Best Markets and Bazaars in Siem Reap & Angkor Wat
A visual guide from the Siem Reap and Angkor Wat travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
Shopping in Siem Reap is concentrated in a walkable half-kilometre around Psar Chas, and it changes character through the day. In the morning the Old Market is a working wet market of fish, herbs and palm sugar; by mid-afternoon the outer aisles have flipped to silk scarves, krama cotton, silver and carved sandstone. After dark, strings of bulbs come on across the Angkor Night Market and the smaller riverside markets, and the whole quarter becomes a slow browsable circuit that takes about two hours if you are not rushing it.
The main markets
Psar Chas sits between Pokambor Avenue and Pub Street and is the natural starting point. Two minutes west, off Sivatha Boulevard, the Angkor Night Market was the town's first and still carries the deepest stock of lanterns, lacquer, bags and clothing. The Made in Cambodia Market at King's Road Angkor, across the river, is smaller and juried, with makers often present and prices fixed. The Art Center Night Market sits on the riverbank by the footbridge and combines neatly with an evening walk. For something entirely local, Psar Leu on National Road 6 sells hardware, fabric and food to residents rather than to visitors.
Bargaining and what to buy
Prices in the tourist markets are quoted high and expected to be negotiated — opening near half and settling somewhere above that is normal, done pleasantly and without theatre. Fixed-price outlets such as Made in Cambodia Market, Artisans Angkor and the Kandal Village boutiques cost more, but the provenance is clear. Worth carrying home: krama, the checked cotton scarf used here for everything; hand-woven silk from the Puok farms; palm sugar and Kampot pepper; black-clay pottery; and lacquerware. Sandstone carvings are heavy and sometimes plaster underneath, so check the weight and the edges. US dollars are the working currency and torn notes are often refused, so keep your bills clean.