Visas, getting around, and money

Visas: e-Visa vs. Visa on Arrival

Most nationalities need a visa to enter Cambodia, and you've got two straightforward options. Both cover a 30-day single-entry tourist stay.

Option	Cost	How it works
e-Visa	~$30 + $6 processing fee	Apply online in advance at the official evisa.gov.kh site. Takes about 3 business days to process. Print the approval and bring it with your passport, valid at major airports and most (not all) land borders.
Visa on Arrival	$30 cash (USD)	Available at international airports and most land border crossings. No advance planning needed, but bring a passport photo and expect a slower immigration line than e-Visa holders.

Tip: Only use the official evisa.gov.kh site. Third-party visa sites charge extra fees for the same visa. If you're arriving overland, double-check your specific border crossing accepts e-Visas before relying on one.

Must-Have Apps: PassApp & Grab

You don't need to negotiate every tuk-tuk fare by hand anymore, PassApp and Grab cover most of Cambodia's tourist cities for getting around.

Outside the apps, tuk-tuks and moto taxis are everywhere and still worth using, especially for a full-day hire around the temples. Agree on the price (or the day rate) before you get in if you're not booking through an app.

Roam Cambodia is not affiliated with PassApp, Grab, or any business or brand mentioned on this page. Mentions here are for informational purposes only.

Getting Between Cities

A common route for a first trip is Siem Reap, down to Phnom Penh, then on to the coast at Sihanoukville. Here's roughly how each leg breaks down.

Route	Bus	Private Taxi	Flight
Siem Reap → Phnom Penh	~6–7 hrs, $10–15	~5–6 hrs, $60–80	~50 min, $60–120
Phnom Penh → Sihanoukville	~2.5–3 hrs via the PPSHV Expressway, $8–12 (older National Road 4 route: ~5–6 hrs)	~2–2.5 hrs via the PPSHV Expressway, $50–70	Not typically available on this leg, most travelers fly Siem Reap ↔ Sihanoukville directly instead

Prices and durations are rough estimates and change with traffic, season, and provider, treat them as planning anchors, not quotes. Roam Cambodia is not affiliated with any bus, taxi, or airline operator. More routes (Kampot, the islands) will be added as those destination pages go live.

Currency: USD and Riel

Cambodia runs on two currencies at once, and it trips up a lot of first-time visitors.

• US Dollars (USD) are used everywhere, for hotels, tours, entry fees, and most restaurant bills. Prices are usually quoted in USD.
• Cambodian Riel (KHR) is the official currency, and you'll mostly see it as small change for anything under $1, since Cambodia has no US coins.
• ATMs generally dispense USD, not Riel.
• The exchange rate hovers around 4,000 Riel to $1, but it fluctuates, so treat that as a rough anchor, not a fixed number.
• Bring small USD bills. Worn, torn, or heavily marked notes are sometimes refused by vendors and even some banks.