There are lots of ways to get from Cambodia to Thailand, and it all depends on how much time, money, and patience you have. In this post, I’ll cover the best ways to get from Siem Reap to Bangkok in 2022 whether you travel by plane, direct bus, mini-bus, or taxi. Flying is always the most convenient, but going overland is less expensive and more of an adventure!
If you’re heading the other direction, how to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap.
At a glance…Siem Reap to Bangkok
- Direct bus: Costs $49. Takes 8 to 10 hours. → Book now
- Taxi: Starting at $195. SUV seats 4. About 8 hours. → Book now
- Indirect buses and vans: Costs $26+. 10 to 12 hours. → Book now
- Plane: Costs $100-300. Fastest but most expensive. 75 min. → Book now
- Crossing the border: What you need to know.
The Giant Ibis direct bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap (and vice versa)
Direct buses from Siem Reap to Bangkok
The easiest way to get from Siem Reap to Bangkok is by direct bus, although it’s not the fastest. Direct means that you don’t have to change buses at the border or haul your luggage over the border — it stays on the bus while you get your visas. While many buses advertise themselves as direct buses, but they are not, and will require changing buses at the border.
Giant Ibis, a company with great reputation in Cambodia, is the best option between Bangkok and Siem Reap. The buses are new, the drivers are good, and the attendants are friendly and help you through the visa process at the border. Although the tickets are more expensive at $49, it is worth the price, and there are no booking fees. There is a $5 visa charge if you do not already have a visa, for “VIP” processing, which means you will not have to go through the Thailand visa hall at all.
I have taken this bus and felt completely safe leaving my baggage in the baggage compartment under the bus while I went through the visa process. The Giant Ibis Siem Reap Bangkok direct bus leaves from Siem Reap at 7:45 a.m. and arrives around 4:15 p.m. Read our full review with photos of the Giant Ibis Bangkok bus.
You can book the Giant Ibis Siem Reap to Bangkok bus online and choose your seat in advance (the closer to the front the better, in my opinion). → Book now
Taking a taxi
Taxi is the most expensive overland option, and can cost approximately $200. If you book online you can choose between an SUV taxi or minivan that can take 4 or 7 passengers, respectively. → Book now
It’s possible to also book a taxi in Siem Reap to go to Poipet, and then get a second taxi at the border to go to Bangkok. This is a less expensive option, but is generally very stressful, particularly if you have substantial baggage. I’ve been left sitting at the border for hours trying to argue my way out of extortionate taxi prices, and frankly, it’s easier to just book in advance unless you enjoy that sort of argument (some do).
Indirect and mini-buses from Bangkok to Siem Reap
Travel Mart runs various sized buses from Bangkok to Siem Reap, from full size to vans.
There are buses and mini-bus services that go “direct,” meaning the same company will drop you off on the Cambodia side of the border and then meet you on the Thailand side of the border. You still need to haul your luggage through the border on foot, and often end up waiting for others on your bus who mysteriously take an hour to go through immigration. These services offer you no direction or hand-holding in getting through the border, but are substantially less expensive than than a true direct bus.
Travel Mart has a good reputation (I’ve taken them and had no complaints). They used to run direct buses but since the pandemic are doing a van to a minibus or express bus combo in cooperation with Virak Buntham, who have a not-quite-as-good reputation. Travel Mart offers night buses or day buses, which range in cost from $26 to $34.50. → Book now
Go Ho Travel are also running vans that require a change at the border for $30. I haven’t taken this bus so I can’t comment. → Book now
Flights from Siem Reap to Bangkok
AirAsia usually have the cheapest flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap, but there are strings attached.
There are fewer flight than pre-pandemic, but Bangkok Airways and Air Asia are flying from Siem Reap to Bangkok in 2022.
Bangkok Airways offer one-way flights at around $100. They offer a 20kg baggage allowance, but if you sign up with their frequent flyer club they will automatically give you an extra 10kg. Another nice perk is that there’s an airline lounge for all passengers, not just those in business class. → Book now
Malaysia-based LCC Air Asia has daily flights between Siem Reap and Bangkok that are usually the cheapest option available. You can find one-way flights on this route for as little as $70 if you book in advance. Flights arrive at Bangkok’s DMK airport and you’ll pay extra for baggage. → Book now
Crossing the Thailand-Cambodia border.
Crossing the border
The Aranyaprathat/Poipet border is known for scams, delays, and confusion. I’ve got a whole blog post with what you need to know about crossing the Poipet/Aranyaprathet border, but here are some important things to know.
You do not need to change money into Thai baht. This is a scam and you will be given an outrageously bad exchange rate.
You do not need to pay any border crossing fees or get a Thai visa before you get to the border office. Do not accept help from anyone who says they can help you get a visa or cross a border. The exception is your bus company, who may offer VIP service, like Giant Ibis.
Know that Thai officials have been cracking down on those who appear to living illegally in Thailand. They only allow two land border entries per year, and there is a requirement for each person to be carrying 10,000 Thai baht, or the equivalent in another currency, per person. This is rarely enforced unless the border officials have some misgivings about you, but if you have multiple Thai visas it’s best to show be able to show that you have cash on hand, a hotel reservation, and plans to leave.
If you’re going the other way, check out my post on how to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap.
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Hi, do you have any suggestion on how to go to Bangkok from Phnom Penh? Is travelling by air more advisable than travelling from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap to Bangkok by bus?
It just depends on your budget, time of year, and how fast you want to go. If you’re visiting, I would suggest taking a bus to Siem Reap and spending a night or two there before going on to Bangkok. Nattakan and Mekong Express also both have buses from Phnom Penh to Bangkok, but they are longer than I personally want to spend on a bus. Other people do it all the time though!
Has anyone walked through Poipet late at night towards Seam Reap? Or vv?
Is there another land bus or train route to avoid the via Poipet to Pattaya?
The border closes at 8 pm
Hi Lina! Your post is very helpful since I’m planning my trip to Siem reap-Bangkok. If I’m coming from Siem reap, where is the final stop of Giant Ibis bus in Thailand? Is it also at Khaosan street? I booked a hotel walkable from Khaosan street and it would be very easy for me if they stop there. Many thanks!
It ends at the Giant Ibis office which is around the corner from Khaosan Rd.
Dear Lina,,
As far as I read all of ur helpful comments for traveling it hlep billirantly. I am sure y might help us. We are Teenager solo traveller from Myanmar and we r planning to get Bankok from to
Sieam Reap by bus. Is there any office to get yr bus ticket and and how much does it cost one person and is there any types of bus like luxury? Do ur bus pick up service in sieam Reap. we will be la memoir d’angkor in combodge. We definitely ur ticket on 19 June of 2017. It takes 8 hours to bkk and may y let me know is which bus station we will get in bkk and is there any immigration office we need to seal. At that office can we pay in dollar for the immigration fees.
Huge thanks in advance for ur help and hopefully will kindly reply me with very helpful tips for traveling in this planet.
God blessed with y Lina
Fondly Regards,
Khin khin Fox
Hi Khin Khin, all of the info about where to buy bus tickets are in this post. :)
Please can you tell me where the bus station is in Siem Reap for the Giant Ibis Bus? We will be staying in Salakormreuk in Siem Reap, is it far away?
Thank you for any help you can give.
Hi Elaine, I’ve got a full review of the Giant Ibis Bangkok bus up here: https://movetocambodia.com/transportation/giant-ibis-bangkok-siem-reap-direct-bus/
At the end of the post there are maps of where the bus stations are. I wouldn’t worry about it, though. You can get a tuk tuk to anywhere in Siem Reap from the station for between $2 and $4.
Hi. Just wanna know if its safe to travel by train. Thanks ?
Hi, thank you so much for your posts! They help a lot! Do you have any information on the train schedule form Aranyaprathet to Bangkok? We want to take the night bus ride you recommended in another post from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, which will arrive early in the morning and directly continue to Bangkok. I wonder if we would still catch a train on the Thai side?
Check on Seat61. If I remember, they leave around midday.
Lina. Great Blog. Thx!
I have a question. We want to be in siem reap for the sunrise and then, around mid-day start our journey to Bangkok. I was watching that we could travel from siem reap to poipet and then catch a bus like you said. We even found buses in 12goasia that are sheduled at 17.45. The thing is that to ensure we are on time with the immigration thing we should get to piopet around 13-14hs. Do you have any schedule of those Vans from Siem reap to poipet? Many many thx!
They leave almost every hour and there are a lot of them. Stop by any travel agent a day or two before to check the schedules, but it won’t be any problem to catch the sunrise. Most of the vans take an extra hour picking up people around town, so I’d recommend leaving around 10 if you want to be there by 1 or 2.
Is there a service from the Siem Reap bus station to poipet border as i will be arriving at 10 am at the airport after a flight from Sihanoukhvile and don’t want to have to go into town to book an immediate bus or minibus.
Great work on the site.it has been a tremendous help in planning this trip and also just understanding Cambodia and Cambodians.
There isn’t a bus station, so I think you’ll have to go into town to get a bus to Poipet.
Ok I’ve already done the angkor trip now (and it was already a shitty trip but at least they had fresh air and wifi sometimes) but now I’m looking for a straight direct quick way to go from phnom penh to bankgok and come back… and it’s a fucking nightmare, scams everywhere, everybody complaining with stories looking like midnight express, 20hours to cross 700fucking little kms and… well I don’t want to pay a flight 200$ to go so nearby…sorry… my plane ticket phnom penh -hong kong was even cheaper what is this trick? I was supposing there was a lot of tourist on this road but all the ‘express’ or ‘direct’ ways are awful scams, my budget is around 100$ I need to hear someone who has already manage to do this trip pp-bkk with a nice level of satisfaction, I don’t do this for pleasure I have people to see in bkk pp and hk, and I’ve got a light lungs infection getting my muscles hurting so I’m not gonna find the real kick being abandonned at night by a driver in the middle of the dusty countryside just because I refuse to pay a price that strangely got ten times bigger during the first third of the journey… is there a good trustable bus company that someone already enjoyed really? Thanks
You should be able to get a flight for less than that. Check out AirAsia. Otherwise, check the direct bus listed in this post, they also have one that goes Bangkok to Phnom Penh. Or, book a flight to Siem Reap (can be had for about $60) and then a bus to Phnom Penh, or a local Cambodian Airline from SR to PP.
I’ve done PP to Bangkok before with Giant Ibis (over 2 legs), about $60 if I remember correctly
Is there a train ride from Siem Reap to Bangkok? Thank you guys!
Not yet. Currently there is a train from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok, but you’d still need to get to Poipet and cross the border to catch the train.
Hi Lina! I found your site very useful and helpful. By the way, I read your article many times already but where do you ride a mini-bus in Siem Reap? The $5 mini-bus that you mentioned. I’d be happy if you could help me. I’ll be traveling on January 25th from Siem Reap to Bangkok by Mini-bus or a combo of all means of transpo.
You can book a ticket at any travel agent in Siem Reap and they will pick you up at your hotel or guesthouse.