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Thailand to Cambodia: How to Get to Cambodia from Thailand

Covering an area of 513,115 square kilometers, Thailand is located in the middle of Indo-China Peninsula. With a Buddhism history of more than two thousand years, Thailand has more than 30,000 mysterious ancient temples and splendid palaces. Because of verdant forests, fresh air, blue sky, unspoiled scenery, warm weather, rich folk customs and hospitable people, Thailand has become a popular tourism country in Southwest Asia.

Cambodia, the small and mysterious Asian country once hosted one of the greatest empires, the Khmer Empire, in southeast Asia, has a sorrow history torn by civil war and genocide. Nowadays, it has cast behind those dark times and become a shining tourism country in Asia, with thousands of people visiting Cambodia every month, come rain or shine.

Being the neighboring countries, you can combine a visit to both of Thailand and Cambodia during a single trip. There are many options for you to travel between them, and you can choose the most suitable one on your own merits.

>Check for the most classic Cambodia and Thailand tour package.

Get to Cambodia from Thailand by Flight

Thailand Airports

There are totally 37 airports in Thailand, including 8 international airports and 29 domestic airports. Among them, 5 major airports are built in several main cities of Thailand. They are Don Mueang International Airport and Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Phuket International Airport in Phuket Island, Chiang Mai International Airport in Chiangmai, and Koh Samui Airport in Koh Samui Island.

Thailand airline
Thailand airline

Cambodia Airports

In Cambodia, there are mainly three international airports: the Phnom Penh International Airport , situated in the capital city Phnom Penh, also the largest city of Cambodia; the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, located near the famed ruins of Angkor Wat, is the gateway to the Angkor region; and the Sihanoukville International Airport, locates in the coastal city Sihanoukville. Besides these international airports, there are also many domestic airports.

Thailand-Cambodia Flight

Flights of Thailand-Cambodia are currently only available from Bangkok to both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Bangkok Airways operates flights between Bangkok-Siem Reap and Bangkok-Phnom Penh, while Thai Airways and Air Asia both fly between Bangkok and Phnom Penh. At the moment, the regional airports in Thailand do not have direct Cambodia Flights. You have to take a connecting flight to Bangkok before flying to Cambodia.

The flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh takes around 1h 10 min while the flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap takes about 1 hour. You can apply for visa on your landing at Cambodia airport. The price is generally $30, but you should be prepared for the tip.

Get to Cambodia from Thailand by Bus

Travelling by bus from Bangkok to Cambodia is the cheapest option (from $24). It offers more flexible routes than flights for those who is not pressed for time. Aranya Prathet - Poipet port is most commonly used by tourists in a Thailand - Cambodia cross border tour. Buses shuttling between Bangkok and Siem Reap and Phnom Penh usually pass through this port. The opening time of this port is 7:00-20:00. You can apply the visa in Cambodia border, which takes about $20.

To get from Bangkok to Siem Reap, you can take a direct bus leaving from Northern bus terminal Mo Chit in the morning. There are just two journeys per day, both of them are in the morning. Mo Chit is 10km away from central city of Bangkok. You can book bus tickets online in advance or buy it directly in bus station. Its travel time is about 7-10 hours. The bus tour from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet takes about 4-5 hours. When bus arrives at the border, you need to handle procedures of exit at Thailand port, then walk about 1 kilometer to Cambodia entry point and apply for visa. Make sure you have a passport photo and just keep your passport with you and don’t handle it to anyone in case of scam unless you are about to get your stamp/visa.

Thailand to Cambodia by bus
Thailand to Cambodia by bus

After you get your entry stamp, get back to your bus for another 4-hour drive to Siem Reap. The journey is pretty nice, passing through farms and seeing how locals at the countryside live their life is interesting. When you arrive at Siem Reap, bus company will provide free service to drop you off at your accommodation. Therefore, taking a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap is straightforward and easy except that you may spend quiet some time crossing borders and handling procedures.

Meanwhile, bus from Bangkok to Phnom Penh is also available. It departs at 5:00 am in Mo Chit and arrives in Phnom Penh by 6:00 pm on the same day. The bus takes about 5 hours to get from Bangkok to the border and 7 more hours to reach Phnom Penh. When you are at Aranyaprathet/ Poipet border crossing, you will take about 1-2 hours to get a Cambodia visa on arrival.

Alternative Option of Bus Tour

Except for the common way introduced above, there is another option to get from Bangkok to Cambodia, but it is more troublesome than the previous one.

First, you need to get from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet, and then from there to the border by tuk tuk, a common vehicle in Cambodia. It will take about 10 minutes and $2. After crossing the border, take a free bus to Poipet bus station , and then find a bus to Siem Reap there (costs around 3 hours, $9). You can also get from Poipet bus station to Phnom Penh.

Get to Cambodia from Thailand by Train

Train Tour from Thailand to Aranyaprathet

To get to Cambodia, you can also choose to take a train tour from Bangkok. You may expect a train to be faster than traveling by road, but in Thailand this is not the case. Trains seem to be a good way to transport a larger number of people from one destination to another, but they are not designed to be a fast mode of transport. However, on the other side, It is cheaper and more comfortable than a bus. Traveling by train to Cambodia gives you a chance to enjoy the scenery go by as well, if you’re taking a daytime train.

Thailand to Cambodia by train
Thailand to Cambodia by train

Be aware though, there are no trains operating across the border between Thailand and Cambodia now, so you will only be able to get so far as Aranyaprathet. In Hualamphong Train Station in Bangkok, there are two trains departing from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet every day and you don’t have to book the ticket in advance. The one leaves at 5:55 am and arrives at Aranyaprathet in 11:35 with price of $1.6 while the other departs at 13:05 and arrives at 17:35. It’s advisable for you take the morning train to Aranyaprathet since in this way you can get to Siem Reap on the same day without hiring a taxi. The train station also offers a combined train+bus ticket to Siem Reap, you can decide whether or not to buy it on your own merits.

Bangkok to Aranyaprathet is 255 km. The train is third-class-only, but it's clean, spacious and it's a really pleasant and enjoyable ride, clickety clacking along with a breeze blowing through the open window.

Bus tour from Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap

When you arrives at Aranyaprathet, you need to take a taxi or tuk-tuk to the border 6km away. It's only a 10-minute ride from Aranyaprathet to the Cambodian border at Poipet. First get your passport stamped on Thailand side, the walk on for 100 yards under the archway to the Cambodia border post to buy your Cambodia visa if you haven’t apply e-visa in advance. Be careful with your valuables when crossing the border just in case of pickpockets around. The whole process should take only 30 minutes, but at busy time it may take an hour or even longer.

At the exit from Poipet border post onto the big roundabout, you will see an official free transit bus to the Poipet Tourist Passenger International Terminal 10 minutes down the road from where all the shared taxis and buses leave for Siem Reap or Phnom Penh. It takes around 2.5 hours by share taxi or 3 hours by bus on the way to Siem Reap. A shared taxi costs $12 for a seat or $48 for the whole car. A bus costs $9 and a minivan for $10. You may also be approached by taxi drivers outside the border post, about $40 for a taxi all the way to Siem Reap. After arriving at Siem Reap, you can spend some time visiting the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat.

Bus/Boat Tour from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

If you want to head onward to Phnom Penh, there are two options, bus or boat. There is a daily speedboat along the river from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh departing at 6:30 and arriving at 13:00. Alternatively, there are buses at various times throughout the day from 6:30 until about 12:30 with journey time 6.5 hours and fare of $13-$15. Buses are run by several operators. Some buses are double-deck, while some have a WC & refreshments.

In brief, train tour from Thailand to Cambodia can be a little complicated and tiring because of times of transfers, but you also get an unique opportunity to experience the diversified transportation methods in Cambodia and get closer to the local customs and practices. During your train tour, take good care of your personal effects and important documents and don’t give your passport or visa to anyone except officers in official border posts.

Recommended Transportation for Different Groups

As we have introduced above, if you have a tight schedule or plenty budget, taking a flight from Thailand to Cambodia will be a perfect choice, and it’s more time-saving to deal with border-crossing formalities than road tour, but you may need flight transfer to Bangkok in Thailand in the first place. Air tickets can be booked online in advance.

For those travelers who want to experience local road transportation or have plenty time, bus and train tour will be more suitable. While comparatively, taking buses allows tourists more choices than trains. The road condition has also been improved in Cambodia in recent years. When traveling by bus, or taking the train from Bangkok, getting your visa at the border is not complicated but can take for a while. If possible, try to apply for an e-visa online before your trip because in this way you can already have it and save yourself more time and hassle at the border.

If you want to know more about Thailand Cambodia tour, please feel free to contact us. We are ready to tailor an unforgettable and pleasant tour for you.

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