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Central Market (Phsar Thmei, which means New Market) is on the corner of Street 67 & Street 136.
The building these markets are in is a landmark in Phnom Penh due to their unique style.
The vaulted ceiling up to 30 metres in places give the place a spacious feeling, so walking around in here is nice.
Walking up the entrance to the markets on either side you will find a huge selection of vendors selling all sorts of souvenir type products.
T Shirts, silver curios, kramas, postcards, copy books, snacks, drinks etc.
On the left just before you go into the markets are some stalls selling all sorts of bugs, cockroaches and nice fried tarantulas - yummy.
One of the girls with us decided to try one of the fried bugs, it made it partway down her throat and decided it wanted to go no further, so out it came.
Inside there are many stalls selling jewellery, gold, electronic goods, stationery, clothes, and flowers, we couldn’t believe the price of the flowers, huge arrangements for $10.
I also looked at some rings here but was not that impressed with what I saw.
Some of them felt so light and the gold bands were so thin I’m sure I could have snapped them in half if I tried.
(Russian markets jewellery is much better)
There are also lots of money changers at the Central markets.
Some of the prices we paid at the Central markets were:
Ladies Nike tops $2.50 - $3.00
Ladies collared tops $3.00
Ladies Ralph Lauren polo shirts $3.50
Cambodia T-Shirts $2.00
Books $3.00 or 3 for $5
Assorted wooden compasses $2.00
Singlet's $2.50
We also did some fresh food shopping here at the wet markets for a dinner party at our friends house.
What an experience!
It was decided that Gary would cook this night for 8 people.
We didn’t want to upset our friend’s Khmer cook, Sokchea, so we involved her as well. She thought it very funny that this Australian man was going to cook Khmer food.
The menu was organized, Gary was to cook Khmer Chicken curry, I was doing a Khmer prawn soup and Sokchea would show us how to make Vietnamese cold rolls.
A huge shopping list was prepared and off we all went to the central markets.
Well this was my first time in what seemed like a huge, grotty, smelly, slippery, stinking hot wet market.
But it was so much fun, we told Sokchea what we needed and she picked out the food, shaking a fly off here and there, having a sniff of it to make sure it was to her liking.
We needed chickens, so there’s this wooden table with plucked (dead) scrawny chooks just laying there in the heat, the cleaver made a few strikes and within seconds we had our breast meat and thigh meat.
Now I thought we would have to go to a supermarket to buy our cans of coconut cream but no… of course not..
There are fresh coconut stands, we select a coconut, a man puts it through his machine and there we have it, 2 little plastic bags of fresh coconut cream.
We ended up buying 2 kilo of prawns, 2 kilo of chicken meat, lots of vegetables, spices, fruits, actually everything we needed from scratch for 3 courses for 8 people.
The total cost was about US$18.
Word had also got around that an Aussie bloke was cooking, so during the day there were lots of people popping in to have a look and a taste. We had everyone checking in, housekeepers, cooks, workmen and security guards.
It was so funny.
Sokchea also found it amazing that Gary was helping wash up dishes etc as Cambodian men just do not help with cooking and cleaning up.
Anyway the dinner party was a huge success, the food was great and everyone enjoyed it.
(Including all the staff eating the leftovers the next day).
What to buy: Lots more photos of shopping in Phnom Penh here.,
Updated Mar 19, 2011
Designed by a French architect, the art-deco style Central Market is a famous city landmark offering a wide range of goods, including souvenirs, jewelry, silks, electronic goods, stationery, secondhand clothes, and bric-a-brac. The four wings are packed with stalls and it's fun to wander around, especially to see the exotic fish and fruits, and to browse the merchandise that may or may not be the real thing. For those who enjoy photography, the food stalls in particular provide many opportunities to gain that interesting snap. You are advised to keep a tight hold on your belongings and remember the latin phrase "Caveat emptor" - let the buyer beware.
What to buy: Gold and silver jewellery, antique coins, fake designer watches and clothing.
What to pay: Don't buy anything without some serious bartering.
Written Dec 22, 2009
Address: Intersection of Kampuchea Krom and Monivong Blvd.
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The Central market is in a large building build around 1930 by the French colonialists. It's maybe the busiest market in Phnom Penh. It's a lot of stalls both inside and outside the building.
What to buy: Clothes, shoes, silks, bags, local crafts, CD's, DVD's, games, watch, etc.
Don't buy anything without bargaining!
Updated Apr 2, 2009
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I READ QUITE A LOT ABOUT PSAR THMEI MARKET BEFORE WE WENT TO CAMBODIA AND WAS LOOKNG FORWARD TO SEEING AROUND THIS PHNOM PENH ICON.
WHEN WE FIRST APPROACHED THE MARKET I FELT THAT WE HAD WALKED ONTO THE SET OF A STAR WARS MOVIE. THE STUNNING YELLOW ART DECO DOMED BUILDING REALLY DOES STAND OUT. THE YELLOW PAINTWORK IS FLAKING AND FADED, BUT IN ITS DAY THIS BUILDING WOULD HAVE BEEN STUNNING.
THE MAIN DOMED HALL HAS FOUR WINGS RUNNING OFF IT, ALL ARE FILLED WITH EVERYTHING FROM GOLD AND SILVER JEWELLERY, CLOTHING, ANTIQUE COINS AND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE YOU COULD HOPE TO BUY.
LOCAL PEOPLE SAY THAT YOU PAY OVER THE ODD'S FOR THINGS HERE BUT I COULD NOT HELP MYSELF BUYING AN ANTIQUE COIN AND MY WIFE BOUGHT A SILVER BETTLE BOX.
THIS IS A GREAT MARKET FOR LOOKING AROUND... AND GETTING LOST IN.
SO WHEN YOUR IN PHNOM PENH MAKE SURE YOU CHECKOUT PSAR THMEI.
What to buy: CLOTHING.
GOLD AND SILVER JEWELLERY.
ANTIQUE COINS.
FAKE WATCHES.
Updated Mar 29, 2008
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Central Market is housed in a yellow 1930's Art deco building. Even if there's no A/C, the little but numerous windows and high ceiling provide good ventilation. It sells a whole gamut of things: gemstones, watches, men's clothes, women's clothes and food items.
Surrounding the perimeter of the building are stalls which sell paintings, guidebooks, pots and pans and other household items.
What to buy: Men's polo
What to pay: $5 dollars for men's short sleeved polo
US $ is widely accepted here but expect your change to be in riel especially if it's less than a dollar.
Updated Jul 30, 2007
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A big, sprawling market with a central domed rotunda, claimed to be one of the largest in the world, from which 4 large arms spread out, each jam packed with numerous traders selling all manner of imported rubbish – cheap electrical goods and poor quality counterfeit jeans and t-shirts. Worthy of a visit, but don’t expect to pick up some memento you will treasure for years to come. The fresh food section presents lots of colourful and exotic photo opportunities.
What to pay: Apparently avoided by the locals for the high prices - more suitable for looking than buying.
Written Feb 22, 2007
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Almost all types of goods can be found in this New Market which is the correct translation for this interesting Art-Deco landmark of Phnom Penh
What to pay: As for me and my travelling mates, we often tell the tuk-tuks to alight us at the South Entrance (Entr) because it is easier for us to get our bearings personally when we are inside the Central Market (CM) because the electronics goods and games will always be on our right-hand side. He he, after all, these were the location of some of our greatest electronic buys and they are still working well after we came back from Cambodia.
Written Jan 12, 2007
What to buy: (last date visited : Dec. 26, 2004)
1. nescafe 3 in 1 - 1.75 US $
2. head and shoulder - 0.80 US $
3. colgate - 0.30 US $
4. dove-shower - 3.10 US $
5. red-bull - 0.35 US $
6. green tea - 0.50 US $
7. rice cracker - 0.45 US $
8. cheese cracker - 0.35 US $
Updated May 29, 2006
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Phnom Penh’s Psar Thmei (Central Market) is a bustling place to just wander about and do some shopping. You can find most anything you might need and if not looking to buy, it’s a fun place to just people watch.
What to buy: The best part for us was checking out the local foods. It’s a great place to stock up on supplies for a bus journey too! Try the savory pancakes and a host of local beverages at prices you can’t refuse (generally around 10-20 cents).
Written Mar 29, 2005
Address: intersection of streets 63 and 136
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The Central Market is a large building built in the 1930s in the centre of town. It is painted yellow and kind of reminds me of a beehive with its shape and the number of vendors and shoppers buzzing about. Prices are a bit higher here than other markets but it does have the best selection.
Updated Mar 27, 2005
Address: Kampuchea Krom and Monivong Blvd.
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