Have just a single day to spend in Cambodia’s capital city? Phnom Penh is packed with history, culture, markets, and can’t-miss monuments. Here’s how to make the most of one day in Phnom Penh, with a few choose-your-own adventure options for maximum flexibility.

Morning Markets or a Tonle Sap River Walk

You’ll want to start out before the heat of the day either with a visit to the Russian Market, where you can buy anything from hats and glitter to noodles and bananas …

… or with a walk along the Tonle Sap River.

If Phnom Penh is just one stop on your Cambodia trip, many travelers also visit Siem Reap — and I’ve written about the town’s highlights beyond the temples. I’ve also put together a guide to help you choose which Angkor sites make sense for your travel interests.

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh: A Mid-Morning Visit

Before it gets too hot, visit the grounds of the Royal Palace.

The entire visit here is outdoors, so it’s best to arrive while it’s still relatively cool (ticket sales open at 8:00). While you can only see building exteriors, it’s still a pretty wonderful collection of buildings and art. Note that aside from a single map, the Royal Palace complex is entirely uncurated, so you might want to get a guide to make sense of it all.

The National Museum of Cambodia: Late-Morning Culture

Walk a few blocks to the National Museum of Cambodia.

The collection here represents some of the best art (especially sculpture) from different eras of Cambodian history. It can be confusing at times — not everything is well labeled, many signs have question marks to indicate pieces’ unclear origins, and the promised audio guide does not exist — but you can see everything from the wondrous statuary of Angkor Wat to the world’s largest hand-woven shawl.

The museum is all the more remarkable when you consider the fact that it was closed during the rule of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979), and that a combination of neglect and vandalism during that time left much of the collection in shambles.

Lunch at a Phnom Penh Café

Walk or take a tuk-tuk (or a remorque — more on those later — over to Enso Cafe, where you can cool off with a refreshing make-your-own ginger beer and then boost your energy with truly remarkable avocado toast.

A nice alternative lunch spot is The Shop, which also has great avocado toast and a wide selection of fun and yummy mini-tarts for dessert.

Choose-Your-Own-Phnom-Penh-Adventure: History, Shopping, or a Spa

You have a number of options at this point, and they are very different. Before you choose, you’ll want to consider your level of emotional bandwidth and personal interests.

Option 1: Cambodian History at the Killing Fields or the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

If you want to explore Cambodia’s grim but important history, visit the Killing Fields or the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (the latter was once a prison and interrogation center).

Continuing on to Siem Reap? If you’re interested

Option 2: Boutiques in Phnom Penh

If you’d like to do a little shopping, you can stay on Oknha Chhun Street and visit Wattahn Artisans (clothing, bags, and gifts for a great cause), Garden of Desire (beautiful handcrafted silver jewelry), The Green Store 240 (eco gifts and home goods), or A.N.D. (clothes and handicrafts).

Option 3: A Phnom Penh Spa Break

For a different kind of therapy, head down to lively Street 278 …

…and indulge in a hot stone massage at Samatha Spa (it’s not cheap compared to other massages in town, but it’s worth it).

Evening in Phnom Penh: Cocktails and Rooftop Views

To start off your evening, take a dip in a hotel pool (this is the one at The Pavillion) …

… have a snack at a rooftop bar (this is the view from the Penh House and Jungle Addition Hotel) …

… or order a cocktail made with local ingredients (for something fun, try the Elephant Bar at Raffles Hotel).

Dinner on the Tonle Sap River

End your day with a sunset & dinner cruise along the Tonle Sap.

The boat will take you down the river to the confluence of the Mekong, and you’ll have amazing views along the way.

If you still have energy at this point, you can hop right across the street for some bargaining at the Night Market. And there are clubs, bars, and restaurants aplenty along the waterfront for those who want to stay up late!

Getting Around Phnom Penh

If you’re wondering how to get around, tuk-tuks are plentiful — but if you’re looking for a bit more space and wind in your hair, the motorcycle-pulled carriage known as the remorque should be your vehicle of choice: