Siem Reap Transportation

Getting There - Siem Reap, Cambodia


Getting to Cambodia (then Siem Reap) takes a few steps and lots of patience, but there are methods to make your journey more enjoyable.


Buses: You can take a bus from Bangkok's Northern bus station to Aranya Prathet (102 baht for normal buses, 196 baht for A/C). The ride takes about five hours, and from the bus station, you'll need to take a tuk-tuk (about 60 baht) to the border crossing site. Once you acquire a Cambodian visa, you can easily find a minibus or taxi to Siem Reap. (It's safe to say that a tout will more than likely find YOU.)


Trains: Trains from Bangkok's Hualamphong station leave for Aranya Prathet twice daily at 5:55 a.m. and 1:05 p.m. Tickets for third class cost 48 baht and the ride is 3.5 hours. The train continues for another half-hour east of the city to the border for 5 baht. There are no minibuses leaving from here to Siem Reap, only pickup trucks. Riding in a truck can be cheaper than getting minibus tickets (200-350 baht), but the ride will be longer and more uncomfortable (about seven hours of standing up and covering your face to avoid road dust).


Boats: If you're already in Cambodia at the capital city of Phnom Penh and want to reach Siem Reap, go by boat. There's a seven-hour speedboat ride for $22 U.S. that traverses Tonle Sap River before taking you across Tonle Sap Lake to the Vietnamese Floating Village just outside Siem Reap. Make sure to bring sunscreen - luggage rides inside the boat while passengers sit on the roof exposed to the heat.


Planes: To avoid crossing the border altogether, you can fly into Siem Reap. The airport is 8 km outside of town along Route 6, the main road. There is an international departure tax of $20 U.S. and a domestic tax of $4 U.S. There are five flights each day to Bangkok on Bangkok Airways; ticket prices are $158 U.S. You also can fly to Phnom Penh or to Vietnam and Laos.


Getting Over the Border:
To get to Cambodia, you'll have to pass through the border town of Aranya Prathet on the Thai side. Immediately across from Aranya Prathet is Poipet, Cambodia, the departure site for vans and buses going to Siem Reap. All travelers with passports also need visas, which you can get from the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok or at the border. Hours at the embassy in Bangkok are very limited, though, and the building is far from Khao San Road (just north of Lumpini Park, in fact), so call ahead before going there.

The border crossing can be stressful and chaotic if you don't know what to watch for. Sometimes touts will attach themselves to you once you step off the tuk-tuk, offering help but later demanding a fee. When leaving Thailand, go to the departure office on the left side of the border crossing, have your passport stamped and then walk to the Cambodia visa office on the right side.


IMPORTANT NOTE: Head straight to the window for visa services and NOWHERE ELSE! Touts will try to lead you to tables outside the visa office manned by police officers; these officials will charge an additional 200 baht handling fee to walk your papers 10 feet. It is NOT necessary to have these officers handle your paperwork!

You need a passport-sized photo for your visa, but if you don't have one, the office will just charge you 100 baht more. Visas should cost no more than 800-1100 baht (or $20-$28 U.S.). After visa services, you walk over the border and arrive at another office on the right; the officials here will validate your visa with an entrance stamp. Past the doors are tuk-tuks to take you to travel agencies that arrange minibus service to your destination.

Watch out for minibus touts, who will push their services until you accept. We each got an $8 ticket for a minibus company that squashed 20 people into a 15-passenger van for a five-hour ride. Another option is to take a truck, where people are packed standing-room-only for a painful seven- to eight-hour journey. It's only 200 baht to ride in the truck bed, but bring a scarf to cover your face from the omnipresent dust. Riding in the truck cab costs 350 baht. Taxis are also available, but the cost is much higher. Whichever method you choose, try to leave in the morning or early afternoon - the roads are deserted and dark at night, and safety could be a concern.



Getting Around - Siem Reap, Cambodia


Siem Reap has interesting traffic mostly because it's a mix of American and European practices. Cars drive on the right side of the road but are set up with the steering wheel on the right (like cars made for left-lane driving). However, drivers often turn left in front of oncoming traffic without giving it a second thought (like cars in Thailand, which drive on the left side of the road).


By Air
By air, Royal Air Cambodge (owned by Malaysian Air Service) flies new Boeing jets and ATR turboprops to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh several times daily and several times weekly to Sihanoukville, Battambang, Ko Kong and Rattanakiri. Siem Reap is also accessible by air from Bangkok via Bangkok Airways.

Connection between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is frequent and regular on President Air and Siem Reap Airways. Note: There's a $6 domestic departure tax in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Airlines

Bangkok Airways
SR: #571, Rte #6
Tel: +(855-63) 380 191
PP: #61A, Street 214
Tel: +(855-23) 426 624
http://www.bangkokair.com/

Lao Aviation
SR: #73, Old Market Area
Tel: +(855-63) 963 283
PP: 58B, Sihanouk
Tel: +(855-23) 216 563
http://www.lao-aviation.com/

President Airlines
SR: Opposite the hospital
Tel: +(855-63) 964 338
PP: #50, Norodom Blvd.
Tel: +(855-23) 212 887

Royal Phnom Penh Airways
SR: Molina Hotel
Tel: 012 924935
PP: #209, Street 19
Tel: +(855-23) 217 419
http://www.rlppairways.com/

Siem Reap Airways
PP: #61A, Street 214
Tel: +(855-23) 720 055
http://www.siemreapairways.com/

Silk Air
PP: #219-B, Monivong
Tel: +(855-23) 364 545
http://www.silkair.net/

Vietnam Airlines
SR: #342 Ntl. Rte. #6
Tel: +(855-63) 964 488
PP: #41, Street 214
Tel: +(855-23) 363 396
http://www.vietnamairlines.com/


By Bus
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, $3.50 (14,000R) one way. The earliest buses depart starting at 6:30AM and that last buses between noon and 1PM.

Neak Krorhorm Travel : Phnom Penh office at the corner of Street 110 and Sisowath Quay. Siem Reap office opposite the Old Market

GST : Phnom Penh bus station near the southwest corner of Phsar Thmey.

Phnom Penh Sorya Transport Co. : Phnom Penh bus station near the southwest corner of Phsar Thmey.

Capitol Guesthouse : Capitol Guesthouse in Phnom Penh and Capitol Tours in Siem Reap near the Old Market

Most travelers find local buses rough but a great way to connect with local people (maybe even sit on their laps). Below are the best of the budget tour companies. Most routes depart from Phnom Penh.


Mekong Express connects Phnom Penh and Siem Reap with daily luxury buses for just $6 (87 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh; tel. 023/427-518), and runs various routes (also boats) throughout Cambodia.


Capitol Tour (No. 14 Road 182, Phnom Penh; tel. 023/217-627) is a long-popular choice for inexpensive seat-in-coach connections and tours throughout the country. Buses leave early from the busy Capitol tour offices in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh (at their office in the capitol, they serve good cheap breakfasts, open 6am-9pm, and a loudspeaker lets you know when the bus is leaving with something like: "For the traveler who him going to Siem Reap, please get on the bus now!").

Ho Wah Genting Transport Company (tel. 023/210-859) provides similar services as Capitol but is geared more toward Khmer travelers.


By Car/Motorbike
Hiring a car with a driver, driving yourself, or going by rented motorbike is a great way to see Cambodia's rural highways and byways. Rough country roads mean that you'll need to hire the most durable of vehicles, with good suspension. Hiring a driver is recommended; traffic is unpredictable. Contact hotels and travel agents. In Phnom Penh Lucky! Lucky! (413 Monivong Blvd.; tel. 023/212-788) is the best place to rent quality motorbikes and other vehicles. You'll have to leave your passport, but these folks are reliable and trustworthy. Next door is New! New!, a friendly competitor copycat.


By Boat
Speed boats make the 5-hour trip between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The cost is $25 and any hotel can arrange a ticket. Boats leave from the pier near the Japanese Bridge in the north end of town or connect with Siem Reap's Tonle Sap docks by taxi. Mekong Express Tour Boat charges $35 for a ride on its larger, more comfortable boat. Contact them at their offices adjacent to the ferry terminal (87 Sisowath Quay; tel. 023/427-518).


Tuk-tuks
You won't find these for in-town transport but if you want one to take you back to the border, some guesthouses can arrange it (see "Getting a Room"). Our fare was $27 U.S.; the extra cost is worth arriving at the border faster and feeling less cramped. (Fortunately, we met two other people who were also heading to Thailand, so we actually saved money this way!)