Phnom Penh in 7 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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A full week in Phnom Penh, honestly stretched past what the city alone needs
Days 1-6 here are the exact plan in the 6-day itinerary : the Royal Palace and National Museum, Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek, Central Market and the Night Market, Koh Dach, Tonle Bati, and Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue. Day 7 is either a slow, cheap day back in the city or one more paid trip to Kirirom National Park. Most days run $15-86 a person; only the optional Kirirom day pushes higher. 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. If a week is more than you need, the 5-day itinerary covers the core plus two day trips.
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, Tonle Bati pairs a small Angkorian-era temple, Ta Prohm (not the famous one in Siem Reap), with a lakeside setting where locals swim and picnic on weekends. A small entry fee is collected at the temple; the lake itself is free.
| 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 |
Day 6: Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue
About 36-40km south of the city, Phnom Tamao is Cambodia’s wildlife rescue center, home to rescued elephants, tigers, and other animals that can’t be released back to the wild; it’s often paired with the nearby Phnom Chisor hilltop temple if you have the extra time. Budget a modest entry fee at the gate plus round-trip transport, most visitors book a private tuk-tuk or shared taxi rather than public transit, which doesn’t reach the site.
| Day 6 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 6 | 25 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 4 |
| Round-trip transport to Phnom Tamao | 25 | 35 |
| Entry fee | 3 | 6 |
| Lunch | 2 | 6 |
| Dinner back in the city | 4 | 10 |
| Day 6 total | 42 | 86 |
Day 7: a slow day, or one more trip to Kirirom
By day 7, Phnom Penh’s marquee list is genuinely done, what’s left is either rest or one more paid excursion. Kirirom National Park, roughly 100-120km southwest (2-3 hours each way), is Cambodia’s cool-climate escape, pine forest and waterfalls that feel nothing like the capital; it’s a full day, worth a private driver or organized tour given the distance. If you’d rather not spend a seventh day on the road, spend it back at the free sights instead, the riverside or whichever market you liked best, and save the driving for wherever you’re headed next. Most trips built around Phnom Penh continue on to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat (about 300km, 5-6 hours or a short flight, never a day trip from here) or an overnight in Kampot and Kep on the coast (about 136km, 3-4 hours), rather than staying a full week in the capital alone.
| Day 7 cost (USD, per person, if visiting Kirirom) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 6 | 25 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 4 |
| Round-trip driver/tour to Kirirom | 40 | 60 |
| Park entry | 2 | 5 |
| Lunch | 3 | 8 |
| Dinner back in the city | 4 | 10 |
| Day 7 total | 57 | 112 |
Skip Kirirom and Day 7 falls back into the same $15-49 range as the free-sights Day 3, riverside walking, a market revisit, and an ordinary dinner.
Getting around on 7 days
Days 1 and 3 (and Day 7, if you skip Kirirom) are mostly walkable. Days 2, 4, 5, 6, and a Kirirom Day 7 all need a booked tuk-tuk or driver out of the city, with Kirirom the longest single trip of the week. PassApp or Grab covers the in-city legs; agree day-trip fares as a round-trip price upfront.
A week is more than most travelers spend in Phnom Penh alone, and that’s fine, it’s a deliberately honest week: the marquee sights are covered by Day 3, and everything after is either a genuine day trip or a rest day before the next leg of a wider Cambodia trip.