Siam Reap to Bangkok Border Crossing

I have seen posts about going from Bangkok to the crossing at Poipet and that it is one big scam. But how about the other way? I thought I read that there are direct buses from Siam Reap to Bangkok. If so, any reputable ones? I am a woman traveling on my own, so not sure if I really want to try and wing it.

You should have very few problems going from Siem Reap to Bangkok via Poipet but I would still not recommend the bus mainly for comfort and the time it takes. I would take a shared taxi instead.

to/from Bangkok Siem Reap overland

yea i would agree with syd, and then get a bike or tuk tuk to the bus station where you will find lots of buses to the north eastern terminal(morchit) in bkk, or indeed to other destinations.

We left Siem Reap at 8 am and arrived Bangkok KSR at 6:30 pm.
Siem Reap to Poipet for 30 USD the taxi (08:30 - 11:30 am). The road is a bit bumpy but not too bad.
In Poipent you just walk to the Customs desk. There's no touts at all. Take the exit stamp and walk over the bridge to the Thai side.
Take a TukTuk from the border to the Bus station of Ayu..... (don't remember the name of the city anymore) for about 80 THB.
Bus from A... to Bangkok (12:30 - 17:00) for about 250 THB.
Taxi from the Bus station to KSR for abaut 140 THB (took another hour).
.....The organized trip from SR to KSR costs about 35 USD pp...... but I do not recommend.
Good trip Thopo / http://www.geocities.com/thotpo/</a>

and to clear it off: there are NO buses whatsoever crossing anywhere the thai-Khmer border. you always have to get out, walk over, etc. so 'doing it in stages' is what anyone will need to (except that the prebooked sheep get herded into something they dont know before)
and some very basic knowledge: 99,999% of busroutes doptn go 1 way, but both. in this case the asumed 'scams' FOM BKK are becse if the way-too-low price charged, so the other way cost the normal price, as there are no other gains t be made

thopo is spot on.

No direct buses, only indirect buses and not a single one is reputable.

As others, take a taxi to the border, cross over, head to the public bus station and continue to Bangkok.

The city "thopo" means is Aranyaprathet. I had not one single problem at that border,
just "go with the flow", and keep smiling.

To Aranyaprathet: Better to go with songthaew (I remember some kind of old truck) for less money, I don't remember exactly, but I payed max. 20 B.

Hans.

The border really isn't scam central, just use your streetwise intelligence. Don't believe everyone, don't disbelieve everyone. Its all common sense. There are scams everywhere, just think carefully before saying yes (or no) to anything.

As those above, the transport is easy to arrange. Just don't be rushed and exercise your common sense.

Appreciate the advice, thanks! One last question. To get a shared taxi, where do I go? I am having a hard time getting the answer to this from anyone. The bus station?

Ask at your guest house .. they will know a taxi driver that goes to the border and will be able to come and pick you up or will tell you where you have to go.

There is a place in Siem Reap that the shared taxi leave from - last I knew a year or so ago it is was Psar Thmey.

An update on my experience crossing at Poipet. I still couldn't get a good answer about where the shared taxis left from. I found a tuk tuk at 6:30am and told him what I wanted to do. He stopped along the river not far from the road to Phnom Penh. There I got the front seat for $15, which normally seats two people. As I was discussing what I was going to do, 4 Cambodians came and took the back seat, so we left within 15 minutes. Much shorter than I had imagined.

The ride took about 4 1/2 hours and the road was definitely not good in places, lots of mud and then very bumpy roads. At one point, we picked up one more person, that ended up sitting in the middle of the front seat, but with his legs on the driver side - very careful not to take up any of my space!

We dropped the 4 Cambodians in Sisophan and then headed to the border. Once through, I expected to be hounded by drivers, but not one came up to me. I wandered around and ended up getting a mini-van right at the border for 300 Baht that was supposed to take me to Lumphini park which is a lot closer to Sukhumvit than the Northern station, plus, I didn't have to pay for a driver to get the bus station at the border. I ended up getting off a little earlier because a traveler I had met, said it would be closer.

All in all, it took me just over 10 hours from Siam Reap to Bangkok and was not a bad experience at all.

Good to hear that.
The taxis leave from the junction of NR6 and the bus station road. There used to be some at the Koh Ker Restaurant on NR6 in front of the lights near the river, but don't know if they're still there.
Price you paid was ok, but 4 1/2 hours means the road has deteriorated. I once did it in 2 1/2 hours.