Overland travel to & from Siem Reap

Many people who come from Thailand enter Cambodia by land. A lot of them cross the border at Poipet by getting a direct bus or taxi from Bangkok. For the moment no touristic vehicle is allowed to cross the border, so you will have to get a connection on the other side.

If you are already in Cambodia you can also come to Siem Reap by boat. It will take longer but it will be an adventuous trip.

Travelling by bus

You can get to Siem Reap by bus if you are coming from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville. But also from Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. 

Bangkok to Siem Reap

Bangkok is around 465 kms away from Siem Reap, and will take between 7-10 hours.

The most common way is to buy a minivan/bus ticket in a travel agency; they will charge you for it between 300 baths (10USD) and 1000 baths (33USD), almost the same service. A first van will pick you up in BKK, will give you a colored sticker as a reconnaissance sign and will bring you to the Cambodian border at Aranyaprathet. Be vigilant, if it stops before the border to help you to do your visa, it's a scam. They will try to charge you 40-45USD for a visa instead of the normal fee at the immigration office which is 20USD. Be cool and diplomat, you just have to answer them that you have already your visa for Cambodia, and they will bring you rapidly to the border in case you talk to the other people about the scam. You cross the border by yourself and someone will welcome you on the other side, he will check you sticker, recognize it and he will put you immediately in a bus/van to Siem Reap.

You can also arrange your transport by yourself. You can take the local bus or train from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet. The bus will cost you around 200 baths and will get you there in 4-5 hours. The train is cheaper, only 48 baths, but it will leave at 5.55 in the morning from Hua Lamphong train station and it will take around 7 hours. When you will arrive, you will have to jump in a tuk tuk to go to the border for a cost of 100 baths. Cross it and on the Cambodian side you can take the bus shuttle for 1.5 - 2 USD to the station, or try to arrange a taxi by yourself instead of going to the station which will be more expensive. Just walk 100m on the way to SR and the drivers or "friends" of them will come to you naturally. If you chose to go to the station, or sometime they don't even let you the choice and force you to take the shuttle, you can take a taxi or a bus to Siem Reap. The normal price for a taxi is around 25 USD but they will try to charge tourists 48 USD. Look around and see if you can't share a taxi. After 2-3 hours you should reach Siem Reap.

Remarks :

• Don't pay the taxi in advance. Just pay the driver when you arrive in Siem Reap.
• Don't change your money at the border. In Cambodia they accept dollars and their local currency riel. At the border they will give you a very bad exchange rate, so just change your money when you arrive in Siem Reap.

Crossing this border can be a real nightmare sometimes; with all the scams and the problems you can have. It's one of the worse border to cross in Asia, but please, don't let this first encounter with Cambodia ruin your sojourn and give you a first bad impression of this people. That's not the real Cambodia, just one of the problems from the mass tourism.

Ho Chi Minh Ciy - Vietnam

You can take a bus form Ho Chi Minh city to Siem Reap. They will pass in Phnom Penh and it can be that you have to changes busses. The ride will take around 14 hours and will cost you around 15 US dollars. 

Phnom Penh - Cambodia

You can take the bus or van from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The ride will take around 6 hours by bus and around 5 hours with the van. They both stop one time on the way. Depending on the bus company they will charge you between 5 and 10 US dollars. Mekong Express asks 10 US dollars because they have a assistant on the bus who will answer all your questions. When you arrive in Siem Reap you will be dropped at the bus station. You will still have to take a tuktuk or motoer taxi to your hotel or guesthouse, so please check in advance if your hotel can arrange a free pick up.

There is also a nightbus. You wiill arrive around 6h00 am in Siem Reap. The cost for this 8 dollars. You can try to sleep on this bus. You can stretch your legs but it is most of the time not a comfortable ride. Also no toilet is available. 

Remarks:

• Form most towns in Cambodia you can get to Siem Reap.
•  From Sihanoukville there is also a nightbus.
•  Just ask in advance the price and the travel time. Not all routes in Cambodia are in a good condition.

Taxi From Bangkok to Siem Reap

In most of the travel agencies you can book a taxi for Siem Reap. They will charge you around 105 USD and it will take you around 7 hours. You only will have to take into account that it can be busy at the border in Poipet. 

You can also arrange it by yourself; just ask to taxi on the street if he is interested in and if not he will always find a friend who is. After negotiating, it will cost you between 50 and 70 USD to reach the border, and you will have to do the same on the Cambodian side which will cost you between 20 and 30 USD. Always try to share with other travelers to cut this cost, it should be easy to find specially after crossing the border.

When you are already in Phnom Penh you can also come by taxi to Siem Reap. Each travel agency offers this way of travelling and they will charge you between 50 and 60 US dollars. You can always negotiate when booking. 

Boat to Siem Reap

There are daily boat services between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It will take 7 hours and they will ask you to pay 25 US dollars. On the way from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap isn't much to see. Tonle Sap is so big that the scenery is disappointing. You can better take a bus to Siem Reap and enjoy the scenery along the way.

The boattrip from Battambang to Siem Reap is much more interesting. The only problem here is that it can take 8 hours to get to Siem Reap, depending on the season. Normally you pay 15 US dollars for your ticket. The country side in Battambang is so beautiful and on the way to Siem Reap you will be able to take many lovely pictures. 

Remarks:

• The tickets for the boats can be bought in most travel agencies. 
• Also often you can book the boattrip in your hotel or guesthouses. Please check if a tuktuk or mini van is included to take you to the place where the boat is leaving. 
• Before buying and agreeing, please negotiate about the price. They will always try to charge you more than the above mentioned prices.