Train/bus info request for Thailand/Cambodia

[Phred]

Next month I return to Thailand for my annual vacation and this year IтАЩm stopping in Cambodia on the way. This is my first trip there and I will start in Phnom Penh and travel forward to Siem Reap and then to Bangkok. IтАЩve gathered some transit information but still canтАЩt quite be sure of some things and wonder if any of you might be able to provide some answers and links to places I can confirm information.

IтАЩve read that earlier this year the first bus service directly connecting Thailand and Cambodia was launched. I havenтАЩt found any website for such a service. Does anyone know one? Also, has anyone done the trip this way and have any details: length of trip, comfort level, visa method, etc.? I would just be doing the Siem Reap Bangkok route.

My other questions involve getting to BKK airport at a rather early hour. I have yet to book my ticket and have the choice of either an 8:20 or 9:20 a.m. flight out of BKK (different days). I always stay in Jomtien and last year I took the airport bus service that leaves from the supermarket parking lot across from Pan Pan restaurant (I think). I was a great trip last year and got me to the airport in 90 minutes but it was a Sunday night with no traffic. I think this is operated by Bell Travel but on their website I canтАЩt find the bus service, only hotel pick up. Is Bell the company that runs the bus service or another company? IтАЩm trying to find out what time the earliest bus of the day leaves and if I could make it to the airport by 7:00 for the 9:20 flight (my preference).

IF I chose the 8:20 flight I doubt the bus from Jomtien would leave early enough to get me there at least 2 ┬╜ hours before the flight. So I would probably have to travel up to Bangkok the night before and go to the airport in the morning. I have never taken the new train service to the airport but would like to if I tried this option. IтАЩve only found a schedule online for trains from the airport but no to there. I usually stay at the Malaysia Hotel as itтАЩs near the subway. Does anyone know if I can access the airport line near the Malaysia Hotel and if they leave early enough to get the airport by about 6:15 a.m.?

Thanks to all in advance for any local knowledge you can supply me. Sorry this post is about such tedious trip details. Hope I can reciprocate with more useful information once IтАЩm there.

Oh, btw, before anyone starts suggesting flying and limos please keep in mind IтАЩm a budget traveler and need to mind the baht. Many thanks!

[Phred]

Just to update my own questions I found the link to the Pattaya airport bus and the first bus out leaves at 7:00 so thatтАЩs out for me. HereтАЩs the link if anyone needs it:

http://www.airportpattayabus.com

If anyone has any answers to my other questions IтАЩd still appreciate it though.

Thanks!

[christianpfc]

To access the airport line from Malaysia hotel, you can go to Lumpini MRT station, take MRT to Petchaburi and walk to the airport line station (it's about 500 m and there is no direct connection between these two stations, you have to walk over average Bangkok sidewalk and cross a railway line). For their times, try the internet. The MRT starts at 5 or 6 am (as far as I recall), this will be too late for you.

[lonelywombat]

Next month I return to Thailand for my annual vacation and this year IтАЩm stopping in Cambodia on the way. This is my first trip there and I will start in Phnom Penh and travel forward to Siem Reap and then to Bangkok. IтАЩve gathered some transit information but still canтАЩt quite be sure of some things and wonder if any of you might be able to provide some answers and links to places I can confirm information.

IтАЩve read that earlier this year the first bus service directly connecting Thailand and Cambodia was launched. I havenтАЩt found any website for such a service. Does anyone know one? Also, has anyone done the trip this way and have any details: length of trip, comfort level, visa method, etc.? I would just be doing the Siem Reap Bangkok route.

Oh, btw, before anyone starts suggesting flying and limos please keep in mind IтАЩm a budget traveler and need to mind the baht. Many thanks!

Let me answer your main request, leaving out the trip to leave BKK>

You appear to be going to Phnom Penh by air, then road trip down to Siem Reap. You have decided to avoid the high cost of Siam Reap/ Bangkok air fares by returning by bus.

Last month a friend arranged bus transport, SR to the border and got a minibus for delivery to Thai hotel from there. You appear to be planning to return home from SR to the BKK airport for your trip home? Is this correct so far?

[Phred]

Christianpfc wrote:


The MRT starts at 5 or 6 am (as far as I recall), this will be too late for you.

Thanks, Christianpfc, Yeah, My flight is at 8:20. Technically you have to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight and with ThailandтАЩs notoriously slow immigration lines itтАЩs probably a good idea. So it seems like if I were to stay at the Malaysia a taxi to the airport would be the only option. This makes me nervous as you never know what delays you might experience and I would have to get up at 4a.m. Yawn!

Lonelywombat wrote:


You appear to be going to Phnom Penh by air, then road trip down to Siem Reap. You have decided to avoid the high cost of Siam Reap/ Bangkok air fares by returning by bus.

Correct. Asia Air starts flight to SR in a few months but this new bus service will still be the most economical alternative. Here is a link to the announcement of the start of the service:
http://www.citylifemagz.com/?p=861


Last month a friend arranged bus transport, SR to the border and got a minibus for delivery to Thai hotel from there. You appear to be planning to return home from SR to the BKK airport for your trip home? Is this correct so far?

My plan is to take the new direct bus service from Siem Reap to BangkokтАЩs Mo Chit Station, then catch the next bus out of Mo Chit to Pattaya. Then somehow get to my guesthouse in Jomtien without using the taxi mafia at the Pattaya bus station (I hate them). Then get into my hotel room and wring myself out after 8-9 hours of overland transportation! Luckily I will have a week there to recover and entertain myself.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Btw, Christianpfc and Lonelywombat, I am a longtime lurker and sometime poster on this board. Just want to say thanks for your replies and always enjoy reading your posts.

[Smiles]

Overland from Siem Reap to Bangkok

Buy bus or minivan tickets from the numerous travel agents in Siem Reap. Be sure to haggle and shop around a bit. Buses leave from the main bus station whereas minivans pick you up from your hotel. Both leave early in the morning (7-8am) so buy tickets at least the day before. You can buy tickets to either Poipet (the border) or straight through to Bangkok. See below for pros and cons of each.
You don't travel the whole journey in the same vehicle so you'll be dropped off at the border and your bags unloaded. If you've bought a through ticket to Bangkok someone will check your ticket when you arrive and give you a sticker to identiy your onward travel in Thailand.

Leaving Cambodia is easy and takes 5-15mins. Thai immigration is a few meters down the road on the left. Expect to wait here for several hours (seriously). Typical times from joining the Thai immigration queue to entering Thailand range from 2 to 4+ hours. If the queue is long you'll be waiting outside in full sun for part of the time.

Once inside, unless you hold a Thai passport or need to pay for a Thai visa, go for the immigration queue second from the right. The furthest right desk is for paid visas but there aren't many of these so when there's no queue they call others over from the nearest line so it can be significantly faster.

In Thailand, you can get to Bangkok via taxi, private minivan, private coach, public bus or train. If you want to take the public bus or train you'll need to get a tuk-tuk or taxi to Aranyaprathet, about 6km from the border. The public bus is comfortable but quite slow as it stops at many towns en-route to Bangkok. The train is also slow and there are only two a day; depending upon your border crossing experience you may miss the last train.

The fastest way is via private road transport: taxi, minivan or coach. Taxis are naturally the most expensive. Minivans and coaches are good value but they don't leave until full. Bear in mind that even if you arrived in a full minivan from Siem Reap, some passengers may be going to other Thai destinations meaning you'll have to wait for others before departing. If you're one of the first over the border you may have to wait up to 2 hours for the full complement of through-ticket passengers; but if you're one of the last then it would only be a few minutes. The through ticket option is only a couple of dollars more than a ticket to Poipet so is good value.

Once on the road to Bangkok, the Thai authorities may well check a few times for people trafficking. This may involve stopping in a layby where armed soldiers look in the van/coach, which can be a bit alarming at first!

The road to Bangkok gets very busy as you approach Bangkok. It may take a few hours from reaching the edge of Bangkok to being dropped off at your final destination due to the traffic. Don't worry if you don't arrive close to your Bangkok hotel; Bangkok taxis are very cheap and plentiful - although do ask the driver to use the meter and get out if they refuse.

Door-to-door, expect the whole journey to take from 8 to 12 hours.

Summary
There's no cheap fast way to travel from Siem Reap to Bangkok. A through ticket on a minivan purchased in Siem Reap is probably the best option but expect a general lack of information on your journey and delays at the border and in Bangkok traffic.

UPDATE: July 2013 - A faster, easier, but not cheaper way
The new direct Bangkok-SiemReap-Bangkok route by the Thai Government-run Transport Co., means there is now an easier, faster, though possibly more expensive way of doing did this route.

The fare is $28, and tickets are sold from Nattakan Office near to the KFC on the main Sivartha Road. (User recommendations are to purchase a seat closer to the front to avoid any possible unsavoury smells from the toilet in the rear of the bus)

A Tuk Tuk will collect you from your guesthouse any time after 7 to bring you to the Nattakan office, from where the bus leaves around 8-8.30am. The journey takes about 7-8 hours, arriving at the border around 10.30/11am, where you are given "if lost please contact" tags and helped through the Cambodian exit point and Thailand entry point. At this latter point you will be instructed to take your luggage off so it can be scanned just after you pass immigration. However you then get on the same bus to make the rest of the journey to Bangkok

They provide a 'refreshment' in the morning after your board, a small bread-type thing, and a cup which they'll fill from a coffee flask should you wish. After passing Thai immigration, there is a stop where you are given a boxed lunch (rice with omelette) on board. There is no opportunity to get anything else. It may be an idea to plan ahead and bring lunch with you.

Arrival at Mo Chit is estimated at 4pm, however it can be as early as 3.15. From there go around to the right of the complex where there are lots of metered taxis - be clear: "Meter on - ka/kap". Or if you are solo, grab a orange/pink vested moto-driver, who will bring you to the Mo Chit BTS station for 50THB. From there you get make your way to train station, airport, or into town. If you are going to Kao San, you might as well get the taxi to bring you there.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g2973 ... ngkok.html (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g297390-c188258/Siem-Reap:Cambodia:Siem.Reap.To.Bangkok.html)

Phred, for god sake, take a plane!

From Air Asia, just as an example (dates entered at random, price is for one-way):



BOOKING SUMMARY

Total USD $63.00
Siem Reap (REP) to Bangkok - Don Mueang (DMK)
DEPART
FD2851 REPDMK 1310, 24 Oct 2013 1215, 24 Oct 2013
Fare 1 x 25.00 USD1 Adult (s)
Taxes and Fees 38.00
USD Total USD $63.00

[Phred]

Smiles wrote:


Phred, for god sake, take a plane!

From Air Asia, just as an example (dates entered at random, price is for one-way):
BOOKING SUMMARY

Total USD $63.00
Siem Reap (REP) to Bangkok - Don Mueang (DMK)
DEPART
FD2851 REPDMK 1310, 24 Oct 2013 1215, 24 Oct 2013
Fare 1 x 25.00 USD1 Adult (s)
Taxes and Fees 38.00
USD Total USD $63.00

Phred wrote:

Posted: Tue 23 Jul, 2013 11:07 am
Next month I return to Thailand for my annual vacation and this year IтАЩm stopping in Cambodia on the way.

Note that your random date is October 24. The new service on Air Asia between Siem Reap and BKk does not begin until October to my knowledge, long past when I will have departed Thailand.

Bangkok Air, the only other option, is significantly more expensive.

YourтАж


Overland from Siem Reap to Bangkok

тАжdescribes the old nightmare journey. The newтАж


UPDATE: July 2013 тАж faster, easierтАж

...was launched earlier this year and by the tripadvisor post you posted sounds much more tolerable.

Btw, mods, each time after I post I get the following message:


This message has been submitted successfully, but it will need to be approved by a moderator before it is publicly viewable. You will be notified when your post has been approved.

IтАЩve been accepted as a member on this board so why does each post need to be approved? It slows down my responses. The first post I wrote in response to Christianpfc and Lonelywombat has not even been posted as I write this next one.

[jinks]

IтАЩve been accepted as a member on this board so why does each post need to be approved?

As a provisional member your first few posts need to be reviewed.

Thereafter they go straight to the board.

I would say that in reviewing your first posts, they look more like they are from a seasoned poster, not a new member.

[lonelywombat]

If you are going to Pattaya ,why not get minibus from border direct to your Pattaya hotel. It is a long drive but better than changing buses.

My friends stayed overnight at the border to get away quite early. I am unsure what your plans are but the earliest start is the least crowded.The minivan also gets to Pattaya before the office traffic starts to build up from Bangkok, late afternoon

[Smiles]

" ... If you are going to Pattaya ,why not get minibus from border direct to your Pattaya hotel ... "
Really bad idea. And here just two examples of why: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/622 ... van-crash/ (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/622973-seven-dead-in-east-pattaya-minivan-crash/)
http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asia-n ... river.html (http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asia-news/103813-phuket-four-tourists-killed-minibus-driver.html)
The safety record for minibuses in Thailand is horrendous.
Personally I'd walk to Bangkok (from Hua Hin) before stepping on board one of these lethal machines.

[Phred]

Lonelywombat wrote:


If you are going to Pattaya ,why not get minibus from border direct to your Pattaya hotel. It is a long drive but better than changing buses.

My friends stayed overnight at the border to get away quite early. I am unsure what your plans are but the earliest start is the least crowded.The minivan also gets to Pattaya before the office traffic starts to build up from Bangkok, late afternoon

Thanks for the suggestion Lonelywombat. One of the reasons IтАЩm doing this trip is because of the new direct bus service. The appeal to me is staying on one bus directly into BKK where I know where I am going. I donтАЩt know anything about where everything is at the border and that is what put me off from doing Cambodia before. IтАЩm a fairly brave independent traveler but years of stories of chaos and scams at this crossing kept me away from it.

IтАЩve done minivans from Pattaya to the airport and once from Hua Hin to BKK. I didnтАЩt like them as they were to much in close quarters for me (one nice Muslim fella fell asleep on my shoulder once; not really what I was looking for.) And if I really feel I donтАЩt want face another bus ride I have the option of hopping over to the Malaysia for a night, thought I would really rather just get down to Jomtien.

Thanks also Smiles for your input. Given those stories and others I prefer the old sturdy traditional bus. Hell, if I had the time IтАЩd do what Christianpfc does and take the train!



As a provisional member your first few posts need to be reviewed.

Thereafter they go straight to the board.

I would say that in reviewing your first posts, they look more like they are from a seasoned poster, not a new member.


Okay, I see. Thanks jinks. I post on my local board often and I had this account under Phred last year but it was inactive so I reapplied for it so IтАЩve posted here before.