Phnom Penh

Two days in Phnom Penh, from the Royal Palace to Tuol Sleng

Give Phnom Penh two days. The first is the royal city: the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda at opening time, the National Museum, lunch inside the Central Market, then Sisowath Quay to Wat Phnom and an evening boat. The second morning belongs to Tuol Sleng and the killing fields.

Day one is for the royal city. Be at the Royal Palace gate at opening time, while the courtyards are still cool, and finish inside at the Silver Pagoda with its floor of silver tiles. Walk a few minutes north to the National Museum, where the seated Jayavarman VII and the Leper King deserve a slow look, then rest in the central garden. Lunch on noodle soup at the counters inside the Central Market and look up into the dome before you leave.

As the heat eases, follow Sisowath Quay north to Wat Phnom, the small hill temple that gave the city its name, and board an evening boat on the Mekong to watch the lights come on along the shore.

Give the second morning to Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek. A remork driver can take you to both and wait while you go round, and the audio guides are the best way to take them in. Plan nothing demanding afterwards: lunch and a browse at the Russian Market, a slow coffee in BKK1, then an evening stroll through the gardens east of Independence Monument.

Bai sach chrouk breakfasts and Russian Market grazing

Breakfast in Phnom Penh is bai sach chrouk, charcoal-grilled pork on broken rice with pickles, from street stalls that pack up by mid-morning, or kuy teav, the clear pork noodle soup that carries the city's name. Num banh chok, rice noodles in green fish curry, sells at the same hour; graze the Russian Market food hall later.

Mornings belong to bai sach chrouk, thin slices of pork grilled over charcoal and laid on broken rice with pickled vegetables and a small bowl of broth. Stalls set up on street corners at dawn and pack away by mid-morning. The other breakfast staple is kuy teav, a clear rice-noodle soup with pork and fresh herbs, and the capital's style of it carries the city's name all over the country. Num banh chok, rice noodles under a green fish curry, is sold from baskets at the same hour.

Markets are the places to graze. The Russian Market has a cramped food hall under its tin roof, the Central Market keeps noodle counters around the dome, and after dark the night market near the quay fills with mats and grills.

For adventurous eaters, the corner of Street 178 and Norodom Boulevard sells duck embryo eggs and whole battered frogs, and the Central Market has grilled skewers of pig ears and gizzards. The city also has the widest spread of French, Vietnamese, Thai and regional Chinese kitchens in Cambodia. Iced coffee with condensed milk is everywhere, and independent roasters now compete with the international chains.

Cool December, a 35°C April and the autumn storms

December and January are the gentlest months, with highs of 31 to 32°C and barely any rain. April reaches 35°C with 26°C nights, and September and October are wettest, at about 270 and 250 mm, in heavy late-day storms. Khmer New Year in mid-April empties the capital and closes many shops.

The calendar splits cleanly. December and January are the gentlest months, with highs of 31 to 32C, lows around 22C and barely any rain. By April the afternoon high sits at 35C and nights stay at 26C, which makes midday sightseeing hard work. Rain builds from May, and September and October are the wettest months at around 270 mm and 250 mm, usually arriving as heavy late-day storms that drain within a couple of hours.

Festivals change the city more than the weather does. Khmer New Year in mid-April empties the capital as families travel to their home provinces, and many shops and restaurants close for several days. Pchum Ben, the festival of the ancestors, has a similar effect in September or October, with pagodas full of rice offerings at dawn.

Bon Om Touk, the Water Festival, falls in October or November and celebrates the moment the Tonle Sap reverses its flow. Long racing boats crewed by dozens of paddlers compete on the river in front of the Royal Palace, and the quay is packed for three days. Book rooms early if your dates overlap, and expect road closures near the river.