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Back to Sihanoukville

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Voykit pocket guide · Cambodia

Sihanoukville

ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ

Treat Sihanoukville as a ferry port for the islands, not a destination: land, catch a boat to Koh Rong or Koh Rong Sanloem the same day, and skip the downtown casino strip entirely.

Sihanoukville is Cambodia's main seaport on the Gulf of Thailand. A wave of mostly Chinese-funded casino construction from around 2017 left much of the downtown a half-built, half-abandoned building site, and it has never recovered as a beach town in its own right. Nearly all travellers now pass straight through to Otres Beach, Ream National Park or the ferry pier for Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem.

Phnom PenhBattambangSihanoukville100 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Cambodia
Local name
ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ
Best months
Nov–Apr (dry, calm seas for the ferry crossing)
Avoid
Jun–Oct (rainy season; rough seas cancel or delay island ferries)
Stay
1 night

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
US dollars for hotels, tours and restaurants; riel (KHR, about 4,000 to the dollar) for change and small street purchases.
SIM and data
Smart, Cellcard and Metfone sell tourist SIMs at the airports with passport registration; a week of data costs a few dollars.
Emergency
Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 119 · Tourist police Check locally
Plugs
Types A, C, G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US and round European pins; newer hotels have UK-style type G.
Tipping
Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Round up or leave US$1–2 where no service charge is added.; Tuk-tuk: Round up; US$2–5 extra for a full Angkor day.; Guide day: US$5–10 per person.; Massage: US$1–2 per hour.
Water
Not drinkable from the tap. Bottled water everywhere; many hotels have refill stations.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels, restaurants and at the Angkor ticket office and main temples; squat toilets with a hose or scoop on the road. Paper goes in the bin in older places.

Get in

By air

KOS · Sihanouk International
Limited routes; most travellers arrive by bus or shared taxi from Phnom Penh (about 4 hours)

Get around

Tuk-tuks and taxis cover the town; agree the fare before you get in, since meters are rare. Ferries to the islands leave from the pier near Serendipity Beach: book the previous day and check the operator's schedule, especially in the wet season.

See and do

Known for

  • Ferry gateway to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem islands
  • Otres Beach's guesthouses and beach bars
  • Ream National Park mangroves and coastline
  • A downtown skyline of unfinished casino towers

Sleep

Otres Beach
Quieter guesthouses on the beach, well away from the downtown building sites.
Serendipity Beach area
Closest to the ferry pier for an early island departure; busier and more built-up.

Language

Khmer is not tonal but has many vowels and its own script. English is common in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh tourist trades; French survives among older people. Taxi and tuk-tuk drivers work from map pins, not written addresses.

  • 'Suosdey' (hello), 'arkoun' (thank you), 'tlay ponmaan?' (how much?).
  • Telegram is the main messaging app for businesses, drivers and guides.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Sampeah (palms together, slight bow); higher hands for elders and monks; avoid: Firm handshakes with older women
  • Head and feet: Keep feet down and pointed away from people and Buddha images; avoid: Touching heads, even children's
  • Temples: Shoes and hat off inside, shoulders and knees covered; avoid: Sitting with feet toward the Buddha; women touching monks
  • Keeping face: Stay calm and smile when things go wrong; avoid: Shouting or public anger
  • Giving and receiving: Use the right hand or both hands; avoid: Tossing money or objects
  • Photos: Ask first, especially of monks and at memorials; avoid: Selfies at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek

Scams and watch-outs

  • Much of the downtown is unfinished construction sites: there is little reason to linger there, day or night.
  • Rough seas from June to October regularly delay or cancel island ferries: build in a buffer day if you have a flight to catch.
  • Petty theft and occasional scams around the casino strip have been reported in past years: stick to Otres or the pier area after dark.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Sihanoukville yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Ferry gateway to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem islands
  • Otres Beach's guesthouses and beach bars
  • Ream National Park mangroves and coastline
  • A downtown skyline of unfinished casino towers

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Sihanoukvilleក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/sihanoukville). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.