Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Psar Chas and around
Bang in the centre of town is the bustling
Psar Chas
(Old Market), an enjoyably
schizophrenic sort of place frequented both by locals (who come to stock up on fresh
produce from the market's town-facing side) and tourists (who gravitate towards the
souvenir-stacked stalls facing the river). It's not exactly your average authentic
Cambodian market, of course, although the closely packed stalls and narrow alleyways
offer a modest simulacrum of local life compared to the rest of the touristy city centre,
and there's some good
shopping
to be had (see p.154).
The area around Psar Chas is the historic heart of Siem Reap, still boasting some
original colonial-era
shophouses
, most of them now converted into vibrant restaurants
and bars, with tables spilling out from shaded balconies onto the surrounding
pavements - the riverfront
Shadow of Angkor
guesthouse, just east of the market, is a
good example, and a nice place for a quiet drink too.
The streets immediately north of Psar Chas are the epicentre of Siem Reap's tourist
scene, nowhere more so than the riotous Street 8, popularly known as
Pub Street
, for
obvious reasons, and filled nightly with raucous crowds of younger tourists from every
corner of the globe. South and north of here, alleyways branch out towards the parallel
streets known as
The Passage
and
The Lane
, the entire area honeycombed with an
incredible number of restaurants and bars and buzzing with tourists at pretty much any
time of the day or night - a decidedly surreal experience if you've spent any time in the
country's sleepier provinces.
3
Central Market
SIEM REAP: PSAR CHAS
SHOPPING
Bambou Indochine
Blue Apsara
Camouflage
D's Books
McDermott Gallery
Mekong Quilts
Monument Books
New Leaf Book Café
Psar Chas
Rajana
Rehab Craft
Samatoa
Senteurs d'Angkor
Siem Reap Book Centre
Spicy Green Mango
8/13
16
4
1
10
6
17
9
15
2
14
3
12
7
5/11
EATING
AHA
Angkor Palm
The Blue Pumpkin
Chanrey Tree
Dakshin's
For Life
Le Grand Café
Happy Herbs Pizza
N
15
8
7/16
9
2
4
12
1
Haven
Il Forno
Khmer Kitchen
Miss Wong
New Leaf Book Café
Soup Dragon
Viva
14
5
13
3
11
6
10
Canadia Bank
DRINKING
Angkor What?
Asana
Laundry Bar
Linga Bar
Miss Wong
Red Piano
The Station Wine Bar
The Warehouse
X Bar
4
2
6
7
3
5
1
8
9
Camouflage
Tours
Wat Preah
Prom Rath
Bodia Spa
Temple
Bar
Ucare
Pharma
Siem Reap
Night Market
Le Tigre
de Papier
Islands
Massage
Angkor
Trade Centre
Kaya Spa
Body
Tunes
Beyond Unique
Escapes
AT M
Tour
Operators
Psar Chas
Neak
Krorhorm
Triple
Adventure
Cambodia
Capitol
Tours
ACCOMMODATION
Ei8ht Rooms
Encore Angkor
Golden Temple Villa
Hotel Be Angkor
Neth Socheata
Shadow of Angkor
Steung Siemreap
7
2
6
3
4
5
1
Phnom Penh
Sorya
Neak Krorhorm
Gold VIP
Rith Mony
Giant Ibis
0
50
Neak Krorhorm
metres
