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Phnom Penh Meet the locals

Our most recommended Phnom Penh Meet the locals

Phnom Penh: Culinary Underground Local Food Tuk-Tuk Tour

1. Phnom Penh: Culinary Underground Local Food Tuk-Tuk Tour

Embark on a journey to discover the local food culture of Cambodia. Enjoy views of some of Phnom Penh’s best-known landmarks, such as the Independence Monument, as you zoom across the city in a tuk-tuk. Meet your guide outside your hotel or residence and hop aboard the tuk-tuk. First stop, enjoy fresh rice noodles topped with traditional sauce and fresh herbs.  Following this, take a seat on the floor and learn about Cambodia's turbulent history over curry and a banana leaf salad. Third stop, pull up a plastic chair at this popular local spot for some crushed eggplant and Cambodia's famous prahok. Learn also about the importance of rice in Cambodian cuisine. Lastly, feast on a selection of meats roasted in a ceramic jar over an open fire. Finally, sink a local craft beer or cocktail at a rooftop bar. At the end of the tour, bid farewell to the guide and the tuk-tuk will drop you back at your hotel, or wherever you like within the city.

Half-Day Tour of Tonle Bati and Ta Prohm temples

2. Half-Day Tour of Tonle Bati and Ta Prohm temples

Following pick-up and welcome at your hotel by Euro Khmer's guide, we will depart from Phnom Penh to Tonle Bati to visit the late-12th century temple of Jayavarman VII. This remarkable temple was built during the same period as Bayon and Angkor Thom in Siem Reap. From there, visit the laterite temple of Ta Prohm, also built by King Jayavarman VII (who ruled 1181 to 1201), on the site of a 6th century Khmer shrine. The main sanctuary consists of five chambers, each housing its own lingam. Then, visit Yeay Peau temple, named after King Ta Prohm's mother, located 150 meters (490 feet) north of Ta Prohm. After exploring more of Cambodia's temples, history and nature, we will return to Phnom Penh.

Half Day Tour of Tuol Sleng and Choeng Ek Killing Field

3. Half Day Tour of Tuol Sleng and Choeng Ek Killing Field

Your Euro-Khmer guide will pick you up from the hotel that you stayed in Phnom Penh and our guide & driver drive you to the killing fields of Choeung Ek – 15 km south of Phnom Penh. The infamous killing fields have a bloody history. Once an orchard and a Chinese cemetery, the Khmer Rogue, lead by Pol Pot, turned the place into what became known as the killing fields. Over four years they massacred and buried 2.5 million people. After remembering the dead, return to Phnom Penh to visit Tuol Sleng Prison. Meaning hill of the poisonous trees, Pol Pot turned a once popular high school into a high security prison. 20,000 people were imprisoned there, many of whom were tortured for information. Today it serves as a museum and a reminder of darker days. Your Euro-Khmer guide will return you to your hotel or guesthouse in the early evening.

Phnom Penh: Killing Field & Village Car or Mini Van Tour

4. Phnom Penh: Killing Field & Village Car or Mini Van Tour

This tour of 4 hours will allow you to explore the brutality of the Khmer Rouge with a professional English Speaking tour guide. The Choeung Ek killing field is a former orchard and one of the mass grave sites found after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. After visiting Choeung Ek, you will take your private Car or Minivan to an authentic Cambodian village, where most people still live in the traditional manner established by their forefathers hundreds of years ago.  On the way to and from the village, you will witness the beauty of Cambodia's countryside and Local people, including rice fields on the side of the road.

Phnom Penh: National Museum, Russian Market & Wat Phnom

5. Phnom Penh: National Museum, Russian Market & Wat Phnom

Get an insight into the art and culture of the Khmer Empire on a half-day tour of Phnom Penh, and experience life in the city today at one of the most vibrant markets. You will start your tour at the National Museum of Cambodia, which houses Khmer art and sculptures from different periods of Cambodian history. See bronze statues, stone heads, and traditional ceramics among the 14,000 items in the museum's collection. Inspired by Khmer temple architecture, the museum complex was constructed between 1917 and 1924, and renovated in 1968. Continue to the Russian Market, named from the time when most foreigners in Cambodia were Russians. Bargain for souvenir gifts among the stalls selling silks, carvings, and curios. End your tour at Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh’s namesake temple. Enjoy lovely views over the tree-lined avenues of Phnom Penh at sunset, and explore the shrines, pagodas, and murals depicting stories from the Reamker - the Khmer version of the Ramayana - the grounds.

Phnom Penh: Historical Guided Tour

6. Phnom Penh: Historical Guided Tour

Our driver and knowledgeable guide will be waiting for you at your hotel, ready to take you on an incredible journey. Wat Phnom is your first stop when exploring the city and it is a 14th-century Buddhist temple that stands at 27 meters tall, making it the highest religious structure in this area. This temple has a long history, offering visitors insight into the culture and religion of Cambodia. The complex features several highly decorated structures, including a large stupa at its center. Then, head to the Royal Palace are home to King Sihamoni and closed off to the public, but you will be able to visit the sacred Silver Pagoda that lies in the palace complex. This sacred site provides an opportunity to experience a unique part of Cambodian history, culture and art that no other place in the country can offer. Your included visits to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum will introduce you to the tragic legacy of the Khmer Rouge. Your expert guide will tell you the story of this period in detail, allowing you to gain a deeper understanding of this dark chapter in Cambodia's history.

Phnom Penh: TukTuk Evening Food Tour

7. Phnom Penh: TukTuk Evening Food Tour

5:30 pm, Meet your guide at your hotel and hop aboard the tuk-tuk. We head to the lively riverfront area where the locals come to take in the air, snack on the street hawkers food and enjoy impromptu waterside entertainment. Then, we venture down a hidden back alley close to the Royal Palace in order to sample one of Cambodia's most beloved and time-honored dishes, prepared with care by 3 generations of home cooks and served alongside the bustling after-work crowd. The aroma of spices and flavors is overwhelming as we make our way through the alley. We invite you to join us in a mesmerizing exploration of the vibrant Russian Market by night, where Khmer ingredients will be unveiled, tasted and savored. Prepare your taste buds for succulent BBQ chicken and sweet, sticky pork ribs that are sure to tantalize your senses. To top off a great night out, why not head to one of the city’s lively and bustling nightlife hotspots and enjoy a delicious, refreshing cocktail or local craft beer. It's the perfect way to have some fun and relax before heading to your hotel.

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What people are saying about Phnom Penh

Overall rating

4.8 / 5

based on 63 reviews

Thank you Get your guide we had a great tour. Chaanak was our guide for the day and he was amazing. He brought to life the sad history of your country in a very compelling and engaging way. His personal stories and family history made the whole tour even more engaging. He couldn’t have been more helpful. Very well informed and good fun to spend a half day with. The itenrary was exactly right for us the car and driver was also excellent. A very moving tour. We would thoroughly recommend it and a big thank you to Chaanak!

Channak was a fantastic guide. We felt so honoured and privileged that he shared his personal experience with us. The tour shows a difficult part of Cambodia’s history and we were able see and listen to the stories of people who were there. It’s so sad but touching and a very important tour. Highly recommend. Thank you Channak.

We loved this activity. We tried new dishes in a restaurant that we most likely would not have entered otherwise. Very interesting to know the Cambodian culture through its gastronomy. The great guide. The tour is highly recommended.

Our guide Fresh was v knowledgeable of this period of Cambodian history and was v friendly. The experience is of course traumatic, but important to understand the relatively recent history of other nations.

Excellent tour with even better guide and driver. Highly recommend. Although heart wrenching, this is a piece of history that must be shared widely so it is not repeated.