Old Market: Siem Reap Travel Guide (4.2★)

How this guide was made: Editor-reviewed, AI-assisted. Facts are pulled from live Google Places data; images are licensed or public domain. See our editorial policy.

The corrugated roof of Psar Chas has covered this stretch of Pokambor Avenue for over a century, and it still runs on the same rhythm it always has. Locals come at dawn for fish and vegetables. Tourists drift in later for silk scarves and pepper.

Why it’s worth your time

This isn’t a curated “cultural experience” — it’s a working market that happens to also sell souvenirs. Under one roof you’ll find dried fish stacked in silver trays, mounds of Kampot pepper, hand-loomed kramas, silver jewelry, and stalls of carved wooden Buddhas. The smell shifts lane by lane: fish sauce, then incense, then frying batter from a snack cart.

Getting there

Old Market anchors the neighborhood of the same name, on the west bank of the Siem Reap River. It’s a 5-10 minute walk from most guesthouses in the Old Market/Pub Street area, and a short tuk-tuk ride (a dollar or two) from hotels further out along Sivatha Boulevard. There’s no metro here — everyone arrives on foot, by tuk-tuk, or bicycle.

What to see and eat

Wander the produce section first, even if you’re not buying — it’s the most visually alive part of the market, with pyramids of dragon fruit and baskets of morning glory. Then head toward the textile and souvenir stalls for scarves, sarongs, and stone carvings.

Food stalls tucked in the market’s edges sell:

• Num banh chok (Khmer noodles with fish-based green curry)
• Fresh coconut, cracked open on the spot
• Grilled skewers and banana fritters
• Palm sugar candy, sold in small wrapped blocks

Bargaining is expected on souvenirs and textiles, less so on prepared food.

When to go

The market opens at 7am and stays open until 9pm every day, so you have a wide window to work with. Crowd data shows it’s calmest between 7am and 9am on both weekdays and weekends — that’s your best shot at photographing the produce stalls without a wall of shoulders in frame.

Avoid arriving between 6pm and 9pm on weekends if you want to actually move through the aisles. That’s when day-trippers and dinner crowds from nearby Pub Street pour in, and the narrow lanes bottleneck fast.

How to visit like a local

Old Market is well-known and busy most of the day, so don’t expect a quiet discovery — the trick is timing, not secrecy.

• Go early. The 7am–9am window is when stallholders are still setting up produce and the aisles are walkable. It’s also when you’ll see the market as locals actually use it, buying breakfast ingredients rather than fridge magnets.
• Bargain gently. Quoting a price and countering with roughly half is normal for souvenirs; smile, don’t get aggressive, and settle somewhere in the middle.
• Carry small bills. US dollars and Cambodian riel are both used interchangeably here, and vendors often can’t break large notes.
• Skip the hard sell politely. A simple “no thank you” while continuing to walk works better than stopping to explain.
• Eat where the smoke is. The food stalls with the most turnover — and the biggest plumes of grill smoke — are almost always the best bet for something fresh.

The mistake most visitors make is treating this purely as a souvenir stop and rushing through in fifteen minutes. Slow down at the produce and food sections — that’s where the market still feels like itself, unfiltered for tourists.

Nearby to combine with your visit

Old Market sits within easy walking distance of Pub Street and the riverside promenade along the Siem Reap River. Many visitors pair a morning market walk with a late-afternoon stroll along the river, then loop back for dinner once the market’s food stalls hit their evening peak.

Bring a tote bag, wear sandals you don’t mind getting a little damp near the fish stalls, and give yourself at least 45 minutes to actually see all the sections rather than just the entrance row.