The trip between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville is relatively painless. Here’s a round-up of the best options for 2019 (hint: we prefer private taxis) to get from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville and vice-versa. The journey take between 4 and 7 hours. The later in the day you leave, the longer the trip will be due to traffic; around dusk it can take an hour or two just to get out of Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville at a glance…
*Taxi: $60 4 hours, reserve online in advance
Giant Ibus bus: $15, 6 hours, buy ticket online
Mekong Express van: $12, ~5 hours, buy ticket online
Post Office van: $8, ~5 hours, buy tickets online
Compare all buses between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville
One of our favorite Sihanoukville taxi drivers.
Taxi
Private taxis are the fastest way to get from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, and usually cost between $50 and $60. In high season the prices can climb even higher. Taxis can seat four people, but be warned that they don’t usually have enough room for a ton of luggage. Most of the taxis that go between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville are Camrys, and the drivers aren’t afraid to hit the gas. Expect to get there in around 4 hours or less, although we’d advise you to keep your eyes closed. Later departures will take longer due to traffic.
You can book a taxi online in advance, and the prices are surprisingly reasonable. In fact, if you book online you can get an SUV taxi that seats five for the same price — around $60. There is also the option to book a 7- or 10-seat minivan.
We also have a few taxi recommendations in our Sihanoukville City Guide, but they will need to be booked a day in advance.
Buses, mini-buses, and express vans
Most companies running the full-size buses that go between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville are objectively terrible: unsafe, slow, and uncomfortable. The shining exception is Giant Ibis. But a faster, more comfortable way to go between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, is by mini-bus or “VIP van.” The trip takes between 4 and 6 hours for vans and minibuses, and up to 7 hours for full-size buses, depending on traffic getting in and out of Phnom Penh.
Giant Ibis
Foreigner favorite bus company Giant Ibis has started running full size, 38-seat buses on the Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville route in 2019. They are noticeably better than most Cambodian bus companies, and offer seat belts, relatively safe drivers, WiFi that works occasionally and a TV that plays English-language movies. The best part is they don’t stop dozens of times to pick up and drop off passengers and always leave on time. The bus stops once along the way for snacks and a bathroom break. Tickets cost $15 and include hotel pickup.
You can book Giant Ibis tickets online in advance, which allows you to pick and reserve a seat for less than $1. Buses drop off and pick up at the Giant Ibis office and the trip takes about 6 hours.
Giant Ibis schedule
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville: 8 a.m, 12:30 p.m.
Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh: 8:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m.
The Cambodia Post van takes bags of mail, and you, between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
Cambodia Post VIP Van
The Cambodia postal service runs passenger vans between many major cities in Cambodia (don’t be surprised to see bags of mail in the back). Cambodia Post vans are great value for money, so it’s all the more surprising what a pleasant journey they offer. Drivers are safe and courteous and when the network permits it, there is WiFi on the van. Be aware that the front middle seat (A1) is extremely cramped. Tickets cost $8 per person and can be purchased online in advance for a small fee, which allows seats to be reserved in advance. They often sell out, so book early.
Cambodia Post schedule
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville: 7:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh: 7:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.
Mekong Express
Mekong Express used to run a decrepit fleet of old Japanese buses between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, and before Giant Ibis came on the scene, they were the expat favorite. They’ve abandoned the buses and are now running “VIP Vans” decorated with decals of prancing horses. They have a good safety record and are known to drive at reasonable speeds. They have a two-tiered pricing policy; Khmers pay $10 and foreigners pay $12. You can book tickets online in advance (so you can reserve the best seat) for less than $1.
Mekong Express schedule
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville: 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m.
Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh: 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m.
Shared taxi
Shared taxis are usually 5-seater Camrys that somehow manage to hold seven passengers plus the driver. You can get shared taxis from the southwest corner of Central Market (Psar Thmei) in Phnom Penh or at the old bus station in Sihanoukville. Seats cost around $7-10 per person. You can offer to pay extra to take the front seat, otherwise you’ll be squeezed in with three or four others in the backseat. The journey take between 3 and 3.5 hours because they drive fast.
Train
Cambodia has recently restarted their train service, and on weekends you can take the train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. The trip takes about 7 hours. Learn more in our post about taking the train in Cambodia.
Going from the Phnom Penh airport to Sihanoukville
If you’d like to go from the Phnom Penh airport straight to Sihanoukville, you have a few options. The easiest is to book a taxi online, in advance. The cost is $65 for an SUV taxi, and the driver will wait for you outside with a sign and help you with your bags.
You can also take an official airport taxi, or catch a taxi outside for between $60 and $80, but you will need to negotiate. Another option is to arrange for any of the bus companies listed above to pick you up at the Park Cafe directly across from the airport. This much be arranged in advance and they will pick you up 50-60 minutes from the scheduled time of departure.
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so if i take bus the cost just only 7 or 8$ per each? two round or one round? and what about the kid that the age below 10 need to buy ticket too or not?
Hey,
we want to catch the flight from Phnom Penh at 20:00. Coming from Koh rong samloen to sihanoukville (11.O0 in Sihanoukville).
Is it possible to take the mini bus at about 13:30 and stop at the Airport?
Or is it possible to find a taxi on the spot (5persons)
Thanks for any tipps?
I think this is all already addressed in the blog post.
What about the train?! There’s little to no info on this weekend option.
We enquired recently and found there is no longer a train service running.
The Giant Ibis buses are great, comfortable, A/C, not reliable WiFi though.
The pitstops halfway is well needed for toilet and food break. 20 min break.
Can you find a taxi to Sihanoukville at the airport? I’ve only come the opposite way ( and it took us 5 hours!) what time do you think is best to avoid traffic getting out of the city? Thanks!!
Yes, you can, although they will be more expensive and not all drivers will be willing to take it. If you arrive during the day there are also some bus companies that will stop at the airport to pick you up. Traffic out of the city is generally bad at most times of the day, in my experience, unfortunately.
Thanks for your reply! Where is the best place to find a taxi to SV then? Our flight arrives around noon so we want to get to the coast asap to beat the bad evening traffic.
Hi Linds, try Mr. Dara. You can find his details here: https://movetocambodia.com/city-guides/sihanoukville/transportation/
Thank you so much for your quick responses! Can’t wait to come back to Cambodia :)
Not all taxis drive fast, and buses take way more than 5 hours, the information here is incorrect. All trips I’ve taken have been around 6 hours, the one I took in a taxi was 5.
Hi!
Im arriving 4pm at pp airport n planning to straight way go to sihanoukville. Which bus company should i take? And where is the bus station at serendipity beach? Thanks inadvance!!
Hi folks,
To anyone reading this; I paid $60 usd for a taxi to sihanoukville. This was at midnight and I didn’t bother t haggle. You can probably get it for $50. It was a Toyota Camry all to myself. I could sleep on the back seat. The return was cheaper. $45 back to PP. I highly recommend it as your on your schedule and can stop as you please. The trip took about 3h each way. Enjoy Sihanoukville
i am reaching PP at 3pm 4th Dec 2015.
anyone can advise taxi to sihankouville? and taxi from sihankouville to PP on 7th Dec 2015.
(solo traveller)
Where did you book it from? Thanks!
Hi guys, I land in PP tomorrow at 11pm (quite late). I don’t plan on booking a taxi ahead of time. I realize that the cost may be more than the ~$60 usd mentioned on this page. Two questions: 1) how much do you think it will cost me and 2) should I have usd ready to pay or should I have local currency? Thanks, Eric
Hi coming to Pnh airport 20/12 at 16 00 is there any bus going from airport to Sihanoukville at about 17 00?
Could you please tell me where the bus drop off is in Sihanoukville for the Giant Ibis mini bus.
Thanks forthe good information.
It drops off at the Giant Ibis office, the address is in the blog post.
Thanks Lina.
In early November I have arranged for a pick up at the airport…I was told to wait at Park Cafe opposite the airport for the GI bus to Sihanoukville.
I can let you know if it went well.
Joy
Please do let me know how it goes, that’s great intel!
Okay.Have tested the pick up from phnom penh airport to sihanoukville and it worked. I called the office when we landed to confirm. One passenger did say that they waited for 10min for us to arrive when someone realized we were waiting at the cafe opposite the airport called Park Cafe.
Which company did you use?
Giant Ibis
Please advise the cost / charges from the airport to Sihanoukville with thanks.
Did you bought the tix for Phnom Penh to Sihanouville including the pick up at the airport? how much is the charges?
12 usd per person.
You can look on their website for further info and arrange for pickup at cafe opposite the airport by emailing them after booking.