Country of history, Buddha, and friendly people. Angkor, kindness, and a story worth listening to.
10 things every traveler to Cambodia should know before stepping out of the airport.
You are walking into a 1,000-year-old story — Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city on earth. Most Cambodians are Theravada Buddhist; gentleness, patience, and a quiet smile are the cultural defaults. Greet locals warmly and you will be welcomed back warmly.
Press palms together in front of your chest, slight bow, slight smile. Higher hands = more respect (chest for friends, nose for elders, forehead for monks). It works everywhere — restaurants, markets, hotels.
Angkor, Royal Palace, and any active wat: shirts with sleeves, trousers or long skirts past the knee. Carry a light scarf — it doubles as sun protection.
USD is accepted everywhere; change under $1 comes back in Khmer Riel (KHR). 4,000 KHR ≈ $1. Bring crisp $1, $5, $10 notes — torn or wrinkled USD notes get refused. ATMs are common in cities; rural areas are cash-only.
Bottled water is cheap (~$0.50). Ice in restaurants in cities is usually safe (factory-made cylinders); avoid ice from street stalls if you have a sensitive stomach. Pack a SteriPEN or LifeStraw if travelling rural and want to skip plastic.
PassApp and Grab show the price upfront, like Uber. For street tuk-tuks, agree the price BEFORE getting in. Common short rides in Phnom Penh are $2–4. Long-distance airport trips are $7–12.
Most visitors can get a 30-day tourist visa: $30 e-Visa online (3 days processing) or $30 Visa-on-Arrival at airports + major land borders. Passport must have 6+ months validity and 1+ blank page. Bring 1 passport-size photo for VOA. Overstay fines are $10/day.
Cambodia is a developing country and not every interaction will be perfect. We ask travelers: post positive moments to help locals (recommend the tuk-tuk driver, name the kind shop owner). If you witness something bad — scams, mistreated kids, damage to a temple — please report it directly to the authorities or a charity, not in public posts. Public negativity hurts the families who depend on tourism. Quiet correction helps everyone.
Russian Market, Old Market, Phsar Thmei: starting prices for tourists are 2–3× the real price. Counter-offer at half, settle in the middle, smile the whole time. Walking away is also a normal move.
Saffron-robed monks are everywhere. Step aside on the sidewalk, do not touch them, and women must not hand objects directly — place items on a surface and let the monk pick them up.
Amok = coconut-curry steamed fish in a banana leaf. Lok lak = peppered beef cubes with lime-pepper dip. Num banh chok = morning rice noodles with green herb broth. Most Khmer dishes are mild and family-friendly — Cambodia is not a chilli-heavy cuisine like Thailand.
Airport kiosks sell tourist SIMs with 30+ GB data for $5–10. Smart and Cellcard are the two main networks; coverage is excellent in cities and decent rural. Esim available too. Helps with PassApp/Grab and Google Maps.
Restaurants: 10% if no service charge. Tuk-tuk drivers: round up to the next dollar. Hotel porters: $1–2. Tour guides: $3–5/person/day for a half-day, $5–10 full day.
Heads are sacred — never touch a Cambodian on the head, even children. Feet are unclean — don't point them at people or Buddha images. Pass objects (especially food and money) with the right hand or both hands, never just the left.
Nov–Feb: 25–30°C, no rain, peak season. March–May: 30–40°C+, hot and humid (Khmer New Year mid-April is a national week-long shutdown). June–Oct: rainy season — temples are green, dolphins are easier to spot, fewer tourists, but afternoon downpours daily.
The Angkor Archaeological Park pass is needed for Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei, and ~50 other temples. Buy at the official ticket centre on the way to the park (or online via Angkor Enterprise). 3-day pass valid over 10 days; 7-day pass valid over a month — perfect for relaxed exploration.
Cambodian street food is generally safe IF the stall has rapid turnover (busy = fresh). Grilled skewers, num pang (baguette sandwich), banh chao (Khmer pancake), and fresh fruit smoothies are highlights. Skip raw vegetables you didn't see washed.
Recommended: Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus. Optional: Japanese Encephalitis (rural long stays), Rabies pre-exposure (long stays). Malaria risk is low except deep Cardamoms / Mondulkiri jungles. Get travel insurance with medical evacuation — proper hospitals are limited outside PP.
Cambodia is a developing country. Most tourism families work hard for very little. Public negativity hurts them more than it helps you. So we ask travelers: post the good moments — name the kind driver, the patient shopkeeper, the temple that moved you.
If you saw something wrong — scams, mistreated children, damaged temples, unsafe transport — please report it directly to the authorities or a registered charity. Quiet correction helps everyone.
Report something privately →● Filled = top spots curated · ● Skeleton = name only, locals welcome to add
ភ្នំពេញ
The capital itself
The capital and the heartbeat of Cambodia. Royal Palace, riverside sunsets, the heavy weight of S21 history, vibrant markets, and the country's deepest food scene. Most travelers begin and end their Cambodia trip here, and it deserves at least 2-3 full days.
សៀមរាប
314 km · 5–6h by bus · 45min by flight
Gateway to Angkor — the largest religious monument complex on earth. Sunrise at Angkor Wat, jungle-wrapped Ta Prohm, the smiling stone faces of Bayon, plus a lively old town with the famous Pub Street. Three days minimum to see the temples without rushing; a full week to do them justice.
បាត់ដំបង
291 km · 5h by road
Cambodia's second-largest city and its slowest-paced charmer. Cracking French colonial architecture, the bamboo train (norry), Phnom Sampeau's killing caves and bat exodus, plus a rising arts scene. The perfect 2-day pause between Phnom Penh and the temples of Siem Reap.
កំពត
148 km · 3h by road
Riverside town that became Cambodia's favourite weekend escape. Famous worldwide for Kampot pepper (the best green peppercorns on earth), Bokor National Park's eerie hilltop ruins, sunset river cruises, salt fields, and durian. Walkable, friendly, romantic.
កែប
172 km · 3.5h by road
Tiny seaside province that exists for one reason: the world's best blue crab fried in green Kampot pepper, eaten at the Kep Crab Market with sea spray on your face. Pair it with a swim at Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay), abandoned-mansion explorations, and a sunset at the old Sailing Club.
ព្រះសីហនុ
230 km · 4h by road · 45min by flight
The coast — and gateway to the islands. Sihanoukville town itself has changed dramatically (heavy Chinese casino development since 2018), but skip past it to Otres, Ream National Park, or the boats to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem for the white sand and clear water Cambodia is famous for.
កណ្ដាល
11 km · 30min by road
The ring province that wraps Phnom Penh. Easy half-day or day trip from the capital — Mekong river ferries to silk weaving villages on Koh Dach (Silk Island), Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, and quiet riverside Buddhist temples that most tourists never reach.
កោះកុង
380 km · 6h by road
Cambodia's last frontier — the Cardamom Mountains. Mangrove forests, eco-lodges deep in the rainforest, the longest mangrove sanctuary in mainland SE Asia (Peam Krasop), and the Tatai River with its kayak-friendly hidden waterfalls. The Thai border is here too.
មណ្ឌលគិរី
380 km · 7h by road
Cool highland province where Cambodia briefly feels like Vietnam's mountains. Rolling hills, pine forests, Bunong indigenous villages, ethical elephant sanctuaries (no riding), and proper waterfalls. Bring a light jacket — nights drop into the teens (Celsius).
រតនគិរី
590 km · 10h by road
Remote north-east. Volcanic crater lake (Yeak Loam) with turquoise swimming water, red-dirt roads, jungle treks in Virachey National Park, and tribal villages where many people speak languages older than Khmer. A 4-day minimum if you're going — getting there is the journey.
ក្រចេះ
315 km · 6h by road
Sleepy Mekong river town and the best place in Cambodia to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins (only ~90 left in the wild). Sunsets over the river are some of the best in the country, and tiny Koh Trong island just across has a slow-bicycle-loop charm.
ព្រះវិហារ
296 km · 6h by road
Cliff-top Preah Vihear Temple — UNESCO World Heritage, the most dramatic temple view in Cambodia, perched on a 525m cliff over the Thai border. Pair it with the abandoned-jungle ruins of Koh Ker (the brief 10th-century capital) and Beng Mealea to make a serious off-Angkor temple trail.
បន្ទាយមានជ័យ
359 km · 6h by road
Western border province with Thailand. Banteay Chhmar — a near-untouched Angkor-era temple complex you can wander almost alone (the anti-Angkor Wat). Plus Poipet, the busiest land-border crossing into Thailand, and a quiet rural-rice landscape between.
កំពង់ចាម
124 km · 2.5h by road
Mekong river city with one of Cambodia's most photogenic features — the seasonal bamboo bridge to Koh Pen island (rebuilt every year by hand). Plus the curious twin temples of Wat Nokor (an Angkor-era ruin with a modern pagoda built INSIDE it), and an easy day-trip from Phnom Penh.
កំពង់ឆ្នាំង
91 km · 2h by road
Floating villages on the Tonle Sap (less touristy than Siem Reap's) and traditional pottery villages where every house makes terracotta water jars by hand. An easy stop on the way north toward Battambang.
កំពង់ស្ពឺ
48 km · 1h by road
Mountain-and-palm-sugar country just west of Phnom Penh. Kirirom National Park's pine forests and waterfalls, the cool Phnom Aural — Cambodia's highest peak (1,813m). The closest "nature escape" from PP, and easily a day trip.
កំពង់ធំ
165 km · 3h by road
Halfway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The pre-Angkorian temple complex of Sambor Prei Kuk (UNESCO, 7th century — older than Angkor by 400 years), and the steep climb up Phnom Santuk for sweeping views. A worthwhile half-day stop for temple lovers.
ឧត្តរមានជ័យ
466 km · 8h by road
Northern border province — the last hold-out of the Khmer Rouge. Anlong Veng was Pol Pot's final stronghold, and the dark-history sites (his cremation spot, Ta Mok's house) are sobering and important. Plus quiet Banteay Top — Angkor-era jungle ruins with no entry fee.
ប៉ៃលិន
374 km · 7h by road
Tiny gem-mining province on the Thai border, once a Khmer Rouge fortress, now slowly opening. Phnom Yat hill temple and the gem markets are the main draws. Mostly visited by intrepid travelers crossing to Thailand at the lesser-used Daun Lem checkpoint.
ព្រៃវែង
90 km · 2h by road
Rice-paddy province east of Phnom Penh — a slice of slow rural Cambodia almost untouched by tourism. Ba Phnom (one of the oldest sacred hills in the country) and the Mekong ferry crossing to Neak Loeung are the highlights for travelers passing through.
ពោធិ៍សាត់
188 km · 3.5h by road
On the road between Phnom Penh and Battambang. Famous for marble carving (the workshops along the highway are worth a stop), the floating village of Kompong Luong, and the foothills of the Cardamom Mountains. Most travelers blow through, but a half-day pause is rewarding.
ស្ទឹងត្រែង
455 km · 8h by road
Quiet Mekong river province on the Lao border. Ramsar-protected flooded forests you can boat through, more Irrawaddy dolphin sightings (in shared pools with Lao 4000-Islands), and the under-touristed crossing into southern Laos.
ស្វាយរៀង
122 km · 2.5h by road
Border province with Vietnam. Bavet is the busy land-crossing town to Ho Chi Minh City — full of casinos and SEZ factories. Most travelers transit, but the quiet rural rice country is genuinely peaceful for those who pause.
តាកែវ
78 km · 1.5h by road
The cradle of Khmer civilization — pre-Angkorian temples scattered across rice fields. Phnom Da, the lake-stilted Angkor Borei (the early Funan-era capital), and the family-friendly Tonle Bati / Phnom Chisor combo, all an easy day from Phnom Penh.
ត្បូងឃ្មុំ
175 km · 3.5h by road
Cambodia's newest province (split from Kampong Cham in 2013). Big French-era rubber plantations (Memot is the heart), Mekong tributaries, and quiet villages. Off the tourist map — a place to drive through and stop wherever the road feels right.