Like almost every city in the Far East, Phnom Pen also offers its visitors a vast variety of markets, where one can buy clothing, shoes and souvenirs or enjoy observing the Cambodian everyday life. To be honest, Phnom Pen is not that exciting and there’s not much to do. So, if you do stay in this city, the markets are your best bet.
The secret night market
I have discovered this pretty unknown market by chance. Me and my friend were sitting in a rooftop bar called Le Moon, when we spotted a cloud of shiny lights in the distance. Curious and ambitious I opened google maps and manually looked for the location of these enchanting lights. Eventually, after some north-south confusions and some help from my friend, my eyes encountered on the screen a small island, connected to the mainland by a short bridge, and in its middle the comforting words: “night market”.
Equipped with adventurous mood and our scooter, we did our way towards this mysterious market. And let me tell you, it was SO worth it. Those little shiny lights we saw from the rooftop bar took shape in front of our eyes and turned into tens of mini theme park rides. Pirate ships, a giant wheel, flying chairs, crushing cars, shooting stands where you can win prizes and music everywhere, are only some of this market features. A huge smile on your face is guaranteed while walking through the booths and trying to decide which ride to take (prices per ride are about 1.5-2.5 USD). Of course, alongside all this happiness you can find the good old shopping stands that are so common throughout the east, with clothing, shoes, bags and souvenirs.
If you think that all the excitement might make you hungry, don’t you worry; the market also offers many food stands and small restaurants. With that said, most of the visitors here are locals (we didn’t see even one other tourist during our visit), so if you have some doubts about your stomach abilities or just looking for something delicious, stay away. True, we all wish to try out new tastes and local food, but this is not the place. Stick to the familiar and known things like grilled corn, and try combining this visit with dinner somewhere else.
So with no name, only 4-5 reviews in google and no references in any of the Phnom Pen articles I read, this night market won the first place of my recommendations list. It’s a MUST.
Address: located at the north part of Koh Pich island.
Opening hours: 6PM until god knows.
The Russian Market (Psah Toul Tom Poung)
Although this is not the main market of Phnom Pen, it is very authentic. True, many of the stands target the tourists, but unlike most of other markets, here you can actually find local people walking around and doing their shopping, inside the market and the surrounding area.
This is a great place for buying souvenirs, jewelries, clothing, shoes, antiques and all kinds of useful or decorative objects. Know this, it’s likely that the brand-named items you will find are slightly damaged but still authentic! Usually the big companies forbid exporting these damaged items, so they find their way into the market stands, and finally to your lucky hands. Prices are not the cheapest, but very reasonable and of course, it is advised to bargain with the sellers.
Address: St 444, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Opening hours: 6:30AM-5PM
Phnom Pen Night Market
This night market is not too big, but still offers a nice range of goods and very cool vibes. First, the streets leading to the market are coming alive at night and offering some tasty options of local food. I’m not talking about the touristy kind of places, but simple plastic tables and dish washing by placing the dirty dishes in a bowl full of water in the middle of the street, kind of places. Delicious, cheap and perfect for exploring the local food (a tip for knowing if a place offers a good deal - most customers are local). The market is not a world novelty, regarding the items for sale, but because this market is a bit smaller, the vendors make an effort to sell only the best items. Eventually, the variety is pretty good and matching the western taste, so shop away.
In addition, the market contains a little “sitting on the floor” area. This is where you can buy some food in plastic boxes and chill out listening to local singers performing on a small stage. Very nice place to let your feet rest and recover from your long exhausting shopping journey.
Address: Preah Mohaksat Treiyani Kossamak, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Opening hours: 5PM-11PM
Central Market (Psar Thmei)_
Full disclosure, I haven't entered this market, just watched it from the outside. Even so, I felt that being the Central Market, and probably the most mentioned market in Phnom Pen, it should appear on my list. This is an indoor market inside a dome-shaped building, and therefore very recommended for rainy days. In general, this market offers the same items like every other big market in the Far East, but rumor has it that this is an excellent place for antique lovers. In addition, you can find some food stands outside the building and not far ahead lies the biggest shopping street of Phnom Pen- Monivong Blvd.
Address: N. 12, street 126, Sangkat, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Opening hours: 7AM-6PM
The Royal Palace
Actually, this is not a market at all, but I swear that I have a reason to add it to this list, so please bear with me. The palace itself is one of the main attractions of Phnom Pen, so obviously we decided to go there. When we arrived at the entrance we discovered that there’s an entry fee of 10.25 USD. I don’t about you guys, but at some point of the trip we got kind of tired from all the pagodas and the temples, so we decided that there is no reason to spend our money in there. We started driving around, trying to find our way back to the hotel, when suddenly we found ourselves at the front of the palace.
This face of the palace faces the river and is surrounded by a huge lawn, peddlers selling drinks and snacks and numerous people hanging around. You won’t find any clothing or souvenirs, but if you’re looking for a place to relax, you just found it. I recommend going there during the day, because then you can sit down with a cold drink and enjoy the beauty and colors of this city. Nevertheless, also at night time you’ll find many groups of locals hanging around in the open air with a nice drink, and you'll experience a perfect opportunity for mingling in the Cambodian life style of the young people.