Pattaya to Aranyaprathet, Thailand
The North Pattaya bus station terminal. To get to Aranyaprathet from Pattaya you have to take the Pattaya - Mukdahan bus, which will take five and a half hours to get to Aranyaprathet. The trip will take you down the coast on Sukhumvit Road through Chonburi, stopping a few times to pick up more passengers, when it reaches Ban Phakong it cuts over to Chachoengsao and then heads east towards Sakeo and Aranyaprathet.
The Pattaya Mukdahan ticket window. I took the 8:30 am first class bus (for 220 Baht one way) so I would arrive in the day time and spend the night in Aranyaprathet. I figured I might as well get a good night's rest and get to the border as early as possible the next morning. There is also a 7:30 am bus but it is listed as second class (and is cheaper), not sure what that means, but I did not want to find out.
I will have to look on a map to remember where we stopped but it seemed to be about half way. These people took a smoke break but I went looking for food since I did not have time for breakfast that morning.
The chicken looked a bit greassy and not too clean so I went for the Mango, which was actually fairly good.
Air Asia (Thailand) - one flight per day from Suvarnaboumi Airport to Phnom Phen's Pochentong Airport
Current round-trip fare - 6,230 Baht (Internet price - Feb. 19, 2011). I only see one flight per day listed right now, FD 3616 - leaving BKK at 15:15. (please check airline for the latest schedule and prices)
From Phnom Phen you will have to take a 6 hour bus ride, or a 9 hour boat ride up the Tonle Sap River, to reach Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.
Helicopters Cambodia -
http://www.helicopterscambodia.comTHE HARD (but more adventurous) WAY to Siem Reap Trains, Boats, Buses, and Taxis
Trains - the train will take you from Hualompong Station in Bangkok to the Thai-Cambodia Border at Aranyapratet. Unfortunately the old rail line across the border and into Cambodia no longer exists.
Boats - once you get to Phnom Phen, Battambang or Sianoukville you can elect to take a boat the rest of the way to Siem Reap. Depending on the time of the year and the amount of rainfall this can be a more or less trying experience.
Buses - big luxury tour buses, Thai government public transport buses, tour company mini-vans, and trucks with benches make up this often hair raising assortment of transportation choices.
Taxis - you have all heard the horror stories of hiring Cambodian taxis. First there is the problem of communications and getting to the destination you have asked for. Second there is the problem of rates changing as the trip progresses. Third is the suicidal driving habits of most of the taxi drivers.
2011 Update: Most travel guides and blogs still recommend the Morchit (Northern) bus terminal in Bangkok. Although it has the most buses traveling to Aranyaphrathet from Bangkok, it does not take you all the way to the border and a 100 Baht tuk-tuk ride is required from the bus station to the border. On the way the tuk-tuk driver will try to take you to a fake "Cambodia Consulate" for an overpriced Cambodian Visa service and then deliver you directly to touts at the border. Just be strong and insist that you already have a Visa and that you want to go to the market (not the border). It is only a short walk to the border from the market and you can stock up on drinks and snacks, or even go shopping and change money at the bank, for the trip to Siem Reap. Cambodian Immigration police will issue you a Visa on arrival (they will ask for a tip though, so it is really best to get a Visa on-line or at the Cambodian Consulate in Bangkok.
The bus to Bangkok at the Rong Kluea Market bus station
A less known (but much better) bus service that goes directly from Bangkok to the Rong Kluea Market at the Thai-Cambodian Border for Poipet is available from Ekamai (Eastern) Bus Terminal on Sukhumvit Road. There are only a few busess a day though, so it is best to go to the Ekamai bus station and reserve your seat ahead of time. The bus can also be caught from the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.
The same bus at the Bangkok Airport (Suvarnabhumi) Transport Center
Bangkok Taxi to the border & Cambodian Taxi to Siem Reap - (Easy on the Thai side of the border but not so easy on the Cambodian side) Very comfortable taxis and even more comfortable limousines can take you from Bangkok to the Cambodian border in three hours or so for from 2,000 Baht up. Once you are across the border it becomes another story all together. Cambodian taxis traveling from Poipet to Siem Reap tend to be fairly beat up by the rough roads and heavy loads that they carry. Taxis can be shared with up to six passengers and will cost from US $35 to US $60 dollars for the four hour trip.
Poipet to Siem Reap Road Update: As of the June 2009, the road from Poipet to Siem Reap is completely paved and smooth driving all the way. The trip takes less than three hours, but the taxi ride (private, no local passengers are picked up) is still around $50, unless you are very good at bargaining, in which case you may get the price down to as low as $35.
2011 update: There is now a second Poipet Bus Station and both of them offer buses and taxis. Unfortunately they have been used to scamming the travelers for so long, that they are still trying as hard as possible to make a few extra bucks by squeezing 4 to 5 people into a "shared" taxi (at an average of $10 per passenger) and delaying bus journeys untill the bus is full. The bus also has a number of bus company "employees" on board who chat up as many travelers as possible to stay at "my" guesthouse. These guys are experts at making "friends" with newly arrived tourists and travelers, stay alert and watch your bags at all times.
Share taxis will drop their passengers off at the side of the road on the outskirts of Siem Reap, where they are handed over to "free" tuk-tuk (motorcycle trailer taxi) drivers who will insist on bring them to pre-arranged guest houses. Even the "private" taxi drivers will try to drop you there (no matter what agreement you made with them), so do not pay them untill you get to your hotel or guest house.
The taxi drivers will all give you a sob story about only getting a small part of the fee and try to get a large tip out of you on arrival in Siem Reap. The last trip I took, the guy owned the car himself and did not work for a taxi company (I took a motorcycle into town and found him on my own), but he still gave me the usual sob story. The best way to deal with this problem is to pick up (or print out) a map of Siem Reap, before you leave Bangkok and mark your hotel or guest house destination on the map. Show it to your taxi driver before you leave Poipet and insist on being delivered directly there.
I should explain that I am not a tight fisted jerk or always looking for the dark side of the cloud. Cambodia can be a great place to visit for a short or even long time. I first visited Cambodia in 1979 and am now based out of Siem Reap, so obviously I have found something to like. Just please keep your wits about you, especially when it comes to dealing with anyone in the local transport industry.
CAUTION: Never buy a bus ticket from Bangkok to Siem Reap - this continues to be a royal scam - there is no bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap. You will be dumped at the border and given over to the bus and share taxi gangsters on the Cambodian side of the border. They will often try to make you pay again, lie to you and generally screw with you as much as possible. The lies start at Kaosan Road in Bangkok and continue for the entire journey to Siem Reap. In Siem Reap they will even sell you to a Guest House they are working with.
Read this page carefully and you will be fine, above all have fun in Cambodia.
