Phsar Chas ("Old Market") is the most useful and lively market in Siem Reap town, occupying a covered hall near the river just off the southern end of Pub Street. Inside the building, vendors sell spices, dried fish, fresh produce, and packaged Cambodian foodstuffs in the kind of organised chaos that makes Asian covered markets worth visiting even when you are not buying anything. Around the perimeter and spilling into the surrounding streets are stalls selling silk scarves, carvings, lacquerware, t-shirts, jewellery, and the usual range of souvenirs.
The market is worth visiting in the early morning when the produce section is busiest, or in the early evening when the food vendors around the edges set up. Prices are negotiable on handicrafts and clothing; food vendors generally charge fixed prices and the cost of a noodle soup or fresh-squeezed juice is very low. The surrounding streets — particularly the lane north towards Pub Street — have a higher concentration of independent boutiques, galleries, and artisan shops for those looking beyond mass-market handicrafts.