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If you’re reading this I assume you’re planning a trip to Thailand & Cambodia. How exciting! They are both such incredible countries and I recently returned from South East Asia so am here to share all the latest information with you, particularly when travelling from Bangkok to Cambodia by train in 2024.
This journey can be difficult if you’re new to the region. So I’ve put together this guide to make travelling from Bangkok to Cambodia by land, as easy and cheap as possible.
Below I’ll detail the best transport options for travelling from Bangkok to Cambodia and then onwards to Siem Reap. Plus, my experience at the land border crossing and Cambodia visa requirements.
Transport Options For Getting From Bangkok to Cambodian
Below are 4 different options for travelling from Bangkok to Siem Reap, each offers its own pros and cons.
Train
Travelling from Bangkok to Cambodia by train is easy, but the train only goes to the border. Once you arrive in Cambodia you’d need to seek further transportation. And, this is relatively easy & the option I took.
The State Railway of Thailand operates the train from Bangkok to the Cambodian border. The train will depart from Bangkok Station & arrives at Ban Klong Luk Border Railway Station.
It’s possible to get to Bangkok Station via public bus or the MRT, but from where we were staying on Khao San Rd it was too much stuffing around. So instead we jumped in a Taxi & the trip cost 55THB.
There are 2 daily direct trains between Bangkok & Cambodia. One leaves at 05:55 & the other at 13:00.
This trip cost 44THB per person & takes around 5 hours.
If you want to reach Siem Reap on the same day you’d need to leave Bangkok on the 05:55 service.
Tickets are sold at the station and can’t be pre-purchased. I would recommend getting to the station at least 45 minutes beforehand.
Once arriving at Ban Klong Luk Border Railway Station & entering Cambodia, there are options for buses or private cars to other cities in Cambodia.
Siem Reap is where I was heading which is 151km from the Poipet Land Boarder Crossing.
[more detail on this below when I talk about my experience.]
The biggest pro to getting the train is the cost. It’s by far the cheapest way to go! For 2 people it only cost $30 AUD from Bangkok all the way to Siem Reap.
Then the cons which aren’t even bad, there’s no air conditioning, so it got a little hot and if you’re travelling with a lot of luggage you could be left with minimal space if the train is busy.
Private Taxi
One of the quickest and most likely more comfortable land transport options between Bangkok and Cambodia would be to hire a private taxi. This can be easily organized by travel agents in Bangkok.
We actually had someone approach us on the street about this (I’m guessing we looked like tourists 😂). He offered some great advice and then had a tuk-tuk take us to the travel agent’s office. I’m sure he would be getting commission from them.
They quoted us over 5,000 THB just to get to the border. This transport option would definitely take some shopping around as I’m sure these prices are negotiable.
Also, I wouldn’t recommend even going to a travel agent unless you specifically wanted to book a private taxi. That’s all they’re interested in assisting with.
They even told us that it wasn’t currently possible to go from Bangkok to Cambodia by train because of Covid. Our gut told us she was wrong, so we ended up leaving (and getting the train to Cambodia).
If booking a private taxi between Bangkok & Cambodia there are some things to keep in mind;
The drive you take you a different way.
If conditions change along the way, like traffic or weather the driver could change the price mid-trip and you wouldn’t be left with many options but to pay.
Bus
Whilst I was in Thailand and planning our transport to Siem Reap, a bus wasn’t an option. Both Thailand and Cambodia had only just fully reopened after the pandemic and there were currently no buses operating this route.
Although generally, buses do operate between Bangkok and Siem Reap, this trip can take from 8 – 12 hours and cost upwards of 700THB per person.
If you wanted to look further into buses from Bangkok to Siem Reap, or even other cities in Cambodia, check out these two websites.
OR
To be honest, even if the bus was an option I don’t think we would have taken it due to the price. It’s very expensive compared with travelling from Bangkok to Cambodia by train.
Taking a Flight
The flight between Bangkok and Siem Reap is 1 hour and 5 minutes and currently, it’s only Air Asia and Bangkok Airways that operate this route.
If you purchase flights in advance this trip can cost as little as $50 per person (plus bags) and I’ve seen last-minute flights well over $300.
Flying is by far the quickest way to travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap. And, although potentially cheaper than a private taxi, flying will cost more than taking a bus or train from Bangkok to Cambodia.
Cambodia Visa Requirements [what is the visa process at a land border crossing?]
Visa requirements change depending on your passport so I do your own research on official government websites before travelling to Cambodia.
I travel on an Australian passport and my husband holds a New Zealand passport. For us, the process was super simple, and everything was done at the border.
I had read that we’d need a passport photo for our application but they actually aren’t required. We filled in a small form and the fee for a 30-day tourist visa for Cambodia was 30USD.
There is the option to get a visa online prior to entering Cambodia but this can cost slightly more.
Cambodia recently updated its COVID-19 vaccination requirements. You no longer need to be vaccinated or show proof of vaccination status to enter Cambodia.
Aranyaprathet to Poipet Land Boarder Crossing [from Thailand into Cambodia]
I crossed the land border between Aranyaprathet in Thailand to Poipet in Cambodia, in May 2022.
Originally I had read that Aranyaprathet is 6km from the Cambodian border and when you get off the train it’s a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride to the border crossing.
This just confused me because Ban Khlong Luk Border was the name of the station we’d be getting off at!
So the above information is correct, it’s just outdated.
Ban Klong Luk Border railway station, only opened in July 2019. Then Thailand suspended all services to this station in September 2021 due to COVID-19, but within a few months, they resumed.
Ban Klong Luk Border railway station is where we got off the train and it’s literally right next to the border crossing. The path to customs & immigration is very clear and only takes a few minutes to reach.
Departures & immigration on both sides were completely dead, apart from the staff there wasn’t a sole in sight.
Once you have officially left Thailand it’s a 2-minute walk in “no man’s land” to enter Cambodia.
Staff asked us multiple times for our vaccination certificate (I wish I had this printed out because I was getting tired of everyone touching my phone) and at two separate times, we had photos taken of us holding our passports up. – I still don’t really understand what was going on with that!
Inside we filled out the Cambodian visa form and each paid 30 USD cash for payment.
The officer then asked for an additional 200THB per person. There is a big sign above stating the fees for the visa so this additional money he was asking for was clearly a “bribe”.
I’d been warned about this, although I do know people who happily paid because it meant they’d go straight to the front of the queue.
But the place was a ghost town, there were no queues so why should I have to pay extra!
Not at all impressed that I refused to pay he took our passports to process the visas. Straight afterwards I was sitting there worried he’d take hours because I hadn’t paid what he wanted. But luckily it only took 5 minutes and we were on our way.
Welcome to Cambodia!
My Experience Traveling from Bangkok to Cambodia by Train;
This is my experience travelling from Bangkok to Cambodia by Train and then onto Siem Reap.
Arriving at Bangkok Railway Station at 05:10 gave us plenty of time to purchase the train tickets and breakfast.
The train tickets cost 44THB, there is only one class on these trains so it’s the same price for everyone.
We left Bangkok on time at 05:55. Then arrived at Ban Klong Luk Border Station at 11:20.
Throughout the trip, there were locals selling food & drink on board. The State Rail trains are very old but I found them quite charming. It was like stepping back in time, I even enjoyed the rickety sound it made every time it went over a bridge. Also, the padded seats made the trip reasonably comfortable.
There’s no air-con, just fans but the windows open right up to let the breeze in.
The fun was over when we arrived at the Cambodian border, now it was time to get decent transport to Siem Reap (and hopefully not get ripped off).
There’s a bus to Siem Reap that can be pre-booked on 12GO, but this leaves at 8 am.
Then How to Get From Poipet to Siem Reap
Once we had cleared immigration and officially entered Cambodia, straight away we had locals (touts) approaching us about transport.
We were strongly warned about this as many of these “drivers” aren’t reliable and will rip you off. They’re usually very well dressed in a suit or business shirt in an attempt to look professional.
Keep walking straight ahead for a few minutes until you see an undercover area with a sign that says “Free Shuttle Bus Station”.
Here there are free shuttle buses that go to the Government Passenger Terminal and from there are more transport options to get to other cities in Cambodia and its all fixed price.
So we were waiting at this shuttle bus station for a while, no sign of buses. There was a man in uniform and he said there are no buses to Siem Reap anymore and we’d have to go by private car, that he can organize.
Cambodia had only recently re-opened after COVID, so this could have been true. I just wasn’t overly convinced he wasn’t trying to play us. Plus, his story then changed and said there was a bus coming, but it will leave in 1 hour, then 2 hours.
I was starting to think we may be spending the night at this shuttle bus station.
Eventually, he convinced us to get a taxi for only 300 Thai Bhat (per person) from the Poipet to Siem Reap.
But that’s not the end of it in Cambodia, before the driver left town he insisted on finding two other passengers to fill the car. And, all that stuffing around took an extra 45 mins.
But still, I didn’t mind this option because at least we were moving and not still waiting for a bus that may never come.
Then only a few minutes outside Siem Reap city centre the driver pulled over and was kicking us out. The agreement at the border was to take us to our hotel, he had even asked for the hotel’s address.
I’m sure this was his plan all along because there was a tuk-tuk driver waiting for us who said he’d take us to our hotel for free if we hired him the next day for Angkor Wat.
This isn’t something we were expecting and frankly, the set-up pissed me off!
We declined his offer and paid the tuk-tuk driver our last 40THB to take us to our hotel.
Taxi & Tuk Tuk drivers in Cambodia changing prices, routes or picking up extra passengers after a deal has already been made is, unfortunately, a common assurance in Cambodia, especially Siem Reap.
If this happens to you don’t feel pressured into hiring the driver for future jobs. And any tuk-tuk around the city shouldn’t cost more than 1-2USD.
Getting from Poipet to Siem Reap ended up being a bit of a stuff around and the dishonesty wasn’t a good start to our time in Cambodia. But at least we arrived safely and it was still a very cheap ride.
300THB is roughly 8 USD and I had read taxis can change up to 12USD.
Recommended Accommodation in Siem Reap
[Getting from Bangkok to Cambodia by train] In Conclusion…
It’s crazy to think that two people can travel nearly 400km by land and it cost less than 30AUD. So even though it was a long day, travelling from Bangkok to Cambodia by train & then taxi to Siem Reap was an awesome way to go.
In this guide, I have detailed 4 different transport options for getting from Bangkok to Siem Reap and the current requirements for entering Cambodia by land.
Which transport option would you choose? Leave a comment below.
Thanks for reading,
Happy Travels
Find more travel guides to Cambodia here,
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Elyse is the author & content creator behind A World To Live. After traveling to over 40 countries, she has a passion for discovering new places. Elyse is a money-conscious traveller who loves writing independent travel guides to help her readers get the most out of their travels.
I really appreciate this post. Often you find sites that just say “take a taxi to so and so” but doesn’t go provide any exanation about where to find such taxi or their experience or prices or other options. So thank you for providing such detail! My kind of post!
You’re very welcome. I wanted to provide heaps of detail because when I was making the trip I found it very difficult to find all the accurate and relevant information. So glad you like it
It was so nice to read this article, very insightful! And I’m planning to visit Bangkok later this year, so I’m going to save it. I love traveling by bus, but I would consider a plane as well 🙂 Thank you for sharing this 😍
Thank you for making such a detailed guide. I will definitely be saving this for later!
Great post, very detailed and includes all the options! I love traveling by train, so I am happy in the end this is the cheapest option. Thabks for sharing!
Great post, I am planning to visit Thailand in October and I would like to visit Cambodia.
This is very helpful to plan your time and find the best way to go, I love traveling by train I guess the fact of no air conditioning doesn’t scare me. Save it for later! thanks for sharing this!
I would opt to fly, just because I love flying. I also feel like flying is generally a safe option.
Some very useful information here about the logisitics of travelling from Bangkok to Siem Reap. You experiences with visas and the border crossing is especially helpful! Thank you!
This was such a helpful read! All the details about visas and the transportation logistics are so good to know before you go. Thank you!!
I love how you write – very candid and interesting posts! I would definitely want to fly! Enjoyed the read and learning about your experiences, especially with the border crossing.
I spent so much time in these places on different occasions but never considered doing them in one trip. This is quite practical if you want to do a cross country trip of these amazing places
Bookmarked! Thank you. 🙂
nice to read and although my last asian trip is a few years ago i just feel it how it felt standing on the boarder all these guys around offering taxi and telling lies 😂
did you also travel by train back to bkk? i consider a flight to siem rep but back home from bkk so in this case would travel other direction 😅
Hey Julie, I didn’t travel back to BKK sorry. Continued on land through Cambodia then into Vietnam. But I assume it would be very similar in the reverse, except crossing back into Thailand would probably be easier lol
you’re awesome, thanks for the information!
I never really thought about travelling between Thailand and Cambodia but it does sound like quite an adventure!
That’s an impressive guide! Pinning to my bucket list board for future trip planning!! Thank you!
this sounds like such an adventure – although i have to admit, not being able to pre-purchase tickets is serious anxiety for me! 😂🤣
hahaha yeah I know what you mean!
Kind of wish you had stuck it out for the bus in Cambodia ! I also ‘broke’ and got a shared taxi …
Good on you getting up early for the train … I took the afternoon one and stayed the night on the Thai side then crossed the border in the morning … also a decent option as very cheap hotels available:
I wish I would have waited for the bus as well, in the end it would have been much easier. And, thats good to know about hotels near the boarder, thanks for sharing
I took a bus a few years back, and though it was long, it was fun! However here is thinking taking the train might be a lot more fun. Food for future thought!
Thank you for breaking this down! It can be tricky to know what is the best option for transport in a different country and this lays things out easily!
You’re very welcome Meghan, thank you for your comment
Cambodian are very nice and friendly people. If you encounter any problems on this trip, it will be much more likely on the thai side of the border then in Cambodia.
very helpful information,thx
you’re very welcome
Hi Elyse. Thanks for providing all of this info. I am drafting a bicycle route from Siem Reap to Bangkok. I’m having a hard time finding a good route into Bangkok, that avoids major highways. I discovered the train to the Ban Klong Luk Border and see it as a possible solution to my problem. I want to stay on the bike as long as possible and board the train closer to Bangkok. The issue that I am running into is verifying which stops along the way are actually open. One website that I found (https://www.thaitrainguide.com/timetables/no-275/) identifies 45 stops between the Ban Klong Luk Border and Bangkok; however, I am finding conflicting information if these stops are open or even exist. I was hoping to hop on the train at Ban Phrom Seang. The stop is on the previously mentioned website and shows up on Google Maps; however, I don’t see any indication of a stop on streetview or aerial images. Anyway, do you have any information on stops along the way? Thanks!
Hey Jason, that sounds awesome, what an adventure. I definitely don’t beleive we stopped 45 times along the way. I can’t be certain, sorry, but I’m pretty sure our train was express for part of the way.
Hope that helps
Elyse