A guide to Cambodia - 30 practical tips

Cambodia is one of the lesser-known countries of South-East Asia. It is quite different from better-known Thailand. A week of observations in the capital, Phnom Penh, and on the coast around Sihanoukville allows me to offer some tips that will make it easier to travel to this beautiful kingdom of smiling, courteous people (information as of March 2024)

Visa, dollars and the Grab app

1. You can get a visa at the airport (the so-called “visa on arrival”). It costs 30 USD. It is worth having a passport-size photo with you. The country is gradually moving from a paper system (forms handed out on the plane) to electronic advance registration of arrivals. So it is worth filling in the form beforehand at https://www.arrival.gov.kh
2. US dollars (USD) are in widespread use. It is worth carrying small-denomination notes. When given change, you will receive most of it in dollars and the rest in local currency.
   Note: in some places - even in large chain hotels - there may be problems paying with old-design 100 USD notes. It is best to have the newer notes with the different numerals and the blue stripe.
3. Converting the Cambodian riel is very simple - 1,000 KHR is 1 PLN. There are cash machines in the country and in some places you can pay by card, although cash payment, or “cash only”, is preferred.
4. To get around the city, the Grab app (or alternatively PassApp) is useful. It works like Uber or Bolt in Poland, and details can be found at https://www.grab.com/kh/en/. The best value is to order tuk-tuks if you have no luggage. They can be up to half the price of taxis. And what an adventure!

   

   Etiquette, SIM cards, flights and Phnom Penh sights

    

5. In Cambodia you can get by fairly well in English. Of course, you have to be prepared for a different accent and a particular pronunciation. Knowledge of French is surprisingly poor - incomparably lower than in Morocco, for example. The country was a French colony until 1953.
6. Remember the etiquette: enter the Royal Palace grounds and sites linked to the Khmer Rouge terror in long trousers (the absolute minimum is shorts that cover the knees). Bare shoulders, i.e. strappy tops, are not in keeping with local etiquette.

   

    

7. Tipping is practically non-existent - if you wish, you can round up the bill.
8. It is worth having a local SIM card - available at airports. Newer phones can also install it as an e-SIM. A useful service is “Airalo” ( https://www.airalo.com/pl ), where you can buy cards for single countries or whole regions, e.g. covering 18 countries in Asia. Mobile coverage is very good. Wi-Fi is available in a great many places.
9. Electrical sockets are of a different type from those in Poland, but most places have multi-standard sockets with holes that accept plugs with “Polish” pins.
10. The airport in the capital, Phnom Penh, has runways that are too short and is not equipped to handle intercontinental aircraft. Good connections are available with a change in Bangkok (e.g. with the low-cost airlines “VietJet Air” or “Air Asia”). When booking a flight from Bangkok, check whether it departs from Suvarnabhumi (BKK), where the vast majority of flights from Europe land, or from Don Mueang (DMK), which mainly handles domestic flights and low-cost airlines. The country's largest airport is Siem Reap, as it serves the world-famous Angkor Wat temple complex.
11. The main (must-see) attractions of a stay in Phnom Penh include a visit to the Royal Palace, climbing “Penh Hill” to admire its temples, visiting Pol Pot's S-21 torture prison and the execution sites known as the Killing Fields, and a cruise on the Mekong. To this list you can add a city ride in the rickshaws known as “cyclo”, a stroll along the riverside promenade, a visit to one of the markets and watching a show of local dances.

    

    Buddhist customs, transport and ferries to Koh Rong

     

12. Cambodia is a Buddhist country. Remember to take off your shoes before entering a temple. Shoes are also removed when entering some shops. You must not point your feet towards statues of the Buddha, and it is impolite to touch people - including children - on the head.
13. Cambodia can be explored independently, but it is worth using professional tour organisers such as Asian Trails https://www.asiantrails.travel, whose Polish representative is Polhotrep, https://polhotrep.pl. Local partners will provide more information and professional guides. Bear in mind, too, that the country is developing very fast and new attractions keep appearing. For example, a decade ago there was no building in Phnom Penh taller than 5 storeys, while today there are dozens, and an artificial island has been created and built up. Printed and online information is often out of date.
14. Getting around Cambodia is not difficult. There are domestic flights connecting Siem Reap (the Angkor Wat temples) and Sihanoukville (the coast and idyllic islands). You can travel by minibus (e.g. the Larryta company https://larryta.com ) or by coach. Tall people should choose seats by the door, as the seats and the space between them are designed for the smaller build of the Khmers. The long-distance overnight sleeper buses, completely unknown in Europe, may well attract a lot of interest.
15. If you want to visit Cambodia's idyllic islands, the best option is to take the ferries operating from Sihanoukville (enter “Autonomous Port” as the address in your navigation). The port is modern and has good facilities. There are plenty of places to eat and a very well-stocked “7 Eleven” shop. Several ferry companies have offices in the port and sell tickets at 25 USD for a return trip on a fast catamaran (a so-called speedboat). They serve the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem, sometimes referred to as KR and KRS. You can organise a day trip from Sihanoukville, e.g. by combining ferries leaving the mainland at 8:00-9:00 and returning from the islands at 15:00-16:00 (depending on the operator). The crossing takes about 45 minutes.

    

16. An airport will soon be built on Koh Rong, which will allow rapid development. The smaller Koh Rong Sanloem is at a different stage of development; clearings have been cut through the jungle, which will only now make it possible to build paved roads. For now you get around the island on foot, or you can use private boat transfers between the pier and the beaches. On Koh Rong you can rent a scooter (fuel included) for 12 USD for a whole day.
17. Topless sunbathing (let alone nude sunbathing) is unacceptable.

    

    Accommodation, health and safety

     

18. The country's accommodation is wide-ranging and suits every budget. The more expensive hotels offer very good value for money. For example, the very modern “Fairfield by Marriott” hotel in the capital, Phnom Penh (link), has a fitness centre and an “infinity” pool on the 28th floor overlooking the whole city, while the “Hotel Independence” in Sihanoukville (link) is set amid lush greenery and has two pools - one of them by the sea - and a spa centre (included in the price of the stay). Both also offer very attractive drinks prices during “happy hours”.

    

     

19. Be sure to bring sunscreen with a very high SPF and mosquito spray. Food poisoning is unlikely. It is worth having an antibacterial cream and disinfectant wipes, which will come in handy for treating minor grazes and for intimate hygiene (used wipes must not be flushed down the toilet, as they contain plastic)
20. In Cambodia marijuana is not sold officially, unlike in Thailand, where recent regulations legalised it and it is widely available.
21. When buying flight tickets to or from Cambodia, make sure both your first names appear on them (as given in your passport). A missing second name will not have any serious consequences, but it will be treated as a discrepancy in your personal data.
22. The time difference between Poland and Cambodia is 6 hours; the time is the same as in Thailand.
23. There is no Polish embassy in Cambodia, and under EU law citizens can turn to any European Union embassy for help. As the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs states, “under the so-called practical arrangements, consular assistance to Polish citizens in Cambodia is provided by the Embassy of France”.

    

24. Some travellers will be tempted to combine exploring Cambodia's coast with a trip to the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc (which lies much closer to the Cambodian coast than to its home country). At present, however, there are no ferry connections between the Cambodian mainland and the Vietnamese island (Cambodia claims that the island's status as part of Vietnam is questionable)
25. Cambodia is a kingdom, but there is no cult of the king as there is among the Thais. The late King Norodom Sihanouk enjoyed enormous respect, as he is credited with winning Cambodia's independence. His son is treated with respect, but without the reverence seen in Thailand, where portraits of the king are everywhere and accidentally stepping on a banknote (which bears the monarch's image) can be punished.
26. Travelling around Cambodia you have a strong sense of safety and widespread honesty. Occasionally, in big cities, thieves on scooters snatch mobile phones from tourists.
27. Khmer food is seasoned with a variety of spices, but it is less hot than Thai food. Many places offer Chinese and Thai cuisine, as well as Western dishes (pizza, hamburgers, Italian-style pasta). Insects (mainly at markets) and frog dishes may also be on the menu.
    

    Khmer cuisine and souvenirs from Cambodia

    

     

28. Local Cambodian dishes worth trying include steamed “Fish Amok”, “Beef Lok Lak” and “Pra Hok Ling”, which is seasoned with a tangy fish sauce. The town of Kampot is famous for crab with a local pepper sauce. It is worth taking a cooking class, and the “Banana Tree” restaurant in the capital offers one (http://www.bananacookingclass.com )
29. It is worth knowing the fruit-ripening calendar and making the most of what each season offers. If you arrive during the mango harvest, the freshness, flavour and aroma of the fruit will be hard to compare with anything else!
30. A scarf makes a good souvenir of Cambodia - in Khmer culture it plays a role similar to a tie, but is worn by both men and women. Many people bring back Cambodian Kampot pepper, considered the best in the world. At the markets you can buy good-quality, inexpensive T-shirts.