With kids · Phnom Penh · Cambodia
Phnom Penh with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
Phnom Penh is manageable with children if you plan around the heat: river cruises, Wat Phnom's park, the markets and the wildlife centre at Phnom Tamao are the highlights. Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek include graphic content and are generally not suitable for young children. Top picks: Sunset river cruise, Wat Phnom and Sisowath Quay riverside. Families usually base themselves in Chroy Changvar.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Chroy Changvar
- Rainy-day options
- 0
Best things to do with kids
Experience · Riverside (Sisowath Quay)
1.Sunset river cruise
Wooden boats leave from the riverside for one- to two-hour trips up the Tonle Sap and onto the Mekong, passing the Royal Palace, the Chroy Changvar peninsula and fishing communities on the banks. Shared boats are inexpensive, and private boats can be hired for a group.
Bring your own snacks or choose a boat with drinks included, and sit on the upper deck for views of the palace.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
- After dark
Religious site · Wat Phnom and Central Market
2.Wat Phnom
The small wooded hill that gave the city its name: legend says a woman called Penh found Buddha statues in the river in 1372 and built a shrine on this mound. Today a pagoda and stupa crown the hill, reached by a naga-lined staircase, and locals come to pray for luck in exams and business.
Come in the late afternoon, when the park around the hill fills with families and food vendors.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
Waterfront · Riverside (Sisowath Quay)
3.Sisowath Quay riverside
The riverside promenade runs along the Tonle Sap near its confluence with the Mekong. In the evening it fills with families, joggers and open-air aerobics classes, and opposite the Royal Palace the small Preah Ang Dorngkeu shrine draws worshippers with incense and lotus offerings amid flocks of pigeons.
Walk the stretch between the Royal Palace and Wat Ounalom around sunset, then stop for a drink overlooking the water.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Couples
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Market · Wat Phnom and Central Market
4.Central Market (Phsar Thmei)
Opened in 1937, this bright yellow Art Deco market has a soaring central dome with four wings radiating out. Jewellers and watch sellers fill the space under the dome, while the wings and outer stalls sell clothes, souvenirs, flowers and cooked food.
Eat at the food stalls on the market's edge, where noodle soups and grilled meats are cheap and fresh.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Shopping
- Food
- Kids
Palace · Royal Palace and Street 240
5.Royal Palace
Built from 1866 when King Norodom moved the capital to Phnom Penh, the palace compound faces the river with tiered golden roofs, the Throne Hall used for coronations and manicured gardens. The King still lives here, so only part of the compound is open, but it is the city's defining sight.
Shoulders and knees must be covered; if you forget, cover-ups can be bought or rented at the entrance. The palace closes for a long break in the middle of the day, so go early.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours with the Silver Pagoda
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
Museum · Royal Palace and Street 240
6.National Museum of Cambodia
The terracotta-red museum built in the 1910s–1920s holds the world's leading collection of Khmer sculpture, from pre-Angkorian figures such as the eight-armed Vishnu of Phnom Da to the serene seated statue of Jayavarman VII and a huge bronze reclining Vishnu from the West Mebon. A quiet garden courtyard with lotus ponds sits at the centre.
Visit before a trip to Angkor to see the statues removed from the temples for safekeeping.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for quiet stays, families and luxury
Chroy Changvar
Chroy Changvar is the long peninsula between the Tonle Sap and the Mekong, reached by the Japanese Friendship Bridge. It holds large hotels and residential developments with views across the water to the riverside and the Royal Palace, and local riverside restaurants at its northern end.
- Good
- Calm, with big-hotel pools; Views back across the river; Closer to Koh Dach
- Watch out
- Bridge traffic to the centre; Few restaurants within walking distance
- Nearby
- Sisowath Quay, Koh Dach
Family travel tips
- Schedule sightseeing for early morning and late afternoon; spend the hottest hours at a hotel pool or air-conditioned mall.
- Tuk-tuks have no seat belts; use ride-hailing cars with young children where possible.
- Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre is the best animal outing near the city.
- Parents often visit Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek separately while the other adult stays with children.
Day trips for families
- Koh Dach (Silk Island) (About 45 minutes by tuk-tuk or boat) — A rural Mekong island where families weave silk on wooden looms under their stilt houses.
- Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (About 1 hour by car) — A large government-run sanctuary for animals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, including sun bears, gibbons, elephants and big cats, in spacious forest enclosures.
- Tonle Bati and Phnom Chisor (About 1–1.5 hours by car) — Tonle Bati has a late-12th-century laterite temple, Ta Prohm, beside a lake where locals picnic in bamboo huts.
When to go with children
The best months overall are November–February. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Phnom Penh good for kids?
Phnom Penh is manageable with children if you plan around the heat: river cruises, Wat Phnom's park, the markets and the wildlife centre at Phnom Tamao are the highlights. Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek include graphic content and are generally not suitable for young children.
+What can kids do in Phnom Penh?
Sunset river cruise, Wat Phnom, Sisowath Quay riverside, Central Market (Phsar Thmei) and Royal Palace.
+Where should families stay in Phnom Penh?
Chroy Changvar: Peninsula across the Tonle Sap with river views back to the palace.