Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Poipet Transport Association
Arriving in Cambodia
you'll be herded into the “Free Shuttle Bus Station” run by
the Poipet Transport Association. From here, shuttle buses
will take you to the Poipet Tourist International Passenger
Terminal, 9km down the road, from where buses and
shared taxis depart to Sisophon, Siem Reap, Battambang
and Phnom Penh (most services depart in the morning,
although buses to Siem Reap via Sisophon continue until
around 5pm). Fares on services departing from here are
roughly double the usual prices on these routes, although
given that it's only a question of a few dollars either way
($9 by bus to Siem Reap, for example, or $15 to Phnom
Penh) it's probably not worth the hassle of trying to make
your own arrangements.
Travelling independently
Most onward buses from
Poipet depart before noon, leaving for Siem Reap,
Sisophon, Battambang and Phnom Penh. If you do
decide to make your own way, you'll need to shake off
the attentions of the possibly belligerent Poipet
Transport Association touts (for “Association” read
“mafia”) and possibly even local police (who may pursue
you down the road while insisting, ludicrously, that it's
illegal to take a place in a local bus or shared taxi) and
make your way around 2km down the road to the area in
front of the market, where various bus companies
including Phnom Penh Sorya, Capitol Tours and GST have
offices and buses. Shared taxis can also be picked up
along the roadside here.
Destinations: by
bus
Battambang (8 daily; 3hr); Phnom
Penh (15 daily; 8hr); Siem Reap (20 daily; 3hr); Sisophon
(20 daily; 1hr).
Destinations: by shared taxi
Battambang (12 daily; 3hr);
Phnom Penh (15 daily; 8hr); Siem Reap (25 daily; 3hr);
Sisophon (20 daily; 1hr).
Pre-paid transport
If you're on a pre-paid bus or
minibus from Bangkok you'll have to locate your vehicle
and then possibly hang around for an hour or more waiting
for remaining passengers to come through, and possibly
even longer if your driver decides to go hunting for further
passengers to make the onward trip more lucrative.
2
TO THAILAND
Several companies (including Phnom Penh Sorya) run buses
between Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Bangkok. In theory this
takes the headache out of arranging onward transport from
the Thai side of the border, although in practice things might
not work as smoothly as you'd hope thanks to cross-border bus
company scams or simple ine
ciency, and locating your bus
on the far side of the border can sometimes turn into a major
headache - meaning that it's a toss-up between buying a
through ticket and trying to make your own way once over the
border. If you do decide to travel independently, once across
the border and into Thailand you'll need to make for
Aranyaprathet - a 4km journey by tuk-tuk (around 60-80
baht) - from where buses depart regularly for Bangkok
(throughout the day until around 6pm; 5hr); there are also a
couple of trains, currently leaving at 6.40am and 1.55pm (you
can check latest times at
W
thairailways.com).
INFORMATION
Money
It's a good idea to arrive with some dollars to buy
your visa with and as a safety net to avoid possible money-
changing scams. There are ATMs (Visa and MasterCard) at
the Canadia and ANZ banks in the town centre near the
market. Poipet operates on no less than three currencies:
Thai baht, Cambodian riel and US dollars, although baht
are generally preferred to riel. Try to get up to speed with
latest exchange rates as quickly as you can.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Good Luck Hotel and Restaurant
200m west of the
market
T
011 722408.
Run by a kindly family, this is
Poipet's best option, down a quiet side-street and with
simple, clean en-suite rooms with a/c and TV, pl
us a
pleasant restaurant serving tasty Thai and Khmer food.
$12
Orkiday Angkor Hotel
Near the tra
c circle as you
emerge from the immigration o
ce
T
054 967503.
In
the casino zone, with functional but well-appointed a/c
rooms with hot w
ater.
The neighbouring
Holiday Palace
Hotel
is very similar.
$15
