At the turn of the millennium, Phnom Penh presented a low-lying conurbation that felt chaotic, traffic-choked and run-down; in 2025, it has nearly 2,000 high-rises. As the dazzling Techo Interntional Airport, designed by British firm Foster + Partners opens in September, now’s the optimum time to take in the unstoppable urbanisation and glamorous gentrification of Cambodia’s largest city.
In 2014, Vattanac Capital Tower opened near Phnom Penh’s train station on Monivong Boulevard. Its atypically angular architecture housed a luxury mall, serviced apartmemts, offices and eventually, in 2018, the Rosewood luxury hotel (see below). It marked a turning point in the city’s fortunes; suddenly, skyscrapers shot up, and upscale hotels, cafés, bars and restaurants lined the streets. In 2023, Phnom Penh hosted the South East Asian Games, its largest-ever sporting event, principally at the Morodek Techo Stadium in Chroy Changvar peninsula.
The new airport, located 30km outside the capital, connects to central Phnom Penh by a specially-built highway and features lush greenery, rooftop gardens, native flora and natural light. Its terminals are almost entirely powered by solar energy, with the aim of making Techo a sustainable, eco-friendly location. Seductive shopping spots along the way include the huge AEON 3 mall, the largest of three AEON malls, and Chip Mong 271 Mega Mall, the first fully Cambodian-owned mall in Phnom Penh.
Just across the water, a weekend in the capital starts at Sisowath Quay, the riverside boulevard that hosts the Royal Palace and its many constituent buildings – the Silver Pagoda is a standout – as well as a host of marvellous restaurants and bars. From here you can also admire Chroy Changvar, which lies at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac rivers and Tonlé Sap lake, and now hosts Cambodia’s tallest building – the ultra-luxe condominium Morgan EnMaison, complete with helipad and yachting marina. You’ll also immediately identify Sokha Hotel, an unmissable luxury property opened in 2015, which has hosted dignitaries and world leaders.
At lunchtime, enjoy the breeze on a remorque (three-wheeled, motorised trailer) to the Phnom Penh outpost of the lauded Cuisine Wat Damnak, a delectable and peaceful dining experience set in a restored 1950s villa with a garden that’s every bit as sophisticated and elegant as its Siem Reap namesake.
Appetites sated, head over to the fascinating SOSORO Museum, which uniquely traces Cambodian history through the lens of economics and politics. The museum’s 12 exhibition rooms take visitors on a 2,000-year journey through displays and multimedia presentations.
Later in the afternoon, by way of contrast, find creative sanctuary at DinArt Gallery. This idiosyncratic exhibition space was founded by artist and former architect Teang Borin, who specialises in abstract paintings of apsaras – female nymphs or fairy spirits – that reflect Khmer culture, religion and society. Then head back towards Sisowath Quay to visit the newest attraction. Walk Street stretches from Phnom Penh Night Market to Chaktomuk Conference Hall, and at sunset becomes a vibrant locale for a weekend evening stroll, with food stalls, street performers – musicians, dancers – and a cool breeze off the river.
Walk Street also hosts a plethora of stalls selling everything from cosmopolitan street food – Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese – and drinks to souvenirs and handmade goods. Most local vendors now widely accept cashless payment, allowing visitors to pay by scanning a QR code or the Bakong Tourists app. The area intends to introduce Cambodian culture, old and new, to those who may be unfamiliar with it – performances are characterised by traditional dances graced with energetic movement, playful audience interaction and colourful costumes. Visitors can also take a three-wheeled cyclo (aka pedicab) if the walking becomes tiring.
To end the evening, head to Langka Lane, an intimate enclave full of speakeasies, boutiques, izakayas and cosmopolitan resto-bars (French, Vietnamese) – and if you still have the energy, wander down nearby Bassac Lane, one of Asia’s most characterful cocktail alleyways. Once a leafy residential area, this laneway evolved during the mid-2010s into a buzzing nightlife hotspot, and remains a great place to end the night.
Hyatt Regency serves as a fine hotel to stay, an attractive five-star remodelled colonial villa in the city centre offering views of the Royal Palace that’s renowned for its fine gastronomy and rooftop lounge bar serving bespoke cocktails. Its ample outdoor pool, afternoon tea and Metropole Underground, a socialising spot with nightly live entertainment, are further enticements.
A perfect way to start Sunday is to take a guided tuk-tuk journey with Khmer Architecture Tours, which focuses especially on the idiosyncratic buildings of Vann Molyvann, Cambodia’s most influential architect, who pioneered a style known as New Khmer Architecture. In the heyday of the 1960s Molyvann was commissioned by “King Father” Norodom Sihanouk to build several iconic edifices, including the National Olympic Stadium, the Independence Monument and Chaktomuk Conference Hall.
Now you can explore Molyvann’s refurbished former home, which has now been transformed into a Brown Coffee (Cambodia’s most revered café chain), mini-museum and shrine to his legacy. Take lunch at the decorative all-day fine-diner Sombok (“nest”), its all-female team masterminded by celebrity chef Kimsan Pol, at the eastern end of Sisowath Quay near the Night Market, which dreams up both Khmer and international concoctions and serves them in impecccable style.
You’ll witness remarkable, eco-forward towers by real-estate pioneers Urban Living Solutions dotted around Phnom Penh – a company bringing new élan to the capital that’s also responsible for Factory, Cambodia’s largest gallery strewn with murals, workshops and co-working spaces.
In the early evening, head to luxurious hotel Rosewood Phnom Penh for drinks at Sora – a sustainability-forward sky bar which recently became the first Cambodian bar listed on Asia’s Best Bars. Here you can admire the jaw-dropping panorama, which takes in the historic art-deco Central Market (1937) and Royal Railway Station (1932). For dinner, head to Le Manolis, a fun-filled French restaurant and wine bar by the Mekong, and end the night at MAWSIM, the city’s pre-eminent distillery making crafted, spiced gin.
The street-art scene, headed by third-culture muralist FONKi (Fonki Yav), can be seen at his FT Gallery, which specialises in urban contemporary art and even at the Rosewood; and live music is a flourising scene, with blues/rap fusion group Japan Guitar Shop leading the way.
Today, Phnom Penh is Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing, most exciting capital, and the evidence is everywhere you look.
On 9 September, 2025, 0900hrs (GMT +8) Singapore Airlines will move its operations from Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH) to Techo International Airpot (KTI). There will be no changes to the flight numbers or scheduled timings for flights operating to and from Phnom Penh.
For more information on Singapore Airlines’ flights to Phnom Penh, visit singaporeair.com.
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