Cambodia Itinerary: Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

In episode 108 of the Global Travel Planning Podcast, Doug joins Tracy to share their five days in Cambodia, the leg of their Asia trip that followed straight on from the Vietnam itinerary (episode 106). They crossed the border by bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, spent two days in the capital, then transferred to Siem Reap for sunrise at Angkor Wat, an evening with a silk weaver’s family and a Cambodian wedding.

Five days were only a taste, and both of them came away wanting to go back. If you are weighing up adding Cambodia to a Vietnam trip, or wondering how visas, US dollars and the heat at Angkor work in practice, this episode covers what they did, what they would happily do again and the lessons they picked up along the way. Start with the Cambodia travel guide and the 12 essential Cambodia travel tips, then use this episode as the worked example.

If you are starting from scratch, you can grab our free Global Trip Planner workbook, the five-step planner Doug and Tracy use for their own trips.

Click the blue button below to listen:

Episode 108 – What you’ll learn in this episode

• How the Giant Ibis bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh works, from paying for your visa in US dollars as you board to handing passports over at the border (flat tyre included)
• Why a pre-booked tuk-tuk transfer turned a chaotic bus arrival in Phnom Penh into a two-minute exit
• The Phnom Penh hotel Tracy rated 10 out of 10, and why a rest day by the pool earned its place in a longer trip
• What a day covering the Royal Palace, National Museum, Tuol Sleng (S-21) and the Killing Fields is really like, why they chose a private guide, and why they kept the rest of the day free
• Why they took a five-hour private transfer from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap rather than flying
• How a 4.15 am start for sunrise at Angkor Wat played out, including the one-day ticket, a break from the midday heat, and the afternoon at Angkor Thom and the Tomb Raider temple
• What the uneven ground, steep steps and total lack of shade at Angkor mean for footwear, water and sun protection
• The two LikeLocal experiences that became highlights: weaving and eating with a silk weaver’s family, and a village wedding where guests kept coming over to find out who they were
• Why cash matters in Cambodia: clean, unfolded US dollars, ATM fees of around US$3 to US$4 per withdrawal, riel in your change, and the boat trip they had to downsize when they ran short
• Why they chose an air-conditioned car over a tuk-tuk for the hour-long run to the new Siem Reap airport
• The small things learned the hard way: a glasses repair kit, bug spray, a thin layer for cool early tuk-tuk rides, the right plug adapters and a regional eSIM
• Why Cambodia is in Tracy’s top five places to return to, and how it pairs with Vietnam in a multi-country Asia trip

Links to relevant articles and podcasts

Mentioned in this episode

• Giant Ibis bus, Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh (via 12Go) – the border crossing we would take again without hesitation, visa on arrival paid in US dollars as you board
• Plantation Urban Resort and Spa, Phnom Penh – our 10 out of 10 stay, with private sun rooms stepping straight into the pool
• Memoire d’Angkor Hotel, Siem Reap – a little tired around the edges but well placed, with lovely staff and an optician next door
• Private guided day in Phnom Penh – Royal Palace, National Museum, Tuol Sleng (S-21) and the Killing Fields, with hotel pick-up and drop-off [swap for the exact GetYourGuide tour link]
• Private transfer, Phnom Penh to Siem Reap – around five hours with stops along the way [swap for the exact GetYourGuide transfer link]
• GetYourGuide – where we booked the guide and the transfer
• LikeLocal – Gevorg arranged our Siem Reap days, the silk weaver’s home visit and the wedding
• Lieb, tuk-tuk driver and guide, Siem Reap – took us everywhere for three days, including sunrise at Angkor Wat [add Lieb’s contact details if you still have them]
• Wise card – for US dollar ATM withdrawals, which cost around US$3 to US$4 each
• Saily eSIM – a regional eSIM that covered the whole Asia trip, Cambodia included [confirm this is the one you used, or swap for Airalo]

Podcasts

• Episode 106 – 3 Week Vietnam Itinerary: Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City – the episode this trip follows straight on from
• Episode 12 – Cultural Immersion Explored: Adventures in Vietnam and Cambodia with LikeLocal – the full story of the silk weavers and the wedding
• Episode 9 – Trip Report: Snapshots from Asia – the overview of the whole seven-week Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand trip
• Episode 13 – 21-Day Japan Itinerary – the first leg of the same trip
• Episode 4 – Tips for first-time visitors to Vietnam – with Ros and Alan, who first recommended the bus to Cambodia

Articles

• Cambodia Travel Guide – tips and resources for planning your trip
• 12 Essential Cambodia Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors – visas, money, Angkor tickets and more
• Vietnam Travel Guide – for the first half of the trip
• 12 Essential Vietnam Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors – read before you book
• Japan Itinerary for First-Time Travellers: A 21 Day Adventure – the Japan leg of this trip, day by day
• How to Plan the Perfect Travel Itinerary for Any Destination – our planning method