Bus, flight or private taxi: the honest comparison of every way to travel between Cambodia’s two main cities.
The 320 km between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap can be covered three ways: a one-hour flight, a six-to-seven-hour bus, or a private taxi in about five and a half hours door to door.
Private taxi
A private car leaves when you want, stops where you want and drops you at your hotel. Prices start from $95 per car for up to four passengers. Most travellers stop at Skun (the “spider town”) for lunch.
Bus
Several companies run daily buses and minivans from $12–$18 per person. Expect 6–7 hours including stops, and a terminal on the edge of town at each end.
Flight
Domestic flights take around one hour, but with airport transfers at both ends the total is often similar to the taxi, and Siem Reap’s airport is 45 km from town.
Our recommendation
For two or more people with luggage, a private taxi usually wins on comfort and total time, and costs little more than the bus.
Choosing the best time to travel
Leave Phnom Penh between 07:00 and 08:00 and you will reach Siem Reap by early afternoon, in time to check in and catch the sunset over Angkor. The road, National Highway 6, is busiest around Kampong Thom on weekends and during Khmer New Year, Pchum Ben and Water Festival, so allow an extra hour on those dates.
Where to stop on the way
- Skun: the famous “spider town”, where fried tarantulas are sold at the roadside. Look, taste or just take a photo.
- Kampong Thom: a good lunch stop with clean restaurants, close to the pre-Angkorian temples of Sambor Prei Kuk.
- Stung Sen river and local markets: short stops for coffee, fruit and sugar-palm sweets.
Comfort and safety
Your driver is licensed and insured, and the car is air-conditioned with space for large suitcases. Seat belts are fitted in every vehicle, and child seats can be added when you book. You can ask for a stop at any time, for the toilet, a photo or a meal.
Before you book
Tell us your hotel names in both cities, your passenger and luggage numbers and any stops you want. The price you see is per car, so a family or a group of four shares one fare rather than paying per seat.