Excursion from Pattaya to Cambodia. Excursion to Cambodia from Pattaya: how it was. How to get from Pattaya to Phnom Penh

Last week we finally started our travels in South-East Asia, and our first trip was an independent trip from Pattaya to Cambodia.

Living in Thailand, every month we have to make visa runs to extend the visa and spend 3400 baht on it. We thought this pointless ritual could be replaced short trips V neighboring countries and thus combine business with pleasure. Last Friday we went to our first independent trip from Pattaya to Cambodia. The main purpose of the trip was to visit the temple complex of Angkor Wat. The whole trip cost us 7961 baht and took us 3 days. Then I will tell you how it all happened and what the money was spent on.

• about how we went to Koh Chang with a visaran to Cambodia through the city of Koh Kong;
• about how we went on a vizaran to Cambodia on our own and stopped at the national park Pangsida.

From Pattaya to Cambodia

We went to Aran (a city on the border with Cambodia) by minibus on Friday at 3 am. The tickets were bought the day before, from the transport company, which is located right behind the BigC hypermarket in Sukhumvit. There is also a landing in the minibus.

Minibus stop location to Cambodia on the map:

View in a larger map

Ticket price - 260 baht per person. Minibuses leave for Aran every hour, starting from 3 am. Two more people were traveling with us in the minibus, and at the same time, there were no additional stops and races in neighboring cities and our driver did not make villages. Therefore, as promised, at 7 am we were already at the border with Cambodia.

Passing the border left us with the most unpleasant impressions of the whole trip. Of course, I apologize, but I wanted to spit in the face of literally every border guard with whom we had a chance to make contact. It feels like they have learned the only phrase in Russian: "One hundred baht", and they say it at every opportunity and inconvenience. I do not want to delve too deeply into this topic, let everyone who travels to Cambodia on their own feel it for themselves. I'll just give you one piece of advice: Imagine that getting a visa at the Cambodian border is a game like "Buy an Elephant". For each phrase from the border guard: "One hundred baht", answer "No one hundred baht." We played this game for 20 minutes and eventually won. As a bonus, you can then tell these valiant border workers what you think of them. The guys will not understand you, and you will again find peace of mind and harmony. In general, the most important thing is not to strain, otherwise the brain will explode.

After crossing the border, we decided to relieve stress at a local casino, which is located in the neutral zone between Thailand and Cambodia. It was then that we spent the saved one hundred baht.

After passing passport control we ended up in Cambodia border town Poipet. We did not wait for fellow travelers and quickly charged a taxi to the city of Siem Reap. Taxi cost us $30. Of course, we originally wanted to share the fare with someone who is also going to Siem Reap, but while we were sitting in the casino, all the people had already left.

Siem Reap

We got to the city quite quickly, about two hours. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, our taxi driver handed us over to a tuk-tuk driver, who delivered us to our guesthouse for free and drove around Angkor all the next day, for which he received his well-deserved $15.

We pre-booked a room at the Okay Guesthouse Siem Reap ($12 per night). These are the only pools that cost less than $15 a night that we could find in Siem Reap. In general, prices for guest houses here start from $ 2 per night. But, to be honest, without the bass, we would have had a very difficult time here.

We quickly settled in, refreshed ourselves in the pool and at 12 o'clock went to have lunch and explore the city. It was +35C outside. Therefore, after about thirty minutes, we decided that, well, this city was his, it would be better to return closer to the pool.

Hotel search in Siem Reap:

The second attempt to explore the city began at 16.00, when the heat subsided a little and it was possible to feel more or less comfortable under the sun.

In general, Cambodia, and Siem Reap in particular, make a rather depressing impression. There are tons of garbage on the streets, people walk around sad, prices are high. All calculations are made in dollars and, as a rule, it is unrealistic to buy something here for less than $1. In general, one gets the impression that the country has stopped in its development, and no one is trying to restore order in it. This can be accurately judged based on the behavior of the border guards and the attitude of Cambodians to the cleanliness of their city, despite the fact that Siem Reap is the main tourist town Cambodia.

From affordable entertainment there are mostly only a few restaurants and massage parlors. Pub Street, the main walking street, is also not fun at all. There are no transvestites, no clubs, no magicians, nothing at all. Even the music is not playing anywhere.

In general, leaving attempts to find at least something interesting here, we went for a massage and had dinner in one of the restaurants, where we ate a couple of dishes from the national Khmer cuisine

The frog was good, especially with beer.

So there is no point in coming here for more than one day.

angkor

The next day we got up at 5.30 am and went by tuk-tuk to see the main attraction of Cambodia - the city of Angkor.

Premium program (3* or 4* hotels):

First day

• 04:00-04:30 Departure from Pattaya
• Stop for breakfast (lunchbox from the hotel, you can buy breakfast on the spot)
• 10:00-11:00 VIP crossing of the Thai-Cambodian border
• Transfer from the border to Siam Reap
• 13:00-14:00 Lunch at the restaurant
• Transfer, check-in to a 3* hotel (Maximum program) or 4* (Premium program), rest
• 16:00-17:30 Sightseeing tour by city Siam Reap: royal garden with flying foxes, embankment in colonial style, Wat Bo pagoda, Independence Monument. Optionally, a walk along Ton LeSap Lake (optional, for an additional fee, 500 baht per person, payment on the spot to the guide)
• 17:30-18:30 Watching the sunset in the temples
• Gift shop visit
• 19:00-20:30 Dinner at the restaurant and national show Apsara
• 20:30 Visit pub street and shopping - optional (can be accompanied by a guide)

Second day

• 06:00-06:30 Breakfast at the hotel
• Transfer from Siam Reap to temple complex angkor
• Inspection of the temples of Bayon, Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat
• Transfer to the hotel
• 11:00-11:30 Rest at the hotel (free time)
• 11:30-12:00 Check-out from the hotel
• Lunch at a traditional Khmer restaurant
• Transfer to the temples of Angkor
• 13:30-15:30 Leper Kings Terrace, Elephant Terrace, Phymenakas Palace, Genocide Museum
• 15:30-17:00 Transfer to the border (Poipet)
• 17:30-18:00 Border crossing
• 23:00 Return to Pattaya hotels

Economy program:

First day

• 4:00-4:30 Pick up from Pattaya hotels
• 7:30 Stop for breakfast (lunchbox to go from the hotel or can be purchased at the restaurant)
• 9:00-10:00 Crossing the border accompanied by Russian guides
• 12:30-13:30 Arrival in Siem Reap. Lunch at a Khmer restaurant. National and European dishes
• 14:00 Check-in at a 2* hotel. Rest until 17:30 (visiting Ton Lesap lake for additional fee, 500 baht per person, payment on the spot to the guide)
• 17:30 royal park with flying foxes and the ancient pagoda Wat Bo. Gift shop visit
• 20:30 Return to the hotel. Free time

Second day

• 5:30 Early rise
• 6:00 Excursion to the Angkor temple complex: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Terraces of the Elephants and the Leper King, Ta Prohm, Ta Kheo
• 12:00 End of the tour with a visit to the monument to the victims of the genocide, Wat Thamei temple. Return to the hotel. Check-out from the hotel
• 14:00 Lunch at the restaurant. Visit to a silk farm. Departure to the border
• 17:00-18:00 Cambodia - Thailand border crossing
• 23:00 Return to Pattaya

Program Cambodia + Phnom Kulen:

First day

• 03:30 Departure from hotels and transfer to the border
• 06:15 Stop for breakfast. At this stop you can eat your breakfast (taken from the hotel) or buy in a Thai cafe
• 07:45 Passport control along the green corridor
• 08:10 Departure to Siem Reap
• 10:20 Excursion to the temple complex: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (the capital of the Khmer Empire Bayon, the terraces of the Leper King, the terraces of the Elephants, Ta Kheo, Ta Prohm)
• 12:20 Lunch at a national restaurant
• 13:20 End of the tour of the Angkor Temples
• 16:30 Souvenir shop
• 18:30 Check-in at a 3* hotel with a swimming pool in the city center of Siem Reap
• 19:00 Dinner - Buffet and Apsara show
• 21:00 Free time

Second day

• 06:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Eviction
• 08:30 Visit sacred mountain on the Phnom Kulen plateau. Mysterious statue Reclining Buddha. Hiking path "1000 lingams" and the waterfall into which Lara Croft made her legendary jump
• 13:00 Lunch at the restaurant
• 14:00 Rest at the hotel
• 15:30 Visit Royal Park and Wat Bo pagoda
• 16:15 Memorial to the Victims of the Genocide Wat May
• 16:45 - 18:30 Border crossing
• 19:30 Hygiene stop 15-20 min
• 22:30 Transfer to Pattaya hotels.

In fact, there are several ways to get from Pattaya to Cambodia. And it's up to you to decide which one suits you best. Of course, first of all, this is determined by the amount of money that you can allocate for this and, of course, time.

The fastest and accordingly convenient way- this is a plane. In just 4.5 hours you will cover the entire distance. Well, here, of course, you should not forget about transfers to and from the airport. And of course it's very convenient. The cheapest way to get to Cambodia, but the longest is the train. The net time spent on the train, not counting the passage of customs control, is 8 hours. But you will spend only 50 baht on a ticket. For comparison, a plane ticket costs 1800 baht.

Trains run twice a day and resemble middle-class electric trains somewhere in the suburbs. Usually trains take everyone to the nearest border town. And when you get to the territory of Cambodia, you can take a taxi or take a free bus.

You can rent a car. This is of course very convenient, but get ready for the fact that in some places the road will be very bad. Travel time is approximately six hours. But when you arrive at the border town, you will have to leave the car in a paid parking lot. There are two more options - by taxi to the border town or by sea on a liner, this is an incredibly comfortable and convenient option, but also very expensive - 8900 baht per person.

Now let's talk about crossing the border. When you arrive at the border town of Aranyaprathet, you will need to go through a special tunnel with things on customs control. Please note that you need to move on the left side, which is intended for foreigners, local residents usually move on the right side.

And then everything is not so difficult - first you hand over your departure card, then with a special form you go to the customs terminal of Cambodia and take a visa application form. You immediately fill it out and, together with it, a passport, two photographs and thirty dollars, submit it all together in a special window. Then you go further and get an emigration card, fill it out and submit it, but to another window. This, of course, takes a decent amount of time, but all this can be prepared in advance on the Internet and paid. Then you pass the border as quickly as possible.

Now let's talk about it convenient option- trip to Cambodia organized excursion. In this case tour operator takes care of all the hassle associated with transport, meals during the trip, crossing the border and issuing visas, as well as accommodation in a hotel in Cambodia. Well, and accordingly organizes visits to all the sights in this country. As a disadvantage in this case, we can note the high cost of such an excursion. For example for three day trip per person you will have to pay seven thousand baht. And it's about twice as expensive as if you go there on your own.

However, no matter how you get to Cambodia, you should definitely check out the most iconic sights of this country. First, the most famous and most popular building Cambodia - Angkor temple complex. It consists of several temples combined into a single composition. Previously, this complex belonged to ancient empire Khmer.

Secondly, Koh Ker - the pyramid of death, also a temple complex and at the same time an ancient complex in the Khmer empire. Thirdly, Tonle Sap Lake is the famous freshwater lake simply of enormous size, on which floating villages are located. This lake is geographically located in the vicinity of the town of Siem Reap.

It is necessary to visit the capital of the country - the city of Phnom Penh, to admire the incredibly rich royal palace, National Museum, promenade and Wat Phnom. And of course, at least briefly look into resort town Sihanoukville with its beautiful group of islands, white sandy beaches and turquoise water.

Thailand is in high demand among the world's tourist destinations. This is due not only to the high level of comfort and service, but also to various entertainment programs, including excursions to local attractions, which are more than enough in Thailand. One of the most requested tourist excursions- connection Pattaya - Cambodia.

The popularity of this tourist destination is due to the unique opportunity to get acquainted with cultural and historical sights, so you can buy a tour from Pattaya to Cambodia everywhere. Travel agencies offer excursion programs, so you can go from Pattaya to Cambodia as part of excursion groups.

For those who prefer to travel on their own, there are several options for getting from Pattaya to Cambodia. In any case, such an excursion is very exhausting and will take a lot of energy, so be prepared for physical fatigue and aesthetic pleasure from what you see in Cambodia.

Cambodia – hospitable country, with a developed culture and architectural heritage, so a large number of tourists from all over the world come here every year. A large number of travel agencies offer excursions from Pattaya to Cambodia.

Each agency independently draws up a tourist program, so it’s difficult to say unequivocally what attractions await you in Cambodia. Despite this standard tour Pattaya - Cambodia begins with a visit to the resort Siem Reap, after which travelers go to look at "Tunnel of Justice" from where they go to the wax museum.

The tour starts early in the morning and in the late afternoon an entertaining folklore show awaits tourists. Apsara . After watching the show, tourists usually go to appreciate the beauty of the floating village on Tonle Sap Lake. The tour ends with a visit to the temple complexes.

At the end of the tour, all interested tourists can freely walk around the territory of the temple complex or take travel on hot-air balloon . The city of Angkor is not only one of the most beautiful places in the world, but also popular tourist destination, therefore, if you want to buy a souvenir or take a series of picturesque photographs, then Angkor is ideal for this.

For those who go to Cambodia for the first time, especially if the trip is to be made from Pattaya, then you need to take into account all the features of this trip. The excursion program to Cambodia from Pattaya involves a long way, so you will have to go on such a trip in the early morning, starting at 3 in the morning. For those who are not very familiar with geography, it should be noted that Cambodia is a completely different state, which is geographically located not far from Thailand.

Excursions to Cambodia from Thailand need to be bought from trusted tour operators, because in order to make an excursion you have to cross the border, which requires special documents that you will be told about at the travel agency. The first few hours of the journey, tourists can sleep on the bus, but closer to the Thai-Cambodian border. On the one hand, tourists will check their luggage, on the other hand, documents, so it is important to listen carefully to the guide, who will tell you the rules of conduct at the border.

At the Cambodian border, tourists will be met by a Russian-speaking guide. The process of crossing the border is the same for all tourists, in particular for those who go on an excursion to Cambodia. Travel agencies sell two-day excursions from Pattaya to Cambodia:

1 day

Collection of all tourists
Breakfast
Trip to Siam Reap
Lunch
Settlement in four star hotel
Journey to Wat Tamei Temple
Lotus farm visit
Acquaintance with floating village Ton Lesap
Dinner. Performance "Apsara"
Free time

2 day

Breakfast
Visiting temple complexes
Lunch
Visits to the "City of Aromas"
Departure back to Pattaya, border crossing
Transfer of tourists to hotels

For a trip to the temples, bring clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. Estimated time of return to Pattaya from Cambodia 23.30.

How to get to Cambodia on your own?

You can get from Pattaya to Cambodia on your own. If you have a car and know how to handle the map, then you will not have any difficulties on the way. You can quickly get to the border through. If you decide to go to Cambodia public transport, the task becomes a bit more complicated. First you need to in Pattaya on sukhumvit bus station buy a ticket to the city of Arania Prathet. The journey will take a little less than 6.5 hours. Comfortable double-decker buses run to the city, so you will ride in comfort.

There is another way to get from Pattaya to Cambodia. To do this, you need to get to Pattaya South Station, which is located near Kai Seo beach. It is important to pre-book a ticket for a minibus that reaches the Cambodian border without stops. To travel freely, you need to apply tourist visa at the nearest embassy. From the border, you can easily get to any city in Cambodia.

Moving around the country will be problematic, as the roads in Cambodia are not in the best condition and have not been repaired for a long time. You can get to any point of interest by water transport.

Excursion cost from Pattaya to Cambodia

From Pattaya to Cambodia - the price is formed based on many factors. When buying excursions from a tour operator, you must specify how many days the trip is offered. Usually excursions from Pattaya to Cambodia are designed for 2 days. The average price for a two-day trip is 4000 baht. If you want to spend the night in a 4 or 5 star hotel, then the cost can increase from 5000 baht to 6500 baht. Of course, you need a visa to travel to Cambodia. It can be obtained from the embassy and the average cost is $30.

Prices in Cambodia are not low, but acceptable. The Government of Cambodia is doing its best to travel business prospered, so here you can pay both in dollars and baht. A two-day stay in Cambodia for those who decide to go on their own will cost about 6000 baht with overnight stay and meals for 1 person. Overnight in best hotels Siem Reap will cost 15 dollars in a day. Rent a car with a personal driver - $ 2 / hour. Tours are cheap. The entrance to the temple complex is 20 dollars, if you buy at the entrance for 1 day and $40 if you buy a ticket for 3 days.

Traveling from Pattaya to Cambodia will appeal to lovers of architectural sights and cultural monuments. Also, Cambodia is in the TOP of the most clean beaches peace. There are no difficulties in traveling from Pattaya to Cambodia, so you can easily travel from Thailand to neighboring countries and get to know new states and cultures.