Before your trip
Two international airports, three neighbouring countries, and a set of land crossings that has changed a lot lately. Here is how people actually arrive in 2026, including the border that is currently shut.
Flying in
Most travellers connect through an Asian hub, but Cambodia is no longer strictly a one-stop country: Etihad has flown Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh non-stop since October 2025, which puts Europe within a single connection of the capital.
For Angkor first
The temple-town gateway, open since October 2023 and sitting some 45 km east of the city, so allow the best part of an hour into town. Arrivals are calm and taxis are fixed-price: you can land mid-morning and watch sunset at a temple the same day.
Siem Reap guideFor the capital first
Open since September 2025, the capital’s new airport sits south of the city and took over international traffic from the old in-town field at Pochentong. Allow more transfer time than the old airport required, especially at rush hour.
Phnom Penh guideThe usual connecting hubs are Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Seoul and the Chinese gateways, all with multiple daily frequencies. From Europe and the Middle East, the Abu Dhabi non-stop to Phnom Penh is the shortest routing on the map. Fares into Siem Reap and Phnom Penh are often similar; if your itinerary is open, price both and fly into one, out of the other.
Overland west
This used to be the classic backpacker approach. It is not currently an option: every Thailand–Cambodia land crossing has been shut since 2025, and a December 2025 ceasefire collapsed within days in January 2026.
Do not plan an overland arrival from Thailand
Poipet–Aranyaprathet, Cham Yeam–Hat Lek and the smaller crossings are all closed to routine travel, with no announced reopening date. The border zone also carries real risk: unexploded ordnance, sudden exclusion areas and limited consular help. Buses and agencies still selling "Bangkok to Siem Reap overland" tickets are selling a journey that ends at a barrier.
Flights between the two countries run normally, so the practical answer is simply to fly: Bangkok to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh takes about an hour, several times a day, and often costs little more than the bus once you count the lost day.
If you are set on an overland Indochina route, Vietnam and Laos both remain open, and both are described below. Check your government travel advisory before booking anything that touches the Thai frontier, and re-check close to departure: this situation has changed several times.
Overland east
The easiest overland approach: the Ho Chi Minh City bus is the closest thing the region has to a stress-free international crossing.
Easiest
Direct buses run Ho Chi Minh City → Phnom Penh in roughly 6–7 hours; the crew shepherds the whole bus through both sides. Book a reputable operator and it is genuinely simple.
Coastal
The southern crossing linking the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc ferries with Kep and Kampot: handy for a Vietnam-islands-to-Cambodia-coast route.
Kampot guideScenic
Boat-and-bus combinations link Chau Doc in the Delta with Phnom Penh via the river border, slower, prettier, and a proper sense of arriving somewhere.
Overland north
A single crossing links the two countries: Trapeang Kriel, just south of the Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands) area. The post is open daily from about 7am to 5pm, with visas on arrival on both sides. Through-buses connect Don Det and Pakse with Stung Treng and on to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap: long days, basic comfort, and a remote-feeling border where small "processing fees" on both sides are a known irritation. Carry small dollar notes, stay pleasant, and factor the day around it.
Practical
Good to know
At the open crossings (Bavet and the other Vietnamese posts, and Trapeang Kriel from Laos), yes: $30 in US dollars cash plus a photo. The Thai crossings are closed entirely. Smaller posts can be unpredictable, so arriving with an e-visa removes both the question and the scam surface.
No. All Thailand–Cambodia land crossings have been closed since 2025 and remain shut in 2026, with no reopening date announced. Fly instead: Bangkok to Siem Reap is about an hour, and flights between the two countries are unaffected.
A direct bus, about 6–7 hours including the Bavet–Moc Bai border, where the bus crew walks everyone through. It is the smoothest land entry into Cambodia. Flights take under an hour if time matters more than money.
Whichever end of your route you start at: Siem Reap–Angkor International for the temples, Phnom Penh for the capital and the south coast. Open-jaw (into one, out of the other) often costs little extra and saves backtracking.
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