The capital, by cyclo
Two Mekong days in Phnom Penh
This is the capital your ship actually reaches. Lines give it one or two days, split between the palace and museum on one side and the Khmer Rouge sites on the other — and the history is the harder half.
- $10Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, international admission
- $5Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, non-Cambodian adults
- 1–2 dayswhat every big line gives the city
- ~20 kmby road to Techo International (KTI)
- From the shipTuk-tuks or cyclos; Choeung Ek further out
- Time neededOne or two days, by line
- Best donePalace in the 8–11 am session
- Skip ifS-21 is too much: Central Market instead
Plan the call
How long do you have ashore?
- Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda120 min
The 8–11 am session, with shoulders and knees covered.
- National Museum of Cambodia75 min
Next door at Streets 13 and 178, for Khmer art.
About 3 h 15 for the day, by our planning estimate
- Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda120 min
Day one by cyclo or tuk-tuk, inside the morning session.
- National Museum of Cambodia75 min
Beside the palace; last tickets at 4:30 pm.
- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)90 min
Day two; the audio guide costs $5 more and earns it.
- Choeung Ek, the Killing Fields120 min
Out in Dangkao district; go with your line or a guide.
About 6 h 45 across the two days, by our planning estimate
Times are our planning estimates for a typical call, not the line’s schedule. Your daily programme sets the all-aboard.
The call
Palace one day, history the next
Uniworld sets the pattern. Its first day is a tuk-tuk tour of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the National Museum, and its second goes to Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng (S-21).
AmaWaterways packs the palace, pagoda and museum into one morning and the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng into the afternoon, then sails to Oudong. Viking rides cyclos to the palace and visits Choeung Ek, with silversmiths and a monastery the following day.
Avalon offers Tuol Sleng and a Killing Fields site, or a market by tuk-tuk, then a private cyclo tour of the palace. On Avalon and Aqua departures that begin here it's boarding day too — Aqua boards at the TS1 terminal on Preah Sisowath Quay from 3:30 pm.
The other lines don't publish their berths. Wherever you tie up, expect tuk-tuks, cyclos or remorks rather than a walking day.
From the ship: Sisowath Quay is the riverfront, but Choeung Ek is out in Dangkao district, so plan on transport for most of the day.
In town
The palace, the museum and S-21
Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
Open in two sessions, 8:00–11:00 am and 2:00–5:00 pm, and shut through midday. Cover shoulders and knees. It's on every line's programme.
SourceNational Museum of Cambodia
Next to the palace at Streets 13 and 178, daily 8:00 am–5:00 pm, with last tickets at 4:30 pm. Foreign adults pay $10 and ages 10–17 pay $5. It's billed as the world's largest collection of Khmer art.
Source 1 Source 2Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)
Open every day, public holidays included, 8:00 am–5:00 pm. Children 10–17 pay $3 and under-10s go free; the audio guide is another $5.
SourceChoeung Ek, the Killing Fields
In Dangkao district, on the city's edge. With Tuol Sleng and the former M-13 prison, it makes up UNESCO's Cambodian Memorial Sites. Hours and fees aren't published, so go with your line or a guide.
SourcePhnom Penh on the Mekong. Open its card on the river map for lines, season and nearby calls.
Beyond the town
Up the Tonlé Sap and out of town
Oudong, the former royal capital
North of the city on the Tonlé Sap river. AmaWaterways goes in the morning for a Buddhist blessing ceremony, and Viking visits the monks at what it calls 'Udon Monastery'.
Source 1 Source 2A silversmith village
Viking's second day includes silversmiths at a riverside village. Avalon calls at Konpong Louang for the same craft before sailing back to the city.
Source 1 Source 2Kampong Tralach by ox cart
Avalon's call before Phnom Penh — an ox-cart ride through the countryside.
SourceExtra days, booked ahead
Things to do in Phnom Penh
Your line covers the daylight hours. These fit an evening, or a slower look at the hardest history.
- Phnom Penh by cyclo or tuk-tuk at duskThe line does the palace by day. An evening ride shows the riverfront lit up.
- Private guide for Tuol Sleng and Choeung EkFor anyone who wants more time than a group visit allows.
- Khmer cooking classIf your line doesn't offer one — Scenic does.
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Eat and drink
Markets and a cooking class
The lines
Who calls at Phnom Penh
From the lines’ published itineraries, October 2026. Names that are linked open our review of the line.
When
Lines call here most of the year. In low water, roughly December to mid-August, Aqua's sailings that would otherwise reach Siem Reap end in Phnom Penh, with a 45-minute flight on. In November, the State Department advises avoiding riverfront crowds during the Water Festival — check your dates before you plan a free evening on the quay.
Why trust this page
The Seabound standard
Sources, read at the source
Every fare, berth and timetable here was checked on October 22, 2026, at the line, port or hotel wherever they publish it. Where they don’t, we name the source we used, or say nothing is published.
Paid placements
No line or hotel pays to appear here or to rank higher. Affiliate links are labelled, and they never decide what we recommend.
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A Seabound Journeys advisor reads your brief, compares the lines for your dates and answers you personally. CLIA-affiliated, Florida Seller of Travel ST15578.
Have us plan it
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- Usually the same fare as booking direct, and our advice costs you nothing.
- We compare the lines that call at Phnom Penh for your dates, side by side.
- Hotel nights, flights and transfers can go into the same plan.
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Quick answers
Phnom Penh on a river cruise: questions
Which lines start or end in Phnom Penh?
Aqua Mekong, at the TS1 terminal on Sisowath Quay, and Avalon, which flies guests in from Siem Reap. Viking, AmaWaterways, Scenic and Uniworld call here mid-cruise.
Is the Royal Palace open all day?
No. It closes from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, so plan on the morning or the afternoon session.
Should I do Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields?
Most lines include both or make them the main choice. They're hard going. AmaWaterways, Scenic and Avalon offer a market or city tour instead if you'd rather not.
How far is the airport?
Techo International is about 20 km out, 45 minutes to an hour by private car. Aqua's transfer allows 60–90 minutes.
How we checked this page 14 sources
Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 22, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.
- Aqua Expeditions – Aqua Mekong embarkation & disembarkation (PDF)
- Wilderness Travel – Aqua Mekong
- AffordableTours – Avalon Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong
- Uniworld – Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong 2026
- Travel Managers – AmaWaterways Riches of the Mekong package
- Adventure Life – Scenic Luxury Mekong
- Viking – Magnificent Mekong 2027
- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum – Contact
- GoAsia – Royal Palace Phnom Penh
- IntoCambodia – National Museum
- GoAsia – Choeung Ek
- GeckoRoutes – Techo International Airport
- US State Department – Cambodia Travel Advisory
- Viator – Phnom Penh