City Guides

Sweltering in tropical heat at the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers, Phnom Penh is one of Southeast Asia’s most delightful and underrated cities.The Cambodian capital city is quietly making a name for itself as one of the brightest and most vibrant gems among Southeast Asian cities.

Cambodia has a rich history that goes back thousands of years. Most tourists to the country explore no further than the temples of Angkor and miss out on this city. Phnom Penh is the center of Cambodian politics, culture, food, history and life, making the “Charming City” a great stop on tours of Southeast Asia.

Phnom Penh is best seen with an open mind and an adventurous spirit. The city has a tremendous amount to offer tourists, especially for travelers interested in a little wandering. The tourist highlights of Phnom Penh are excellent, but the city beyond is even more interesting. That begins with the food.

Food in Phnom Penh

Cambodia is not a top food destination when compared to the likes of Thailand or Vietnam. That being said, there is an abundance of delicious food in the country. Eating good, local food in other parts of Cambodia can be a challenge. In Phnom Penh, it’s a breeze.

Phnom Penh has thousands of restaurants lining the streets, featuring all sorts of regional cuisines. For Cambodian food, take your pick. Areas around markets, particularly the blocks between Preah Sihanouk Blvd and the Tuol Seng Genocide Museum, are full of restaurants. Choose one that piques your interest, employ the point-and-guess method, then enjoy some great Cambodian food.

On the tourist trail, David’s Homemade Noodles & Dumplings is a popular restaurant with tourists. It features noodles made to order from scratch. The dumplings are also homemade, and though it may not be the most hidden secret in Phnom Penh, this restaurant is cheap and delicious. Outside of tourist circles, the many open air cafes lining the streets offer super cheap, fresh and uniquely local eating.

Hops Brewery & Craft Beer Garden

While the craft beer industry is raging in North America, small breweries are just emerging in Southeast Asia. Thailand has several craft breweries, Vietnam a few and one in Myanmar, as well. Perhaps the best of all craft breweries in Southeast Asia is Hops Brewery & Craft Beer Garden in Phnom Penh.

Hops is owned and operated by a German expat, and brewing is strictly in accordance with Reinhetsgebot, the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. The beer garden also serves a variety of high quality German food to pair with your perfect brews.

Hops is expensive, especially by Cambodian standards. But when you’re in need of a quality beer in Phnom Penh, Hops is the place to splurge.

Check out the Hangry Backpacker’s guide to beer in Southeast Asia for further insight on our favorite frothy beverage in the region.

Cheap Beer on the Mekong

One of the best things about Phnom Penh is the ability to enjoy a beer in a perfect location for less than a dollar. (The US Dollar, by the way, is the currency of preference in Cambodia.)

At some point, it is inevitable that most visitors need an escape from the intense Southeast Asian heat. And, somehow, Phnom Penh may actually be hotter than other cities in the area. What better form of relief is there, if not cheap ice-cold beers?

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Phnom Penh is a great spot to watch the Mekong creep by and enjoy a few drinks. The hotel has a rooftop bar with live music a few nights a week. In the daytime, it is largely empty.

If you want cheap drinks, as in $1 tops for a beer, the bars on the corner opposite the Foreign Correspondents’ Club is your refuge. There is a bar on street level that is very comfortable. For a better view, and maybe a slight breeze, there are bars on the second and third levels, as well. These have a better view, too.

Every city has that one location that is perfect for a cold beer and people watching. Usually, thirsty travelers pay a hefty price for that view. Watching the Mekong flow by in Phnom Penh, the upcharge is only a buck.

Drink up, and enjoy the view.

Khmer Rouge Reminders

Phnom Penh has a deep and storied history, with a turbulent past dominating headlines over the last 50 years. The best way to learn about a country is to understand the people. Understanding the people of Cambodia means learning about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge in the not-so-distant past.

After the French left Southeast Asia, the struggle for power resulted in decades of war and violence in the region. Cambodia was stable for a time and proudly known as “the Pearl of Asia.” When the Khmer Rouge gained power, the country changed. Peace, freedom and happiness was replaced with war, oppression and famine.

The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, killed millions of minorities and dissidents in the 1970s. In the years following the demise of the Khmer Rouge, the scale of atrocities came to light. Phnom Penh has two important sites for visitors to see, the Killing Fields and the Tuol Seng Genocide Museum.

The Killing Fields are fairly self-explanatory. Choeung Ek Genocide Center is the site of a mass graves of thousands of victims. The Tuol Send Genocide Museum was once a school, then became a prison and torture center under Pol Pot’s regime.

Neither of these places is cheerful, but each is important for foreign visitors to better understand the Cambodian people. The horrors of the Khmer Rouge took the lives of about one quarter of the country’s population not that long ago, and the effects are still visible today. Take the time to visit these sites to learn about Cambodia and gain a better understanding of the surrounding people and places.

Parks & Public Spaces

Driving through Phnom Penh in the summertime, visitors will see locals out and about enjoying their city’s public spaces. Parks are full of runners, aerobics classes, kids playing games and people just enjoying the sunshine. Wat Botum Park and the park near the Independence Monument are particularly fun to wander at this time.

I really can’t emphasize how hot it gets in Phnom Penh. These parks are fairly empty throughout the day, but when the sun starts heading down, things pick up. By sunset, Phnom Penh parks are full and the Mekong Riverside Park is the place to be. Music is playing and street food is cooking. This is definitely a fun time to wander Phnom Penh.

Temples of Phnom Penh

Blending in with the remaining marks from the French colonial era, Phnom Penh is full of historic buildings, ornate Buddhist temples and striking displays of Cambodian architecture.

Buddhist temples stand out in Southeast Asia, and Phnom Penh is no exception. In a sea of people, grime and poverty, suddenly there is a lavish temple. The temples show the reverence and importance of Buddhism to the people of Phnom Penh – and, judging by these fancy buildings, it must be really important.

Wat Botum is a temple that dates back to the 15th century. It is a perfect example of Buddhist architecture seen throughout Phnom Penh and the rest of Cambodia.

Not far from Wat Botum is the Royal Palace of Cambodia. The park across the street is a popular hangout for locals, but the palace itself is the sight to see. The Royal Palace of Cambodia is a stunning complex.

Wat Ounalom is a beautiful complex that is the center of Cambodian Buddhism. Wat Phnom is the most historically important Buddhist structure in Phnom Penh, but unlike other temples, there is a fee to enter.

The Independence Monument is just a monument. It’s cool, and it’s photogenic. But it’s just a monument. Across the street is the Norodom Sihanouk Memorial. Nearby Wat Langka is another pretty temple.

Buddhism is clearly an integral part of life in Phnom Penh. There are too many temples to count. They are each stunning and visually overwhelming in a uniquely different way. Some of the more important temples are off limits to visitors, while others are free and open to exploration.

Remember to be respectful. That includes dressing appropriately and maintaining a quiet presence.

Phnom Penh Central Market

Phnom Penh has a lot of huge markets for tourists to explore. The Russian Market receives a lot of attention, but Central Market is the largest and most famous.

Phnom Penh Central Market is the place to find anything and everything. Whether you’re after jewelry, a new purse, souvenirs, shampoo, a new pair of sunglasses or fresh food, Central Market has everything.

The market is located in the Phnom Penh city center, about a 10-minute walk from Riverside Park and the Mekong. The surrounding area is also host to a lot of eating options.

The most important thing to remember about Phnom Penh Central Market – and all markets in Southeast Asia – is to haggle. Prices on goods are cheap, but vendors see dollar signs in passing tourists. Initial quotes on goods may seem cheap, but are likely considerably higher than actual prices. Don’t be afraid of a little back-and-forth bartering. It’s okay to pay a small surcharge, your “tourist tax,” but don’t let people take advantage of a shy tourist. That’s a slippery slope.

Central Market in Phnom Penh is the place to go for any odds or ends that need replacing while traveling. It is also a great location for souvenirs, a local bite to eat and a big slice of local life in Phnom Penh.

The Next Bangkok?

Bangkok is overrun with tourists. Sure, it’s still a fascinating city where a traveler can have a lot of fun. But it’s overrun with tourists and is the marker of changing travel in Southeast Asia. Most travelers don’t imagine walking through Bangkok and seeing dozens of Westerners on every block, but that’s the reality of the Southeast Asian megacity.

Phnom Penh is known as the steaming Mekong capital city of Cambodia. As far as the big cities of Southeast Asia, Phnom Penh is not the most popular. That recognition goes to Bangkok, with cities like Singapore and Hanoi in the mix as well.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia is one of the most interesting cities in Southeast Asia. It is cheaper than Bangkok and, lacking the scale of tourism found in Thailand, offers more authenticity to visitors. The city is poised to be the next big destination in Southeast Asia. With a little fortune and (a lot of) improvements to infrastructure, Cambodia may be in for some drastic changes.

Unfortunately, the government of Cambodia is disregarding the well-being of its citizens and is cashing in on Chinese checks. This is another roadblock in the way of long-term prosperity.

Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat, is a perfect example of how Cambodia is changing. The city is much smaller than Phnom Penh, but it is full of massive hotels and other attractions for tourists, all on a decent network of roads.

As travelers tire of tourist crowds in Bangkok, other cities will grow in popularity. Phnom Penh has everything necessary to become a major center of tourism. Only time – and incompetent, oppressive governments – will determine its fate.

Phnom Penh is the overlooked gem of the Mekong River. With other major cities receiving more attention, Phnom Penh quietly matures and develops into a wonderful Southeast Asian travel destination.

In recent years, Cambodia has transformed into a popular tourist destination, largely thanks to international awareness of Angkor Wat. The rest of the country lags far behind, but Phnom Penh is somewhere in between. For a city with centuries of history, beautiful buildings, great food around every corner and the perfect spot for a cheap beer on the Mekong, Phnom Penh is the perfect destination.

Kampot, Cambodia is the perfect place to kick back, relax, eat and be a part of local culture in Southeast Asia. When touring or backpacking Cambodia is taking its toll and you to need to slow down for a few days, the best way to regroup is with a break in Kampot. 

The small city of Kampot, in southern Cambodia, has the perfect balance of vibrant and chill. Home to a large number of expats, it’s a comfortable place to regroup before traveling onward.

Why Take a Break? Why Kampot?

Every backpacker route needs towns fit for a good slowdown. Despite the notion that backpacking is one big party – a wild, booze-filled vacation typically satisfies that notion – it is an exhausting excursion. Living on the go, with your life on your back is pretty tiresome.

A backpacker break is an important thing to consider to maintain physical and mental freshness. 

Most countries in Southeast Asia have at least one place to stretch your time, where life moves a little slower. Pai in northern Thailand, Hoi An in Vietnam and the 4000 Islands in Laos are just a few of the places where things slow down for travelers. These towns each offer something unique, but also are popular among backpackers. Kampot is no exception.

Kampot, Cambodia isn’t the postcard that is Hoi An, Vietnam. It does not channel the carefree, hippie vibe found in Pai. And it is not Don Khon, the epicenter of chill that is 4000 Islands. It’s a little bit of each.

The remnants of French colonialism are visible in the infrastructure. There is a jovial attitude in the air, and the pace of life is only a notch or two above the barely-moving Don Khon.

As of yet, Kampot has survived the Chinese domination of Cambodia. Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) is overwhelmed by Chinese tourists, and Sihanoukville is positively under siege by Chinese tourists and businesses. The once-popular coastal getaway is basically a Chinese colony on the Cambodian coast, complete with casinos, corruption and some of the filthiest beaches around.

Fortunately, Kampot has been spared the effects of the Chinese economic invasion and calm remains. When you are backpacking in Cambodia and in need of a break, here’s why you should take that time to regroup in Kampot:

Rest and Regroup

Kampot is the perfect place in Cambodia to relax for a few days (or a week) and plan your next move. There’s a reason the small city is so popular with expats. It’s an attractive place with a laid-back vibe ideal for backpackers.

A backpacker break is the time to get some rest, regroup and prepare for upcoming travel. But it is also an opportunity to do research and really plan the the road ahead. In Kampot, all of that can be done while eating good food, exploring local culture and having a bit of fun.

Most backpackers in Southeast Asia follow the same general trail. A lot of those backpackers travel openly, with a loose idea of where to go next, but few plans set in stone. It’s important to take a little time on the road to map out ideas. Long-term travel is great with fewer restrictions. However, at some point, you’ve got to make some plans. If not, you may miss something great or leave a curiosity unsatisfied.

There’s a fine line between someone who wanders aimlessly and a traveler who wanders foolishly. When you’re travels feel like you’re just going through the motions – when the aimless wandering turns a little fuzzy in Cambodia – take a break from the backpacker trail to regroup and relax in Kampot.

Kep – Seaside Cambodia

The nearby seaside town of Kep is a resurging destination in the area. Some travelers stay in Kep for a few days, but you can adequately see the town in a day trip from Kampot.

The bus to Kep is $3 USD each way, and scooter rental is also available. Tours will cost more, but are easier. If you’re confident, the scooter is the best option. If you’re uncertain about riding a motorbike in Southeast Asia, just take it slow. The roads in the Kampot area of Cambodia are not exceptionally busy, but they’re not exactly pristine.

There is a famous crab market in Kep where you can handpick your choice of seafood, fresh from the water a few steps away. This is the main draw for most visitors to Kep, but, truthfully, it’s not life-changing by any stretch.

There is also a national park right by Kep. Best of all, Kep is a great place to enjoy a sunset along the seawall near the crab market. Kep is the break from your Kampot backpacker break. A visit for an afternoon is enough time for most travelers.

Bokor National Park

For another out-of-town experience, there is (another) national park nearby. Preah Monivong Bokor National Park is right outside of Kampot. It is easily reached by scooter, which can be rented for the day for about $5-10 USD.

The park has magnificent views on a clear day. It is also home to eerie abandoned buildings that are fun for exploring. There are beautiful old temples, an old church and even waterfalls. If you’re in need of some quiet and another day out of town, this national park is an easy choice.

Eating in Kampot – Local Food, Expat Eats & More

What sets Kampot apart from other towns in Cambodia – and other laid-back, backpacker-friendly towns in Southeast Asia – is the food. The local pepper is world famous and makes for some fantastic local food. But that’s not what makes Kampot unique. It’s the tastes of home.

Normally, I recommend local food as much as possible. After all, why would you waste time eating pizza in southern Cambodia?

Sometimes, the best thing for a reset is familiar food. Home to so many foreigners, Kampot has developed a large diversity in food. There are some great burgers, Mexican food, an Israeli restaurant, a hard cider shop and even a pretty good barbecue restaurant.

The beer in town is fairly generic, as it is in most of Cambodia. However, with the expat population and popularity with tourists, Kampot would be an excellent location for a small, microbrewing operation. The good news is that the beer, and pretty much everything else on the menus in Kampot, is cheap.

The expat population has created a community that serves each other and backpackers. Local food still reigns supreme, but there are options if you (or your stomach) need a break from eating the unknown.

Kampot has excellent local food. The small city is an underrated culinary destination, with tons of restaurants serving fresh, interesting and delicious food. Sometimes a good burger goes a long way, though. After a few familiar meals, you’ll be back to craving and appreciating the local grub found in your travels.

Kampot Local Market

Kampot, Cambodia has a lot of markets. There’s the Old Market, which is a now a bunch of shops and restaurants. The Night Market is a regular Southeast Asian night market, blending random stuff and, of course, great food. Then there is the Bokor Night Market, a newer riverside market that seems to be geared towards tourists.

The most interesting market in Kampot is where the locals go. Unless you read Khmer, search smartphone maps for “Market Kampot.” It is situated in the center of town a few blocks north of the Durian Roundabout.

Few tourists wander into this market, evidenced by the curious looks from locals. The locals in here are extremely friendly. They know that the obvious foreigner is not there to buy fish heads by the kilo and are happy to make conversation.

Market Kampot is a basic Southeast Asian market where you can buy everything from shampoo and toys to hand-woven baskets and fresh meat. The stalls are filled with all of the usual goods and a few exclusively local items as well, such as Kampot pepper. Sort of.

Kampot is well-known around the world for its pepper. There are a lot of pepper plantations in the area, and the industry is an important facet of the local economy. The market sells pepper in bulk and its astonishingly cheap. And that is the warning sign. Kampot pepper is famous, and most of the famous peppercorns are exported. What is leftover is not going to be cheap.

The local market in Kampot is a great place to leisurely see a local side of Cambodia in a city teetering on the verge of popularity.

Wat Traeuy Kaoh & the Local Side of Kampot

Although you’re already taking a break from life on the backpacker trail for a few days, you can get escape further from the other tourists around without leaving town. To fully engage in your backpacker break, there should still be plenty of wandering. Like much of Cambodia, with dirt roads and few tourists, the west side of Kampot is the more local side.

Across the narrow Entanou Bridge that spans the Preaek Tuek Chhu River, the west side of Kampot is a side of town few tourists ever see. Without a sidewalk or discernible path, exercise caution walking across the bridge.  There are a few restaurants along the river; otherwise, the western side of Kampot is entirely local.

Once across the river, take Fish Island Road and cross another bridge. This will take you to a large river island. A temple will be visible. Head towards it. This is Wat Traeuy Kaoh, a Buddhist temple set on the banks of the river.

The temple is a peaceful, quiet area where you can wander freely. The entire complex is a stunning example of Southeast Asian Buddhist architecture. Several benches are located throughout where a few locals eat lunch or sit in silence. The complex is a wonderful place for quiet time. It’s also a very photogenic setting.

Where to Stay in Kampot – The Monkeys

No, not those kind. The best monkeys in Kampot are hostels.

Mad Monkey is one of the most famous chains of hostels in Southeast Asia. There are several locations to choose from, each known as a popular hub for backpackers. Mad Monkey Kampot is on the southern edge of town, away from most points of interests.

Monkey Republic is another hostel in Kampot that is right in the middle of the action. That is, the slow, relaxed action. The hostel has a pleasant courtyard. It also has pretty good food and serves reasonably priced breakfast. Best of all, they have no room for judgement of your breakfast beers!

Each of these hostels is going to be your best bet for socializing if you find the need. Neither hostel is a wild, crazy experience, but when the time comes for meeting people and tossing back a pint or three, find a monkey.

I spent a week at Monkey Republic Kampot for my backpacker break in Cambodia. The vibe was perfect for making plans and catching up on some work. It’s a laid back, sleepy place in the daytime. The bar livens up at night, but nothing too rowdy. Even if you don’t stay here, it’s the de facto backpacker hangout in town.

Southeast Asia is an intriguing, fun place to travel. It can also be an exhausting experience. When the backpacker life in Cambodia starts to takes it toll, take a break and regroup in Kampot.

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