I love long bus rides! Unlike most people, I actually even find it fun and enjoyable most of the time. Just give me a decent working airconditioned bus, a window seat, a small blankie, and a good playlist, and you won’t hear any whining from me. (READ: Tips For Long Bus Rides and Overland Journey) My original plan of transit from Bangkok to Siem Reap was to take the train. However, the train station was all the way on the other side of the town while the bus terminal was only two stops away. In the end, I chose convenience and took the bus instead. I’ve heard of straight trips from Bangkok to Cambodia, and I pictured it would have been similar to the convenience of the tourist bus trips offered to cross borders in Vietnam and Cambodia. But the journey I embarked on was quite the more adventurous one, meaning I’d have to literally cross borders on my own and find my way between four different cities.
I’ll try to simplify this guide as good as I can. I didn’t take as much pictures because well, let’s just say this really wasn’t one of the best days of my travels. So I’ll just get straight to the point and spare you with my unnecessary blabbers about my personal experience. I’m going to divide this guide into four parts, as we’ll be covering four different cities in this journey. But don’t let that intimidate you, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. It’s actually pretty easy, as long as you know where you’re going and you what you’re doing. And that is exactly why I wanted to write this guide– to make it easier and simpler for you!
Part 1: Bangkok
From Bangkok, you’re going to need to get yourself to the city right at the border of Thailand and Cambodia called Aranyaprathet. There are buses in Bangkok that will be able to take you here. You can go from Morchit Terminal, Ekkamai or Eastern Terminal, and even from Suvarnhabhumi Airport Transport Centre. Bus rides cost roughly 250 baht, and the trip to Aranyaprathet would take at least 4 hours. There are different schedules for the bus trips and it’s best to confirm once you’re in Thailand already. You don’t necessarily have to book in advance since there are a lot of bus trips on a daily basis. Just get an idea how often the buses run and perhaps figure out the daily schedule to avoid being in transit at the terminal for too many hours.
Part 2: Aranyaprathet
The bus will drop you off at the border city, Aranyaprathet. It’s a provincial town and there isn’t much to be found here. Most of the tourists here are usually in transit to Cambodia. I was under the impression that I’ll be needing to take a tuk-tuk to the immigration but an expat there told me I didn’t need a ride after all. So just walk a little bit into the direction where most of the tourists are heading until you reach the Thai immigration building. You’ll get cleared and have your passport stamped and then voila, you’re done with the Thai side of this trip. Once you get stamped out and exit the building, you’ll start getting approached by touts to get your Cambodia visa. Ignore them. Many are known to be scammers so just keep walking until you step out of Thailand.
Part 3: Poipet
Once you’re past the in-between zone, don’t keep your guards down just yet as many other touts and potential scammers will be following you. They’re generally known to be very pushy and would try to sell you a fake visa. But keep walking and you’ll eventually reach the actual Cambodian immigration just a few meters away from the Thai one. It’s a small building, almost an unrecognizable checkpoint. A visa cost $30 and you must have a passport photo ready with you. The line can take anywhere from 10 minutes to literally hours.
Because of my Filipino passport, I’m allowed entry with no visa in Cambodia so I headed straight to the immigration booth. It was hot and very humid and there was already a line at this point. I waited about 20-30 minutes until I got stamped and the Cambodia custom officers are very nice and welcoming. Once you get out, there will be taxis waiting to take you to the van terminal. Ignore them and take the government shuttle instead. It actually went very smoothly for me. I had a chat with the organizer as I waited and I was told that the Cambodian government is really doing their best to enhance the smoothness and convenience of their tourism. The shuttle will take you directly to the terminal and from there, you’ll have a few choices to get to Siem Reap. Originally, I was going to take a taxi with a Korean and a Japanese who approached me to share a cab. A cab would cost at least $30, but when we reached the terminal, there is a van that’s almost filled up. I’m not sure how much I paid for the van but it couldn’t be more than 200 baht. You can also take a bus from there to Siem Reap if that’s more your preference.
The ride from Poipet to Siem Reap was a bit dreadful for me. It took over 2 hours, and it was at the hottest time of the day. But it was definitely something to be welcomed to Cambodia by seeing the provincial side of it first. Majority of the way getting there is generally by dirt roads. Cambodia is…brown. Really brown. But I think this is what makes the country even more charming. It’s unpretentious and it’s simply authentic.
Part 4: Siem Reap
Upon reaching Siem Reap, there will be a bunch of tuk-tuks waiting to take you to your hotel. Depending how far it is, it can take anywhere between $2-5. Remember, US dollars are highly used here so you don’t need to exchange them to riels. Stick with your dollars instead.
See, I told you it isn’t as complicated as it sounds! To summarize this in 7 easy steps, this is all you have to do to get to Siem Reap from Bangkok;
1.) Bus/Train from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet.
2.) Thai Immigration– stamp out
3.) In between zone– do not talk to touts.
4.) Poipet– Cambodia– visa and stamp
5.) Shuttle bus to terminal
6.) Van, taxi, or bus to Siem Reap
7.) Tuk-tuk to your hotel
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girlunspotted.com 
that’s a cool bus journey!! I travelled this way in 2008… 🙂
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Yep! Definitely. BTW, Did you just walk from Thai Immigration to Poipet?
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Thanks for sharing your experience! I like traveling by bus, it’s a good way to see more of a country rather than flying!
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Thanks for sharing your experience! I like traveling by bus rather than flying, it’s a good way to see more of a country!
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That must have been so tiring! I love long bus rides but that would mean one bus and not four. Haha. I’m not sure I can handle this unless I really have to.
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Wow! youre so daring! Thanks for the tips. Now im tempted to get my backpack out and ready for a trip!
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We have just come back from our Siem Reap trip last week. But instead of Bangkok, we crossed the border from Vietnam then Phnom Penh to Sieam Reap. 🙂 The bus ride took six hours long each.
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Wow. who said you need to go by planes or boats to see more places. I hope I get to travel the these places soon.. 🙂
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We wanted to try that trip when we visited Bangkok but somehow with kids we thought to give a miss.
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The whole thing sounds really exhausting, like doing transfers from four places instead of just one. It’s like an adventure on its own :))
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We did the train back when I traversed Thailand to Cambodia. Worth the experience. Although the train seems old, it still survived the trip and was able to bring us to our destination. haha
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Ok, that’s really brave of you. I think I will only dare to do so if I’m with my friend! Haha… I’m too much of a scaredy cat. Maybe if I’m thrown there to survive, I will have no choice but to do it. But definitely not willingly!
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I usually take a plane from Bangkok to Cambodia but it would be fun to try it via bus next time. It would be a really unique experience.
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Thanks for this guide, very helpful for sure. Been to Siem Reap and thinking of going back. Maybe I should schedule in a Bangkok trip too!
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Thanks for the guide. I always wanted to go to Siem Reap again. Maybe this time I try the more adventorous road via bus.
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It is too tiresome traveling by bus for around 6 hours. I have experience it too here in our own locality. We travel by bus for more than 5 hours to another island. Of course, our bus was transferred to a barge and shipped to another island. Then another 3 hours bus ride until we reach our destination.
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This seems like such a long trip but I wish I could’ve tried it myself when I went the last time! Wish I was travelling right now too 😀
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This would be great if you want to travel and explore the different places between Bangkok to Siem Reap. But If you would prefer to relax on your travel, this would be a very bad idea because of long hours of travel.
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Thanks for the tip. Really helpful as I’m planning to visit Bangkok this year.
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Man I wish I had read this a few years ago! We ended up getting a taxi (don’t laugh!) from Bangkok to the border, because between us it wasn’t actually that expensive. I felt like such a bad traveller though! We were pick-pocketed at the border, so I guess that was our punishment for taking the easy route 🙂
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I was thinking about going to another country by bus when we visit BKK later this year. I have been to Siem Reap though. Are there also buses or trains from BKK to Myanmar or Laos? – Fred
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Bus ride is a convenient way to explore and think positively for travel destinations. Never been in Bangkok and I think it helps for travellers.
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That’s an interesting way of transport. I had been to both places (and also Vietnam), but always via flight!
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Good to know!! I am eventually going to Siem Reap so maybe I will choose this option.
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I am not much into long bus rides, although you do get to see more of a country this way, but I really admire people who do this. Well done!
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What a way to explore both Bangkok and Siem Reap scenery via bus ride. I take note of this since, I am planning a Bangkok trip June of next year.
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I love exploring new places thru local people and trying their food and traveling via bus
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This is perfect, we expect to be making this very trip next year at some point so this will be priceless!
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We did this thing! It was quite a hassle actually. First by bus to the boarder, with men getting angry cause we didn’t want to continue to Cambodia with them. Then waiting at the crossing for an incredably long time and after that we took a cap. With two others who really hassled for a good price 😉
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This seems like a lovely journey. Thanks for sharing
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Cool guide here… looks like a fun bus ride. I love travelling by bus you get to see the scenic route at times
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Very cool trip, buses in Cambodia are definetily an adventure hehe. We traveled from Siem Riep to Phon Penh last year and it was a very colourful trip
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This was very brave of you . I wanted to do this before but we ended up doing it from Ho Chi Minh- Siem Reap . Wow that’s a long journey
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I’ve traveled from Slovakia to Sicily by bus for 27 hours. It was my longest bus trip ever and since then I don’t like buses at all. I prefer trains, they are faster, more comfortable and you can even walk inside 🙂
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Great reference guide for the future thanks for sharing!
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Perfect timing! I’m moving to SeAsia soon and will do a long backpacking. This article is very useful 🙂 Thank you!
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Wow, that’s what you call an adventure! 🙂
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Wow, now that’s what you call an adventure!
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