Most visitors to Siem Reap arrive by air at the Siem Reap International Airport, bound from
Phnom Penh and several other countries. See the following chart for all cities with direct transportation
to Siem Reap. Visas are available on arrival at the airports in Siem Reap and Phnom
Penh (pg 9) and most overland border crossings. From Phnom Penh, there are also regularly
scheduled buses (pg 96) and taxis (pg 95.) Many travel overland from Thailand by bus and train,
most via the Poipet crossing
To/from phnom penh
Bayon Airlines offer several daily flights between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Buses Bus travel is the most popular means of overland transport between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
Ordinarily it’s a 6 hour trip but due to current road construction it can take 7-9 hours these days.
Prices range from $6-$15 with deluxe buses at the upper end. See page 96 for bus schedules.
Taxis Private taxis run $60 or more for the whole car. 4-5 hours. Share the car with friends and share the
cost. Negotiate with a local taxi or arrange a private taxi through your hotel or travel agent. Generally
speaking, the better the car, the higher the price. River Transport River ferries between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap on the Tonle Sap used to be the most popular means of travel. These days the local ferry is less popular, running part of the year (August - March), but higher quality slow boats have gained popularity
with outfits like Compagnie Fluevial Du Mekong and Tara Boat running regular trips (see below.) When
running, the local ferries depart 7:30AM from the Phnom Penh Port on Sisowath Quay and in Siem
Reap, the docks at Chong Khneas, 15km south of town. Tickets and can be purchased through hotels or
travel agents. ($35, 251km, 4-6 hours) Compagnie Fluevial Du Mekong (CFM) High quality, very leisurely paced 3-10 day boat trips between Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City on a traditionally crafted wooden riverboat with deluxe facilities. Tel: 023-216070 www.cfmekong.com
Tara Riverboat
Offering an affordable 3 day/2 night riverboat trip
between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, stopping in
Kampong Chhnang and Battambang along the way.
Tel: 092-957765
www.taraboat.com
The Road and Motorcycling to Siem Reap Some of the road to Siem Reap is paved and in good condition, but long sections of National Route 6A and 6 are currently under construction and in rough shape.
Driving in Cambodia is very challenging and should be attempted only by experienced riders. Road hogging
buses and farm animals on the road are the norm. The trip calls for a bike no smaller than 250cc and can be
made in an easy 6 hours, but two days with a layover in Kampong Thom allows time to visit the nearby pre-
Angkorian ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk as well as explore some of the other sites. The usual route from Phnom Penh follows 6A north 75km to the Skun intersection. But due to road conditions consider an alternate route following Route 5 to the Prek Kdam bridge, then cut back to 6A, bypassing some of the construction. Head north on 6A and bear left at Skun (known for its exotic foods - check out the fried spiders) onto Route #6 to Kampong Thom. In Kampong Thom, the Arunreas Hotel (near the market, 062-961294) and Stung Sen Royal Hotel (on the corner at the bridge, 012-309495) are affordable places.Arunreas is also one of the more popular restaurants in town, serving reasonably priced Cambodian food.
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