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If you’re planning to travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap in 2025, we have written this article for you. Visiting Cambodia is definitely worth it, but getting there can be very challenging. We highly recommend that you spend some time doing some careful planning and research.
The journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap can be very complicated, confusing, and challenging. There are several different options, and there are also some scams that you need to be aware of in the area. The key to success is careful preparation and planning.
Having lived in both Thailand and Cambodia, we have done the journey between Bangkok and Siem Reap many times. In this article, we’re going to share our experience and tips to help you plan your own journey. We will give you full details, including prices, information about crossing the border, and we will also share several different options so you can pick the best method of transport for you.
Please do read this article carefully. Taking the time to do your research now may save you a lot of stress and problems later. The distance for this journey is around 400km – 420km (depending on the route) and it involves an international border crossing.
PLAN YOUR TRIP – Find out Everything you need to know before you go to Siem Reap
GET EQUIPPED – Don’t miss this Fantastic 3 day itinerary for Siem Reap
What is the best way to travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap?
- Travel overland by bus – 10 hours – $15 – $20 per person
- Take a flight – 6 hours overall – $80 – $150 per person
When you are traveling from Bangkok to Siem Reap, you will need to make a trade-off between budget and time. If you are traveling on a low budget and have plenty of time, then we recommend traveling overland by bus. The journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap takes an entire travel day, and you will also need to slow down and recover after your journey. On the other hand, if you only have limited time in Southeast Asia but a large budget, then we recommend looking for flights. You may be able to fly directly to Cambodia. Alternatively, if you are spending some time in Bangkok, you can find cheap AirAsia flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap.
To get the cheapest flights, we recommend booking as early as possible. When booking flights with Air Asia, the final price is normally a lot higher than the advertised price. You will normally see the price increasing as you go through the booking process. You will probably need to pay extra for any check-in baggage. They may also add a sneaky final booking fee before you make your payment. So if you want to know the actual price of the flight, you will need to go through the whole booking process to see how much you will pay in the end.
Also, when it comes to flying, remember that you need to account for travel time to the airport, waiting time at the airport, and then travel time from the airport when you arrive in Siem Reap. So even if the flight time is around 1 hour, the whole journey is likely to take around 6 hours (assuming there are no delays!).
Full guide – Travelling Overland by Bus
The cheapest and most popular way to travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap is to take a bus and travel overland. This can be quite a tiring and challenging journey.
If you only have a limited time in Southeast Asia, it is also important to recognize that traveling overland from Bangkok to Siem Reap will take up a full day of your travel itinerary (and if you travel back to Thailand overland, this will use up an additional day). Not only does it take an entire day to travel from Thailand to Cambodia overland, this journey is also pretty tiring, so you may want to take a more restful day after you arrive in Siem Reap.
1 Get hold of your bus tickets
Bus tickets from Bangkok to Siem Reap should cost around 750 baht – 1,000 baht (£15 – £20 or $18 – $25) if you book with a local tour operator in Bangkok. There are a lot of travel agents, especially in the Khaosan Road area.
There are two ways to purchase bus tickets for this journey. You can either book your tickets online in advance, or you can book your tickets from a travel agent in Bangkok. It is likely to be a lot cheaper to book your tickets from a travel agent because you can barter for the best prices. On the other hand, if you book online in advance, it is a fixed price. Most booking platforms add a commission to the price of your ticket. Once you have got hold of your ticket, you will need to confirm your pickup time and location.
Make sure that you keep a receipt for your ticket. Your tickets should cover the price of two bus journeys. The first takes you from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet (border town in Thailand). The second bus takes you from Poi Pet to a bus station on Route 6 (the Phnom Penh Road), which is a few kilometers from the center of Siem Reap.
If you book a Travel Mart bus, the pickup location is normally close to Khao San Road. The scheduled departure time is normally at 8 am (however, it is recommended that you arrive at least 30 minutes before the departure time).
2 Get to your bus pickup location
Here is a map showing the Travel Mart Bus Pick up location at Khaosan Road
Bangkok is a very large city, and it is important to make sure that you set off in plenty of time to arrive at your bus pickup location. We recommend arranging a bus pickup from Khao San Road; this is a relatively central location, so it is fairly easy to access. In general, the early morning traffic in Bangkok is not too heavy; however, some areas can get congested, so make sure you do leave plenty of time for your journey.
The most convenient way to travel around Bangkok (especially if you have large bags) is to use a local taxi. Taxis in Bangkok are very affordable; we recommend using the Grab Taxi app or the Bolt Taxi app to order your taxi. Most taxi journeys in Bangkok range in price between 100 baht – 300 baht (£2 – £6 or $2.50 – $8). There is a 7-Eleven store situated close to the Travel Mart pickup location on Khao San Road; this means that you can grab some breakfast and drink before you jump on the bus.
3 Take the bus from Bangkok to the border
The next step is to take the bus from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet (border town in Thailand). The journey from Bangkok to the border is around 240 km, and it normally takes around 4 – 5 hours by bus. The bus is relatively large and comfortable, and there is plenty of room for large bags underneath the bus. We do not recommend leaving any valuables in your bag under the bus.
Bring all valuables on the bus with you and watch them carefully throughout the journey. There is one stop on this section of the journey where you can buy food, drinks, and take a walk. The bus drops you off around 500 meters from the border.
The bus is reasonably comfortable (2 seats by 2 seats). There is a nice section downstairs – great for a family.
4 Cross the border overland by foot
This part of the journey is the most challenging and tiring. If you are lucky, someone from your bus company will escort you across the border and show you where to go each step of the way. They will then introduce you to staff on the other side who can direct you to your Siem Reap bus. However, this does not always happen, so it is important to be aware of what to do. If you are not accompanied by a member of staff, you may be given a sticker to wear, which shows your bus company. On the other side of the border, staff will recognize the sticker and direct you to your bus.
There are two parts to the border: firstly, you need to exit Thailand at the Thai immigration office; you then need to walk across the Friendship bridge (the official border). You then need to go to the Cambodian immigration office where you will need to either show your visa or purchase a visa on arrival. A visa on arrival should cost $30 (however, we recommend that you check the visa requirements for your country).
You will need to fill out an application form for your visa and pay. We also recommend having sufficient cash to pay for these at the desk (clean crisp US dollar bills recommended). Once you have obtained your visa, you can then get stamped into the country; you may also need to have your bags checked at the Customs checkpoint before you can exit the facility. The total border crossing normally takes around 45 minutes – 1.5 hours.
You can also get an e-visa online in advance from the Official Cambodian e-visa website. It costs $36 to get a Tourist e-visa. Do not purchase your visa through any other non-official websites.
Avoiding scams at the border
Over the years, the Cambodia-Thailand border has been notorious for scams. When you are in Thailand, some people may try to direct you towards a fake visa office before you reach the border. It is important to be confident and ignore people. There is a visa office which charges extortionate visa processing fees; you need to be confident and assertive. You can get your visa on arrival when you have exited Thailand; this border crossing can be very intense, so we recommend that you keep moving and don’t interact with people. Also, make sure that you take care of your valuables at the border; this is quite a risky location for theft.
5 Find your bus to Siem Reap
Once you have obtained your Cambodian visa and passed through the customs checkpoint, you will find a small waiting room. If you are with a member of staff, they may direct you to wait until all of your group have successfully crossed the border; alternatively, you may find a local member of staff to meet you in this area and direct you to your bus. You may also have to wait a little while at this point; there are a few shops, cafes, and restaurants situated close to the border where you can buy food and drinks.
6 Take the bus from the border to Siem Reap
Remember to go to the toilet before this section of the journey. Strap in – the Cambodian roads can be pretty intense!
The final step of the journey is taking your bus from the border to Siem Reap; this journey takes around 2 – 3 hours and may have one or two stops depending on your driver. In general, these buses are smaller, and they are unlikely to have a toilet on board. Most buses drop you off at a small bus station situated a few kilometers outside of Siem Reap (normally on Route 6 to the east of Siem Reap). The bus drop-off location is slightly too far to walk if you are staying in the central area of Siem Reap close to Pub Street; you will probably need to find a tuk-tuk to get to your accommodation.
Beware of scams when you arrive in Siem Reap
Unfortunately, you may have to deal with a scam as soon as you arrive in Siem Reap; this can be quite frustrating and exasperating after a long journey. In some cases, you may be dropped off in a bus station where they close the gates to keep you inside the compound, and then several tuk-tuk drivers will try to charge extortionate prices to take you to your hotel. If this happens, it is very important to be strong and assertive and ask the locals to let you leave; you can then walk to the main road (Route 6) and flag a tuk-tuk into town; a fair and reasonable price for this journey should be around $2 – $3.
Prepare for your journey from Thailand to Cambodia
- Pack all of your non-valuable items in a large bag and then pack a secure valuables bag that will stay with you throughout the journey. Keep your valuables safe by putting them inside a dry sack in your valuables bag.
- Cambodia has a dual currency, and they accept US dollars. Make sure that you have enough US dollars for your first few days in Cambodia, including enough money to cover your visas. We recommend having clean, crisp US dollar notes. In Cambodia, they often reject notes that are dirty or damaged. Find out more about Currency in Cambodia.
- Bring a pen for the border. It is always helpful to have your own pen when you are filling out paperwork at the border. You can then fill out your paperwork as you line up to buy your visa; this saves valuable time at the border.
- We recommend that you buy snacks and drinks to keep you going throughout the journey. This is particularly important if you are traveling with kids. There are plenty of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Bangkok; you can buy a wide range of snacks, including crisps, nuts, biscuits, bread, sandwiches, and microwave meals.
- If possible, we recommend downloading a map of Siem Reap before you set off; you can use an app like Google Maps to download maps so you can access it without internet data. You can also pin the location of your hotel so that you can show your driver where to go.
Bangkok to Siem Reap with kids
Traveling around with kids is a lot more expensive than traveling solo, so you will need to consider your options more carefully, especially if you are traveling on a low budget. For example, if you were a solo traveler and you choose to travel overland rather than flying, you may save around $100. If you are a large family and you choose to travel overland, you may save $500, so as a family, you have to be particularly savvy and plan carefully.
This is a long, tiring, and stressful day for adults – so it is definitely a very challenging day for kids! If you are doing this journey with kids, we recommend preparing well, considering entertainment for your kids along the way. We also recommend that you travel armed with an arsenal of snacks and drinks.
If you book your bus tickets online in advance, you may need to pay full price for any kids who are older than two years old (yep, that’s young for a kid to be charged full price!). You may be better off booking with a local travel agent. If you do book your tickets with a local travel agent in Bangkok, you may be able to get cheaper or free tickets for young kids. This may technically mean that your children do not get a seat specifically assigned to them; however, the buses are rarely full, so you should have plenty of space for your family.
Can you take a train from Bangkok to Siem Reap?
The quick answer is no; you cannot take a train all the way from Bangkok to Siem Reap. However, it is possible to take a train from Bangkok to the border, Aranyaprathet. You can then cross the border independently and take a taxi from Poi Pet to Siem Reap for around $10 per person; however, we do not recommend doing the journey this way. It is only possible to save a few dollars, and it can be quite challenging to barter for a local taxi at the border. We found it challenging to find affordable taxis (even when we bartered in the local language!).
Traveling from Siem Reap back to Bangkok
If you’re planning to travel back to Bangkok (from Siem Reap) you can also take a bus. Buses for this route cost $17 – $20 (or $23 with travel mart). There are plenty of travel agents situated in Siem Reap. We recommend booking your bus ticket a day or two in advance. Many bus companies include a free hotel pickup in Siem Reap (they normally pick you up in a tuk tuk and take you to the bus stop). In our experience the journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok is a little smoother and less stressful.
