Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Destinations
Bangkok, Thailand (3 daily; 12-13hr);
Battambang (10-12 daily; 6hr); Bavet (10 daily; 3hr 30min);
Ho Chi Minh City (14 daily; around 6hr); Kampot (10 daily;
4-5hr); Kep (10 daily; 4-5 hr); Kompong Cham (10 daily;
2hr); Kampong Chhnang (10 daily; 3hr); Koh Kong
(3 daily; 6-7hr); Kompong Speu (9 daily; 1hr 30min); Kratie
(4 daily; 7hr); Mondulkiri (daily; 8-9hr); Neak Leung (10
daily; 2hr); Oudong (10 daily; 1hr); Poipet (8 daily; 8hr);
Pursat (8 daily; 4hr); Rattanakiri (2 daily; 10hr); Sen
Monorom (daily; 7hr); Siem Reap (hourly; 6-7hr);
Sihanoukville (hourly; 4-5hr); Sisophon (12 daily; 7hr);
Stung Treng (3 daily; 8hr); Takeo (5 daily; 2hr 30min);
Vientiane (daily; 24hr); Voen Kham, for Laos (daily; 8-10hr).
1
preferred transport stop by 6am or 7am. Later, when fewer
people travel, you can have a long wait while the drivers
gather up enough customers to make the trip worthwhile.
For destinations closer to town you'll easily be able to get a
shared taxi until mid-afternoon - after that, departures
become less frequent. Note that the frequencies listed below
are rough estimates - there are no fixed schedules.
Destinations
Banlung (several daily; at least 10hr);
Battambang (10 daily; 6hr); Bavet (15 daily; 3hr); Kampot
(8 daily; 3hr); Koh Kong (several daily; 6hr); Kompong
Cham (15 daily; 2hr 30min); Kompong Chhnang (2 daily;
2hr 30min); Kompong Thom (8 daily; 3hr); Neak Leung (15
daily; 1hr 30min); Pailin (6 daily; 6hr); Poipet (5 daily; 8hr);
Pursat (5 daily; 4hr); Sen Monorom (several daily; at least
8hr); Siem Reap (hourly; 6-8hr); Sihanoukville (6 daily; 3hr
30min); Sisophon (6 daily; 7hr); Svay Rieng (6 daily; 2hr
30min); Takeo (10 daily; 2hr 30min).
BY SHARED TAXI AND MINIBUS
Since there are now decent buses from Phnom Penh to all
but the most remote locations in Cambodia, shared
transport options, in particular minibuses, are less popular
nowadays, at least for foreign travellers, and often used
only as a last resort. However, it's worth knowing that
dramatic improvements in the roads mean that shared
taxis and minibuses now run to Kratie, Stung Treng,
Rattanakiri and Mondulkiri.
Transport stops
For destinations north of the city,
including Kompong Thom, Siem Reap, Kompong Cham,
Battambang, Sisophon and Poipet, shared taxis and
minibuses use the transport stop (and the streets around it)
100m northwest of Psar Thmei. For Kampot, Kep,
Sihanoukville or Takeo you can pick up a shared vehicle from
Psar Damkor on Mao Tse Toung Blvd in the southwest of the
city, while transport to Sre Ambel and Koh Kong set off from
a bit nearer the centre, at Psar Depot on Nehru Blvd.
Destinations southeast of Phnom Penh, Neak Leung (for Prey
Veng and the boat to Chau Doc in Vietnam), Svay Rieng and
the border town of Bavet (commonly called Moc Bai after the
town on the Vietnamese side of the border) are served by
transport leaving from both Psar Olympic and Psar Chbar
Ampov, the latter across the Monivong Bridge. Transport
stops are inundated with moto and tuk-tuk drivers, although
they often won't speak much English so it's useful to carry a
map. If you're going a long way, it's worth getting to your
BY BOAT
Since travelling by bus has become cheaper and faster,
taking the boat to Siem Reap is no longer a popular option,
and there's just one service a day. A handful of express
boats also depart daily for Chau Doc in Vietnam. Guesthouse
touts meet boats arriving in Phnom Penh, and there are
plenty of tuk-tuk and moto drivers on hand; a moto ride
into the centre will cost you about 4000 riel. Note that there
are no longer boat services to Battambang, Kompong
Cham or Kratie.
Departures
Boats for Siem Reap (foreigners' fare $35),
and Chau Doc ($25-33), leave from the passenger boat
terminal (also known as the Tourist Docks) on the river near
the main post o
ce and Street 104. Companies take it in
turns to depart for Siem Reap at 7am daily. Seating is
reserved; you can buy your ticket in advance from most
hostels and guesthouses and at the docks, where you can
also purchase them on the morning of departure. Of the
operators, both Delta Adventure (
W
deltaadventuretours
.com) and Blue Cruiser (
W
bluecruiser.com) have o
ces
along the riverfront.
Destinations
Chau Doc (3 daily; 5hr); Siem Reap (1 daily;
5hr).
INFORMATION
Tourist information
At the airport's international
arrivals hall (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm). There is also a tourist
information o
ce near the Chatomak Theatre, although it
is not very useful and mainly touts city tours.
Visitor guides and listings
Phnom Penh Visitors Guide
is
a free quarterly English-language booklet with details of
places to stay, restaurants and sights, a map and a bit of
history. You'll find copies in most guesthouses, restaurants
and Western cafés; extracts are available online at
W
canbypublications.com. For film screenings, theatre
performances and other entertainment, the
Cambodia
Daily
has a “What's On” section on Fri, with classified ads for
restaurants and bars on Tues and Thurs; the daily
Phnom
Penh Post
is another useful source of information.
Asia Life
(
W
asialifecambodia.com), a free glossy “What's On” guide
to Phnom Penh, is published monthly; it has features and
useful accounts of new openings and exhibitions. Online,
W
talesofasia.com takes a refreshingly opinionated look at
the local tourist scene.
Travel agents
The following well-established firms
employ English-speaking staff and act as both travel agents
and domestic tour operators: KU Travel & Tours, 77 Street
