In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Cambodia
Poipet
ប៉ោយប៉ែត
Treat Poipet as a border crossing, not a destination: cross in the morning, or sleep one cheap night if your bus leaves at dawn.
Poipet is Cambodia's busiest land border with Thailand, facing Aranyaprathet about 6 km away. Almost nobody comes for the town itself: it is a transport hub of casinos, touts and a single main street running southeast from the immigration roundabout. Use it to cross, to sleep one night before an early bus, or to reach Siem Reap and Battambang by road.
- Country
- Cambodia
- Local name
- ប៉ោយប៉ែត
- Best months
- Nov–Feb (cool, dry)
- Avoid
- Mar–May (hot, up to 35°C+), Sep–Oct (wettest)Mar–May (hot, up to 95°F+), Sep–Oct (wettest)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- US dollars for hotels, tours and restaurants; riel (KHR, about 4,000 to the dollar) for change and small street purchases.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$15–25 excl. bed · Mid US$25–45 excl. bed · High US$45+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Smart, Cellcard and Metfone sell tourist SIMs at the airports with passport registration; a week of data costs a few dollars.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, C, G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US and round European pins; newer hotels have UK-style type G.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Round up or leave US$1–2 where no service charge is added.; Tuk-tuk: Round up; US$2–5 extra for a full Angkor day.; Guide day: US$5–10 per person.; Massage: US$1–2 per hour.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Bottled water everywhere; many hotels have refill stations.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, restaurants and at the Angkor ticket office and main temples; squat toilets with a hose or scoop on the road. Paper goes in the bin in older places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Guesthouse room (fan / air-con) | US$6–15 |
| Street meal (rice or noodle dish) | US$1–3 |
| Beer: can at a shop / bar | US$0.75–2 |
| Motodop within town | 500–1,000 riel |
| Bus to Siem Reap (town office / monopoly terminal) | US$5 |
| Taxi to Siem Reap | about US$30 |
| Cambodian tourist visa on arrival | US$30 |
| ATM withdrawal fee | US$4–5 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- none · Poipet has no scheduled flights
- Nearest practical airports: Siem Reap (REP) about 2.5–3 h by road, or fly into Bangkok and cross at Aranyaprathet.
Typical fares
- Motodop in town
- 500–1,000 riel
- Bus Poipet → Siem Reap (town office)
- about US$5, 2.5–3 h
- Taxi Poipet → Siem Reap
- about US$30; cartel asks US$25 per taxi
- Pickup to Sisophon
- 10,000 riel inside / 5,000 riel outside
Get around
The centre is walkable; a motodop anywhere in town costs 500–1,000 riel. Tuk-tuks and taxis to Siem Reap or Battambang are the main long-distance options, and the border area has a police-enforced transport cartel (see Watch out).
See and do
Known for
- Cambodia–Thailand land border crossing
- Rongkleu Market on the Thai side
- Casino strip
- Western railhead of Cambodia's rail network
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Siem Reap | Bus from town offices (about US$5) or taxi (about US$30); the monopoly terminal charges US$9 by bus | 2.5–3 h |
| Battambang | Bus from town offices, about US$4 | 2–3 h |
| Sisophon | Bus, shared taxi or pickup truck on National Hwy 5 | 1–1.5 h |
| Banteay Chhmar | Via Sisophon, then onward by road | 3–4 h |
| Anlong Veng | Road via Sisophon and Samraong | 4 h+ |
| Koh Ker | Long drive via Siem Reap or Samraong | 5 h+ |
Sleep
- Main street near the border roundabout
- Guesthouses and hotels within 1 km of immigration; walkable with bags, or 500–1,000 riel by motodop.Guesthouses and hotels within 0.6 mi of immigration; walkable with bags, or 500–1,000 riel by motodop.
- Casino strip
- Hotel-casinos with pools and restaurants; a step up in comfort, still a short ride from the border.
- Aranyaprathet (Thai side)
- About 6 km away; better food and rooms if you are heading into Thailand, but you must clear Thai immigration.About 3.7 mi away; better food and rooms if you are heading into Thailand, but you must clear Thai immigration.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | សួស្តីsue-saw-day |
| Thank you | អរគុណawkunh |
| How much is it? | ថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន?thlai ponman |
| Too expensive | ថ្លៃពេកthlai pek |
| I have a visa | ខ្ញុំមានទិដ្ឋាការkhnhom mean tidtheakar |
| Where is the bus station? | ស្ថានីយឡានក្រុងនៅឯណា?sthaney lan krong nov ae na |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Sampeah (palms together, slight bow); higher hands for elders and monks; avoid: Firm handshakes with older women
- Head and feet: Keep feet down and pointed away from people and Buddha images; avoid: Touching heads, even children's
- Temples: Shoes and hat off inside, shoulders and knees covered; avoid: Sitting with feet toward the Buddha; women touching monks
- Keeping face: Stay calm and smile when things go wrong; avoid: Shouting or public anger
- Giving and receiving: Use the right hand or both hands; avoid: Tossing money or objects
- Photos: Ask first, especially of monks and at memorials; avoid: Selfies at Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
Scams and watch-outs
- The transport monopoly: free 'government' shuttles from immigration run to an out-of-town terminal where buses and taxis are overpriced. Walk away from the roundabout and arrange your own ride.
- Visa touts on the Thai side may send you to a fake 'consulate' charging 1,000–1,400 baht; the Cambodian visa on arrival is US$30 (e-Visa US$36 online).
- Anyone offering to change your money to riel is likely scamming; use the fixed street rate of about 4,000 riel per US$1.
- Do not start negotiating with a driver while a policeman is standing next to you; police intervene to take a cut.
- Casinos and late-night bars: keep valuables on you and agree the total before you sit down.
- Check your government's current travel advice for the Cambodian–Thai border area before you travel.
Poipet is a border town built on separating travellers from their money. The scams are predictable rather than violent: visa touts, the transport monopoly and money-changing tricks. Keep valuables on you, agree prices first, and check your government's advice for the border area.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Poipet yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Cambodia–Thailand land border crossing
- Rongkleu Market on the Thai side
- Casino strip
- Western railhead of Cambodia's rail network
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Cambodia e-Visa (official): www.evisa.gov.kh/
- Ministry of Tourism Cambodia: www.tourismcambodia.com/
- Wikivoyage: Poipet, revision 5265966 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5265966
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Poipetប៉ោយប៉ែត
ទៅអាសយដ្ឋាននេះ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Poipet; the US and most countries have embassies in Phnom Penh (check).
Border hours are 07:00–20:00; there is no time difference between Cambodia and Thailand.Border hours are 7:00 AM–8:00 PM; there is no time difference between Cambodia and Thailand.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/poipet). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.