Before you start reading, are you looking for our full review of how to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap in 2022? If not, carry on.
If you’re heading from Thailand to Cambodia, the Bangkok to Siem Reap direct bus is the easiest way to do the trip overland. Why might you want to go overland, one might ask? For one, it’s a lot less expensive, with the direct bus costing between $28 and $35. For another, if you’re looking to transport large or bulky household goods or have large pieces of luggage, the direct bus is an easier option, particularly because they don’t make you change buses at the border.
The Nattakan direct bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap (and vice versa)
Bus options
There are now two companies running direct buses between Bangkok and Siem Reap, Nattakan and Giant Ibis.
We have more in-depth reviews of both Nattakan (see below) and Giant Ibis (click here) on this route if you want to get into the nitty-gritty details, but in summary, I have taken both several times and think that Giant Ibis offers a better trip. They leave from a more convenient location near Khao San Road, the buses are brand new and the entire journey, including the border crossing, is smooth. Although the ticket is more expensive at $35, it’s well worth the price.
Buying tickets
If you’re going with Giant Ibis, tickets can be bought online and a seat reserved in advance for $35 with no additional service fees. You can print your ticket out or just show it to them on your phone or device and you’ll get straight onto the bus. Buying online allows you to choose your own seat, and advance purchase is recommended because the bus can get busy in high season.
You can also buy Nattakan tickets between Bangkok and Siem Reap (plus Bangkok and Phnom Penh) on BookMeBus. Tickets cost $28 in either direction, plus a 5% booking fee ($1.40 per ticket). The procedure is simple and you’ll receive an e-ticket that you can either print out or present on your phone when you arrive at the bus station. In high season the buses are often full, so it’s more than worth the booking fee to be able to reserve a seat in advance.
The Transport Co. Ltd station inside the Northern/Mo Chit 2 bus terminal, Bangkok
Tickets for Nattakan can also be purchased at the Northern bus terminal in Bangkok, sometimes called Mo Chit 2 bus terminal, sometimes called Chatuchak bus terminal. On the ground floor a booth labeled The Transport Co, Ltd. sells the Bangkok to Siem Reap tickets. Taxi fare to the bus station is around 150 baht (about $4.25) from Sukhumvit, making the trip a more expensive way to get a ticket than the online option unless you’re already in the area.
The Nattakan buses run at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. in either direction and the Giant Ibis leaves at 7:45 a.m.
The bus journey on Nattakan
The direct bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap takes between 8 and 11 hours, depending on how crowded it is at the border. Passengers are allowed two bags each with a maximum weight of 20 kg, although the weight limit was not enforced when I hauled two suitcases of Ikea merchandise to Cambodia. There is limited storage space above the seats in the bus, so if you want to stow something inside, board early. The Nattakan Bangkok-Siem Reap direct buses are Korean, and seats are comfortable and lean back more than they probably should–watch out for the knees of the person behind you!
Nattakan buses: not not the worst place to spend eight hours…
On my recent trip, the 9:00 a.m. bus from Bangkok left on time. We were given a bottle of water and a snack, which was a limp-looking Asian pastry. There was a toilet break at 11:00 a.m. at a rest stop with a giant 7-11 and some fast food and local food options. At 1:10 p.m. we stopped at the Transport Co., Ltd. office in Aranyaprathet and were each given a ready-made hot lunch from 7-11, in my case it was shrimp and basil stir-fry. I’m ashamed to admit, but I thought it was pretty good if a bit on the small side. Vegetarians be warned, you’ll need to bring your own lunch. Later, we were given the choice of an orange juice or an iced coffee. You won’t starve if you don’t, but it’s definitely worth bringing some food of your own on the trip.
By 1:40 p.m. we were at the border, and everyone had finished their visa process and we were on the road at 3:15 p.m. We arrived in Siem Reap at 5:30 p.m., for a total of 8.5 hours.
The border
When you approach the Poipet/Aranyaprathet border, the bus will stop and let off all passengers. You can leave your bags on the bus (that’s why they call it a direct bus, there are no bus changes). You’ll then be expected to walk yourself through the various border checkpoints. There’s not a lot of instruction from the crew and the process can be confusing for those who have not done it before, but it’s actually quite simple. Just remember that you need to be stamped out of the country you came from and get a visa for the country you are entering (so two stops).
If you are heading from Bangkok to Siem Reap, after you go through both offices, turn back around and the bus will be waiting for you in front of the Grand Diamond Casino. They wait there for every passenger to complete their visa process, which takes an hour or two in total, so don’t be afraid to go into the casino and have a drink or a meal in the Chillax Cafe. It sounds awful, but the food isn’t too bad.
Visas
Most nationalities do not need to get visas in advance (check out our page about Cambodia visas if you want to know more). On the Cambodia side, a tourist visa costs $30. The bus company will request an additional $5 to have your visa batch processed with everyone else on the bus, and it is much quicker. Some days the bus company will require you to do this, other times you can secure your visa on your own.
If you choose to do it on your own, the visa officials will ask you for 1100 or 1200 baht (~$35) or if you insist on paying in dollars, which you should, they will ask for $30 and a 200 baht processing fee. There is no processing fee, it’s just a bribe. Arrive early and refuse to pay and eventually they will stamp you through. Telling other passengers the real price loudly will usually get you serviced more quickly, as they will be eager to get you out of there. The other option is to secure an e-visa in advance. The price these days is $40, so you won’t save any money doing it that way, although it may help minimize border-induced rage that is not uncommon in Poipet. For more about crossing the Poipet border, check out our post on Crossing the Poipet/Aranyaprathet border overland.
This is the official building that you get your Cambodia visa in. If you stop somewhere before the border, don’t bother wasting your money.
We’ve gotten reports that the bus will stop before you get to the border and try and get you to use an agent to process your visa for 900 baht by calling it a VIP service. They did not do this on my recent trip, so hopefully this is no longer an issue. However, if they do stop and try and get you to let them process your visa you have a choice of whether or not you pay. However, this so-called VIP service can be worth it, and it’s often faster and less stressful to just pay the extra money, so it’s up to you whether or not you think it’s a battle worth fighting.
On the Thai side, you will get stamped through and do not need to pay anything.
Overall, this is a much easier way to travel overland than the other methods I have tried, which always involve haggling at the border for taxis and buses. The Bangkok-Siem Reap direct bus is not as cheap as the mini-bus/casino bus combination (which is usually around $11 or $12) but the peace of mind is worth it. If you’re looking for more info on going the other way, check out our post on getting from Siem Reap to Bangkok.
Transport Co., Ltd.
Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminal (หมอชิต 2 (อาคารผู้โดยสาร), Bangkok [map]
+66 2 936 0657; +66 89 281 1396
Buy tickets
Nattakan Transport
22 Sivatha Blvd, Svay Dangkom District, Siem Reap [map]
T: 063 96 48 96; 078 975 333
Buy tickets
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Hi im planning to take this trip with my sister this may. We are filipinos and therefore do not need any visa but we just have to get stamped in and out. Will any problem happen especially when some random guy will come out and ask us to fill put forms even when asia neighbors are not required? Thanks for replying!
http://immigrationcambodia.com/e-visa-exemptions-and-unsupported-countries/
Philipino citizens do not require VISA.
Its easy fill out by yourself, form is simple. Ask the form at the entrance of immig office of cambodia
I did the journey from BKK Mochit to Siem reap a few days ago. About 2km from the border a man entered the bus distributing visa application form for everybody together with some laminated paper we should wear around our neck. Later he collected them together with the money (1400THB and the passport). I and a few others did not apply for this ‘express visa’ as they called it. Then at the border the bus waited for 10-15min and the guy came back with the passports and the visa. Then we were allowed to leave the bus and we should enter the booth of some Travel company which i didn’t. I just walked to get my Thai exit stamp and had then to look where to apply for the Combodian Visa. I asked the Thai lady at the Thai quarantine ‘office’ and she wanted to sell me an express visa too (this time with the official visa application form though – they were different from the one in the bus). I declined and got the official visa in 5-10min. No queue there. But if you pay in Dollars you have to pay 100THB processing fee. Then (after the casino there were queues for the entry stamp where others from the bus still were waiting.
I don’t know why people just don’t do the Visa application ” On-line ” and print out the Visa when its approved.
Haven’t been to Cambodia since 2011, but, I always did mine this way : https://www.evisa.gov.kh/
That’s the official site
Thanks for the information, saves me a lot of searching. I guess I’ll just have to find the right bus station, get in the bus and be on my way.
A few days ago I did the round trip Bangkok – Siem Reap as you described on your blog post, but I my case we had to pay the bribe (100 baht) for the visa, the office was too busy and unfortunately we had no choice. Also, they have offered the VIP service ($40 USD) and I didn’t accepted, but some guys did, and they had some problems during the stamping process because they filled the wrong form. Besides that, the round trip was just like you described on this post.
What’s the bus station for the bus BKK-Siem Reap: is it the Mor Chin or Nothern Bus station, or is it the Bangkok Bus station as shown on the google map on this website? The Mor Chit bus station is more to the north.
Who can help me?
thanks
This is answered in the “Buying tickets” section of the blog post.
where do I find “buying tickets”?
Are you joking? Did you read the article before commenting?
Don’t get ripped off at the boarded. Bought a ticket to Siem Reap at the eastern bus station and things went as planned util we got at the boarder. I was met by a guy who took me on a long walk to an office where I was told I needed to pay him 1500 bt/to get a visa plus 200 for a photo. Then had to wait half an hour to get my passport back with my visa. It would of been cheaper and quicker just to apply for a visa myself as long as I had a photo. Then I waited another 30/min once I crossed into Cambodia for the free shuttle bus to get me to the bus station which is 10k away from the boarder. Once I finally got there I was told I needed to wait at least 2 hours for the bus to Siem Reap. Instead, 2 other stranded passengers and I hired a TAXIE for US$48 to take us to the city. We were told they would drop us off at our hotels but he dropped us off at the bus station away from the city center. Strongly advise 3 things to do differently: 1 just get a ticket to the boarder, 2 Apply for your visa on your own for US$35 (don’t get coned from shady people at the boarder who what to take you to their office…they have nothing to do with the bus company, 3 avoid taking the free shuttle to the bus station… Just hire a TAXIE at the boarder and make don’t pay until you are dropped off at your hotel. Always assume people working at the boarder are all out to rip you off!!!!
It is obvious that you are one giant idiot and did not read anything of the great advice this author made available to everyone
Dear Everyone
Warning message from company!!!
There is another bus company claim to offer same service as Nattakan Bus which many agent presend to sell Nattakan bus but actually they send passenger to another company instead. I think it is better to buy from Nattakan office.
Hi Kamol,
Do you know the name of the company is offering the fake tickets?
Hi!
I did the bus trip today with my wife. First of all, thanks for the advice on this website. I thought that I should share some of my experiences.
I purchased our tickets online on Thaiticketmajor which worked great with my Finnish visa. We were on the 8 am bus which departured 10-15 minutes late from the mochit 2 bus terminal. Eventhough on yesterday the bus still had 25 empty seats on Thaiticketmajor it was full. We had all those stops and snacks/meals you mentioned in the text + many more stops which didont really have a point. the driver was just taking care of some kind of “business”, and smoking cigarettes.
At the lunch break near the border a man came on to the bus to tell us that we all have to fill in forms he gave as, attach the picture in it and then pay him something like 10 dollars each to process the visas for us. Most of the people used that service and they, surprisingly, managed through the process faster than us and 10 other people who didn’t want to pay the extra price. We went through the border with the others and processed visas. It took like 1 hour and the bus waited for us at the casino. Becuase of the odd delays people from the 9 am bus came to border only 5 minutes later than us.
It was a good surprise in the end of the journey in Siem Reap that the bus company provided free tuk-tuks for passengers who were not staying more than 4 kilometres far from the bus company office.
Thanks for the review. A couple of questions. Did you have the e-visa or get your visa at the border? Did you get an e-ticket via e-mail, print it out and use that as your ticket?
Thanks in advance for your additional input.
I have never used that service. I have been from BKK to Siem Reap on a few occasions. Last trip was in 2011.
I always would to go to the Northern Bus Terminal, and purchase a bus ticket to Aranyaprathet. ( Counter #16 if my memory is correct.) I used to take the 5:00 AM bus.
Once I got to Aranyaprathet, I would get checked out of Thailand, and walk the 400 meters across ” No Mans land” to the Immigration office. After being stamped into Cambodia, I would just walk outside and take a taxi to my hotel in Siem Reap. A couple of times, I shared the taxi with some back packers to save a few $$$.
Last time in 2011, when I was leaving Cambodia to return to Bangkok, I listened to my hotel manager who told me of a bus that went all the way to Bangkok. Unfortunately, this was the ” Back Packers” bus.The bus went around Siem Reap collecting backpackers. Some even sitting in the aisles. A couple of stops on the way to Poipet as well. It took ages to get to the border.
The bus from Siem Reap still didn’t go all the way to Bangkok as promised. In the confusion of changing buses at the border, I left a good pair of ” Bose Headphones ” on that bus.
That “cheap bus ride” cost me lots of $$. Some-one in Cambodia, is probably listening with my Bose headphones right now :-)
This isn’t that bus, Peter. This one didn’t exist in 2011, they don’t drice around town picking people up and they don’t let people sit in the aisles. Lots of those sort of backpacker buses do exist, unfortunately.
Lina,
Many thanks. I think I will still do the trip the same way as I previously did.
All being well, I plan to be in Siem Reap in either February or March ( at the latest ) One week at Angkor is the plan.
I have made reservations, and purchased tickets, to use the bus service on January 23, 2016. It was done online. The tickets were sent by e-mail PDF file along with PDF maps of the route of the bus. We do have to proceed though customs/immigration at the border and then re-board the bus. The final stop in Siem Reap is shown to be in town near many hotels. I hope to be able to comment on the service after the trip.
Thanks, Brian. You booked through Thai Ticket Major?
Yes, Lina, that is the service I used. I was surprised to see all of the ticket services available in addition to transportation.
Some notes rom recent evening visit to Mochit:
1.Mochit ITSelf is to move shortly, due to building the new BKK central train station there
2.DIRECT bus to SR leaves at 8.00 and 9.00, they also advertise a 2bustrip @ 10.00: express to border and guided walk into Khmer bus other side, 600 bt total
3.Notes tell that you MUST either confirm with the visa-on-arrival delivery, about 5$ cost, or have an e-visa, BUS other side will now wait mAX 1 hr and then go.
4.Ditto sama-same DIRECT through bus BKK-PnPn @ 6.00 and FROm PnPn @ 5.00 (or maybe just the other way, 900 thb.
5.The bekpekbus from KhaoSarn-travelmartbkk cost 300 bt at most places-not including the extra’s and enforced fees and delivery at commission paying guesthouses only.
Thanks, bkkflyer. So the Nattakan/Transport Co bus company will now not wait for people to get their own visas? And do you know when Mochit is moving?
Mochit moving? When? To what location?
Hi there, I am planning on buying the bus tickets online and they require me to make an account for the Thai Ticket Major website and I am wondering how other people filled out the address and phone number section? It seems like they require an address and phone number in Thailand and I am not from there so I don’t know what information to put. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
I don’t think it matters what you put in.
I signed up for the website. The phone number was odd as it didn’t allow for the number of digits for calling the US. I just fooled around with it until it accepted a number I input. Will it matter when I actually try to charge a ticket? I don’t know. I did get a helpful response about ticket purchase from the website.
ooo what did the website say about the ticket purchase? I am making the account right now and I placed a random address and phone number of a hostel and after i submitted it just says “loading” and it is taking a long time to load, did this happen to everyone?
As I recall, the connection was slow. I did make a post about the info I received. Here is a bit of what they told me:
Reservations (purchase) normally open around 60 days before departure. If the order is completed, the customer will receive 2 E-mail from Thaiticketmajor (E-mail Confirmation and E-mail Confirmation [E-ticket]). You can print out the E-ticket from PDF File to get on the bus.
Great, I was wondering about the e-ticket. It still says you need to pick up the ticket one hour before in the confirmation but then the e-ticket is attached so I assume that is fine for travel?
It is my understanding that the e-ticket is, in fact, the only ticket needed. Since I plan to be at the station at least one hour in advance, I will probably check that out in person to be safe,