We travel between Poipet and Thailand frequently, and how we get there is a common question from travelers. Today, I want to give you a rundown on how to travel between Poipet and Bangkok.

The best way to travel depends on what you have more of - money or time. On the Thai side of the border, across from Poipet, all the transportation is inside Rong Kluea Market. Touts will immediately flock to you as soon as you get past immigration. But the tips below will help you know what kind of transportation is best for your situation.

Note: These are all ways we've tried before with pretty good success. But we can't guarantee that you'll have an awesome experience too. We've had our share of sour ones! Just use common sense, and never do something that makes you feel you are in danger.

Also, I try to keep this information updated, but I can't guarantee its accuracy 100%. If you find anything that's different, leave a comment and let me know!



1. Private taxi

Private taxis are easy to find at the Thai border, after you've cross over from Cambodia. However, for safety purposes, only take licensed taxis.

As soon as you exit immigration, touts will ask if you need a taxi and offer their services. But many of the taxis they use are private cars. They aren't registered with the government agency that regulates taxis and provide assistance to tourists. If you are in an accident or have a conflict with your driver, you won't have any protection.

Registered taxis will have clear markings on the outside of the car, a meter, and placards inside identifying the driver and the taxi number.


If you want to remember the taxi information, you can take a photo of both these items.

The registered taxi stand in Rong Kluea Market is just past the drug check point. Walk straight, and you'll see the sign. A taxi to Bangkok for up to four passengers costs 1,900 baht.

In Bangkok, you can normally ask your guesthouse or hotel to arrange a taxi for you. The price should be the same.

Depending on traffic, you can get to/from Bangkok in 3-4 hours.

2. Van

In Rong Kluea Market, there are two types of vans: local vans and tourist vans.

Touts will offer you tourist vans for 250-300 baht. They typically go to Khao San Road, but can also drop you off near the airport if needed. The vans wait until they are full before departing, which means you won't know exactly when you'll leave Rong Kluea. If you're on a time crunch, these are not the most reliable way to get to Bangkok.

Local vans also travel between Bangkok and Poipet frequently. The fifteen-passenger vans normally leave at a scheduled time (every one to two hours). The seats are small; if you have a lot of luggage or even one large bag, you may need to buy an extra seat.

In Rong Kluea, local vans leave directly across from the 7-11, going either to Lumpini Park via Bang Na, or to northern Bangkok to Mo Chit Bus Station. Tickets cost 230 baht.Vans usually stop once or twice along the way for petrol refill. But they also stop frequently to let off/pick up passengers. It takes about 4-4.5 hours to get to Bangkok.

In Bangkok, vans that we have taken leave from Victory Monument. You can see the map below - the line shows where to walk from BTS Victory Monument station to get to the vans. They leave every one to two hours, and a seat costs 230 baht.

Walk all the way around Victory Monument to the northwest corner, using the elevated walkway. Go down the stairs on the northwest side of the monument, cross the highway onramp, and walk into the van stand. There are multiple stands selling van tickets. Walk down to the last one in the row, and tell them you're going to Rong Kluea Market (or Cambodia, if they don't understand you).They don't speak English, so go prepared.

We've also taken a casino van (marked "Star Vegas") from Central Mall Bang Na to Poipet for 200 baht. The seats were much larger and more comfortable, and it left from the front of the mall around 8:00am and took about 3.5 hours to get to Poipet.

3. Buses

Casino buses - so name because they normally serve people traveling to the Poipet casinos - are the most comfortable way of getting to Bangkok. In Rong Kluea, casino buses leave in the morning and the afternoon. Seats cost 200 baht and are very comfortable. They stop halfway to Bangkok and go to either Mo Chit station in the north or Lumpini Park via Bang Na, taking about four hours. The early buses leave at 7:30am exactly. If you're late, you'll miss them! There are also buses that depart in early afternoon.

Local buses that leave Aranyaprathet from the local bus station take much longer - 5-6 hours - but cost around 180 baht.

In Bangkok, you can get buses to the border either from Mo Chit bus station or Ekkamai bus station. I'm not sure of the cost or departure times, so check the station schedules for more information.

If you're traveling to/from Siem Reap: In the past few years, a new bus service has started between Siem Reap and Bangkok. Instead of finding new transportation after crossing the border, the same bus takes you the whole way. We haven't taken that personally, but you can find more information here.

4. Train

We've never taken the train, but we've hosted several Couchsurfers who really enjoyed it. Trains leave twice a day - early morning and early afternoon - from both Bangkok and Aranyaprathet. Third class tickets are only 48 baht - definitely the cheapest route! You can find more details here and also by checking the Hualamphong Railway Station in Bangkok, where trains depart.

In Aranyaprathet, the train station is about 4 km from the border and about 1 km from the local bus station. You can jump on a songtaw truck to get there for 15 baht, or take a tuk tuk for 80 baht to get to/from the border.

Any questions about traveling between Bangkok and Poipet, leave a comment and let me know! Also, don't forget to read my guides to crossing the border from Thailand to Cambodia, and from Cambodia to Thailand!

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Last week, I shared tips on how to cross the border from Cambodia to Thailand at the Poipet-Aranyaprathet crossing (check it out here!).

Today, we're doing it the other way: from Thailand to Cambodia.

Note - there are a lot of touts, tuk tuk drivers, and scammers who claim you need to buy your Cambodian visa before you exit Thailand. It's not true!!! You need to purchase this after you exit Thailand. And remember - immigration is open 7:00am - 8:00 pm every day.





Fill out the paperwork and wait for the officials to put the tourist visa inside your passport. Tourist visas are typically good for 30 days (as of April 2014).

3. Walk through the casinos ("no man's land") to Cambodian entry immigration.


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Today, I'm sharing travel tips on how to cross the border from Cambodia to Thailand at Poipet/Aranyaprathet. Poipet is the Cambodian border town (where we live); Aranyaprathet is on the Thai side. You might also hear about "Dtalat Rong Kluea". That is the large market on the Thai side of the border where you will first land on entering Thailand.

I know a lot of you back home won't ever get to use this information - which is sad, because it's truly the experience of a lifetime. One that I've had 38 times in the past 3 years. I think that just might qualify me as an expert. But you might be interested to see photos of what I mean when I say "crossing the border."

We've often emailed people tips about getting through immigration without getting scammed. And it's much easier to put it all in a post with photos to share with anyone who might be getting ready to cross and feeling a bit nervous about it.

Note: There is a LOT of construction going on at the border. These photos are recent, as of April 2014. But in the future, much of the border could change. So if you've recently passed through and it's different, let me know in the comments! Also, if we notice things changing next time we go to Thailand, I'll update this post.

Coming into Cambodia from Thailand is a little bit different, and that will be in another post in the coming weeks. Also, I'll be posting tips on how to get to/from Bangkok and Poipet, as that is another common question we get from travelers.


Good to know: The border at Poipet-Aranyaprathet is open 7:00am-8:00pm daily. Some of the signs on both sides of the border have different times (i.e. Cambodian exit immigration has a sign stating they are open 6:00am-10:00pm; but Thai entry immigration is only open 7:00am-9:00pm. Confused? Go with the 7am-8pm times!)


1. Arrive at Cambodian immigration - exit Cambodia.




If you are coming on a tourist bus from Siem Reap or elsewhere, you will get dropped off at the border.

Be prepared - the immigration "office" at Poipet is crowded, dirty, and open-air (read: hot!). Typically Cambodians stand on the right side, and foreigners line up on the left. Don't let a gap open up between you and the person in front of you in line. Trust me, it will be filled by a line-hopper who will not understand your anger at being cut in line.

Inside your passport, you should have a piece of paper stapled into your passport. This is your departure paper for Cambodia that was stapled into your passport on your arrival. You need to fill this out before you reach the immigration counter.


2. Walk through "no man's land", cross the road to the left, and into Thai immigration.




Poipet is a bit strange, because there's a strip of land we locals refer to as "no-man's land." You've already exited Cambodia, but it's still technically Cambodia. Yet it's full of casinos frequented by Thais, and they only accept Thai baht. Once you cross into this area, you won't be able to use dollars or Cambodian riel, except at a ridiculous exchange rate. For best exchange rates, exchange money at shops in Poipet before you exit Cambodian immigration. For more tips on using money overseas, see my blog post about that here!

You also need to cross the road to the left before you walk on the bridge to get to Thai immigration.


3. Enter Thai immigration and fill out paperwork.

This is where the construction really stinks. Immigration used to be at ground level; now, it is up a long flight of stairs on the second floor. Which means if you have lots of heavy bags, you have a lot of work ahead of you.


As of April 2014, Americans do not need a visa to enter Thailand, and entry is free (see the embassy website here for details). The immigration officer will put a tourist immigration stamp in your passport that allows you to stay 30 days in the country (in November 2013, they changed the stay period from 14 days to 30 days for stamps obtained at land border crossing - yay!). This is free for Americans. Like every country, your passport must be valid 6 months beyond your entry date.


Obviously, if you are not American, check with your country's embassy to determine what Thailand requires for a tourist visa.

4. Find transportation.



Walk out of the office, down the stairs, through the "drug check point" (where you might need to open your bag for the guards), and out to fresh air. You will immediately be assaulted by touts offering you rides to Bangkok, Pattaya, Koh Chang, etc. There are many ways to choose from - taxi, train, bus, van... Need advice on transportation? It's coming soon!

5. Celebrate with a Coke from the 7-11 and enjoy Thailand.

If you're desperate for a 7-11 (the iconic, ubiquitous convenience store covering every square meter of the country), turn right after passing through the drug check point and down the street. The 7-11 will be on the first corner on your right (see the map above). You can also buy sim cards and top-ups for your mobile. You can also take time to check out the sprawling Rong Kluea Market, which had hundreds of stalls selling Thai food, household items, cheap clothes, and everything else under the sun.

If you need to know how to get to Bangkok from the border, check out those options here.

Need tips on using your mobile phone in Thailand? See my post all about phones overseas!

So that's it! It sounds easy - it really is - but it can be overwhelming. The border is a crazy, chaotic place that can easily confuse visitors if you don't know where you're going.

If you are coming from Thailand to Cambodia, see directions here!

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