How to Get From Battambang To Phnom Penh Easily

There are two main ways to get to Phnom Penh from Battambang in Cambodia. The first is via taxi, either shared or private for around $45 USD. You can split one with someone else to split the cost. The alternative is via local bus for between $5 – $7. We picked the cheap option and opted for the bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

We asked our host at Battambang My Homestay Guesthouse for his bus recommendation as there are a few companies that run between Battambang and Phnom Penh. Kun suggested that we take Phnom Penh Sorya as they were the most reliable. He then offered to organise our bus tickets for us. Fine by us. Why should we stand in line for tickets when someone we trusted could get it done far faster than us!

Our bus tickets cost us a total of $6.25 USD each. We are unsure if this has any sort of “tourist tax” included however, for a 5 hour bus ride, we figured the cost was ok.

At 7:30am, our tuk tuk driver picked us up from the guest house and drove us to the bus station, which was not the bus station we arrived at. I'm not sure why such a small town has multiple bus stations. At around 8:00am, our bus left Battambang for Phnom Penh with us on it. We were quite excited! We were offered last minute crickets, peanuts and sticky rice packs for the ride but we chose to dine on baked goods we had purchased the night before at a local bakery.

The ride was pleasant. We had just enough room between our seats and the seats in front of us for our legs and our bags. It was a tight squeeze but we are getting quite used to small leg spaces. It is time to get smaller bags though.

The air-conditioner worked too well for our liking. The controls to alter the air flow did not work at all. I solved the problem by stuffing plastic bags into the vents. That shielded us from the worst of the freezing cold air. Remember to keep some warm clothing handy.

We had a quick toilet / food stop on the way to Phnom Penh. There was just enough time to go to the not too bad bathrooms and grab a snack of some sort. It was a pretty good bus stop actually. We have stopped at far worse places during our travels.

The bus ride took longer than the advertised five hours to Phnom Penh. It was closer to six hours in total. Luckily we have a lot of time on our hands. If you don't, taking a private taxi is the way to go. They will get you there in no time!