If it looks like we’re going around in circles on our trip, well you’re not far off. We met a friend in Siem Reap and are staying with her in Phnom Penh, but with her work commitments and our plan to visit the Mondulkiri Elephant sanctuary we had to juggle the schedule to get to the right place at the right time. And so, our route after Battambang was to head to Phnom Penh. There are a variety of ways of traveling, including a minibus, a sleeper bus, and the train. So here are the different ways to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh, how long they take, how much they cost, and what your choices are. Here’s our guide on how to get to Phnom Penh from Battambang.
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BEST WAY TO TRAVEL
Best Way to Go from Battambang to PP
By far the easiest way to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh is to book a minivan.
Cambodia’s capital city is enormous these days and road traffic often gets snarled up in jams, so the timetables that you see for buses will never come in early, possibly late. And once you’ve arrived in Phnom Penh you’ll need to factor in getting from where the bus drops you off to where your end point is. It can be quite a distance. There isn’t the concept of a centralized bus station in Cambodia, so each different bus company has its own offices in each city and they’re rarely close to each other. In terms of traffic jams, then clearly this is where Cambodian trains win. And a reminder, if you’re not stopping in Phnom Penh, but heading off somewhere else straight away (like we did when we took our transport from Kampot to Phnom Penh and then Phnom Penh to Sen Monorom for our visit to the Mondulkiri Elephant Project), then you’ll want to try and use the same bus company for both legs of the journey otherwise you’ll also be trekking across Phnom Penh.
Right. Let’s get started, shall we?
Phnom Penh is 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Battambang, and road transport to Phnom Penh – traffic jams depending of course – will take between 6 hours (for a taxi), and up to 8 hours for a bus. The trains between Battambang and Phnom Penh take more than 9 hours.
If you’re staying in Phnom Penh then here’s our Phnom Penh content to peruse.
Visiting the Killing Fields of Cambodia
The Best Markets to Visit in Phnom Penh
How to Go from Battambang to Phnom Penh – Transport Options
In this guide on how to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh, we’ll cover the fastest way to travel from Battambang to Phnom Penh, the most convenient way to go to Phnom Penh from Battambang, and the most popular way to get to Phnom Penh from Battambang.
You can take a private transfer, a minivan, a sleeper bus, or a train from Battambang to Phnom Penh.
How to get to Phnom Penh from Battambang
There are several ways that you can travel to Phnom Penh from Battambang, what’s best for you will depend on what time you can leave and where you are in Battambang. Buses and minivans leave from their own company offices in Cambodia (you can read more about this in our guide to Cambodian transport) and there isn’t such a thing as a centralized bus station. The Royal Railway train station in Battambang is really well located, and very close to where you’re likely to be staying downtown. The train station in Phnom Penh is a 20-minute walk from the Phnom Penh Night Market, but you’ll likely want to take a tuk-tuk (use the PassApp to find what price it should be.
Road transport from Battambang to Phnom Penh can take up to 8 hours, and so there’s a sleeper bus that runs this route as well as minivans with around 16 seats. So let’s start with the vans.
Minivans from Battambang to Phnom Penh
It’s 300 kilometers (186 miles) by road from Battambang to Phnom Penh and taking a minivan from Battambang to Phnom Penh is the most popular way to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh.
There are 2 different minivan companies that go to Phnom Penh from Battambang. Saly Express and Virak Buntham. Both company vans depart from their own offices in Battambang and arrive at their own offices in Phnom Penh. Check the map and the details on 12GoAsia as to their location,
Check the times of the minivans from Battambang to Phnom Penh here.
It takes about 6 hours to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh by van, and aside from a private transfer, this is the quickest way to travel.
The first minivan of the day from Battambang to Phnom Penh leaves at 07:30 and the last minivan to Phnom Penh from Battambang leaves at 23:55. Check availability, prices, and book seats on minivans from Battambang to Phnom Penh here.
We took the Saly Express to Phnom Penh from Battambang, arriving at their office in Battambang about 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time, and got front-row seats.
The building opposite their offices is actually an ice factory, which is why you’ll see people wandering around wearing gloves and even hats in there!
The Saly Express van was comfortable, the A/C worked well and we had decent legroom, which you’ll want to look for as this is a long journey.
Sleeper Bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh
The last two departures of the day from both companies that run this route is a sleeper bus. The buses leave from about 22:00 onwards and arrive in Phnom Penh after about 05:30. There is less traffic on the road overnight, but I’m never convinced as to how much sleep you’ll get. Still, this is a cheap way to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh as you’ll save on a night’s accommodation. You can check the prices and the timetable here.
Train from Battambang to Phnom Penh
Normally when we travel we love to take the train and when we were in Cambodia in 2014 the trains weren’t running, so we were hopeful this time. It wasn’t however, to be the case. The train schedule between Battambang and Phnom Penh is very limited, but we had an additional issue when we were traveling.
There had been a train crash! Yikes. Yes. A truck tried to outrun a train at a level crossing….and didn’t quite make it. So all trains on this route were cancelled when we were there.
The train between Battambang and Phnom Penh is the cheapest way to do this journey, but it takes a bum-numbing 9 hours and 20 minutes. The trains usually run every day, but you’ll want to check the timetable for the train from Battambang to Phnom Penh to confirm.
The current schedule has the train leaving Battambang at 15:00, which means it doesn’t arrive in Phnom Penh until 00:20. However, you’ll be pleased to know that there are obviously no traffic jams on this route!
The train station in Battambang is located pretty centrally, it’s very close to the Battambang National Museum, so it should be easy to reach and the station in Phnom Penh is not far from the night market so you can get your bearings.
Despite this being a “night” train there are no sleepers on this train, there are only economy (regular) seats available on this train, and you can check availability and book your seats here.
Taxi from Battambang to Phnom Penh
Taking a private taxi to Phnom Penh from Battambang is the fastest way to go to Phnom Penh, as you’ll get transported from your hotel in Battambang to your hotel in Phnom Penh. If there are four or more of you, this is likely a really good deal. This is the most comfortable and convenient way to travel from Battambang to Phnom Penh. You can check prices for Battambang to Phnom Penh taxis here.
Map of Bus Company Offices & Train Stations for going from Battambang to Phnom Penh
The full map of bus company offices and train stations for the route from Battambang to Phnom Penh is here
The quickest way to get from Battambang to Phnom Penh
The quickest way to get to Phnom Penh from Battambang is to take a private transfer. It takes about 6 hours to go to Phnom Penh from Battambang from door to door and you can book a taxi from Battambang to Phnom Penh here.
The cheapest way to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh
The cheapest way to get to Phnom Penh from Battambang is to take the train – reserve your seats here.
The most popular way to go from Battambang to Phnom Penh
The most popular way to get to Phnom Penh from Battambang is to take a minivan. Don’t forget to take a look at where the minivan company arrives in Phnom Penh and factor in where you’re staying in Phnom Penh.
Popular Routes Around Cambodia
If you’re traveling around Cambodia, then check out these popular routes that we’ve taken and written up. You’ll also want to read our guide to transportation in Cambodia.
- How to Go from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc (Cambodia to Vietnam by Boat)
- Go from Kampot to Phnom Penh
- Going from Phnom Penh to Mondulkiri
- How to Go from Sihanoukville to Kampot
- How to go from Mondulkiri to Siem Reap
- How to Go from Siem Reap to Battambang
- Going from Battambang to Phnom Penh
- How to go from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
- Here’s how to go from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh – Vietnam to Cambodia
Travel Tips for Exploring Cambodia
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- Get online immediately with an eSIM for Cambodia
- Download and install a VPN BEFORE you travel to Cambodia > discount coupon here
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- Book the best Cambodia tours and guides on Get Your Guide
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- Read about getting around Cambodia in our guide to Cambodian Transport
- Book Buses in Cambodia with 12goAsia
- Book accommodation in Cambodia with Booking
Final Words on How to Go from Battambang to Phnom Penh
There’s nothing difficult about the journey from Battambang to Phnom Penh, the hardest part is choosing which van, bus, or train you want to take. If you’re in a group then a private transfer may be the best option. The train is the cheapest, but it gets into Phnom Penh after midnight, and of course, if you want to save on a night’s accommodation, then you can opt for the sleeper bus.
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