It’s a 465km, 9-12 hour trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap. The usual route begins with a 4-5 hour bus or a train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet (‘Aran’), the town on the Thai side near the border, then a short tuk-tuk ride the last 6 km to the border crossing. Cambodian visas are available at the border.

There are two options in planning this trip:
1) Buy a package ticket in Bangkok or Siem Reap, or 2) Put it together yourself.

Option #1: Package Tickets

In Bangkok you can buy package tickets from travel agents on Khao Sarn and in the Sukhumvit area. The price ranges from 400-800 baht. Regardless of the cost of the ticket, most travel agencies are sending customers to the same bus companies. When you buy your ticket, ask about the type of transportation you will be on, especially on the Cambodian side. Make sure it is a tour bus or full sized bus, not a pickup truck. Buses from Neak Krorhorm tend to be better than most.

You will depart Bangkok between 7am and 8am, arriving at the border crossing near Aranyaprathet 4-5 hours later. At the border, you will disembark and will be told how to locate your onward transportation on the Cambodian side of the border. The last leg of the trip to Siem Reap tends to be uncomfortably slow, due both to poor road conditions and the tendency of some bus companies to deliberately drag out the trip so that the passengers arrive in Siem Reap at night, tired and disoriented. They are then ‘delivered’ to a commission-paying guesthouse. Scam alert: Some travelers report they have purchased package tickets on Khao Sarn Road for a trip to Siem Reap via Poipet, but instead are taken through an alternate crossing point such as Pailin or O’Smach. Travel through these crossing points is longer, slower and more vulnerable to additional scams.

Option #2: Do it yourself

1. From Bangkok take a bus or train to Aranyaprathet. Bus: 164-196 baht (first class), 140-155 baht (second class), 4 hours, departing the Northern Bus Terminal (Morchit), hourly from 4AM to 6PM. Train: 48 baht, 3rd class, 6 hours, departs Hualamphong Station twice daily (5:55AM and 1:05PM).
2. From Aranyaprathet, take a moto or tuk-tuk from the bus station to the border for 50-60 baht.
3. Cross the border to Poipet.
4. On the Cambodian side, you have four options for transportation from Poipet through Sisophon and on to Siem Reap: a) Taxi; b) Official Bus; c) Tourist bus, b) Shared/private taxi, or d) pickup truck.
   1. Taxi: Recently increased to $40-$50 for the whole car. 3-4 hours. This is the easiest, fastest, most comfortable, most expensive option. For a local shared taxi, $10/seat.
   2. Official Tourist Bus: From the border take the free shuttle 1 km to bus station. $10 for the official bus. Buses leave when full which can sometimes take quite a while.
   3. Package Tourist Buses: These are the same buses that the package ticket holders from Bangkok use. (See Option #1: Package Tickets.) Price is variable. Comfortable but often very slow. 4-6 hours.
   4. Pickup Truck: 30 baht (in the back) - 50 baht (inside) to Sisophon. Change vehicles in Sisophon. 50 baht (in the back) - 100 baht (inside) to Siem Reap. Do not pay until you have arrived at your destination. 3-5 hours.

Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

Flying

To fly, both President Airlines and Siam Reap Airways have 2 flights per day, travel time about 45mins. Most travel agents in Siam Reap sell tickets for the flights.

Buses

Several guesthouses, travel agencies and bus companies offer daily bus transport between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It is a smooth 314 km, 5-7 hour trip. The bus makes at least two stops along the way (at Skun and Kampong Thom). All charge the same, $6 one way, although there are recent scams reported of charging foreigners up to $9 for tickets. The earliest buses depart starting at 6:30am and that last buses between noon and 1pm.

Neak Krorhorm Travel, Siem Reap office opposite the Old Market; Capitol Guesthouse : Capitol Tours in Siem Reap near the Old Market; GST and Phnom Penh Sorya Transport Co. who both have offices near the Old Market all run buses to PP.

Local Transport

Taxi: (shared) 25,000 riel per person. Departs from southwest corner of Central Market in Phnom Penh. 5-8 hours
Taxi: (private) US$40-$50 for the whole car. 5-6 hours. Due to rising fuel costs, prices are in flux.

Motorcycling

The road to PP is in good condition, but driving in Cambodia is still challenging in the extreme, and should be attempted only by experienced riders. Speeding taxis, slow cows, and oblivious children are the norm. The trip calls for a dirt or road bike, no smaller than 250cc. It can be made in a day, but two days with a layover in Kampong Thom is a more relaxed alternative and allows time to visit the pre-Angkorian ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk.

River Ferry

The local ferry service between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap has been suspended as of July 2006, which is probably a good thing as these ferries were unreliable, overpriced and did not meet international safety standards.

Compagnie Fluevial Du Mekong is still offering high quality, very leisurely paced boat trips between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap on a traditionally crafted wooden riverboat with deluxe facilities. 3-day excursions. Tel: 012-240859. www.cfmekong.com