This riverside town in southern Cambodia is known for its French colonial buildings, pepper plantations, and salt fields. Local restaurants serve fresh seafood and durian.
Kampot stretches along the Praek Tuek Chhu River in southern Cambodia. You'll find French colonial buildings from the 1800s on streets like Rue Préah Ang Duong, local restaurants serving fresh crab with Kampot pepper sauce, and pepper farms like La Plantation in the surrounding hills. Take a kayak upstream to spot fishing villages, or climb the winding road to the old French hill station in Bokor National Park.
Getting Around Kampot
The central area of Kampot extends about 1 kilometer from the river, making it easy to explore on foot. Rent bicycles from guesthouses for $2-3 per day to reach the pepper farms and salt fields. Tuk-tuks and motorcycle taxis wait near the Old Market, and you can use the PassApp to call them directly to your location.
River Life
The Praek Tuek Chhu River splits Kampot into eastern and western sections, connected by three bridges. Most restaurants and guesthouses sit on the eastern bank. You can kayak upstream past fishing villages, join evening boat trips to see fireflies, or swim at the calm spots near the Old Bridge. Local families gather at the riverside promenade in the evenings.
French Colonial Architecture
Walk around the Old Market area to see 19th-century French colonial buildings with tall shuttered windows and decorative columns. The yellow paint on many buildings has faded and cracked over decades. Look for the old governor's mansion on Street 700 and the former post office building, now an art gallery, on the riverfront.
Kampot Pepper Production
Farmers grow peppercorns in the red soil around Kampot, which received Protected Geographical Indication status in 2010. Visit farms like La Plantation or Sothy's Pepper Farm to see how workers grow and process black, red, white, and green peppercorns - all from the same plant but harvested and treated differently.
Day Trips from Kampot
Drive up the 40-kilometer road to Bokor National Park, climbing 1,000 meters to find the abandoned French hill station and casino. Head 25 kilometers east to Kep's crab market, where local restaurants cook fresh seafood. Between December and April, watch salt farmers harvesting in the fields along the coast between Kampot and Kep.
Transport Connections
Buses run every hour between Phnom Penh and Kampot from 7:00 to 17:00, taking 3-4 hours depending on traffic. Shared taxis leave from Phnom Penh's central market when they fill up with passengers. The weekend train takes 5 hours but passes through rice fields and small villages along the way.
