We had just finished exploring the ruins in Ayutthaya Historical Park and we were wondering where to go next for that two weeks holiday in South East Asia. After researching, we finally booked the Travel Mart bus ticket online at BusOnlineTicket.co.th to take the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap with Travel Mart in next three days.
What’s in Siem Reap?
Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province, located in Cambodia. Once upon a time, there was a great empire named Khmer from the 8-15th Century who had built its capital in Siem Reap.
I have always wanted to visit the famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia, one of the greatest, massive ancient temples ever built in the South East Asia. So, let me share with you our travel experience on getting from Bangkok to Siem Reap with Travel Mart bus after we booked our bus tickets online.
| i. | Go to the Pick-up Point in Bangkok |
| ii. | Boarding Travel Mart Bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap |
| iii. | Rest Stop at Chacheongsao |
| iv. | Visa and Immigration Checkpoint |
| v. | The Land of Cambodia |
| vi. | Arrival in Siem Reap |
Go to the Pick-up Point – Khao San Road
We reached Bangkok from Ayutthaya one day before the travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Since the pick-up point for Travel Mart bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap was in Khao San Road, we booked a one-night hotel in Khao San Road and enjoyed the fun night in Khao San Road Night Market.
The next morning, we walked ourselves to McDonald’s located at the left end (west) of the Khao San road. McDonald’s is the exact pick-up point as stated in the printed booking confirmation email. A quick breakfast from McDonald’s sounded like a good idea because the bus trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap will take long hours. Few other passengers joined us later and some went to grab a quick breakfast too.
At 8.30 AM, a man came and called for the passengers going to Siem Reap. We showed him the printed ticket from BusOnlineTicket.co.th and he acknowledged it. He then guided us to the bus, which was parked around 3 minutes walking distance away from the McDonald’s.
When we reached the bus, few other passengers were already there including a number of Travel Mart staff. One of the staff asked for our passports to make sure that we had it with us because we would have to pass the immigration later.
We handed our luggage to the staff and they stored them in a large luggage compartment. Then, we finally board the bus.
Boarding Travel Mart Bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap
The Travel Mart bus was a double-deck bus with seats arranged in 2×2 seating. The bus was spacious with enough legroom to stretch for the long journey. Moreover, the bus was equipped with air-conditioner to ensure a comfortable journey for their passengers.
Around 20 minutes after the bus started the journey, one of the staffs stood in the middle of the bus to inform all the passengers about the trip. Here is the summary:
| • | All passengers will travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap with only one bus, which means there was no exchanging buses at the border |
| • | There will be one stop at Chachoengsao before the bus reach the border for toilet break and lunch |
After that, the staff started to distribute snacks, a bottled water and wet tissue to all passengers.
Rest Stop at Chacheongsao
Around 12.30AM, we finally reached Chacheongsao rest stop. The staff informed the passengers that we were going to have a break for lunch and toilet break for 30 minutes. Considering that we had more hours to go, we went down and took our lunch at the rest stop.
There were many food stalls to choose from in Chacheongsao rest stop. Apart from that, there were ATM machines and 7-Eleven as well.
Visa and Immigration Checkpoint
At around 2 PM, the staff announced that we were about to reach the immigration checkpoint. They opened an offer for the passengers to let them do the Visa and immigration process in Cambodia immigration checkpoint for us.
However, there was an additional charge for the processing fee. Please note that this is optional and we could do it ourselves.
Most of the passengers assorted for the staff to process the Visa and immigration for them, and so did we. Therefore, we handed them our passport, the Departure/Arrival Card, the Visa details and two passport photos.
After a while, we reached a building called Star Plaza where we were asked to get down the bus for the immigration process. We did not need to take our luggage with us since we were going to take the same bus after the immigration checkpoint. The staff took some time at the Star Plaza to prepare for the immigration process.
Once done, they gave us our passport back because we need to pass the Thailand immigration checkpoint by ourselves. They reminded us to pass the passport back to them so they can do the Cambodia immigration checkpoint process for us. After that, we started to walk to the Thailand immigration checkpoint.
Thailand Immigration Checkpoint
The Thailand immigration checkpoint is just a 5 minutes walking distance from the Star Plaza. There were signboards around and we followed the guide from the Travel Mart staff, so going to the immigration point was easy. There was a separate path for the Thais and the non-Thais.
Cambodia Immigration Checkpoint
After passing the Thai immigration point, we walked further and saw the border gate written “Kingdom of Cambodia”. We walked passed the gate and gave our passport to the staff. Then, we went and waited in the bus which was parked in front of the Cambodia Immigration checkpoint. The second picture below is the Cambodia immigration checkpoint building.
The Land of Cambodia
At 3.50PM, the bus finally moved again after the staff made sure everyone was back in the bus. Crossing the land of Cambodia from Poipet to Siem Reap, all we could see from the window was an endless beauty of the bright green paddy field underneath the clear blue sky.
We dozed off to sleep few times due to the serene and tranquil view, also with the help of the comfortable conditions in the bus.
Arrival in Siem Reap
The bus finally reached the drop-off point at 8 PM. The total journey for the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap was around 11-12 hours. We think the duration of the journey depends on how long the bus stop at the immigration checkpoint.
The drop-off point is actually in the center part of the Siem Reap city, at Virak Buntham office. Once we reached there, there were many tuk tuk drivers waiting to take us to our hotel, or our next destination. The tuk tuk service was free, provided by the Travel Mart. They arranged the tuk tuk for us and we happily arrived at our hotel around 8.30PM.
The next day, of course, we went to visit the Angkor Wat and all the other famous ruins in Siem Reap! Overall, we were satisfied with the service provided by Travel Mart for the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Despite the long journey, it was a comfortable ride. Moreover, BusOnlineTicket.co.th made the booking process easier for us. Travel Mart bus was full even when we traveled during weekday, so better book your bus tickets online in advance.
Extra Tips: Bring some food or snacks along with you in case you got hungry during the journey.
