, magnets, cushions, artwork, plus plenty of local handicrafts. I bought a ton of friendship bracelets at the market on my first visit to Phnom Penh so that I could fit in with my fellow backpackers, a fridge magnet for my eventual home, and a silk scarf for my mum as a gift.

I’ll confess that it’s not all amazing, however. As with any major market in any major city, there’s still enough tacky plastic items, counterfeit clothing, and Chinese-made trinkets to make you wince, but if you look hard enough, you’ll definitely uncover some gems. And hey, if you’re looking for to replace your travel wardrobe, you can’t go wrong with a couple of $2 t-shirts.

Dave even visited while we were last in town to get a hole in his shorts repaired; total cost: $1!

I’m so happy with the bag I bought from the Russian Market — pictured above — and I get compliments every time I leave the house with it: it’s so unusual-looking! Of course, I then become that annoying person who gets asked where something is from and unhelpfully answers, “Cambodia!”

Even if you don’t have anything you need to buy, it’s still worth taking a walk around as a cultural experience.

When you’ve finished exploring the market, get in a tuk-tuk and ask them to take you to Sisowath Quay. It takes 20 minutes to drive there.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I personally like to weave a few rest sessions into my explorations of a new city — and especially when that city is as hot and sweaty and Phnom Penh. Excitingly, you’re not going to struggle to find an aesthetic rooftop swimming pool here!

I mentioned above that I always stay at Aquarius Hotel whenever I find myself in Phnom Penh, and that’s primarily because their swimming pool is next level. It costs $70 a night to stay at the property — and I do think it’s worth it — but if your accommodation budget doesn’t stretch that far, never fear. If you visit Aquarius and spend $12 on food or drinks in the restaurant, they give you free access to the pool for the day!

This set-up is pretty common in Phnom Penh, so there’s plenty of places where you can slip in to cool off if your accommodation doesn’t come with a pool. Patio Hotel and Penh House both have similar-style rooftop pools and charge $10 per person for a day pass.

Once you’ve sufficiently cooled off and had a shower, it’s time to get ready for your first evening in Phnom Penh. Aim to head over to Sisowath Quay (a 15-minute walk from Aquarius Hotel) by around 4:40-5:00 p.m. to begin your leisurely stroll over to Juniper Gin Bar.

One of my favourite places to hang out in Phnom Penh is Sisowath Quay. There’s always something going on. And as somebody who has an inexplicable passion for all things flag, I can’t deny enjoying walking beside the water and naming the country each one belongs to.

At Sisowath Quay, locals and travellers unite to enjoy a buzzy, busy waterfront. In what is already a bustling city, this stretch of pavement might just be the most happening part of town.

Throughout the day, you’ll spot locals strolling up and down the boardwalk with friends, families, and pets. Interspersed between them, you’ll encounter vendors selling everything from trinkets and handcrafted goods to street eats and cold drinks. You’ll find plenty of green space, shady trees, and park benches, too, on which to sit and enjoy your treats. 

The waterfront is a great place to come for a afternoon stroll, cold drink in hand, but it’s just before sunset when things really get going. The nearby bars and restaurants light up and fill with patrons, aerobics classes take advantage of the cooler weather, and kids get football games kicked off. It’s a fantastic place for people-watching and I highly recommend spending some time soaking it all in.

Speaking of sunset, one of my favourite things to do in Phnom Penh is hunt down a rooftop cocktail bar from which to watch it. Juniper Gin Bar is one of my favourite bars in the city and for good reason: their cocktails are fancy, tasty, and inexpensive.

We may have visited every single evening that we were most recently in town.

Their Happy Hour cocktails are great value for money: between 5 and 7 p.m., they’re priced at just $3.50 each! There’s seven different gin and tonics on the menu, too (choose the Mekong Dry for a local twist).

Some of my stand-out tipples included the Watermelon Felon (gin, lemongrass and watermelon syrup, lime, and fresh mint), Summertime Sally (gin, elderflower liqueur, raspberry syrup, jasmine flower, and lime), and French Heist (vodka, blackberry liqueur, orange bitters, and lime).

The staff here are lovely, the drinks are excellent and good value for money (even non-Happy Hour drinks are priced at around $5 or $6), and the views are impressive. There’s no better place in Phnom Penh to sit and watch the sky turn orange.

David’s Homemade Noodle Restaurant is one of the best rated eateries in town, so you definitely won’t want to miss out while you’re here. It’s just a nine-minute walk from Juniper Gin Bar.

And the food is so good. I decided to go for the fish amok while Dave opted for the Khmer curry with duck; of course we also ordered plenty of dumplings to share as a starter! As the name implies, all of their noodles and dumplings are made fresh everyday, which really adds to the quality of the dishes.

If you haven’t had Khmer amok before, I highly recommend sampling it here. It’s one of the most well-known and well-loved dishes of Cambodia due to the curry being jam-packed full of flavour. Think: coconut milk, lemongrass, kaffir lime, turmeric, lemongrass, galangal, shallots, garlic, chillies, shrimp paste, all mixed up together!

Once you’ve finished your tasty meal, it’s time to head back to your hotel and get ready for day two in Phnom Penh. We’re going to be packing just as much in tomorrow, so make sure to get plenty of rest!

Now, I’m no museum fanatic.

Once inside the terracotta-coloured building, you’ll make your way past 2,000 Khmer artefacts, dating from the 4th Century to the modern era. This is one of the largest collections of Cambodian relics in the world — they have another 14,000 lurking in the basement! — and I found it fascinating to see them up-close.

Yes, you’ll see plenty of examples of these treasures while you’re at Angkor Wat — if you haven’t been there already — but here, you can get within inches of the impressive sculptures here; most aren’t behind glass either. Most impressive is the bronze statue of Vishnu from the 11th century; a whopping two-metres in length.

As you pass from room to room, you’ll encounter hundreds of examples of Khmer creativity, including ancient sculptures and statues, pottery, ceramics, and tools, plus ethnographic art, traditional transportation methods, and even the world’s longest hand-woven scarf. Most of the items have a short description in English, but don’t expect to learn a huge amount from these — instead, consider renting an audio guide for $5 or a human one for $10.

If you’re not that big on museums, I still recommend heading to the grounds to admire the rust-coloured architecture: you can walk around the exterior of the building without having to pay an entrance fee. Amazingly, we ran into a couple of workers in the garden who were carving similar statues to the ones we’d seen inside the museum.

There’s also a cafe on-site that we stopped at for a fresh coconut before heading back out onto the busy streets of Phnom Penh.

Entrance to the museum comes in at $10 per person, which is relatively expensive for Cambodia. If you’re keen to learn more about the country’s history, though — and especially through its ancient sculptures — I think you’ll find the entrance fee worth it.

It’s hard to avoid the Royal Palace. This grandiose residence has been the official home of Cambodia’s royal family since the mid-19th century and its central location means you’ll find yourself passing by on a near-daily basis.

Is it worth the $10 entrance fee? To me, it was. This complex has so much to see, from its landscaped gardens to its opulent Throne Hall. One area you can’t access is the western reaches of the palace: that’s where the King’s residence, the Khemarin, is found, as well as Villa Kantha Bopha, where foreign guests stay when they visit. If the blue flag is flying, it means the king is home!

You can expect it to take around an hour to see everything, and if you haven’t yet encountered a lot of Khmer architecture across Cambodia, you’ll find the buildings particularly impressive. Most are wowed by the Throne Hall, while one of the most unusual structures is the entirely-iron Napoleon III Pavillion, which was gifted to Cambodia by France in the 1800s.

Oh, and there’s one more structure that I haven’t yet mentioned.

Your $10 entrance fee also gives you access to the Silver Pagoda. For many people, this structure is what makes the entire cost worth it. The elaborate temple gets its name from its floor: it’s blanketed in over 5,000 silver tiles, weighing over six tons in total! While most are covered to protect them from damage, you can catch a sneak peek of them at the entrance.

The temple’s main hall houses some beautiful artwork, but the most impressive parts of the interior are the Emerald Buddha, a small but significant statue in the centre of the room, and a human-sized, solid gold Maitreya Buddha (the successor to Buddha) that’s encrusted with over 20,000 diamonds!

Several things to keep in mind as you plan your visit to the Royal Palace: you need to cover up, which includes your knees, back, shoulders, and elbows. If you don’t, you can purchase clothing at the entrance for $3. Additionally, the opening times are a bit odd here: 8 – 11 a.m. then 2 – 5 p.m., so aim to get here between 9 and 10 a.m. It gets busiest on a Sunday, so try to time your explorations for an alternative day of the week.

Phnom Penh is a decidedly flat city, making it a pleasure to walk around — if you don’t mind the heat, that is.

I couldn’t stop laughing.

It was the most contradictory of days. After having breakfast at Sophath, Dave and I decided to opt for dinner at Malis. And what is Malis?

Well, it might just be one of the priciest restaurants in the city.

So while we spent just $2 for breakfast, we then ended up spending a whopping $150 at dinner! It felt like a ludicrous day for our finances.

In our defense, though, it was Valentine’s Day and we wanted to do something special. And as much as I adore the street food and cheap eats of Cambodia, I wanted to experience something even more interesting. Because who says that this country can’t develop its own fine dining scene?

Malis serves up some of the best food in Phnom Penh, taking you by the hand and introducing you to their special, experimental takes on Khmer food. You’ll encounter everything from baked goby river fish in a salt crust to deep-fried crabs from Kep; Mekong lobster to chicken curry steamed in a lotus leaf.

The biggest stand-out dish for me, however, was the Kampot pepper crème brûlée. I love me a crème brûlée and I couldn’t get enough of those sweet flavours combined with the spicy green peppercorns.

Dave and I splurged and opted for seven-course tasting menu, which comes in at $66 per person. Ours featured beef skewers with peppercorns and pickles, grilled squid and cucumber salad (pictured above), bamboo shoots and smoked fish, Kep flower crab fried rice, Saraman beef curry, Morning Glory, and the aforementioned Kampot pepper brûlée. We also ordered a baked goby as an extra because it looked so, um, interesting. That one’s in the photo below, along with the view from our table of the cosy exterior.

I do want to mention, too, that if you don’t opt for the tasting menu options, you can visit this excellent restaurant for far less.

As an example, the crab fried rice is priced at $18, fish amok is $11, Takeo pork is $14, and roasted Angkor-style chicken is $28. Yes, it’s pricey for Cambodia, but it’s also an interesting experience and not one that visitors may necessarily associate with the country.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion while you’re in Phnom Penh, this is a great place to do so.

Known locally as Phsar Thmey, the Central Market was the largest in Asia when it first opened in 1937. The market was created by French architects who added another unique chapter to Phnom Penh’s diverse buildings. 

The Central Market is a great place to go in your first few days in the city. Here, you can put on a range of hats, from sitting back and enjoying the local culture to putting your haggling skills to the test. The market opens every day from 7am to 6pm, and quickly fills with a boisterous crowd.

Phsar Thmey takes all the qualities of an exciting market and brings it inside to create a layout similar to a mall. As you wander along, you’ll be able to shop for a wide range of clothing, jewelry, shoes and gifts. There’s also a section dedicated to fresh produce, spices and seafood. Half way through, take a break by sampling the market’s specialty dish, creamy coconut pudding. 

An hour south of Phnom Penh, the Wildlife Rescue Center is Cambodia’s largest zoo. It first opened its doors in 2000 and is more of a sanctuary than a traditional zoo. Here, animals can enjoy a safe refuge and a habitat protected from illegal poachers and wildlife traffickers. 

The Wildlife Rescue Center, which also includes Phnom Tamao Zoo, covers an extensive 2,965 acres of land within a larger 6,200 acres of protected forests.  The mass of space allows for each animal to enjoy plenty of room roam among a landscape tailored to its needs. One of the first parts of the center you’ll see are the resident crocodiles, followed by rambunctious gibbons, monkeys and deer. Following that is a highlight of the experience, the sun bear enclosure, the largest of its kind in the world. 

Beyond the animals, the center is a spectacular place to explore. You’ll be surrounded by undulating mountains with the acreage also containing ancient temples including Thmor Dos and Phnom Tamao.

As the headquarters of Buddhism in Cambodia, the Wat Ounalom complex is the most important in the country. The temple was first established in the 15^th century and its captivating stupa even features eyebrow hairs from Buddha himself. At its height, the temple was home to over 500 monks. Despite immense damage suffered during the era of the Khmer Rouge, including relics and statues, the temple has recreated its princely beauty.  

The sprawling complex features 44 buildings. The main temple, built in 1952, is a faithful re-creation of the original 15^th century shrine. It combines three levels with a startling collection of iconography, scripture and artifacts based on the life of Buddha. Behind the main temple is where you’ll find Chetdai. This Angkorian-era stupa is home to Buddha’s eyebrow hair. But it’s also beloved for its four bronze statues featuring Buddha facing north, south, east and west. 

Last up is the Monastery of the Supreme Patriarch, where you’ll discover a beautiful image of Samdech Huot Tat who was executed under directions from Pol Pot.

For an easy day trip from Phnom Penh, make the brief journey to Koh Dach. Under 4 miles (6km) from downtown, Koh Dach is an island on the Mekong River where rural life still holds sway. Koh Dach is otherwise known as Silk Island, whose residents still take part in Cambodia’s rich silk weaving history.

In order to reach Koh Dach, you’ll need to take a short tuk tuk ride to the waterfront, where a brief ferry ride will shuttle you north along the river to Silk Island. After jumping off the ferry, you’ll feel a world away from the bustling streets of Phnom Penh. Here, life is simpler and quiet. Local streets are laden with hanging silk that’s been freshly dyed and the soft noises of handmade looms weaving the silk rings through the air.

After a leisurely stroll, head to the Silk Weaving Centre and Village. This is the place to get an in-depth look into Cambodia’s silk heritage and learn the process from start to finish. To explore the rest of the island, hire a bike at the ferry terminal and ride along the road that circumnavigates the island. Ride past tranquil rice paddies and peaceful woodlands, with the Mekong rolling along.

If you’re a foodie, then many highlights of your travels will revolve around local cuisine. Enveloped by Thailand and Vietnam, it’s easy to overlook Cambodia cuisine in favor of the more renowned dishes in either country. But Cambodia food has a unique charm and one that is worthwhile exploring.

For those that have spent time in Vietnam, you’ll see a lot of similarities in the local cuisine. Remember, not only do they share a border, but a part of southern Vietnam was once Cambodia. Both countries were also colonized by France, leading Cambodia to also have delicious num pang pate (banh mi). 

Traditional Cambodian meals feature rice, a lot of rice. In fact, nyam bai howie nov? (have you eaten your rice yet) is a common greeting. The staple will then be complemented by three or four other dishes, such as soup, a fish paste and spice paste along with freshly caught fish.

To experience cooking Cambodian cuisine firsthand, join the cooking class at the Frizz Restaurant. You’ll begin with a visit to the local market before making and tasting your creations.

Speaking of local dishes, if you’ve rather skip to the end product then get along to Phnom Penh’s exciting Night Market. You’ll find the market along the riverfront lit with bright bulbs dangling from the many stalls. The Night Market shines like the North Star and immediately you’ll know that this is the place to be.

The sounds and aromas of the market will hit you long before you step inside. But rather than be taken in by the first stall slinging delicious and authentic Cambodian cuisine, take some time to get the lay of the land. The market is large, with a wide variety of vendors serving everything from your simple noodle dishes and meat and veg options to more adventurous meals.

Vegetarians will be well represented at the market, with no shortage of options and tofu being the main protein. Once you’ve picked out your vendor (those busy with locals are worth the wait) you simply grab a tray and point to your chosen dish or load up yourself. The food is dirt cheap and you’ll either pay per dish or by weight.

With your food in hand, things get even more memorable. In the center of the market there are a slew of mats. Here, locals and travelers congregate in the communal space and enjoy their meals. Just remember to take off your shoes.

Under 20 miles from Phnom Penh, the beautiful waters of Tonle Bati will put a wide smile on your face. Popular among local weekend warriors, Tonle Bati is the place to go to relax and rejuvenate, away from the busy city. If you’ve grown a bit weary or need a well-earned break, then you’ll feel invigorated chilling by the lake.

On weekends, crowds gather on the elevated bamboo pavilions that jut out across the water. Families come together and catch up with the young ones jumping off the edge over and over again. Join them for a swim, paddle out on the lake or explore the local village which has its own fascinating history.

Tonle Bati is home to the Ta Prohm of Bati. The elegant temple is where you’ll find the Jayabuddhamahanatha statues and beautifully landscaped gardens. Further out is the village of Dok Por. Here, you can visit the 11^th century temple of Phnom Chisor. The 461-step hike is worth the sweat thanks to panoramic views and historic architecture.