Phnom Penh: Royal Palace & Wat Phnom Cyclo Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.40 (10 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/11

Duration4h

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

A Cyclo Ride Through Phnom Penh's Hidden Streets and Sacred Temples

You're picked up at a central meeting point and spend an afternoon moving through Phnom Penh by cyclo and on foot, visiting Wat Phnom temple, the Royal Palace, Independence Monument, and the colonial Post Office. Your local guide explains the significance of each stop while your cyclo driver navigates the quieter streets where local markets and street food happen. Transport, drinks and snacks are included, and your guide can arrange your return to your hotel when you're done.

Step-by-step itinerary

Phnom Penh city tour by cyclo

Meet local expert guide
Ride cyclo through city
Visit Wat Phnom temple
Explore outside Royal Palace
Learn about Independence Monument
Visit Central Post Office
Take break with drinks and snacks
Finish at Botumvatey Pagoda

The Experience

Someone pedals you slowly through the afternoon heat, and you're sitting low enough to see the street vendors' hands arranging fruit, the way motorbikes weave around you without honking, the exact moment a monk in saffron steps off the curb. That someone is your cyclo driver — one of the last few still working in Phnom Penh, steering this three-wheeled bicycle taxi through the city the way it was meant to be seen. Your local guide meets you at Papa Pain near Soriya Mall at 2:15pm, and from there the tour unfolds on foot and by cyclo, mixing the pace of the city with stops at the places that matter.

The route takes you to Wat Phnom first, the 27-metre Buddhist temple built in 1372 that sits at the heart of the city's spiritual life. From there you walk past the Royal Palace — your guide explains what you're seeing from outside, the architecture and its role in Cambodian life — and then to the Independence Monument, where the story shifts to what this landmark means to local people, not just tourists passing through. You'll stop at the Central Post Office, a colonial-era building that still functions, and your guide knows the smaller streets where Khmer street stalls and local coffee shops sit tucked between the main roads. The tour finishes at Botumvatey Pagoda, a central spot where restaurants and bars cluster, and your guide can help arrange transport back to your hotel if you need it.

What makes this different from a tuk-tuk blur is the pace itself. A cyclo moves slowly enough that you notice things — the way light falls on a temple wall, a conversation happening at a market stall, the texture of the city rather than just its landmarks. Your guide is there to fill in what you're seeing, not just to tick off a list. Drinks and snacks are included, so you're not hunting for water or deciding whether to stop. The afternoon runs about three to four hours, and the whole thing is built around the idea that Phnom Penh is better understood from a seat that's part of the street, not above it.

What’s included

All transport by cyclo and on foot.
expert local guide for the afternoon.
drinks and snacks during the tour.
visits to Wat Phnom, Royal Palace, Independence Monument, Central Post Office and Botumvatey Pagoda.
assistance arranging return transport to your hotel if needed.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Discova Southeast Asia

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to move through Phnom Penh at a pace that lets you notice the street-level details — the markets, the light, the way the city actually works — rather than rushing between landmarks. The cyclo is what makes that possible, and it's becoming rare.