Phnom Penh
The capital city of Cambodia has many things to offer. Doesn't matter if you are interested in the history of Cambodia or if you just want to visit the city for shopping and fun. Phnom Penh is also close to the boarder with Vietnam so from here it is the easiest and shortest way to cross the boarder. Time to discover the city.
Tour killing fields and S21
Intens but I truly believe a must do when you are visiting Phnom Penh. Cambodia has an interesting history and the things that happend at killing fields and the S21 prison is brutal, inhumane and was only 40 years ago. Within just a few years the new leader of Cambodia killed 3 million out of 8 million Cambodians.
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I organized my tour through my hostel and paid 7 USD for the tuk tuk drive to both places. I suggest start with the killing fields because it is further away and during the day it gets really hot so you better start with that in the morning. The entrance fee for Killing Fields is 3 USD without the audiotour and 6 USD with the audiotour. I recommend for both places to get the audiotour otherwise you won't see the whole picture of the horrible things that happend here and why they happened. After almost 2 hours at the Killing Fields you can continue to S21 prison. The entrance fee for S21 is 5 USD without the audiotour and 10 USD with the audiotour. S21 is the place where everyone was locked up before they went to the Killing Fields. Just make sure when you do this tour you prepare yourself a bit. It is intens and can be very emotional and you will see a lot of pictures of how cruel the activities were in both places.
what else to do in Phnom Penh
Besides the main tourist attraction the killing fields and S21 there are many more things you can do in Phnom Penh. Visit the many temples that is has like the Wat Phnom Daun Penh temple or the Wat Ounalom Monastery. You can also visit the royal palace, best time for that is in the morning but also try to pass it by when it is dark. All the lights are amazing to watch. It opens at 9 am and the entrance ticket is 10 USD per person.When you continue walking go and see the independence square. It is not a main attraction but I believe it is still nice to watch. In the evening you can do a lovely little boat ride for a hour along the river. I suggest do it during sunset time. It is only 5 USD and it also includes one beer and one water. After that just cross the street and visit the night market. The night market isn't big but still has many cute souvenirs and a little food market as well. If you are into all the fake brand fashion Phnom Penh is also your place to be. Many different stores has all the Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton etc. you can wish for and of course you can also do a bit of 'normal' shopping.
Food places
Because I ate most of my food at the hostel because it was really delicious I don't have many recommendations on food, but I won't leave you hanging and still have a few options for you when it comes to lunch and dinner.
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For a local experience go to the night market along the river. Many options and really cheap and good.
King Kong Pizza is a really good place for pizza or pasta. The owners are from France and worked a lot of years in France and Italy to make great and fresh pizza and pasta.
If you would like a more fancy dinner then go to Palace Gate Hotel & Resort and order what ever you like. They have everything but it is also a lot more expensive then other places.
Onederz hostel
One of my favorite places to stay while I was traveling through South East Asia and the best thing ever is that it is a chain so in every big city you can find one. Don't even know where to start but the beds are really comfortable and clean and the rooms are a descent size and cleaned every single day. There are multiple bathrooms on every floor and every hostel has at least one swimming pool except the one on Koh Rong Sanloem. They have a wide range of food that is also very affordable and delicious and most of the staff speaks fluent English and is willing to help you with everything. You can rent your scooter here, buy your bus ticket but you can also already book your stay for any of the other Onederz hostels. Booking a tour to different sightseeing places is possible from the reception desk and I know for sure you will love the city view from this one. The price for one night in a dorm is 8 USD.
