Field note · Cambodia · Siem Reap Province

Siem Reap

Almost nothing about moving around Siem Reap makes sense until you understand that a ticket, not a vehicle, is the gatekeeper. The Angkor Pass – US$37 for a day, US$62 for three, US$72 for seven in 2026 – is checked at every temple, sometimes at the toilets, and it carries your photograph, so it cannot be shared or resold. Buy it at the APSARA ticket office on the road north out of town or online at angkorenterprise.gov.kh; the airport and Banteay Srei gates only sell one-day passes. Inside the park the vehicle is a matter of taste: a remorque, the two-wheeled carriage towed behind a motorbike, is the Siem Reap classic and is disappearing elsewhere in Cambodia; a smaller three-wheeled tuk-tuk is cheaper; a bicycle from one of the thirty-odd hire shops around the Old Market costs a few dollars and gets you round the Small Circuit in a day. What changed the pricing was the apps. Grab and PassApp turned the fare negotiation into an upfront number, and Grab now sells fixed rental packages for exactly the routes tourists want – KHR70,000 for a remorque for eight hours round the Angkor Small Circuit, KHR130,000 for a car. The second thing to understand is the airport. The old strip beside the temples closed when Siem Reap–Angkor International opened at Sotr Nikum in October 2023, 50 km east, and the whole town had to grow a shuttle industry overnight: hourly vans for US$9–13 and a private minivan for about US$40, an hour each way. Out of town, the buses are frequent and cheap – six hours and about US$8–17 to Phnom Penh, two and a half to four hours and US$7–10.50 to Battambang, all bookable on BookMeBus. The one direction that has stopped is west: land crossings between Cambodia and Thailand have been suspended since June 2025 and, after a December 2025 ceasefire, were still suspended in 2026, so the Poipet route and the Bangkok through buses are off. The boat to Battambang down the Sangker still exists but only when the water is high.

Researched: 22 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 9, 28 sources
Not confirmed: 7
Fares seen: 2024–2026

How transport works here

9 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed six ways of moving to, from or around Siem Reap: two hired or on demand, one under your own steam, two by road and one by water, from 28 sources. Three entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be.

The fares were seen in 2024 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. We rate 6 of the 9 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 22 September 2026, and ends with seven things we could not confirm.

3 ways

Rules, permits and closures

permit

The Angkor Pass

Valid across the Angkor Archaeological Park; separate tickets for Koh Ker, Beng Mealea and Kbal Spean

Buy at the Angkor Enterprise ticket centre on Road 60 a couple of kilometres north-east of town on the way to the park, or online at angkorenterprise.gov.kh, which is the only official website. Cash in dollars or riel, or card. Your photograph is taken and printed on the pass, so a second-hand one is useless, and it is checked at almost every temple – carry it all day. The southern ticket office sells all three durations; the east checkpoint on the airport road and the north checkpoint at Banteay Srei sell one-day passes only, which matters if you are arriving from the new airport. The old trick still works: a pass issued after 17:00 lets you into the park that evening for sunset without using a day, because it is dated for the next day, but sales stop at 17:30. Cambodian citizens, K-visa holders and Cambodian guides and drivers go free, and children under 12 are free on production of a passport. The park is open 05:00 to 18:30, which is why sunrise trips leave town around 04:30.

When: Ticket offices open daily; the park opens 05:00 and closes 18:30 (Koh Ker, Beng Mealea and Kbal Spean open 06:00)
Takes: 1-day pass valid 1 day; 3-day pass usable on any 3 days within 7; 7-day pass on any 7 days within 30
Fare 2026: Angkor: 1 day US$37, 3 days US$62, 7 days US$72. Koh Ker US$15, Beng Mealea US$10, Kbal Spean US$5, each 1 day (2026)

SeasonYear-round. BookingBuy online at angkorenterprise.gov.kh or in person at the ticket centre. Sales close 17:30. Run byAngkor Enterprise, a state enterprise under the Ministry of Economy and Finance; the park is managed by the APSARA Authority.

border crossing

The Thai border and the Bangkok through buses

Siem Reap – Sisophon – Poipet – Aranyaprathet – Bangkok, and the Pailin, Anlong Veng and O'Smach crossings

This was the classic backpacker entry to Angkor and it is closed. Cross-border bus services from Thailand were suspended in June 2025 during the border fighting; a ceasefire was signed on 27 December 2025, but as of the UK Foreign Office advice last updated in March 2026 land borders and crossings between Cambodia and Thailand continue to be suspended. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Thai land border, and the temple sites on it – Preah Vihear, Ta Krabey and Ta Muen Thom – are closed, with unexploded ordnance and landmines in the area. Booking sites still list Siem Reap to Bangkok, Pattaya and Aranyaprathet as routes, but searching any date returns no trips, and the Nattakan and Giant Ibis direct Bangkok coaches that used to run from Siem Reap are not operating. Buses to Poipet town itself still run several times a day and Poipet has been recovering as a town, but that gets you to the barrier, not through it. If you want Thailand, fly: SAI has direct flights to both Bangkok airports. Check your government's travel advice immediately before travelling – this is the single fastest-changing thing on this page.

When: No cross-border services running as of September 2026
Takes: Formerly 8–11 hours Bangkok to Siem Reap including immigration
Fare 2024: Historic reference only: government direct coach US$28 each way, Giant Ibis US$43, Khao San Road agents from 300 baht (2024, service since suspended)

SeasonSuspended indefinitely since June 2025. BookingNot bookable. Watch gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cambodia and smartraveller.gov.au for reopening. Run byFormerly Nattakan, Giant Ibis, Virak Buntham, Transport Co. of Thailand.

service status

The wet season, and what the lake's water level decides

Siem Reap, the Angkor park roads, the floating villages and the Tonlé Sap boat routes

Siem Reap has two seasons that matter. November to March is dry, cool and busy; April and May are dry and punishing, up to 40°C; June to October is the monsoon, when the town gets most of its rain – 214 mm in June, 209 mm in August, 288 mm in September, 200 mm in October against 4 mm in December. That does not close the temples, and the roads inside the park are sealed and fine, but it reshapes a day: rain arrives in the afternoon, tuk-tuk and motodop fares go up in it, the open-sided remorque stops being comfortable, and cycling 30 km round the Grand Circuit becomes a gamble. The compensation is that the moats and barays fill, the light is better and the crowds are thinner. The water level also governs everything on the lake. The Tonlé Sap swells through the monsoon and drains from about November, so the Battambang boat is at its fastest and most reliable from roughly August to February, the floating villages at Chong Kneas and Kampong Phluk sit at very different distances from the road depending on the month, and in the deep dry season the boat cannot reach Battambang at all. Chong Kneas boat tickets are not sold online and must be bought at the pier.

When: Monsoon June to October, heaviest September; dry November to March; hot season April to May
Takes: Afternoon downpours usually last an hour or two
Fare 2026: No cost in itself, but expect ride fares to rise in rain and at night

SeasonJun–Sep wet and green; Nov–Mar cool, dry and the peak tourist season; Apr–May hot and dry. Bookingn/a. Check the boat and floating-village trips locally before committing. Run byn/a.

2 ways

Hired, booked and on demand

tuk tuk

Tuk-tuks, remorques, and the app-hailed versions

Anywhere in town, and the Angkor circuits

Two different vehicles share the name. The remorque is the local original – a two-wheeled carriage towed behind a motorbike, seating four comfortably, six in the newer big ones – and Siem Reap is one of the last places where it is still the tourist standard, because it is roomier, cooler and gives a better view than the small Indian-style three-wheeler that has replaced it in Phnom Penh. Remorque drivers here also tend to speak better English. You can still flag one on any street corner, and around Pub Street they will find you. The apps changed the price conversation: Grab and PassApp both hail tuk-tuks and remorques at a fixed fare quoted before you accept, and TADA runs electric tuk-tuks through its own app. Grab also sells fixed rental packages, which is the useful part for temple days – a remorque for four hours in the city centre, or eight hours on the Small Circuit, Grand Circuit, or out to Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea, Phnom Krom and the floating villages, with the driver dedicated to you and as many stops as you want. Rental is instant-book only, not advance-book, and the trip must finish by 21:00. Off-app, a driver hired directly at your guesthouse for a full Angkor day is about US$20, with roughly US$3 more if you want a 05:00 start for sunrise. Inside the park drivers must be licensed and wear a grey numbered vest. Agree the destination and the total before you set off, and pay on arrival.

When: Constant, day and night; fewer after midnight
Takes: Town centre hops 5–15 minutes; a Small Circuit temple day is 8 hours
Fare 2026: Short hop in town about US$1.25 (5,000 riel) for the whole vehicle. Grab rental packages: remorque KHR48,000 for 4 hours in the city centre, KHR70,000 for 8 hours on the Small Circuit, KHR80,000 Grand Circuit, KHR120,000 outside the city; car KHR110,000 / 130,000 / 130,000 / 250,000 for the same four. Overtime KHR150 a minute for a remorque, KHR300 for a car. A day hired direct is around US$20, US$15–30 for outlying temples. Prices rise at night and in rain (2026)

SeasonYear-round. BookingNone needed on the street. In the apps, GrabRent is instant-book only. For a temple day, ask your guesthouse the night before. Run byIndependent drivers; Grab Cambodia; PassApp; TADA.

moto taxi

Motodops, and hiring a scooter yourself

Around town and out to the temples

A motodop is a man on a motorbike who will find you before you find him – they wait on corners and outside markets, and a ride inside town is about 2,000 riel (US$0.50), doubling at night or in heavy rain. Agree the price first; helmets for passengers are rare unless you ask in advance. A full day with a motodop can be arranged for about US$10, and inside the Angkor park these drivers, like the tuk-tuk drivers, have to be licensed and wear a grey numbered vest. Self-drive is legal now, contrary to older advice and to what a policeman may tell you: gasoline scooters from around US$8 a day, small 25 km/h electric scooters from about US$10, larger two-person 60 km/h electrics about US$15, and half-day rates are often available. Some shops want your passport or a US$100–300 deposit, others just photograph the passport. Wear a helmet – it is the law and the fine at a police checkpoint is about US$15. Driving in Siem Reap is calm by South-East Asian standards and the run out to Angkor is easy; some restaurants will charge an electric bike's battery while you eat.

When: On demand, all day
Takes: Town centre 5–10 minutes; Angkor Wat is about 6 km, 20 minutes
Fare 2026: Motodop in town 2,000 riel (US$0.50), about US$10 for a full day. Scooter hire from US$8 a day petrol, US$10 small electric, US$15 larger electric. Helmet fine US$15 (2026)

SeasonYear-round; wet-season downpours in June to October make a scooter miserable in the afternoons. BookingNone for motodops. For scooters, walk in; take the bike the evening before if you want a sunrise start. Run byIndependent motodops; scooter hire shops clustered around Wat Bo, the Old Market and Sivatha Boulevard.

One way

On foot, by bike, or otherwise

bicycle hire

Bicycles and e-bikes for the temples

Town to Angkor Wat, 6 km, and round the Small and Grand Circuits

OpenStreetMap has thirty-odd surveyed bicycle hire points in Siem Reap and almost all of them are in the same few streets between the Old Market and Wat Bo, around 13.352–13.362 N, 103.849–103.860 E – among them E-Bike Cambodia, Angkor Cycling Tour, Cam Smile, Ankor Bike and Mr Tom, plus a scatter of guesthouse-run counters. A plain bike is US$1–4 a day, up to US$8 for something decent, with discounts for several days; locks are provided and many shops do not even ask for your passport. The catch is opening hours: most do not unlock before 07:00, so if you want to be at Angkor Wat for sunrise, take the bike the day before. It is 6 km from town to Angkor Wat and the temples on the Small Circuit are no more than 15 minutes apart by bike; the Grand Circuit stretches that to about 30 minutes between sites. Traffic is light, there are painted green cycle lanes and a shaded riverside path north from the Hard Rock Cafe, and there is shade most of the way. Go by the Angkor Enterprise ticket centre first, because it is not on the direct road to the temples. Carry far more water than you think – bottles inside the park cost about US$2. Pedal-assist e-mountain-bike tours are sold for people who do not fancy the heat, and reach jungle trails no tuk-tuk can use. You cannot ride onto the Angkor Wat island itself, so expect a lot of walking anyway. The long-running White Bicycles charity hire scheme, still named in some guides, closed at the end of 2019.

When: Shops open roughly 07:00 to 19:00
Takes: Small Circuit in a day; Small plus Grand Circuit in a long day starting at 06:00
Fare 2026: US$1–4 a day for a basic bike, up to US$8 for a good one; US$3–4 a day is typical. Electric bikes and guided e-bike tours cost more (2026)

SeasonYear-round, but brutal in the April–May heat and wet in the afternoons from June to October. BookingWalk in. Rent the day before for a sunrise start. Run byMany independent shops and guesthouses.

2 ways

By road

shuttle bus

Shuttle vans from Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport

Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (SAI), Sotr Nikum district, to central Siem Reap and back

The old airport beside the temples closed when SAI opened in October 2023, and the new one is 50 km east at 13.375 N, 104.221 E – so getting into town is now an hour's drive and a real cost, not a five-dollar tuk-tuk. Shared shuttle vans are the cheap answer and several run hourly: Siem Reap Shuttle Tour at US$9, Go Ho Travel at US$12 into town and US$20 back out, SRL Transportation at US$13 with online discounts, all one hour, all bookable on bookmebus.com. Wikivoyage records the airport's own minibus seat at US$8 and a private minivan transfer at US$40. In town the shuttles use two stops surveyed in OpenStreetMap, one on the east side at 13.3612 N, 103.8622 E and one near Sivatha at 13.3515 N, 103.8598 E, but most operators will also collect from a hotel. Whatever you take, allow well over an hour in each direction and remember that the east park checkpoint on this road sells one-day Angkor Passes only.

When: Roughly hourly through the morning, 06:00 to midday, with services timed to flights; taxis and app cars at any hour
Takes: About 1 hour, 50 km
Fare 2026: Shared van US$9–13 one way (Siem Reap Shuttle Tour US$9, Go Ho Travel US$12, SRL Transportation US$13 list, US$10.40 online); airport minibus seat US$8; private minivan about US$40 (2026)

SeasonYear-round. BookingBook online at bookmebus.com or arrange through your hotel; walk-up counters exist at the airport. Run bySiem Reap Shuttle Tour, Go Ho Travel, SRL Transportation and others, sold through BookMeBus.

bus

Intercity buses and minivans

Phnom Penh, Battambang, Poipet, Sisophon, Kampong Thom, Sihanoukville, Kratie, Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Ho Chi Minh City, and Pakse and Don Det in Laos

There is no single bus station you can just turn up at. The big out-of-town terminal is Siem Reap Main Bus Terminal east of the centre at 13.3483 N, 103.8902 E, but most premium operators run their own yards and ticket offices in the middle of town – Giant Ibis at 13.3694 N, 103.8553 E with a ticket office near the Old Market, Mekong Express, Capitol, Vireak Buntham, Larryta, Mey Hong, Seila Angkor and a dozen others each with their own address. Book online on bookmebus.com or camboticket.com, which both issue e-tickets, or pay a guesthouse US$1–2 a ticket to do it. If you arrive from the west, get off as the bus passes through town on National Road 6, at the river bridge, rather than riding out to the terminal and paying US$2–3 for a tuk-tuk back in; arriving from the east you have no choice. Phnom Penh has departures roughly every half hour through the day and overnight sleepers as well; the cheap seats are on the big buses, the fast option is a 15-seat minivan. Live prices on BookMeBus in September 2026: Phnom Penh from US$6.50 for a Kim Seng Express VIP van to US$17 for a Vireak Buntham hotel bus, 5–6 hours; Battambang US$7 with EVGo, US$8.50 Capitol, US$10.25–10.50 Cambolink21 or Larryta, 2h 30m to 4 hours; Poipet US$7.50 Capitol to US$12.25 Cambolink21, about 3 hours. Buses to Poipet run normally even though the border beyond it does not.

When: Phnom Penh: dozens a day, some operators every 30 minutes, plus night buses. Battambang: about 25 a day. Poipet: about 12 a day, several before dawn
Takes: Phnom Penh 5–6 hours (7 on a night bus); Battambang 2h 30m–4h; Poipet 2h 30m–3h
Fare 2026: Phnom Penh US$6.50–17; Battambang US$7–10.50; Poipet US$7.50–12.25; Sihanoukville US$15–25 overnight; Ho Chi Minh City US$18–27 (2026)

SeasonYear-round. Fares rise and seats sell out around Khmer New Year in April, Pchum Ben and Chinese New Year. BookingBook the day before, more in holiday weeks. bookmebus.com and camboticket.com both issue e-tickets; guesthouses charge US$1–2 to book for you. Run byGiant Ibis, Mekong Express, Vireak Buntham, Capitol Tours, Larryta, Cambolink21, EVGo Express, Kim Seng Express, Seila Angkor, Mey Hong, VET Air Bus and others.

One way

By water

boat

The Battambang boat, down the Sangker and across the Tonlé Sap

Phnom Krom port south of Siem Reap, across the north-west corner of the Tonlé Sap and up the Sangker river to Battambang

One boat a day, leaving Phnom Krom at 07:00. The port is at 13.267 N, 103.822 E, about 20 minutes south of town – a tuk-tuk there should be about US$5 for the vehicle, not per person, whatever the driver says at the start. The journey is the point: flat-bottomed longboats thread between floating villages, stilt houses and cantilevered fishing nets, and many passengers ride on the roof. It takes anything from 6 to 12 hours and the only reliable way to guess is to ask what time yesterday's boat got in. Water level decides everything. In the dry season the Sangker is too shallow for the boat to reach Battambang at all and the last stretch is finished by minibus or pickup; at high water after the monsoon the run is quickest and most scenic. There is no shade, no reliable access to your luggage during the trip, and weather can spoil it entirely, so take sunscreen, water and a waterproof. Tickets are sold by guesthouses and travel agents in town rather than online – BookMeBus lists Siem Reap to Battambang as a ferry route but had no bookable sailings on any date checked in September 2026, so treat this as an agent-booked service and confirm it is running before you plan around it. Ferries from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap have not resumed since COVID.

When: One departure a day at 07:00 when running
Takes: 6–12 hours depending on the water level
Fare 2025: US$20–25 (2026, from Wikivoyage; the Battambang page gives US$20)

SeasonBest at high water, roughly August to February. In the dry season the boat cannot reach Battambang and the last leg is by road; in the deepest dry months it may not run at all. BookingThrough a guesthouse or travel agent in Siem Reap the day before. Not reliably sold online. Run byLocal boat operators out of Chong Kneas and Phnom Krom; sold through guesthouses and agents.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

7 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
The Battambang boat is the weakest item here. Wikivoyage's fare and 07:00 departure are consistent across two articles and a Khmer Times headline from August 2024 says the service was running, but no 2025 or 2026 confirmation could be reached: Khmer Times and Phnom Penh Post are behind Cloudflare, Camboticket was in scheduled maintenance, and BookMeBus lists the route in its catalogue but returned no bookable sailings on any date tried. Confirm through a Siem Reap guesthouse before relying on it.
02
Official airport transport prices published by Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport itself could not be found – the airport has no reachable official website (siemreapangkorairport.com, sai-airport.com and angkor-airport.com are all parked or hijacked domains). The US$8 minibus seat and US$40 private minivan figures come from Wikivoyage; the US$9–13 shared-van fares are live from BookMeBus.
03
Metered or per-kilometre fares for Grab, PassApp and TADA in Siem Reap are not published. Only the fixed GrabRent packages are. The US$1.25 short-hop figure is Wikivoyage's.
04
PassApp and TADA coverage in Siem Reap was not verified directly – both company websites are client-rendered and returned no readable content. Their presence here rests on Wikivoyage.
05
The Thai border situation changes fast. This file reflects UK FCDO advice last updated 19 March 2026 and BookMeBus inventory on 22 September 2026. Re-check before publishing.
06
The brief asked what changed when Grab and PassApp arrived. The date and the before-and-after are not documented in any source that could be reached; Cambodianess and Kiripost articles on the rise of ride-hailing appeared in Google News results in 2026 but neither site's article pages could be opened.
07
Correction to the brief: there is no airport shuttle bus as such, only shared vans and private transfers. Correction to Wikivoyage: the White Bicycles hire scheme it is sometimes credited with closed at the end of 2019.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Siem Reap is this.

Y: Scheduled flightsSiem Reap (SAI), 39 km
N: Trains and coachesno timetable feed known for this country
Y: FerriesBattambang Express Boat, 11 km; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Battambang, 77 km.