Kampot: I Want To Bottle This Town And Drink It.
I have fallen in love with the riverside town of Kampot, Cambodia.
What is it about this place? Is it the crumbling architecture? Is it the French influence, from the lampposts to the baguette carts? Is it the peaceful riverfront and the walkability? Is it the fact that everywhere has free WiFi?
Seriously, though, more than anything, I think it was the architecture. I’m a big architecture fan, and I was crazy about the crumbling French colonial villas that line Kampot’s streets. I don’t think I would have liked them as much if they were pristine.
Kampot was a great place to catch my breath. There’s not a lot to do in town, so there’s no pressure to fill an itinerary. I spent a lot of time getting writing done in the cafes and taking long walks, taking photos of the incredible architecture.
There’s a great used bookstore in Kampot. There are salons and massage places and cute boutiques.
If you’re feeling more active, you can take a day trip to nearby Bokor National Park, or do what I did – rent a motorbike and ride to the beach town of Kep for some unbelievably fresh seafood!
And my favorite activity in Kampot: at sunset, everyone in town gathers on the green to play badminton, do aerobics to dance remixes of “Hotel California” (seriously!), or just hang out and people-watch. In Kampot, if there’s a place to see and be seen, it’s there!
Tourists are just starting to arrive in Kampot – there aren’t a lot of them yet, but there are enough to have a small scene, and the guesthouses are excellent. Now is the perfect time to visit.
Before the tourist crowds arrive, you’ll get to be a bit of a celebrity in town. Teenagers will come up to practice their English with you and little kids will start posing, wanting you to take their picture!
Kampot is one of my favorite destinations of the trip so far. If you’re swinging through Cambodia, take a detour down from Phnom Penh and explore Cambodia’s south coast. You’ll be glad you did.
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At age 26, I quit my job to travel the world alone. I spent six fantastic months in Southeast Asia and turned my travel blog into a full-time business. Today, I travel full-time, going anywhere that sounds wacky or beautiful or interesting. My goal is to show YOU how you can travel the world on your own -- easily, safely, and adventurously. 
I think this place might become an option when I hit Cambodia in March … off the beaten track destinations are the greatest!
I had a lovely time in Kampot in 2007. I was cycling from Pnom Penh to Sihanoukville and was absolutely exhausted. I had a love fish amok near the river, a long nap and then a sunset river cruise. It was just magic.
Make that a lovely fish amok. (I’ve transitioned from cross-country cyclist to tired expat working mother who can’t see straight after a Friday night wine.)
It sounds wonderful… I love towns like that when there’s nothing to do but enjoy the vibe.
I love it when you find a place that you just adore. My advice is not to leave until you’re ready or you’ll always compare new cities to it and they’ll never live up.
Hahaha. I agree. I feel like I didn’t give Railay all it deserved because I didn’t want to leave Koh Lanta!
Great post, I am heading to SE Asia this summer and I now look forward to visiting Kampot!
Looks like a cool like town. We flew threw Cambodia and just did Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang, which was great but sometimes its nice to find the cute, quiet spots to get a better feel for the people and culture.
It was a great town. The south coast — Kampot, Kep and Sihaoukville — was my favorite part of Cambodia!
Love the last photo of the kids! Sounds like a great wee town!
The architecture does look amazing. For me I find that those out of the way places without many tourists are always worth the extra trek. Also: any city or town with lots of free wifi instantly grabs my attention.
Kate, I stumbled upon your site and it has become a great resource for planning my SE Asia trip (which starts next week!) I have read some great things about Kampot and am now thinking of adding it to my list of places to check out!
I’m so glad, Sara! I loved Cambodia’s south coast so much!!
Very nice. I still haven’t left the confines of America, but perhaps I will one of these days. Glad I can refer to this blog to get the “411″ from hippie Kate before I begin my journeys.
I am not familiar with this part of the world yet. Sounds interesting.
Thanks for the insights to the town and the people.
Best,
Chuck
Kate, you’re making me wish I were in Asia… so bad! Keep truckin’
Looks like a beautiful little town. Though, I am mildly surprised that there is Wi-fi everywhere.
Looks charming!
That’s awesome. Badminton and funky dance music while exercising seems to be popular all over Asia; I think that’s actually what I appreciated most about the Chinese culture. Very fun atmosphere and great people watching.
Dan