Phnom Penh Layover Guide: KTI Airport, Visa, Plans

Phnom Penh’s airport is no longer PNH. Since 9 September 2025 every commercial flight uses Techo International (KTI), about 20 km south of the city, so any guide quoting a short airport hop is out of date.

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This guide is for travellers whose ticket says Phnom Penh, or who connect there, and who need to decide one thing: leave the airport or stay. The answer depends on a transfer that is now much longer than it used to be, a visa and an arrival card that people often pay too much for, and a short list of scams that repeat in this city.

Every price, rule and opening time names its source and date, and where sources disagree the page shows both figures. The airport only opened in September 2025, so much of what is published online still describes the old airport. Where I could not confirm something, the page says so. Nothing here is first-hand: I have not visited, and I do not claim to.

Which Phnom Penh Layover Are You In?

Match your situation to the verdict in the table, then jump to the section that gives the detail. The verdicts use the transfer times, check-in advice and opening hours quoted later on this page, and the thresholds are my arithmetic, not an official rule.

Is Your Phnom Penh Airport KTI or PNH?

It is KTI. Techo International Airport replaced Phnom Penh International (PNH) for commercial flights on 9 September 2025, according to Wikipedia and Future Southeast Asia, and the old site is described as a military airbase for domestic flights and private jets. If your booking shows PNH, the code is a stale label for the same city.

Only use the right-hand column. Guides last updated before September 2025 describe the old airport, and their fares and times no longer apply.

Why do sources give different distances to KTI?

Because they measure to different points. The airport’s own transport page says about 20 km south of the city, Future Southeast Asia measures 24 km from the Independence Monument, and Wikipedia gives both 19 km and “over 30 km” in the same article. Treat 20 km as the working figure and plan for 45 to 60 minutes by car, longer at rush hour.

What does the move mean for a layover?

It roughly doubles the overhead of a city trip. The old airport sat about 9 km out, and a 30-minute transfer could be done on a long layover. With KTI you plan around an hour each way, and VisaToCambodia advises extra time on arrival day for the longer transfer.

What Do You Need to Enter Cambodia on a Layover?

If you leave the airport, you need a visa for most passports and a separate, free e-Arrival card for everyone arriving by air. Check your nationality first, because several ASEAN countries are visa-exempt and the rules have changed during 2026.

Is the e-Arrival card free?

Two guides say yes and one says no. VisitCambodia.travel says “anyone charging for it isn’t official”, and GoToKH says submission is free and warns against paying third-party sites. VisaToCambodia describes a US$20 fee. I could not open arrival.gov.kh to check, so file only on that address or the official app, and treat any site that asks for payment as a reseller.

Can you cross from Thailand by land?

No, not at the moment. The Thaiger reported on 1 November 2026 that Thailand’s prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said the land crossings will not reopen “until Thailand gets what we believe it deserves”. VisaToCambodia says all seven crossings have been closed since June 2025. If you planned Bangkok to Phnom Penh by road or rail, book a flight and confirm the route with your airline.

Which airlines fly into KTI?

The hub carriers are Air Cambodia, Cambodia Airways and Sky Angkor Airlines, with Vietnam Airlines using KTI as a focus city and AirAsia Cambodia based there, per Wikipedia. Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and Air China are also listed. I did not confirm current direct Bangkok flights, so check your airline.

Should You Leave KTI on a Layover?

Leave only if you have about ten hours or more, because the overhead is large. Plan on an hour to clear immigration and bags, about an hour each way to the city, and the 2.5 to 3 hours before departure that CambodiaKingdom advises for international flights.

The thresholds are my arithmetic from the sourced times, not an official rule. A US$30 visa also has to be worth it for the hours you get, so weigh that against a lounge day.

How Do You Get From KTI to Central Phnom Penh?

Take a ride-hailing app or the fixed-price counter, and use the bus only if you have time and exact change. The airport’s own page lists taxis and apps (Grab, WowNow and PassApp) at about US$10 to $20 and describes the airport as about 20 km south of the city.

Do not use older figures such as US$12 to $15 taxis or the No. 3 bus. They belong to the old airport (Along Dusty Roads, November 2023).

What About Money, SIM Cards and Wi-Fi at Arrival?

Both US dollars and riel are used, and the arrivals hall has ATMs, exchange counters and SIM stands. CambodiaKingdom says ATMs dispensing US dollars, exchange counters and major Cambodian banks are in arrivals, and that Cellcard, Smart and Metfone sell tourist data plans and eSIMs. Terminal Wi-Fi is free.

What Is Inside Techo International Airport?

A new, quiet terminal with two paid lounges, fast food in arrivals and more dining in departures. One Mile at a Time (9 November 2025, updated 5 March 2026) called it possibly the “prettiest midsize airport” the writer had seen, said it was never busy, and described the shopping and dining as not particularly impressive.

Can you transit at KTI without entering Cambodia?

Possibly, but ask your airline before you rely on it. The same One Mile at a Time review describes international transit signage in the arrivals hall, a confused immigration officer, a 20-minute wait for a transit security check, and two failed scanners. The writer says he was “not 100% sure” he could transit without entering. I found no official transit rules, so check with your airline before you land.

Which lounges are at KTI, and what do they cost?

There are two Plaza Premium lounges in International Departures, after customs and passport control. The Lotusmiles lounge guide (updated 12 January 2026) lists Plaza Premium Lounge from US$37 for three hours, or US$41.60 for two hours direct, and Plaza Premium First from US$61.20 for two hours. Prices and gate numbers differ between the guide’s own table and text, so confirm with the lounge.

Source: Lotusmiles lounge guide, 12 January 2026. Both lounges need an onward boarding pass. The guide also says arriving transit passengers with connecting baggage must not clear customs.

Where can you eat at KTI?

The arrivals hall and the area just outside have fast food and cafés including Starbucks, Burger King and Blue Pumpkin, per a traveller post on Trip.com, and departures has more dining plus a large Buddha statue. The post is undated, so check what is open when you land.

What Can You Do in Phnom Penh With 7, 10 or 12 Hours?

Choose one anchor: the riverfront for a short window, the Royal Palace for a medium one, or the Royal Palace plus the S-21 museum for a long one. The plans below count the overhead from the sourced times. The palace is open in two windows, 8:00 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 (Audiala, June 2025), so landing time decides the order.

What Should You See in Phnom Penh?

See the Royal Palace and the S-21 museum first, and add the riverfront for a meal. These have published hours or fees, and they are the ones that fit a 10-hour layover. Other well-known stops, such as the Central Market, the National Museum, Wat Phnom and the Independence Monument, did not have hours I could confirm, so check locally.

Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda

The palace opens in two windows, 8:00 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, per Audiala (last modified 28 June 2025), which means a midday gap. Adult entry is listed at about US$10. Cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes at the Silver Pagoda, and do not take photos inside the Silver Pagoda or the Throne Hall. The page itself warns that prices should be checked against official sources.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)

The museum is open every day from 8:00 to 17:00, and non-Cambodian adults pay US$5, per its official site. It describes itself as the memorial site of the S-21 interrogation and detention centre of the Khmer Rouge regime. Payment is cash, in riel or US dollars, an audio guide costs US$5, and mobile phones are not allowed in the exhibition buildings. Visitors under 18 with ID can enter on a free pass.

Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre

Choeung Ek is the memorial on the outskirts, in Dangkao District, and it is usually paired with S-21 in tours. GoAsia (updated 20 October 2026) did not publish a fee or hours, so I cannot give them. Ask your tour operator or hotel, and allow extra time, because the site is outside the centre.

Riverfront and Sisowath Quay

The riverfront is the easiest short stop for a meal and a walk, but it is also a named theft hotspot. The FCDO (19 March 2026) lists the riverfront and BKK as hotspots for petty crime. Keep your bag across your body on the side away from the road, and do not walk with your phone in your hand.

What Do Locals and Regular Visitors Know That Most Guides Skip?

Seven details separate a smooth Phnom Penh stop from a stressful one, and each rests on a source below. They come from official pages, a recent airport review and traveller reports, and I have labelled the ones that are undated or single-sourced.

1. The code on your ticket may be wrong. PNH is a stale label for the same city, and the plane lands at KTI (VisaToCambodia, 2026).
2. Distances differ by source. The airport says about 20 km, Future Southeast Asia says 24 km, and Wikipedia says both 19 and over 30 km. Plan for about an hour.
3. The bus wants riel and has conflicting hours. Fares of 1,500 and 2,000 riel are both quoted, as are hours of 06:00 to 20:30 and 05:30 to 23:30.
4. The palace shuts for lunch. It is closed from 11:00 to 14:00, per Audiala (June 2025).
5. Public hospitals can cost foreigners more. The GOV.UK doctor list (16 January 2026) says foreigners may pay up to twice the local price at Calmette Hospital, and that language is the main barrier.
6. E-gates are for about 20 nationalities. Others use the staffed desks (Tripadvisor thread, 2026).
7. Paid e-Arrival sites are resellers. The card is free on the official address (VisitCambodia.travel; GoToKH).

What Are the Real Dangers in Phnom Penh?

Petty theft and a few repeat scams are the main risks, and the FCDO says tourists were not the targets of the organised-crime incidents it cites from December 2022. It (19 March 2026) says most theft is bag snatching from people on foot, in tuk-tuks or on motorbikes, and that thieves sometimes cut straps and cause injury.

The World Nomads article is from May 2023 and the Along Dusty Roads page from November 2023. Their advice is consistent with the FCDO’s 2026 page, but I could not find a 2026 scam report for Phnom Penh to match each row.

Who Do You Call in an Emergency in Phnom Penh?

Call 117 for police and 119 for an ambulance, and use the Ministry of Tourism lines for tourist-specific help. The FCDO lists police 117, fire 118 and ambulance 119, and the Phnom Penh Post (4 September 2026) published tourist hotlines. I could not test any line, and the post does not state language options.

What should you do in the first hour after a theft or injury?

Get safe, get help, then call your insurer. Use these steps in order.

1. Move away from the road and get to a public place.
2. For an injury, call 119 or go to Royal Phnom Penh Hospital, which GOV.UK lists with a 24/7 emergency department and air ambulance.
3. For theft, ask for a police report. The FCDO says it should be free, and to contact the embassy if police ask for a fee.
4. Call your insurer and travel provider. The FCDO notes that insurers usually want to hear from the provider first.
5. Contact your embassy. The FCDO lists no Phnom Penh embassy phone number on its page, so use the embassy contact page.

What Should You Eat in Phnom Penh?

Order amok, lok lak or kuy teav, and eat near where you are, not across town. A Wander-Lush guide (last updated 3 March 2022) describes the core Khmer dishes and nine restaurants, and several of them were marked closed, so check that a place is open before you go.

Source: Wander-Lush, Khmer food guide, 3 March 2022. Most salads and sauces contain fish sauce or prahok, a fermented fish paste.

Which restaurants were open in the 2022 guide?

Six of the nine were listed as open, and four of those are below, with prices that are now four years old. Romdeng (Street 174, 11am to 11pm, US$7 to $9), Malis (136 Street 41, 6am to 10pm, breakfast from US$4, mains US$8 to $25), Friends the Restaurant (215 Street 13, 11am to 11pm, US$5 to $8) and Eleven One Kitchen (Street 460 and Street 334, 7am to 9:30pm, US$3 to $5). Prices and hours are from March 2022, so call or check a map listing first.

When Should You Go, and What Is the Weather?

The dry season runs from about 8 November to 4 May, and it is the easier time for a walking day. Weather Spark puts the wetter season at roughly 4 May to 8 November, with November averaging a high near 31°C and a low near 24°C, and December a similar high with a low near 23°C.

Source: Weather Spark, Phnom Penh climate summary. The palace’s lunchtime closure is a useful excuse to sit in air conditioning during the hottest hours.

Where Should You Stay in Phnom Penh?

Stay near the riverfront and Royal Palace if you want to walk to sights, and ask whether your hotel runs an airport pick-up, because KTI is about an hour away. The four hotels below come from a Booking.com search run on 4 November 2026 for 12 to 13 February 2027 with an 8.0 minimum review score, and they are sorted from budget to luxury. I show no nightly rates, because they change.

Agoda and Booking.com links open a search page. Search the hotel name to see your dates. Review scores and review counts are Booking.com’s, from 4 November 2026.

Which Tours Can You Book for a Long Layover?

Book a half-day history tour or a palace-and-museum city tour, and check what the price includes. Operators list these on the main tour platforms, and some package an airport pick-up. I could not confirm which operators now collect from KTI rather than the old airport, so ask before you book.

What Gear Do You Need for a Phnom Penh Layover?

Bring a data plan, a small amount of cash, a power bank and a way to pay without card fees. A ride-hailing app is the safest way into town, and it needs data from the moment you land.

Which Travel Insurance Should You Compare?

Compare plans before you pay for flights, and read each plan’s wording on medical care, theft and elective procedures. Start with InsureMyTrip to compare side by side, and look at Faye if you live in the US and want one plan.

What Else Should You Read Before You Book?

Three EpicLayover pages cover the parts of this trip that go wrong most often: staying online, buying the right cover and planning any health-related travel.

More Southeast and East Asia Gateway Guides

If your route to Phnom Penh runs through another Asian hub, or you want a second city on the same trip, these EpicLayover guides cover the main gateways.

Phnom Penh Layover FAQ

These eight answers cover the questions travellers ask most, and each repeats the sourced figure from the page.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of the sources below. Some are secondary or undated, and the page labels them where that matters. I have not visited Phnom Penh.

This guide is general travel information, not medical, legal or financial advice, and EpicLayover is not a medical provider or an insurer. Visa fees, airport transport, hotel details and prices change, and some sources are several years old. Confirm every detail with the provider, check your government’s current travel advice before you book, and speak to your own doctor before you plan any health treatment abroad. EpicLayover earns a commission on some links.