The original colonial core: the area around Wat Phnom, Post Office Square, the Central Market and the riverfront. Most of Phnom Penh's surviving French-era architecture is here, and most of the city's significant institutions — the Central Post Office, the old Banque de l'Indochine, the National Library, the National Museum.
Daun Penh is not residential in the way BKK1 is — it is a district to walk through rather than stay in. But it is the most rewarding part of the city for half a day on foot with a camera, particularly in the cooler hours after seven in the morning or before five in the afternoon.