Phnom Penh in 5 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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Five days is the city core plus two real day trips
Days 1-4 here are the exact plan in the 4-day itinerary : the Royal Palace and National Museum, Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, Central Market and the Night Market, then Koh Dach’s silk villages. Day 5 adds Tonle Bati, a small Angkorian-era temple south of the city. Days run $15-81 a person depending on the day. File the e-Arrival Card (arrival.gov.kh) and an e-visa (evisa.gov.kh, about $36) before you fly, and bring crisp US bills.
Day 1: Royal Palace and the riverside core
Start at Wat Phnom ($1). Walk or tuk-tuk to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda ($10 combined); go in the morning or afternoon session and dress in shoulders-and-knees coverage. The National Museum of Cambodia is a few minutes’ walk away ($10 adult, $5 youth). Close on Sisowath Quay, free to walk, with dinner built around fish amok.
| Day 1 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed (hostel dorm / guesthouse double) | 6 | 25 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 4 |
| Wat Phnom | 1 | 1 |
| Royal Palace + Silver Pagoda | 10 | 10 |
| National Museum (youth / adult) | 5 | 10 |
| Lunch | 2 | 6 |
| Dinner (fish amok) | 4 | 10 |
| Tuk-tuk rides | 2 | 6 |
| Day 1 total | 32 | 72 |
Day 2: Tuol Sleng, Choeung Ek, and the Russian Market
A memorial day, not a sightseeing day. Tuol Sleng (S-21) is $5 (plus $5 for the recommended audio guide), open 8am-5pm; go first, that’s the order the history happened in. Choeung Ek, about 15km south, is $6 including its own audio guide, open 7:30am-5:30pm. Agree the round-trip tuk-tuk fare before you set off, roughly $10-16. In the afternoon the Russian Market is free to browse.
| Day 2 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 6 | 25 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 4 |
| Tuol Sleng (+ audio guide) | 5 | 10 |
| Choeung Ek (incl. audio) | 6 | 6 |
| Tuk-tuk to/from Choeung Ek | 10 | 16 |
| Lunch | 2 | 6 |
| Dinner | 4 | 10 |
| Local tuk-tuk rides | 2 | 4 |
| Day 2 total | 37 | 81 |
Day 3: Central Market, Wat Ounalom, and the Night Market
Central Market (Phsar Thmei) is free to browse. Wat Ounalom, Cambodia’s Buddhist headquarters, is free (donation welcome). The Independence Monument is a short tuk-tuk ride away and free to photograph. Close at the Night Market (Friday-Sunday, free entry).
| Day 3 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 6 | 25 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 4 |
| Central Market browsing | 0 | 0 |
| Wat Ounalom | 0 | 0 |
| Independence Monument | 0 | 0 |
| Lunch | 2 | 6 |
| Night Market dinner | 3 | 8 |
| Tuk-tuk rides | 2 | 6 |
| Day 3 total | 15 | 49 |
Day 4: Koh Dach, the Silk Island
Koh Dach sits about 15km from the city, a 30-45 minute tuk-tuk-and-ferry combination each way. The silk-weaving villages are free to wander; a rented bicycle covers more ground past looms and mulberry groves. There’s no fixed entry fee, budget for transport, a bike, and whatever silk you buy directly from a weaver.
| Day 4 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 6 | 25 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 4 |
| Tuk-tuk + ferry to Koh Dach (round trip) | 15 | 25 |
| Bicycle rental | 2 | 5 |
| Lunch on the island | 2 | 6 |
| Dinner back in the city | 4 | 10 |
| Day 4 total | 31 | 75 |
Day 5: Tonle Bati and the Ta Prohm temple
South of the city about 30-40km (roughly an hour by tuk-tuk or shared taxi), Tonle Bati pairs a small Angkorian-era temple, Ta Prohm, with a lakeside setting where locals swim and picnic on weekends. This is a smaller namesake temple, not the famous Ta Prohm in Siem Reap’s Angkor complex, worth knowing before you go so you don’t mix up the two. A small entry fee, a few dollars, is collected at the temple; the lake itself is free. It’s an easy half-day, back in the city for a normal afternoon and evening.
| Day 5 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 6 | 25 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 4 |
| Round-trip transport to Tonle Bati | 20 | 30 |
| Ta Prohm temple entry | 2 | 5 |
| Lunch by the lake | 2 | 6 |
| Dinner back in the city | 4 | 10 |
| Day 5 total | 36 | 80 |
Getting around on 5 days
Days 1 and 3 are mostly walkable; Days 2, 4, and 5 all need a booked tuk-tuk or driver out of the city center. PassApp or Grab covers the in-city legs, but Koh Dach and Tonle Bati are usually negotiated fares for a private driver, agree the round trip price upfront.
Five days covers a genuinely relaxed version of Phnom Penh plus two real day trips. Want a third? The 6-day itinerary adds Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue.