Kampot's main market occupies a concrete hall near the centre of the old town and runs at full pace from around 5am to about noon. The food section is the most interesting part: fresh fish from the river and the nearby coast, vegetables from market gardens along the river road, and spices including fresh green and red Kampot peppercorns in season. The surrounding lanes have dry goods stalls, fabric vendors, and hardware merchants.
Outside the market hall, street food vendors set up on the adjacent pavements — rice porridge in the early morning, noodle soup through the morning, grilled things through the middle of the day. A Kampot market breakfast — sitting on a small stool eating kuy teav (noodle soup) for about a dollar — is worth setting an alarm for. The market quietens dramatically after 11am.