Independently from Pattaya to Cambodia (Siem Reap): methods, cost, border crossing, our experience. From Pattaya to Sihanoukville. How to get to Cambodia from Thailand From Pattaya to Cambodia by train

There is nothing complicated about how to get from Pattaya to Cambodia on your own. You can get from your holiday destination in Thailand to the Cambodian border in 3.5-4 hours, apply for a short-term tourist visa on the spot, which will take about 1-2 hours, depending on how busy the checkpoint is, and then enjoy the sights of Thailand’s neighboring state .

Google Maps / google.ru

However, comparing the cost of an organized trip to Cambodia and an independent one, it can be argued that in this case the benefits of traveling “savage” are not as obvious as it seems at first glance. Besides. In addition to financial costs, there are also such important aspects of travel as overnight stays, meals, comfort during the trip and much more.

How to go on your own?

Anyone who wants to get from Cambodia on their own needs to get to the Thai border town of Araniyaprathet. You can do this by taking a bus or using the railway connection, or you can simply travel this distance by taxi.

It is not recommended to travel on rented scooters, mopeds or cars, as complications may arise when crossing the border. Often the rented vehicle has to be left in Araniyaprathet. This is due to the fact that the Cambodian authorities are trying in every possible way to develop and support the transport rental business in their own country.

Davidlohr Bueso / flickr.com

However, the quality of the roads in this kingdom is such that it is better not to enter it by car. Cambodia has been using waterways for centuries; the kingdom has more than 1,900 kilometers of rivers, man-made canals and other navigable arteries; Cambodians themselves get to places of interest exclusively via waterways, and all conditions for this type of travel have also been created for travelers.

By bus

Buses from Pattaya to Araniyaprathet depart from the bus station on Sukhumvit Road. The journey takes about 4 hours, and the cost of the trip ranges from 260 to 290 baht, depending on the time of departure, day of the week and tourist seasons.

Bus service starts in the morning and ends around 4 pm, but you need to look at the schedule directly at the station, no earlier than a couple of days before you plan to travel from Pattaya to the neighboring country. It changes constantly and the Internet in this particular case does not reflect the actual and current situation with the schedule of bus routes at the current time.

You can pay for your ticket either at the ticket office on the platform itself or with the driver. We must not forget that the driver does not accept cards for payment; as for the cost, there are no differences in prices.

calflier001/flickr.com

You should take water and possibly some sandwiches with you on your trip, especially if you are traveling with children. In general, travel is comfortable; each car has air conditioning, power sockets, individual seat lighting and Internet access.

You can also travel indirectly, but take a regular regular bus to , a ticket will cost 100-120 baht, and then transfer there to a bus to Araniyaprathet, a ticket costs from 180 to 210 baht.

In some cases, this route turns out to be more convenient, for example, if you want to explore Bangkok along the way. The trip in total will take more than 7 hours.

Not far from the “military” beach in the south of Pattaya there is a minibus-taxi parking lot. If you wish, you can hire them too. This is beneficial, especially if a large company of 6-8 people is traveling. There are no exact prices, you need to bargain. Typically, drivers ask for 3,000 baht, but when bargaining, they concede up to 1,800 baht.

By train

Trains in the desired direction depart from Pattaya South Station, the fare in the simplest version will cost only 50 baht. A more comfortable and high-speed train will cost about 200 baht.

Clay Gilliland / flickr.com

The schedule, as in the case of buses, should be looked at immediately before traveling to Cambodia from Pattaya. It changes very often, trains are either canceled or added, and the information on the Internet does not reflect these changes.

The disadvantage of trains is that they usually arrive in Araniyaprathet in the evening, just before the border crossing closes or even after it closes. Therefore, this method of travel, despite its economy, is inconvenient, and given the overnight stay in Araniyaprathet, it is difficult to call such a trip budget.

You can view suitable options and buy a bus or train ticket in advance through the website.

Taxi

The cost of a taxi fare, which can be ordered through the website, from the center of Pattaya to Cambodia will be about 4,000 baht if you go to the Angkor temple complex and 5,000 baht if you go to Siem Reap.

A ride in a hired car to the border, that is, to the town of Araniyaprathet, will cost 2000-2800 baht.

This method cannot be called the cheapest, but provided that four people are traveling, it is quite affordable. As for convenience, traveling in a taxi is more convenient than traveling by bus only in that the car stops only when passengers require it and, of course, the taxi does not depend on the constantly changing schedule; you can always choose the time that is convenient for the traveler.

If you intend to take a taxi not to the border with a neighboring country, but to get from Pattaya to Cambodia on your own completely, to the place you have chosen to stop in this country, you need to clarify this nuance when ordering a car, since not everyone has the permits necessary to cross the border drivers.

If, when choosing a way to get from Pattaya to Cambodia, you decide to travel by taxi, you need to remember to take water with you, and keep all documents and money with you, so that at the border you do not have to open the trunk and look for the necessary papers in your suitcase.

What awaits at the border?

Traveling from Pattaya to Cambodia on your own means crossing the border zone on your own, which will require certain documents.

You can get a short-term tourist visa directly on the spot, it will cost 35 US dollars. Many travelers wonder why at the border checkpoint payments are made in this currency, but this question cannot be answered unambiguously; this is probably done for the convenience of foreign tourists, since more than 50% of foreigners visiting the kingdom are citizens of the United States.

To obtain a visa on the spot, you will need the following documents - an international passport with a Thai visa and photographs, you need two of them, the same as for a new type of international passport. It is better to have more photographs with you, paradoxically, but something often happens to them and the border guard who fills out the form asks for another one.

The procedure itself requires calm and patience. The border, more like a wide avenue with arched monuments, is completely devoid of barriers and other similar attributes familiar to people from Eastern Europe; it consists of three sections - Thai, neutral and Cambodian.

First, the tourist needs to come to the Thai section and “redeem” the Thai visa, then go through the neutral part, fill out the form issued by the Cambodian border guard, pay the fee and receive a stamp of the kingdom’s visa.

The procedure for returning to Thailand is completely similar, the only difference being that you no longer need to pay. In the absence of queues, the entire process of crossing the border takes about half an hour, but with a large influx of people wishing to get into a neighboring country or when traveling on tour buses, which have an advantage in crossing the border outpost, the wait for a visa and, accordingly, the opportunity to travel further, may take longer. couple of hours.

If the traveler does not have any necessary documents on hand, for example, photocopies, which are sometimes required, or photographs of the required sample, then all this can be done right at the border checkpoint, of course, for an additional fee.

It’s more profitable to take photos at the Thai site, where this service costs 100 baht. The cost of a visa with additional photography, photocopies or some other bureaucratic procedures can rise to $40.

Another way to process documents is to obtain a Cambodian visa online - from $18, or through the embassy before leaving for Thailand - from $20. The waiting period ranges from a week to a month, and the only advantage is that you will not have to pay a more expensive duty at the border between countries.

Those who want to get to the sights of Cambodia from Pattaya on their own should not forget that the border checkpoint has a working schedule - from 8 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. After the closure, there is no longer any possibility of crossing the border legally, and you will have to look for a hotel to stay in Araniyaprathet, which is quite difficult, since it is a fairly small and provincial town, not spoiled by the attention of tourists.

Organized travel

Ready-made organized excursions to Cambodia from Pattaya have many advantages over an independent trip. The tour completely eliminates the hassle of documents, searching for transport and hotels, solves issues with food and how to get directly to the attractions themselves, because Cambodian temple complexes are not located in the central areas of cities.

The cost of the excursion depends on what exactly it will include and how long it will last. A ready-made tour from Pattaya can be one-day, two-day or last three days. You can book such an excursion through the website.

Clay Gilliland / flickr.com

Most often, tourists need two-day excursion trips, which is why such tours are sometimes not offered by agencies. If the desired trip of a couple of days is not available, you should not purchase a one-day tour; it is better to pay a little extra and go on a three-day trip.

The fact is that the journey from Pattaya to the sights of the neighboring state is quite long, in total, you will have to spend about 15-16 hours there and back on the bus, that is, in fact, it’s not a journey and inspection of ancient Khmer masterpieces, but “we got there - took pictures” “Let’s go back.”

The cost of a one-day excursion tour averages from 4,000 to 4,800 baht, which, in general, is completely inconsistent with what such a trip will provide.

The tour, designed for two days, includes a visit to the Angkor temple complex: a sightseeing tour of part of the territory and a water excursion along one of the nearby lakes.

Of course, the price includes such things as border duties, accommodation in one of the hotels in the town of Angkor, which received this name because of the nearby temples, and meals. The cost of such a trip ranges from 5,800 to 7,000 baht, depending on the list of attractions offered for visiting.

A 3-day excursion from Pattaya to Cambodia, organized by a travel agency, will cost from 9,800 baht. However, the price is low, considering that such tours include visits not only to the Angkor Wat complex, but also to Angkor Thom, Angkor Ta Prohm, Angkor Bayon, and Angkor Bapuon.

Juan Antonio Segal / flickr.com

It also includes a trip to one of the nearby lakes, a visit to the “City of Fragrances” and much more. The content of the tourist offer may vary, so the details need to be clarified on the spot before purchasing the tour.

The advantages of an organized trip also include such important points that, as a rule, are not taken into account in independent trips, such as medical insurance. Tourist buses also have free bottled drinking water, which is very important in a climate where the air temperature does not drop below 28 degrees.

You can purchase tours from any tour operator in Thailand or book them before your flight to Pattaya. The purchasing method does not affect the cost in any way; with early booking, as a rule, there are no discounts, because it is carried out through intermediaries represented by Russian operators and often turns out to be more expensive than purchasing locally.

Video: Pattaya excursions - from Pattaya to Cambodia for two days.

There is also no need to look for travel agencies in Pattaya; all leading operators have offices on Sukhumvit Street, where tourist buses depart from.

Overall, traveling to Cambodia from Pattaya is more convenient and ultimately economical when purchasing a tour. For example, the average cost of the cheapest hotel in Cambodia is 15-20 dollars per night, excluding meals. The cost of travel to attractions may vary, depending on how exactly you get to them.

We must not forget about paying for the entrance ticket to the temple complexes - the cost of a one-day visit is $20, a three-day ticket is $40. Considering the huge territory of the temple complexes, even if you visit only one of them, it is simply unrealistic to get around everything on foot, and the services of small local cars cost from 2 dollars per hour.

And the most important argument for everyone who has visited the Angkor complexes in favor of an organized trip is water. Of course, there is nowhere to buy water here, and given the temperature above 30 degrees during the daytime, you want to drink strongly and often, especially for children. On excursion buses this point is taken into account, but when traveling on your own you will have to carry a backpack with bottles of water with you.

From Thailand to Cambodia.

After researching the Pattaya - Sim Reap route on the Internet for a couple of days, I didn’t find anything complicated. However, during the trip I came across a couple of unpleasant nuances that could have been avoided. This is a photo of the place where the departure takes place. If you don’t know Thai, then without half a liter you won’t be able to figure out what’s what.

1. So, looking ahead, I want to say that the whole journey from Pattaya to Sim Reap took us 11 hours. Having left the southern Big Sea at 8 am, we stopped at the European Guesthouse at 7 pm. Return trip: at 7.30 from the hotel at 16.30 we were at the Pattaya bus station, i.e. 9 o'clock. As you can see, despite the seemingly short distances, the journey took much longer than expected.

2. We got to Big Sea by taxi for 100 baht, which they called for me right at the condotel reception. The minibus departing from Big Sea to Aranyaprathet, a town on the border with Cambodia, took 4.5 hours, cutting in circles, picking up anyone along the way. Despite the fact that the bus was quite comfortable, the extra hour and a half was tiring. During the journey there were two stops of about seven minutes each. A ticket per person cost 260 baht.
This is our driver.

3. We were driven almost to the very crossing, the driver waved his hand, showing the direction. Crossing the Thai border was not difficult at all; ten minutes later we stood in line to receive a visa. We had photographs with us, copies of passports, and next to us we received yellow pieces of paper with a declaration that we were completely healthy. They immediately filled out the visa application form and stapled the photo to the application form. A visa costs 20 dollars, but they took another 100 baht from everyone, for purposes unknown to us. It took no more than 15 minutes to obtain visas. And this is the road to Cambodia.

4. Having passed the arch with the inscription “Kingdom of Cambodia”, moving behind the crowd of tourists, as it turned out from Russia, on the right side we saw the “Arrival” booth. And attention!!! Near this booth sat a dude who was holding some pieces of paper in his hand. Ignoring him, everyone stood in line, which took a total of 40 minutes. When there were a couple of people left in front of me, I was horrified to discover that the foreigners were holding some pieces of paper in their hands!!! Having asked “what and how”, I rushed to the entrance, the guy sitting there, smiling, gave me the arrival form, which I had to fill out in terrible fuss and hassle. We let three people through, but since we were with our son, we were also allowed in without a queue and we safely received arrival stamps. Don't forget about this nuance!!! The border guard turned the Russians standing on the right to the end of the line, before they had time to fill out the arrival forms.
Fishing rod with the inscription "Arrival".

5. Having received the stamps, we left the booth and found ourselves in front of the noses of active young people. I asked in English:
-Where is the Shuttle Bass?
We were quickly taken to a departing bus and 20 minutes later we were at the bus station, from which we could get to Sim Reap. The shuttle bus transports people for free.

6. At the box office they sold us three tickets for seven dollars. When I asked how soon the bus would arrive, I was told 15-20 minutes. Attention!!! It was already about three. I didn’t know at all how long it would take to get to Sim Reap, and we didn’t even really have breakfast, and my son ate only ice cream the whole way. So, my advice to you: have a snack at the station!!! It's not expensive and quite clean. There is no need to change dollars. They are widely used in Cambodia. There is also a fairly decent toilet where you can wash yourself.
Bus station.

7. After about 25 minutes we boarded the bus and headed towards the final destination of our journey. The journey to Sim Reap took about three and a half hours. There was only one stop. All buses stop at one point where you can go to the toilet and buy something to drink. Stop for about 15 minutes. There is no point in being there. The prices are greatly inflated, everything costs a dollar or more, and beer costs two dollars. The eatery is dirty, although you can see the local color in all its beauty. After the bass was doused with water for visibility, we moved on.

8. At the entrance to Sim Reap, the bus slowed down and dropped us off next to the tuk-tuks, whose drivers rushed towards us, trying to make money from the Big White Brothers. After lengthy negotiations, I agreed to travel for $2. And here again attention!!! I negotiated the price with one person, he put us on a tuk-tuk driven by another. Therefore, when getting into a tuk-tuk, you must clearly announce the price to the driver and get confirmation that he agrees. In addition, another “breeder” sat down with us. “The breeder” after a nice conversation about where to take us, at what price and why. He brought us to a completely different hotel. For bringing new clients, he got a couple or three bucks. From my travels, I have already gotten my hands on dealing with tuk-tukers. After Delhi and Bombay, the “breeders” here are just children. So I quickly put him in his place and made him take him where I needed him.

9. Arriving at our guesthouse, I unloaded my things and began to pay. Here began the second act of the comedy called “protracted reckoning.” Seeing 2 dollars in my hands, the “breeder” began to cry, be offended, hiccup and fart, calling out to the heavens. I didn’t become greedy the first day in an unfamiliar country and gave him another buck, sending him on his way. Wailing, he left with God. I think they divided the three bucks like this: 1 dollar for the “greeter”, 1 dollar for the “helper” and 1 dollar, as usual, for the “tuk-tuker”. Conclusion: the price should be announced to all three at once to save an extra dollar.

10. And lastly. About the guesthouse. From the outside they look pretty decent. We lived quite far from the center. On a quiet street. But...First of all, feel free to negotiate on price. No hot water, in a room with two beds, where they do not clean, and wash clothes once a week. Without air conditioning, but with a fan, I paid 11 dollars a day for three. With breakfast. Breakfast is just a name. A toasted baguette, a cup of coffee, a piece of butter, jam and a banana. Not a lot, but enough for half an hour or an hour. Secondly, pay attention to the number of people. If there is a lot of it, then the place is good. If there are no people, something is wrong here. However, it was precisely the fact that there were no people that we liked in the end. Although we had some complaints about fat-assed Nick from New York, who pretends to run a hotel while he drinks beer and sits on the computer all day. And third, in the center we came across a guesthouse. Where everything was in order, there was a TV, air conditioning, cleaning, replacement of beds. Everything a person needs except breakfast. It only cost 15 dollars. Feel the difference. Yes, internet is free in all guesthouses.
And this is our “European guesthouse”.

Many tourists who vacation in Thailand often visit Cambodia, a place known for its rich cultural and historical past. From Pattaya you can get to Cambodia on your own, without resorting to the services of excursion guides and agencies. Thanks to this, you will save enough money and be able to spend more time in Cambodia. Let's first compare an independent route from Pattaya to Cambodia and back with what travel agencies offer.

Perhaps after this, some will still want to visit all the sights of this wonderful country as part of organized groups, since traveling independently can take a lot of energy.

A standard excursion program to Cambodia begins with a visit to the resort town of Siem Reap, from where tourists go to the Tunnel of Justice and the wax museum. Then, before the eyes of travelers, an amazing local folklore show “Apsara” appears, after which it is time to explore the floating village on Lake Tonle Sap.

The tour ends with a visit to the Buddhist temples of Ankgor Wat, Ankgor Thom, Ta Prohm, Bantiu Srei. At the end of the excursion, everyone can explore the temple complexes while flying in a hot air balloon.

The excursion from Pattaya to Cambodia has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account by tourists. First of all, remember that Cambodia is another, separate state, so it is best to purchase tours from trusted companies. Not all tour operators have their own representative offices in Cambodia, let alone street agencies. The distance from Pattaya to Cambodia is considerable, about 450 kilometers, so almost all companies leave the point of departure between 3.30 and 5.00 in the morning.

For the first couple of hours, tourists travel on a bus, where they can sleep and, closer to the Thai-Cambodian border, listen to the guide’s instructions about the rules of crossing the border. First, tourists are taken to the Thai border, which they must cross on their own. Once on Cambodian territory, the group meets with a representative of the Cambodian side. After passing the Cambodian border, tourists meet with a Russian guide.

This is also true if you want to get to Cambodia on your own. At the southern bus station they also gather groups into a minibus and take them to the border with Cambodia, just after passing the border you will be left to your own devices. That's the whole difference between the excursions.

Important Features

1. Cambodia is a different country, so be sure to take your passport from the hotel safe before it closes. The bus to Cambodia leaves early in the morning, and not all hotels can give you access to your items in the safe at this time.
2. If you are not a fan of long trips, then take a couple of interesting magazines with you on the road to pass the time before the border.
3. In Cambodia they use dollars and baht, so you don't have to change the currency you have.
4. For walks in the sun, you will need a hat and sun protection, and for early morning bus rides, light but warm clothing. Additionally, take a couple of things that cover your shoulders and legs below the knees, otherwise you will not be allowed to enter Angkor Wat.

Excursion cost

The cost of a two-day excursion from Pattaya to Cambodia depends on which hotel you stay at, which company you purchased the tour from and your citizenship, which affects the price of the visa. For example, an excursion purchased from street agencies will cost, on average, up to 4,000 baht (1 baht is approximately 1 Russian ruble), and one purchased from more serious companies will cost from 5,500 baht.

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How to get to Cambodia on your own

An independent trip to Cambodia does not present any difficulties for most tourists, especially if you undergo suitable theoretical training in advance. One of the most common routes starts in Pattaya, passes through Koh Chang and Cambodia, ending at the departure point. An independent excursion with a group of 3-4 people will significantly save your money.

self-guided route map from Thailand to Cambodia

To start your independent journey, you need to buy a ticket to the city of Araniyaprathet at the bus station located in Pattaya on Sukhumvit Street. The trip lasts about 7 hours, on comfortable double-decker buses with air conditioning.

You can also reduce the time even more to get to Cambodia faster, to do this you need to go to the southern station near the military beach and arrange in advance and buy a ticket for a private small minibus. Which will get there faster and specifically takes people from Pattaya only to the Cambodian border without any additional stops.

To obtain a visa at the border crossing, you must provide a passport and two 3x4 cm photographs. After you go through customs control, all you have to do is choose your desired destination and start traveling. A transfer from Koh Chang to Siem Reap can be purchased directly on the mainland, at the pier. Once you arrive in the city, you can easily find a suitable excursion to Ankgor Wat and Tonle Sap Lake.

Knowledge of English will be a big plus, because this way you can solve many technical issues on your own. A transfer from Pattaya to Koh Chang will cost about 400 baht per person, to Siem Reap - from 800 baht.

If you can get to the border with Cambodia by car easily and without much inconvenience, then moving inside the country on roads will cause more trouble due to their deplorable condition.

Therefore, water routes are best suited for covering long distances - Cambodia has about 1,900 km of rivers and artificial canals. Sea vessels will quickly take you to the capital of the state - Phnom Penh. If you want, they can immediately take you from the border to Angkor Wat by taxi, it costs on average about $30.

To get around the city, you can rent motorcycles, taxis, tuk-tuks, scooters, tricycles, and you can also use public transport (which, by the way, will not hurt your budget). To rent a car, you need to contact the tourism office in Phonm Penh or Siem Reap, where you will be provided with a government car with a driver.

What is better – an independent trip to Cambodia or an excursion?

If your vacation time is limited or you do not want to wander around the local area without a guide, it is best for you to purchase a tour. If you want to follow your own, non-standard program, there is only one answer - you need to go from Pattaya to Cambodia on your own. The excursion is accompanied by one drawback - you are unlikely to be able to fully appreciate the beauty of the Ankgor Wat temple. To remember its visit to the fullest, it is still better to travel independently, not by tuk-tuk, but by taxi.

Since November 2012, an agreement has been in force between Cambodia and Thailand, according to which it is possible to stay in the territory of one country on a visa of the other, but the period of stay is limited by the validity of the visa. In fact, Cambodian border guards very often ignore this fact, so it is better to resolve all issues related to purchasing a visa to this country in advance, just in case.

Electronic visa

You can obtain an electronic visa on the website of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after filling out the application form. Payment (about 28 dollars) is made using a bank card. The only drawback of such a visa is that you can only enter Cambodia by crossing the air border (that is, you will have to fly by plane). Another possible option would be to cross the border through a land checkpoint, but only through the Cham Yeam (Aranyaprathet, Thailand) and Moc Bai (Vietnam) border crossings.

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Visa at the embassy

You can get a visa both in Russia and in any other country where there is a Cambodian embassy. To receive it you will need a foreign passport, a completed application form and three color photographs 4x6cm. The cost of a visa will be about 20 dollars, you can also get it right at the border.

Cambodia visa costs $20

Visa on arrival

You can obtain a visa at Siem Reap or Phnom Penh airport, or after crossing the border by land at any of the checkpoints.

Thai Customs Terminal - exit

The Thai Immigration office is very easy to recognize by the appearance of the building and the national flag. This building is located first on the left along the road; you need to enter the first door. There you will find a "Foreign passport holders" sign where you can redeem your existing Thai visa. Next, you need to leave the building and turn right - you will find yourself in neutral territory.

Neutral territory

While on neutral territory, go to the Thai Customs stand (located on the right across the road) and take the TM form. Then walk further until you come to the Cambodian Customs Terminal (first building on the right).

Cambodian Customs Terminal

Take the forms, fill them out according to the sample and give them to the window along with your passport, customs fee (from 800 to 1000 baht) and photographs. In the next 20 minutes of waiting for your passport, fill out the Thai TM form. The finished passports will be laid out in a stack behind the window, so try not to confuse your document with someone else’s (choose a bright and unusual cover for it, which will always help you recognize it).

After you get your passport, head further and after about 30 meters you will see long tables. On one of them there are forms for applying for a Cambodian visa Cambodian Visa forms, which must be filled out and submitted personally to the immigration officer.

You will then need to head to the Arrivals section and present the officer with your passport, customs fee, and completed Cambodian Visa form. He will issue you a visa and then give you your passport. Then go to the Departures sector (for those leaving the country), where your visa will be redeemed by the border guard.

Thai Customs Terminal (Entry)

Return to the Thai Immigration office and present the officer with your completed TM form, your canceled Cambodian visa and passport. Document processing will take about 20 minutes, after which you can return to Pattaya. This is exactly how, by the way, many people extend tourist visas for official stay in Thailand an infinite number of times, and simply go for 1-2 days or even a few hours to neighboring Asian countries.

Thai visa extension

Many people go to Cambodia not only to see the sights of this country, but also to quickly renew their Thai visa within one day. Since a Thai visa is given at the airport upon arrival in Thailand for 1 month. And once a month, unless you get another more complex type of visa, you will have to travel from Pattaya to Cambodia.

a simple visa to Thailand without any payment or duties is given upon entry into the country for a period of 1 month

You can extend your Thai visa at any of the nearest Immigration Offices. To do this you need to have with you:

• One photo measuring 3.5 by 4.5,
• Your foreign passport,
• A photocopy of your passport (visa page, main page, page with a valid visa entry stamp, page with a registered child, departure card).
• 1900 baht per person (including the child included in your passport).

Of all the documents listed above, you only need to take money and a passport with you, and you can do everything else in the Immigration Office building for a small fee. Just give the person your passport with the words “Copy for visa extension” - he will scan all the necessary pages. Then you need to go to the Immigration Office and pick up an Application form for visa extension.

Many tourists who come to Pattaya on vacation strive to visit the famous one, which is located in Cambodia, near. Of course, you can buy an organized tour for two or three days (from 4,000 baht), or you can go to Siem Reap on your own and explore the temples not at a run, but at your own pace, enjoying the architecture rather than jostling among a crowd of tourists. Today's article is about how to get from Pattaya to Siem Reap on your own and detailed instructions for crossing the border.

In order to get from Pattaya to Siem Reap you need to do the following:

How to get from Pattaya to the Aranyaprathet border crossing

The Aranyaprathet border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia is not located in the city itself, but a few kilometers away. You can get there from Pattaya in the following ways:

By taxi

The easiest (but also most expensive) way to get to the border is to take a taxi. The cost from Pattaya to the Aranyaprathet border crossing is 2200 - 2600 baht per car. Order a taxi >>

By bus

Buses to Aranyaprathet depart from Pattaya North Bus Station (from which buses depart to). This bus station is located on North Pattaya Road (Pattaya Nuea road), near the intersection with Sukhumvit Road (see map at the end of the article).

Tickets must be purchased at the ticket office for the Mukdahan direction to Aranyaprathet (the city bus station is located there) or to Rongkluea Market (there is another bus station, it is closer to the border crossing).

The cost of a bus ticket is about 250 baht, the travel time is about 5 hours.

Disadvantages of traveling to the border on this bus:

• Basically, all buses pass through and board them not at the Pattaya bus station, but on the street. Sukhumvit
• Buses are often late, make many stops and go very slowly
• From the bus stop to the border crossing you will have to take a tuk-tuk for 40-60 baht
• When getting off the bus, tourists often get scammed; the tuk-tuk brings them not to the border, but to a pseudo border, where they offer to buy a visa to Cambodia at twice the cost!

By own vehicle

You can get to the border by your own vehicle - a car or a bike. Near the border crossing we saw a huge parking lot and several foreigners on bikes. But I still don’t understand whether it’s possible to go to Cambodia on a rented or your own bike. Maybe someone knows the answer to this question?

On a minibus

The most convenient way to get from Pattaya to the Thailand-Cambodia border is by minibus. We used this method.

Minibuses depart from three places, all three of these places are located near Big C, at the intersection of Sukhumvit Street and South Pattaya Street. We first found one place and bought tickets there.

And in the morning, when we arrived at the landing, we saw another office on the same street, but closer to Big C

We didn’t see the third office, but the taxi driver who drove us from the hotel in the morning said that there were three of them nearby. (See the map of the location of minibus departure points Pattaya - Aranyaprathet border crossing at the end of the article).

Important: as of August 2018, minibuses depart from approximately this point: 12.918029, 100.896253

The cost of a minibus ticket from Pattaya to the border is 260 baht.

Minibuses (small buses for 13-15 people) depart from Pattaya every hour from 3:00 am to 7:00 pm. The promised travel time is 4-5 hours.

We drove for exactly 5 hours (we left at 7 in the morning, we were at the border at 12:00 in the afternoon) with one stop for 15 minutes at a gas station (there is also a coffee shop and the last 7 Eleven on our way with cheap food), but at first we didn’t drive at all to that side, but they picked up locals from different places, and then along the way they were dropped off at bus stations in small towns. Of the tourists in our minibus there were only us and two European women. If you leave at 3-4 in the morning, you can get there faster; locals usually don’t drive at this time and the minibus goes straight to the border without stopping.

I must say that these minibuses have absolutely no room for luggage! We placed our two large backpacks right on the passage and everyone stepped on them when entering and exiting. And it’s good that besides us, there were no other people in the minibus with things!

Crossing the Aranyaprathet – Poipet border

One of the most incomprehensible and unpleasant parts of the Pattaya - Siem Reap route is the border crossing. The border must be crossed on foot, even if you take a direct bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, you still need to get off the bus and cross the border with all your belongings on foot! I’ve already walked across the border once, from Ukraine to Ukraine, but that was very, very many years ago, and then it seemed so fun and interesting to me. But not now.

Having read about angry border guards and money scams, long queues, and confusion at the border on the Cambodian side, I was prepared for the fact that we would be a lot nervous and spend at least 2-3 hours at the border. But everything turned out to be not so scary :)

Detailed instructions for crossing the Aranyaprathet – Poipet border

The Aranyaprathet-Poipet border is not open 24 hours a day (this is not usual for me, I always thought that border crossings were open 24 hours a day), but from 7 am to 8 pm. You can spend the night near the border in Aranyaprathet; we select and book a hotel.

Minibuses arrive at the square next to the border crossing. As soon as we got out of the minibus, a crowd of “helpers” immediately attacked us, we didn’t know what they wanted, we immediately answered everyone that we didn’t need help, grabbed our backpacks tightly and, holding on to all our bags and belongings, walked towards the border.

It’s very close, but in the heat, dust and with heavy backpacks it’s not easy. And bikes, cars, and carts scurry about nearby. I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos - all the photos were taken while running in a hurry on my phone.

We follow the signs to passport control.

For Thais, passport control is on the first floor, for foreigners on the second.

The stairs lead us to a large air-conditioned room.

We stood in a small queue for about 10 minutes, were given immigration departure cards, which we filled out and received a stamp in our passport. That's it, we're on neutral territory.

How to get from the border town of Poipet to Siem Reap

Now from the city of Poipet we need to get to Siem Reap, where we are staying for 6 days.

Right after crossing the border we find ourselves at a mini bus station, where they offer a free bus to the bus station in the city of Poipet (12 km from the border).

But from the Poipet bus station you can go to Siem Reap by:

• minibus – 10 dollars per person
• on a public bus that runs on an unclear schedule and costs $9 per person
• by taxi. According to information from the forum, they are asking 40-48 dollars for a car

By taxi from the border

It is better not to take the free bus to the bus station, but immediately after crossing the border, arrange for a taxi to Siem Reap. We were immediately offered a car for $40. I said that the real cost of a taxi is 25 dollars (sometimes we can bring it down to 20 dollars) and prepared to haggle for a long time, but there was no need to bargain, we left for 25 dollars (by the way, the cost of a taxi on the way back Siem Reap - Poipet is somehow cheaper - 20 dollars ). We drove 160 km for about 2 hours and at 15:00 we were at our hotel in Siem Reap.

In total, the journey from the hotel in Pattaya to the hotel in Siem Reap took us from 6:30 am to 15:00 (8.5 hours). We spent on the road Pattaya - Siem Reap (amount indicated for two people):

• Taxi: hotel – minibus departure point from Big C – 200 baht ($6.25)
• Minibus tickets to Aranyaprathet – 520 baht ($16.25)
• Taxi Poipet – Siem Reap – $25

Total: travel $47.5, visas to Cambodia – $60

What we managed to notice and learn on the way to Siem Reap

• Cambodia is very dirty and dusty, there is a lot of garbage on the roads.
• The police take bribes on every corner! Our driver, when he put us in the car, immediately gave some money to the policeman. We drove off a little, another policeman on a bike caught up with us - the driver tried to tell him that he had already paid, then handed him some money. He told us that he had to pay a bribe of 10 dollars!
• For lack of rights, a bribe of 5-10 dollars.
• Our driver was very proud that he had a driver's license!
• Yes, traffic in Cambodia, on the other hand, is not the same as in Thailand, but like ours - on the right. It's very difficult to readjust.
• The driving here is simply terrible, I haven’t seen such chaos on the roads for a long time, probably since India.
• The Poipet – Siem Reap road is more or less normal.
• The cost of a liter of gasoline is about 1 dollar.
• There are a lot of uncultivated fields along the road.
• There are no chain stores like 7 Eleven.
• Makashnits were also not noticed in passing populated areas.
• The fruit harvest in Cambodia is harvested once a year, and in Thailand 2-3 times a year.
• They sell a lot of coconuts. The cost of a coconut for tourists is 1 dollar, for locals 2500 riel (0.6 dollars).
• The exchange rate of the local currency (Cambodian riel) to the dollar in February 2015: 1 dollar = 4035 riel, but all calculations are carried out in dollars.
• I haven’t understood this country yet...

Minibus departure locations from Pattaya to the Cambodian border on the map

Click on the “Menu” icon in the upper left corner to see the names of objects on the map

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September 21st, 2013

As is already known, a visa-free regime has been in effect between Russia and Thailand since 2005. Upon arrival at the airport, your passport is stamped for 30 days. For departure later than the date stamped, you will have to pay a fine at the border - overstay (500 baht/per day of delay).

For those wishing to stay legally in Thailand for a long time, there are two cheapest and most common options:

1. Get a tourist visa. Such a visa is obtained through Moscow, or at the embassy of a country neighboring Thailand (Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, India, Singapore, in a word, wherever there is a Thai consulate). This procedure is called border-run. Those. a two-day trip directly into Thailand’s neighboring country to obtain a tourist visa.
2. Perform a visa-run. Those. cross the border of Thailand and return back, again receiving a stamp for 30 days. This option is a great opportunity to combine business with pleasure, i.e. at the same time visit new countries for tourism purposes.

Let me clarify right away that the visa-run and border-run procedures have been put on stream. Literally at every step operators can offer such a trip. Cost 1700-2000 baht. Early in the morning you will be picked up from your home by minibus and then brought back. They will fill out everything for you and guide you across all borders without queues. As a rule, you are home by lunchtime.
You can also simply buy a tour, for example to Cambodia. We did just that on our first visa run. Cost 3400 baht per person, visa ($20) is included in the price. Program for 2 days. A good hotel, meals, excursions with a Russian guide - all this is included in the price. The program offers a tour of 3 temples, a visit to Tonle Sap Lake, jewelry and coffee shops. From such a trip we were left with a lot of pleasant impressions.

The second time we decided to visit Cambodia on our own; we really wanted to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat and leisurely wander around other temples. And in general, figuring everything out on your own and plunging headlong into real adventures is exactly our method))
And so, let's go!

1. Buy tickets.
We buy tickets from Pattaya to the border town of Aranyaprathet (Poi Pot). There is no need to say this tongue twister when buying a ticket. It is enough to say Aranya - they will understand you.
You can leave in a minibus or a regular bus. Tickets for the minibus are sold near Big C and depart every hour, the ticket price is the same as for the bus. Here I’ll say right away that we greatly regretted choosing the second option. The bus was not comfortable, it took a long, confusing road, stopping wherever it could. In the end, we drove for 6 hours! But since I have such experience, I’ll tell you in detail.
You can buy a ticket at the Northern Bus Station. Cost 263 baht. Departure times are 7:30, 8:30 and 9:00. We bought tickets one day in advance for the earliest flight.

This is what the bus station looks like. There is a good fenced paid parking area on the left. We left our bike there. Cost 30 baht/day.

Tickets to the destination we need are sold at the yellow ticket office No. 4.

The date and time of departure are marked on the ticket.

And so, departure day. You should wait for the bus on the platform behind the ticket office at exit No. 4. By the way, he was 20 minutes late. Someone says that he can easily leave at 7-25. In a word, there is no way to be late. On each pillar to the right and left of the scoreboard there are fans, and above them the exit number. We are looking for No. 4 and waiting for our bus there. To the right of the waiting room there is a shop where you can buy water and cookies) In general, along the way the bus makes 2 big stops for about 15 minutes, at these points there is a shop and a restroom.

2. Get to the border post.
The bus dropped us off in a completely incomprehensible area. Out of nowhere a tuk-tuk appeared and offered to take us to the border. It costs 80 baht. The drive is approximately 20 minutes. We grabbed a cold beer and went on our way.

3. Cross the border and end up in Poipet.
And so, this is where the fun begins. In general, this stage is the most difficult in terms of not getting caught in all sorts of tricks and recognizing the correct points for passing control.

Here are some important subtleties:

When you agree to get to the border for 80 baht, the tukker will take you not to the border, but to a respectable building, where they announce to you that you are already at the border. Of course, they will offer you a Cambodian visa for $60 and fill out all the documents for you. But we know that A visa to Cambodia is affixed to the passport only after receiving an exit stamp from Thailand, otherwise there is a chance of getting serious problems at the real border.

This is the building where you DO NOT need to go

The very word “border crossing” conjures up a picture of a checkpoint surrounded by barbed wire, where strict officers in uniform stand and check documents. In fact, this is a separate, inconspicuous building, and if you don’t know where to go, you can walk across the border without going through any control.

This is the so-called border. Carts with goods scurry back and forth.

We keep our passport with us and do not give it to anyone on the street under any circumstances. Cases are described of passports being snatched out of hands.

If on the way to control you are pestered with applications for visas, filling out the documents for you, we answer that you have an electronic visa (there is such a possibility).

Already when obtaining a visa to Cambodia, in addition to the legal $20, you may be required to pay 100 baht on top. This is such an honest taking of money by the border guards themselves. Here you need to raise an eyebrow and point your finger at the sign attached above the window, where the cost of a visa is written at $20. If this does not work (which often happens), then the border guard can safely be entrusted with filling out the migration card. We refused to pay and the border guard sent us to write something down again and again, so we take an electronic translator with us so we know what to write.

They may convince you of the need to undergo medical control at your expense, of course. We just don’t make eye contact and go our own way.

Within Cambodia there is a free bus from border control that goes to the bus station. They will persistently try to lure you there. This bus arrives in an open field (a bus station and there is nothing around and you can’t get back), where there are 2 options to leave - by taxi for $70 or a state bus without air conditioning for $9, for which you can wait for who knows how long and the ride will be very long and for a very long time.

The country has 2 official currencies - the riel and the dollar. Change for less than a dollar is given in riel and this is normal. Here you need to look: if they give you a larger amount, don’t agree - only a dollar. In general, the export of national currency is prohibited.

And so, we were brought to the false border. We go around this establishment and go right.
Now our goal is to pass control from Thailand and receive a departure stamp.

We go to the right of the false border past this building. It will be on your left hand

here you need to cross the road on the left and come here

There is no need to fill out anything here, we just wait in line and give our passport to the border guard. They give you a departure stamp and take away your migration card, which you filled out upon arrival in Thailand. Now we seem to be nowhere. Let's go straight. This is the so-called friendship bridge that unites 2 states. We just walk straight through it.

Next, you need to get the Cambodia visa itself. Let's go further until we see such a gate.
Here and only here you can get a visa!

We go to this building. There is only one window inside. Above him hangs a sign with the cost of a visa. We want the one for $20. They will immediately give you a migration card. Let's fill it out.
We submit at the window: passport, migration card, photograph (or 100 baht for its absence), $20. Well, or another 100 baht in alms to the border guard, if it was not possible to avoid arbitrariness.
In a couple of minutes we pick up your passport with visa.
We leave the building and go straight. Here on the way back you can buy cheap cigarettes and alcohol, because... Cambodia is a duty-free zone and the prices are certainly encouraging.
Now we boldly go to passport control.

At the entrance you will see an employee at a desk. You need to take and fill out a migration card from him. We submit our card and passport through the window, they will take our fingerprints on a scanner and that’s it, voila! It would be nice to find fellow travelers by taxi to Siem Reap.

Those who are thirsty exclusively for a stamp for 30 days need to go to the opposite side, where there will be exactly the same van with the sign DEPARTURE . Here you need to get a check-out note. There is no need to wait for the sake of decency. At the border, everyone knows what a visa-run is and this does not surprise anyone. You submit your passport to the window and also have your fingerprints taken. Then we move in the opposite direction from where we came. We also cross the Friendship Bridge and move to the left side. There we fill out the card again and go through passport control. Having got what we came for, we move on until we see a green bank on the right side. There is a minibus parking lot that will take you back to Pattaya for 300 baht. We didn’t go there (but in vain), and agreed to take a minibus before reaching this treasured place. We were driven for a very long time, along the road the driver took someone almost to the door of the house, some incomprehensible stops, in general, instead of the allotted 3-4 hours, we drove all 6.5!

4. Get from the border to Siem Reap.
Having walked a little further we found ourselves in the square. There will be a lot of offers to leave either by taxi or by free bus. We know about the free bus and immediately refuse. Of course, a taxi will also be offered for $50. That’s what we need, but definitely not for 50)) Since we found a couple of fellow travelers, a taxi cost us $10 per person. We drove comfortably for only about 2 hours. Upon arrival in Siem Reap, the driver takes us around the city until we choose a hotel or guest house. Therefore, when arranging a trip, you need to voice this point to him, and also upon arrival in the city, tell him about your requests to the hotel. This search is already included in the cost of the taxi.
However, having found a hotel that seems normal at first glance, do not rush to pay for all the days of your stay at once. For example, we got a room whose windows overlooked some kind of dump of construction materials. The windows were not plastic, so the noise of croaking frogs and some other super-loud living creatures did not leave us all night. Of course, we were offered to change the room, but not today because... everything is busy. As a token of apology they gave me 2 beers and a bottle of Malibu.

And so, it’s already evening and it’s time to find someone who will take us to temples for some $12. Our information was a little outdated and now you can hire a tukker for only $16. You won't have to look for this for long. They are on every corner and the taxi driver who takes you to the hotel will most likely offer you to be your tukker. This happened to us too. Having agreed on the price, he unfolded a map with a plan of the temple complex and we drew up a detailed route for tomorrow.
To meet the descriptions of the incredibly beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat, we decided to leave at 5 am. Looking ahead, I’ll say that we didn’t see super beauty because... there were clouds. But we were sleepy, lethargic and wearing raincoats. After wandering around the temples to our heart's content, buying some delicious Robusta coffee, we were free at 10-30 in the morning. Since it was drizzling and there was nothing special to do in Cambodia, we decided to return back to Pattaya that same day.

A small warning. Do not eat on temple grounds. They will feed you terrible shit and make you pay $5 or more. We were served 2 eggs of a strange taste, a baguette, expired processed cheese and butter that was also not the freshest, coffee. They changed the butter and cheese for us, but that didn't make our breakfast any better. Be!
We did the same reckless thing by paying for a hotel for 2 days. Of course, no one returned anything to us. Here, too, you need to learn a useful lesson - no money in advance for anyone! Not to the taxi driver, not to the tukker, not to the hotel.

5. Get from Siem Reap to Pattaya.
And so, we are fed up with the wet weather and the overly intrusive Khmers, with their disgusting roads, food and shops. Let's go home with pleasure to the land of smiles!

We leave the hotel and approach the first tukker we come across. We ask if he has a brother who could take us to the border for $20. Of course there is, 10 minutes later they came for us. A taxi cost $22. According to the outdated information I have, the price has increased by $2. Traveling by bus is not recommended. Of course it’s cheap, but people travel for 6 or 12 hours!
With a breeze we get to the border by taxi and again we are surrounded by these Velcro people with their offers. We know that a minibus can take you 3-4 hours to Pattaya for 300 baht. We immediately reject all other offers. In general, of course, the prices are prohibitive and when you say with a laugh no, it doesn’t cost that much, they immediately get offended and start saying that you’ll come back to me, you’ll see))). Having made sure that we know our business, they invite us to voice our price ourselves and immediately agree) The helper puts a sticker on a T-shirt and runs ahead of us to show us where we need to go step by step to check the documents (he didn’t go to the left place). At the end of all the procedures, he put us in a minibus, on which we rode for almost 6 hours! We had to look for transport on our own, as I wrote above, they have a parking lot near the green bank. They drive quickly and without unnecessary stops.

To overcome all the formalities, we do everything, but in reverse order. We find on right trailer, hand over your passport and get scanned. We received a departure stamp from Cambodia. Then we go straight and straight again across the bridge of friendship. We cross the road to the left. There at the entrance we take the migration card and fill it out. We pass the last passport control and receive the coveted stamp for 30 days.

And so, let's sum up the financial result our journey. I don’t take into account food and errors such as paying for a hotel for 2 days, as well as parking a bike.

1. Travel from Pattaya to the border - 263 baht x 2 + 80 (tuker) = 606 baht
2. Visa to Cambodia $20 x 2 = $40
3. Taxi from the border to Siem Reap $20
4. Hotel $10 per night
5. Tuker to temples $16
6. Ticket to the temple complex $20 x 2 = $40 (tickets are sold for $20 for one day or $40 for three)
7. Taxi from Siem Reap to the border $22
8. Minibus from the border to Pattaya 300 baht x 2 = 600 baht
Total approximately 6700 for two. It turned out to be very, very budget-friendly.

Useful lessons:
1. don't ride buses
2. check with minibuses the travel time from the border to Pattaya
3. don’t pay anyone in advance for anything
4. do not travel in bad weather
5. book a hotel in advance via the Internet so as not to end up in some hole

What you need to have with you
1. passport
2. photo 6x4 (or pay 100 baht for its absence)
3. writing pen
4. $20 for a visa (one bill and no change)
5. a device with a translator and maps will be very useful

My impressions
Cambodia and Thailand are so close that it would seem they should be similar. However, how different they are is felt immediately when crossing the border. Cambodia is a poor country with a difficult history and sad past. This is reflected in the appearance of the entire city where I visited, and in the faces of the Khmers and in their behavior. Begging and solicitation are everywhere, theft, squalid houses and even squalid roads. And everywhere there are these sellers of all sorts of magnets and other crap. The words “no thanks” and simply “no” are not understood. As soon as you meet their gaze, the seller (most often a child with a nasal begging voice) will walk next to you, shaking his spillikins in front of your nose, until you get into your tuk or bus. I don’t even understand those who decided to stay there for a long time. Having noticed a white one, the little one runs up and the song “van dola please, van dola” (asking for $1) begins (who has been to Tonle Sap Lake will understand me). Maybe it’s different in the capital, but I don’t want to check anymore. A couple of days was more than enough for me to see all the sights. All the writing about super cheapness in Cambodia is a misconception. They write that food for two costs almost a dollar. So where do these prices come from? What a darkness you have to go to to eat like this))) To find a supermarket you need to walk a long distance (we stayed within walking distance from the center), a cafe was also very difficult to find. But there are several beauty salons and souvenir shops in a row. According to rumors, Khmer massage is terrible and cannot be compared with Thai massage. They didn't check.
In fairness, it should be noted that the Khmers are still very beautiful people, they have attractive facial features, and emotionally they are very similar to us - Russians. A Khmer will never smile unless there is a reason for it, and girls will not flirt and hang themselves around their necks. Local beauties behave very dignified. There are no Katois or available young ladies walking along the streets, there are no gay men hugging each other. Although there are special places where both marijuana and girls are, so to speak, of marriageable age))
Just a few steps across the border, we immediately felt like we were at home, in Thailand. Here you can find a delicious snack and your favorite 7/11. The roads are good, the lawns are well-groomed. Well, when we found ourselves in Pattaya, we were even more delighted, the mood was immediately different))). It's so warm, fun and beautiful here! Savadi-khaa! I'm home!