Cambodia

Khmer is the official language, written in its own script that shares no roots with Latin, Thai, or Vietnamese writing — street signs and menus outside tourist areas are often Khmer-only. English is spoken in hotels, restaurants, and tour operations in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and other tourist towns, but drops off quickly in rural areas.

Prepaid SIM cards from Smart, Cellcard, or Metfone are sold at the airport and phone shops in every town, and cost only a few dollars with a generous data allowance. eSIMs from international providers also work well in the main tourist areas.

Coverage is strong along the coast and in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, but can thin out in the northeastern highlands around Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri.

Stick to bottled or filtered water — tap water is not safe to drink, even in Phnom Penh.

Pharmacies are easy to find in cities and larger towns, and many stock familiar international brands; stock up before heading to remote areas like Mondulkiri or Ratanakiri, where options are limited. Dengue fever is present year-round, so mosquito repellent is worth packing everywhere, not just in the countryside. Malaria risk is mostly limited to forested, rural areas near the Thai and Laotian borders. Talk to a doctor or travel clinic about recommended vaccinations before your trip.

Visitors from Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines can enter Cambodia visa-free for up to 30 days; those from Thailand, Brunei, and Myanmar get 14 days visa-free. Most other nationalities need a visa: apply for an e-visa online before arrival (around $30 for a 30-day tourist visa) or get a visa on arrival at major airports and land borders for a similar fee. Air travelers must also submit an online Cambodia e-Arrival Card within seven days before arrival.

Overland border crossings with Thailand can be affected by periods of border tension — check current conditions before planning a land crossing.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

Cover your shoulders and knees at temples like Angkor Wat, and at the Royal Palace — sarongs are sold outside most sites for visitors who arrive underdressed. Remove your shoes before entering a temple building or someone's home.

Women should avoid touching monks or handing them anything directly; place items down for a monk to pick up instead. The head is considered sacred and the feet the lowest part of the body, so avoid touching anyone's head and don't point your feet at people, Buddha images, or altars. A slight bow with palms pressed together, called the sampeah, is a polite greeting, though a handshake with foreigners is also normal. Bargaining is expected at markets, but not in shops with marked prices.

Cambodia follows the Buddhist lunar calendar for several of its biggest holidays, so exact dates shift year to year. Businesses, banks, and government offices close for these, and transport can book out well in advance around Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben, when much of the country travels to its home province.

Shops and markets generally stay open seven days a week with no fixed lunch break, though smaller family-run businesses may close for an hour or two in the early afternoon.

Cambodia's official tourism board (Tourism Cambodia) lists current routes and operators. On the ground:

• By bus: The most practical way to cover long distances. Companies like Giant Ibis and Virak Buntham run air-conditioned coaches between Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and most provincial towns, with tickets bookable online a day or two ahead.
• By train: Royal Railway runs two lines — Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, and Phnom Penh to Battambang — with clean but slow service, better for a scenic trip than for saving time. Extensions toward the Thai border can be suspended during periods of border tension.
• By air: Domestic carriers connect Phnom Penh with Siem Reap and Sihanoukville in under an hour, worth it if a bus or train would eat too far into a short trip.
• By boat: Fast boats cross Tonle Sap between Siem Reap and Battambang in the wet season, and small ferries link the mainland to islands like Koh Rong.

Cambodians eat three meals built around rice or rice noodles, with a bowl of soup close by at almost any time of day. Breakfast is often a noodle soup from a street stall, lunch is quick and market-based, and dinner tends to be a shared, multi-dish spread eaten at a table with the whole family.

Cambodian food leans on fresh herbs, lime, and fermented fish paste rather than the heavy spice of its neighbors — expect a curry to be fragrant rather than fiery. The Mekong and Tonle Sap keep freshwater fish and crab on nearly every menu, especially in coastal towns like Kep. Markets and night-market stalls are where most people actually eat, alongside simple open-air restaurants; sit-down dining rooms are mostly a city and tourist-town feature.

Most visits start in Phnom Penh, the riverside capital, and Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor's temples — between them they cover most travelers' first week.

On the coast, Sihanoukville is the jumping-off point for boats to Koh Rong and other beach islands, while Kampot and Kep offer a quieter, small-town version of the same coastline, known for pepper farms and crab. Further west, Koh Kong sits near the Cardamom Mountains rainforest and the Thai border.

Battambang has Cambodia's best-preserved French-colonial center and a laid-back arts scene, Kampong Cham anchors the Mekong further east, and Kratie is the base for spotting rare Irrawaddy river dolphins. In the eastern highlands, Ban Lung and Sen Monorom are the main towns for waterfalls, crater lakes, and hill-tribe communities in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces.