Getting around Cambodia
Distances here are short and journeys are not. This page gives the real times for every leg we drive, and says where a flight is worth it and where it is a waste of a day.
The road network, honestly assessed
Cambodia's main highways were rebuilt over the last fifteen years and most of the country's spine is now good sealed two-lane road. What has not changed is the traffic on it: motorbikes, ox carts, overtaking trucks and towns that slow you to 30 km/h. Average speed on a good national road is about 55 km/h, not 80.
| Route | Distance | Time | Road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siem Reap - Phnom Penh (NR6) | 320 km | 5.5 - 6.5 h | Good sealed, busy |
| Siem Reap - Battambang (NR6 / NR5) | 170 km | 3 - 3.5 h | Good sealed |
| Siem Reap - Koh Ker | 120 km | 2 - 2.5 h | Sealed then laterite |
| Siem Reap - Preah Vihear | 210 km | 3.5 - 4 h | Sealed, last climb by 4x4 |
| Phnom Penh - Kampot (NR3) | 150 km | 3 - 3.5 h | Good sealed |
| Kampot - Kep | 25 km | 35 min | Good sealed |
| Phnom Penh - Kratie (NR7) | 250 km | 4.5 - 5 h | Good sealed |
| Kratie - Sen Monorom | 220 km | 4 - 4.5 h | Sealed, hilly |
| Phnom Penh - Sen Monorom | 380 km | 6.5 - 7.5 h | Sealed |
| Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville (expressway) | 190 km | 2 - 2.5 h | Tolled expressway |
The Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville expressway is the only motorway-standard road in the country and it cut that journey from five hours to about two. Everywhere else, assume the old numbers.
Domestic flights: two routes worth taking, and that is all
Cambodia's domestic network is small and schedules change often. The only routes we book with any regularity are Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap to Sihanoukville.
Siem Reap to Phnom Penh takes about 45 minutes in the air. With the new airports at both ends, door to door it is around three and a half hours, against six to seven by road. That is a real saving but a smaller one than it looks, and the drive lets you stop at Kampong Thom and Sambor Prei Kuk, the pre-Angkorian brick towers that are on almost no itineraries and should be on more.
Our rule: fly if the alternative is a wasted travel day, drive if there is something on the road worth stopping for.
Boats
- Tonle Sap, Siem Reap to the stilt villages: 30 to 60 minutes each way, and only worth it between August and December when the lake is full.
- Siem Reap to Battambang by river: 6 to 9 hours depending on water level, through flooded forest and villages. Slow, hot, occasionally uncomfortable, and one of the best days in the country in the right season. Not viable at low water.
- Mekong at Kratie: small boats out to the Kampi pool for the Irrawaddy dolphins, one to two hours.
- Kep to Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island): 25 minutes each way in a wooden boat, weather permitting.
We use licensed operators with life jackets on board for everyone, including on the small river boats where it is not the local norm.
Trains
Cambodia's railway is being rebuilt and there is now a passenger service between Phnom Penh, Kampot and Sihanoukville, plus a line to Poipet on the Thai border. Departures are limited, often weekend-only, and the timetable is revised more often than it is published.
It is a pleasant, slow way to reach the coast if the dates line up. We check the current schedule in the month you travel rather than promising it at booking, because we have seen it change three weeks out.
In town: tuk-tuks, apps and what to pay
Two kinds of tuk-tuk exist: the classic trailer towed behind a motorbike, and the smaller Indian-style auto-rickshaw that now dominates the app fleets. Both are fine.
- Ride-hailing apps work well in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and remove the negotiation entirely. Fares in town are typically USD 1.50 to USD 3.
- A tuk-tuk hired for a full day around Angkor is roughly USD 20 to USD 25, more if it includes the far temples.
- Agree the price before you get in if you are not using an app. Not because you will be cheated, but because arguing at the destination sours an otherwise good day.
- US dollars and riel circulate together. You pay in dollars and get change under one dollar in riel, at 4,000 riel to the dollar. Carry small notes; nobody can break a hundred at a market stall.
Self-driving, and why we say no
Foreigners can legally drive in Cambodia with the right paperwork, and we still advise against it. Traffic conventions differ enough from Western ones that the first hour is genuinely disorienting, liability after an accident is complicated for a foreign driver, and a car with a driver costs USD 45 to USD 65 a day including fuel.
Motorbike hire is a separate question. It is normal, cheap and fun in Kampot, Kep and Battambang, and a bad idea in Phnom Penh. Check that your travel insurance covers it and that you hold the licence category it requires, because most policies exclude both.
Questions travellers ask most
Should I fly or drive from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh?
Fly if you would otherwise lose a whole day. Drive if you want to stop at Kampong Thom and the pre-Angkorian towers at Sambor Prei Kuk, which are worth two hours and are almost never included in itineraries.
Are the roads safe?
The main national roads are in good condition. The risk is other traffic, not the surface. We do not drive long legs after dark, which removes most of it, and our vehicles carry seatbelts in every seat, which is not universal here.
Is the boat from Siem Reap to Battambang worth it?
Between about September and January, yes, genuinely. It takes six to nine hours through flooded forest and stilt villages. At low water the boat either does not run or ends in a long transfer by road, and then it is not worth it.
Can I use my credit card everywhere?
In hotels and larger restaurants in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Kampot, yes. Outside those, carry cash. ATMs are common in towns and dispense US dollars, usually with a USD 4 to USD 6 fee per withdrawal.
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