Phnom Penh to Kampot Bus: Times, Prices & How to Book (2026)
✅ Last verified on-the-ground: 2026-07-14
📍 Distance: 148 km ⏱️ Fastest option: 3 hours (Giant Ibis VIP) 💰 Cheapest option: ₹573 (~6 USD) ✅ Best option: Giant Ibis VIP bus, daytime departure
Quick Answers
| What | Answer | Price (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest ticket (local bus, no AC) | ₹573 (~6 USD) | ₹573 (~$6) |
| Standard VIP bus (Giant Ibis, AC) | ₹955 (~10 USD) | ₹955 (~$10) |
| Night bus available? | Yes, with Giant Ibis sleeper | ₹1,719 (~18 USD) |
| Which station in Phnom Penh? | Most operators: Capitol Bus depot (near Central Market) | , |
| Is there a train? | No, full passenger service suspended (see below) | , |
Exchange rate: 1 USD = ₹95.49 (verified 2026-07-14).
Option 1. Cheapest: Local/Standard Bus
The floor of the market is a standard air-con coach run by Capitol Bus and a handful of smaller operators. Ticket is ₹573 (~6 USD), departure from the Capitol Bus depot on the western edge of town, roughly 4 hours 30 minutes end to end including a mid-route toilet stop near Takéo.
Comfort is workable but basic: seats are slightly more padded than a public-state bus, AC runs cold, and the road between Phnom Penh and Kampot is in good condition for the first 80 km, then narrows to two lanes with the usual Cambodian combination of motorbikes, scooters with rice sacks, and the occasional cow. Don’t expect a power outlet or WiFi, and don’t expect luggage to be treated with white gloves. Backpackers report bags getting shoved into the underbelly hold quickly, so keep your valuables, passport, and your phone in your daypack.
How to book: walk in at the Capitol Bus depot, or use 12go to compare departure times across operators. Pay in USD cash at the depot; cards sometimes work but I wouldn’t rely on it. The Phnom Penh bus station for Capitol Bus is the one just south of Psar Thmei (Central Market), often labelled “Capitol Bus” on Google Maps.
Best for: solo travellers on a tight budget, anyone who genuinely doesn’t care about three hours of their life, and groups of three to four who want to keep it cheap.
Option 2. Best Experience: Giant Ibis VIP Bus
For most Indian backpackers heading south, the Giant Ibis daytime VIP is the right call. Ticket is ₹955 (~10 USD), three hours on the dot, departure at 8:15 AM and 2:45 PM most days from their own terminal on the south side of the city. The buses are the same Hyundai Universe coaches the company runs on the Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh route, so the seats recline properly, the AC stays at a survivable temperature, and there’s a toilet on board that is, against all odds, usually clean enough.
What makes it the best option isn’t luxury. It’s reliability. Giant Ibis runs on time. On a corridor where “15 minutes late” can stretch to “we left when the bus was full,” that’s worth paying for. Travellers report the 2:45 PM slot lands in Kampot around 6 PM with enough daylight to walk to a guesthouse and find food, which is the whole point of not arriving at midnight.
Two specific tips: book the front half of the bus if you can, because the back rows sit right over the rear axle and feel every bump on the broken-up sections near Bokor turnoff. And eat before you board. The included water bottle is the only food you’ll get until Kampot.
Option 3. Fastest (and the Sleeper / Night Bus)
There is no flight on this route. The fastest ground option is the Giant Ibis VIP daytime service at three hours. Everything else is a longer version of the same road.
Giant Ibis also runs a sleeper coach on the same corridor, departing Phnom Penh around 11 PM and arriving in Kampot close to dawn. The “sleeper” is a bit generous. Think recliner seats with extra legroom and a footrest, not flat beds. For an Indian backpacker carrying a 40-litre pack, the upright sleeper option is fine if you’re tired enough to sleep through the road noise; less fine if you’re a light sleeper. The window seat is the better of the two because the aisle side has the lights from other passengers walking past all night.
Tickets are ₹1,719 (~18 USD), bookable via 12go using the link below. I’d only take this option if you have a confirmed guesthouse booking in Kampot for an early-morning arrival and you’ve done the daytime run already. For a first trip down, take the 8:15 AM bus and arrive in daylight.
What About the Train?
This is the question that comes up most in 2026 searches, and the honest answer is: don’t count on it for this corridor. Royal Railways runs a Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville service and a separate Phnom Penh to Battambang line, but the Phnom Penh to Kampot segment has no scheduled passenger service right now. There have been repeated announcements about resuming the southern line via Kampot, and the tracks physically exist, but as of 2026-07-14 no operator is selling tickets for this specific stretch.
What you can sometimes do: take the morning train from Phnom Penh to Takeo (around ₹668 (~7 USD), 2.5 hours), then continue by tuk-tuk or local bus from Takeo to Kampot (another 1.5 to 2 hours, ₹477-₹764 (~5-8 USD)). It’s a fine adventure if you have a full day to kill and want the novelty, but it’s slower, less reliable, and involves a transfer in the middle. For most Indian backpackers on a 2-3 week Cambodia loop, the direct bus wins. If you’re also heading north, see our Phnom Penh to Siem Reap distance guide for that corridor.
Minivan Option
The third competitor angle worth covering is minivans. Giant Ibis and a few local operators run 12-seater minivans on the same Phnom Penh to Kampot corridor, typically priced between 9 and ₹1,146 (~12 USD) and departing when full rather than on a fixed schedule. They’re faster in theory (2.5 hours on a good day) because they make fewer stops, but the trade-off is luggage space: a 40-litre pack plus a daypack fills the boot fast, and bags end up on laps.
For Indian backpackers carrying the standard 60-litre duffel or trekking pack, the full-size VIP bus is the safer bet. Minivans are a reasonable fallback if you miss the last Giant Ibis departure and don’t want to wait for the night bus.
Indian Passport Specifics
This is an internal Cambodia route, so there’s no border crossing and no visa-on-arrival fee to factor in. If you’re planning a multi-country route, see our Cambodia border crossings guide. The only Indian-passenger-specific things to keep in mind:
- Carry your passport on the bus. Random police checkpoints between Phnom Penh and Takeo are common. Photocopies don’t count.
- Keep your Cambodia e-visa or visa-on-arrival stamp accessible. You’ll need it at hotel check-in on arrival, and if you’re on a 30-day tourist visa, double-check the expiry date before you board.
- UPI does not work in Cambodia. Carry USD cash as your primary backup.
- Indian embassy in Phnom Penh is at 5, Street 466, Phnom Penh. Phone: +855-23-217-162. Useful only in a real emergency (lost passport, arrest), which this corridor is not known for.
For broader Cambodia money and SIM tips, the ATM fees SE Asia guide covers what your bank will charge you on Cambodian withdrawals.
When NOT to Take This Route
The Phnom Penh to Kampot road holds up year-round, but two windows are worth flagging:
- June to early October (monsoon): The stretch south of Takeo gets surface flooding after sustained rain. Buses still run but add 60 to 90 minutes, and the night sleeper is genuinely unpleasant in heavy rain because water leaks around the window seals on some coaches. If you’re travelling in this window, take the earliest morning departure and have a flexible arrival plan.
- Khmer New Year (mid-April): Everyone in Cambodia moves at once. Book the bus 2 to 3 days in advance, expect prices to creep up to ₹1,146-₹1,432 (~12-15 USD) on the standard buses, and expect every bus to be standing-room full by the time it leaves Phnom Penh.
Getting Connected
Cell coverage on the corridor is good. Smart and Cellcard both have 4G along the main road, with one dead stretch of about 15 minutes around the Takeo provincial boundary where you drop to 2G or no signal. For a backup data option that works the moment you land in Phnom Penh, Get Nomad eSIM gives you 1-5 GB of Cambodian data before you even leave the airport, which beats hunting for a SIM stall in Phnom Penh traffic.
Where to Stay (Phnom Penh, before the bus)
If you’re spending a night in Phnom Penh before heading south, our 3 days in Phnom Penh itinerary covers what to see. The two backpacker hostels that get the strongest traveller feedback:
| Hostel | Rating | Vibe | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mad Monkey Phnom Penh | 9.58 | Party hostel, big pool, central | Check prices |
| Onederz Phnom Penh | 8.94 | Cleaner, quieter, near river | Check prices |
| Onederz is the better base if your bus is the early morning departure, because the Giant Ibis terminal is 10 minutes south by tuk-tuk. |
FAQ
Is the Phnom Penh to Kampot night bus safe for solo female travellers? Travellers report the Giant Ibis sleeper is fine. The seat is upright-recliner, not a flat bed, so it’s not a place to deeply sleep, but it’s not the lawless night-bus experience some other SE Asian corridors still have. Take the window seat and keep your daypack between your feet.
Can I buy the bus ticket at the station the same day? Yes, for the daytime buses. Walk in 30 minutes before departure and you’ll get a seat. The sleeper sells out 1-2 days ahead on weekends and Khmer New Year.
Which Phnom Penh bus station goes to Kampot? The Capitol Bus depot (south of Psar Thmei / Central Market) handles most operators. Giant Ibis has its own dedicated terminal on the south side of the city, near the airport road. Confirm at booking because the two are 15 minutes apart by tuk-tuk.
Is there a direct bus from Phnom Penh airport to Kampot? Not officially, but you can take the airport shuttle into town, then a tuk-tuk to Giant Ibis terminal. Total time from landing to bus departure is realistic at 90 minutes.
Should I take the bus or a private taxi? Private taxis are an option for the same corridor and worth it only if you’re a group of three splitting the cost, or you have a late-night arrival and don’t want to wait for the sleeper.
What if I want to continue to Koh Rong from Kampot? From Kampot, take a local bus or taxi to Sihanoukville (2-3 hours), then a ferry to Koh Rong. See our Phnom Penh to Koh Rong guide for the full route and prices.
Subodh’s Take
The Phnom Penh to Kampot corridor is one of the easier logistics days on the whole Cambodia loop. Book the Giant Ibis 8:15 AM, pay ₹955 (~10 USD) cash, arrive by lunchtime, and you’ve got the whole afternoon to walk Kampot’s riverside and eat fish amok. Skip the night bus on your first run. The 3 hours of road is half the memory of getting to Kampot.
