How to Get to Siem Reap

Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country with Vietnam to its east, Laos to its north, and Thailand to its northwest. With these neighboring countries, there are many ways to get into this mysterious country other than just by airplane.

Located to the northwest of the country, Siem Reap is the main tourist city of Cambodia, and it is the access point to Angkor Wat. But how can you get to Siem Reap? Let's see!

By Airplane

There are two international airports in Cambodia: one in Phnom Penh and one in Siem Reap.

The international flights to Siem Reap directly connect to Chinese mainland (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Kunming), Hong Kong, Taipei, Laos (Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Singapore, South Korea (Incheon, Busan), Thailand (Bangkok), and Vietnam (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang).

If the above countries or cities are the starting point or transfer hub of your trip to Siem Reap, that will be much more convenient.

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By Bus

If you are in a neighboring country of Cambodia for your trip or transfer, then apart from traveling by airplane you can also choose a much more economical way to get to Siem Reap — by bus. But, of course, this type of journey takes more time.

From Thailand

You can take the international bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, but you also have to transfer to another bus from the so-called international bus at the border of Cambodia. It will take approximately 8 to 10 hours to get to Siem Reap. However, in order to get into Cambodia before the border closes, you are advised to take the bus from Bangkok before 11am.

There are also many buses to Aranyaprathet (Aran for short, on the Thai border) at Mo Chit Bus Terminal Station in Bangkok. You can take the bus to Aran first and, after you have finished the entry procedure, you can take the free shuttle bus to Poipet (the adjacent Cambodian bordertown) bus station, and then you can choose to take a bus, minivan, or taxi to Siem Reap.

From Laos

If you are in Vientiane, you can take the overnight bus from the Southern Bus Terminal. The bus will take 1012 hours to get to Pakse, the southern city of Laos.

After you arrive at the bus station in Pakse in the morning, you can choose to go to the border on your own, but you will need to transfer several times. As Pakse is not the official international border, you will need to take a minivan to Stung Treng, which is expensive, and then change to a bus to Siem Reap in Stung Treng.

If you want to take the international bus directly to Siem Reap, you can stay in Pakse for one night and book a ticket for the international bus at your hotel or hostel. The total time to travel from Pakse to Siem Reap on the international bus is 15–16 hours; but, if time permits, the international bus is better to save your energy.

From Vietnam

There are international buses operating from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, but it takes more than 11 hours to get there.

There are also many buses from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh that take about 6 hours. Time permitting, you can take a bus to Phnom Penh for one night and then take a bus or minivan to Siem Reap the next day.

By Train

There is no train service in Cambodia. But if you travel to Cambodia from Thailand, you can take the train to Aranyaprathet from Hua Lamphong Railway Station in Bangkok and then follow the bus route mentioned above from Poipet to Siem Reap.

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