The bars along the Tonle Sap riverside and the Street 136 and 104 corridor run until 3am–4am with cheap beer, live music, and a crowd of travellers and expats that makes Southeast Asia's nightlife circuit pause in Cambodia's capital.
Year-round. Water Festival (Bon Om Touk, November) is the largest annual event and fills the city. Dry season (November to April) is the most comfortable for outdoor nightlife.
Phnom Penh's nightlife runs in two distinct zones: the riverside Sisowath Quay strip and the Street 278/136/104 traveller bar corridor. Sisowath Quay faces the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers and has a line of restaurants and bars from the Royal Palace (closed to tourists after dark) north to the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) at the corner with Street 178. The bars on the quay are mid-range and mixed: expats, tourists, and occasional live music.
The cheaper, more traveller-focused circuit is on Street 278 (also called 'Bar Street' locally), Street 136, and the parallel streets heading northwest from the riverside. Beer here costs 0.50–1.50 USD for Angkor or Cambodia draft; cocktails 2–4 USD. Draft beer towers (a litre of beer in a perspex tower, 3–4 USD) are the standard way to drink. The street-based late scene runs until 2am–3am most nights; clubs including Pontoon (a floating club on the Tonle Sap) and Heart of Darkness (a Phnom Penh institution on Street 51) run to 3am–4am.
Party hostels within reach of Phnom Penh's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
The riverside at sunset is worth the walk: the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap turns gold at around 6pm. The FCC (Foreign Correspondents' Club, 363 Sisowath Quay) has balcony seating with river views and serves Western food alongside Cambodian dishes at 10–25 USD. More budget-friendly: the local restaurants on the streets one block west of the quay serve amok (coconut curry) and lok lak (stir-fried beef) for 4–8 USD. Beer on the riverside: 1.50–3 USD at most bars.
Street 278 starts getting busy around 9pm and runs continuously until 2am–3am. Draft beer towers (1 litre for 3–4 USD) at open-front bars with outdoor seating. Heart of Darkness on Street 51 is one of the longest-running clubs in Southeast Asia — dark, loud, genuinely late. Pontoon, a floating club moored on the Tonle Sap, runs themed nights Wednesday to Sunday from 9pm to 4am with an international DJ-led programme. Entry is usually free before 10pm, 3–5 USD after.
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
Getting to Phnom Penh Riverside Nightlife from Siem Reap , Bangkok , Ho Chi Minh , and Sihanoukville