Cambodia’s capital has changed dramatically in recent years, but beneath the new towers, hotels, and infrastructure, Phnom Penh remains a fascinating mixture of Khmer heritage, French colonial influence, bustling markets, riverside life, and an increasingly sophisticated food and cultural scene.
This post contributed by John Savage and Grahame Cox | Additional information by Chad Merchant
For years, Phnom Penh was treated by many travellers as little more than a stopover on the way to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. These days, that is increasingly difficult to justify.
Cambodia’s capital has become more confident, sophisticated, and cosmopolitan. New hotels, restaurants, cafés, galleries, shopping centres, and high-rise developments have changed the skyline, while established neighbourhoods, markets, temples, and the riverfront continue to provide the texture that makes the city distinctive. The result is a destination that rewards curiosity.
Phnom Penh is still busy and sometimes chaotic, but compared with some of Southeast Asia’s megacities, it retains a relatively human scale. There is an appealing mixture of French colonial architecture, Khmer heritage, modern Asian development, and everyday Cambodian life, making it a city for eating, exploring, shopping, and simply watching the streets come alive.
And now, getting there has changed, too.
In 2025, Phnom Penh’s new Techo International Airport opened, replacing the former Phnom Penh International Airport as the capital’s principal commercial gateway. The US$2.3 billion airport, located about 20 kilometres south of the city across Kandal and Takeo provinces, has an initial annual capacity of 15 million passengers, with planned expansion to 30 million by 2050 and, ultimately, 50 million. For international visitors, it represents a significant upgrade and another indication of Cambodia’s ambitions.
A CITY OF RIVERS AND HISTORY
Phnom Penh was established as the capital in the 15th century and later developed substantially under French colonial rule. Today, its position at the meeting of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap, and Tonlé Bassac rivers remains central to the city’s character.
For visitors, the best way to appreciate Phnom Penh is to give it time.
Start with the Royal Palace, one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Its glittering roofs and elaborate Khmer architecture provide a spectacular introduction to Cambodia’s royal heritage, while the complex includes the Throne Hall, the Silver Pagoda, and beautifully maintained gardens. The palace remains the official residence of the King, although several areas are protected and closed to visitors.
Nearby, the National Museum of Cambodia provides essential context. Established in 1920, it houses more than 14,000 objects and has one of the world’s most important collections of Khmer art, including sculpture, ceramics, bronzes, and ethnographic material spanning centuries of Cambodian history. For anyone interested in understanding Cambodia beyond its beaches and temples, this is time well spent.
Wat Phnom, the temple on the city’s only significant hill, offers another glimpse of Phnom Penh’s religious and cultural history. Along Sisowath Quay, meanwhile, the riverside promenade becomes a stage for everyday life, with families strolling, cafés filling, river boats passing, and the city gradually cooling as the sun disappears.
MARKETS, SHOPPING, AND THE NEW PHNOM PENH
Shopping in Phnom Penh remains one of the city’s great pleasures.
The Central Market, or Phsar Thmey, is an architectural landmark as well as a functioning market. Built in the 1930s, its distinctive Art Deco structure spreads out from a huge central dome into four wings filled with stalls. Visitors will find jewellery, clothing, food, souvenirs, electronics, and countless other Cambodian products.
For a more local-market experience, head to Tuol Tompoung Market, commonly known as the Russian Market. It is a place to browse textiles, clothing, handicrafts, souvenirs, and food while experiencing the energetic atmosphere of a traditional Phnom Penh market.
The shopping landscape has also changed dramatically. Modern malls and new developments have added international brands, supermarkets, cinemas, and restaurants to a city once dominated by markets and small independent shops. AEON Mall Phnom Penh and other newer developments reflect the changing aspirations of Cambodia’s growing middle class, while Koh Pich has become one of the most visible symbols of the city’s transformation.
Yet the old Phnom Penh is never far away. Turn a corner and the towers give way to a food stall, a small temple, a colonial façade, or a neighbourhood where life continues at a slower pace.
For something more authentic, head into the older parts of the city, where colonial-era buildings, small shops, local markets, temples, and neighbourhood food stalls offer a very different experience from the polished shopping malls. Phnom Penh’s traditional crafts and contemporary design can also be found in smaller independent boutiques and galleries, particularly around the city’s central districts.
SIGHTSEEING WITH A DIFFERENCE
Phnom Penh’s attractions are not all easy viewing, and some are profoundly unsettling, to say the least.
A visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the former S-21 prison, and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, commonly known as the Killing Fields, provides an essential, if disturbing, understanding of Cambodia’s recent history and the atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.
These are obviously incredibly difficult places to visit, but they are important. They also help explain the resilience and remarkable transformation of modern Cambodia. Set alongside the Royal Palace, National Museum, Wat Phnom, and the riverfront, they provide a much broader understanding of a country whose history is far more complicated than the temples and tropical imagery that often dominate its tourism advertising.
AFTER DARK
Phnom Penh changes character after sunset. As temperatures fall, restaurants, cafés, and bars fill, and the city becomes more relaxed.
Cambodian food is the obvious place to begin. Fish amok remains one of the country’s signature dishes, but Phnom Penh’s dining scene now extends far beyond traditional Khmer cuisine. Contemporary Cambodian chefs are rediscovering regional ingredients and heritage recipes, while French, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and international restaurants reflect the city’s increasingly cosmopolitan population.
The riverside remains a popular evening destination, while Bassac Lane and the nearby restaurant and bar districts around BKK1, including Langka Lane, have become some of Phnom Penh’s trendiest food hubs. Rooftop venues have become another city signature, with cocktails and dinner accompanied by a very different perspective on the capital from high above the streets.
There is also an increasingly sophisticated café and cocktail culture, with independent venues competing alongside those in the international hotels.
That changing hospitality scene is reflected in the city’s growing range of accommodation, from small boutique properties and established local hotels to international luxury brands. Shangri-La Phnom Penh, which opened in December 2024 on Koh Pich, is one of the more prominent recent additions, occupying a high-rise tower with extensive views over the city and its rivers. Its rooftop Altitude bar, on Level 54, is among the city’s newer places to take in the skyline, particularly around sunset.
From Level 54, the city seems to stretch endlessly beneath you. The Mekong, Tonlé Sap and Tonlé Bassac rivers form a shimmering network through the urban landscape, while Phnom Penh’s old neighbourhoods, new towers and rapidly expanding skyline provide a fascinating contrast.
The hotel’s rooftop infinity pool shares this spectacular setting, while Altitude, the rooftop bar on Level 54, is billed as Cambodia’s highest rooftop bar. The hotel also offers a spa and wellness facilities, restaurants and lounges, extensive meeting facilities and the kind of service expected of an international five-star hospitality brand.
But the hotel is really just part of a much bigger story.
THE CITY IS CHANGING – BUT THAT IS THE ATTRACTION
The most interesting thing about Phnom Penh in 2026 is not that it has become another Singapore, Bangkok, or Ho Chi Minh City.
It hasn’t – nor should it. Its appeal lies in the mixture: Khmer tradition alongside glass towers; monks and motorbikes sharing the streets with luxury SUVs; old markets operating beneath an increasingly modern skyline; sophisticated restaurants a short ride from neighbourhood food stalls.
The transformation is visible everywhere. New infrastructure, including Techo International Airport, is making the capital more accessible. New hotels and high-rise developments are changing the skyline, while a growing creative and culinary scene is giving the city a new cultural confidence. International visitors are also beginning to recognize that Phnom Penh is more than a gateway to somewhere else.
There is still grit here. There is still noise, traffic, and plenty of rough edges. But really, that’s all part of the story.
Phnom Penh is a city in motion, modernizing rapidly while carrying the weight of a complicated, difficult history and a remarkably resilient culture. Give it a day and you will see some of the highlights. Stay for a few days, however, and the city truly begins to make sense.
Stay longer and it may just surprise you.
