Hotels near Pub Street and the Old Market

Pub Street runs one block through the old French quarter and closes to traffic each evening from around 17:00. It is loud, cheap and unapologetically aimed at visitors: draught Angkor beer at 50 cents during happy hour, wood-fired barbecue on the pavement, and half a dozen sound systems competing. The side lanes hold the better cooking.

Psar Chas, the Old Market, sits a two-minute walk south and trades from about 07:00 to 20:00 - fruit, dried fish, kramas, silverwork and spices, with the produce end busiest before 09:00. The Alley West and Lane 2 have quieter bars and Khmer kitchens serving fish amok and lok lak for 4 to 7 dollars. US dollars work everywhere; change under a dollar comes back in riel at roughly 4,000 to the dollar.

Pro Tip: Eat in the alleys, drink on Pub Street. Prices one lane back run 30 to 40 percent lower for noticeably better cooking, and you are still 40 seconds from the noise whenever you want it.