The Land Borders to Laos and Cambodia, and Which One to Take
There are six land crossings you can use from Thailand and the differences between them are bigger than the map makes them look. The wrong one costs you a day and a bus ticket.
Crossing a land border in this region is easy in the sense that you do not need a visa for most nationalities, and hard in the sense that the specific crossing you choose will determine whether it takes four hours or two days.
Last verified 25 September 2026.
First, the thing that changed recently
The 15-day land-border exemption is the single most useful thing to know about. A large list of nationalities, which includes most of Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, can cross into Cambodia or Laos at a land border and get 15 days on arrival with no paperwork, no fee, and no need to have arranged anything in advance.
That is different from, and much more generous than, the air route. The 15-day exemption is a land-arrival allowance and it is calculated from the date you cross the border, not from anything you did before it. It is also not extendable inside the country in the way a Thai extension is, so it is a genuine fifteen days.
Check your own nationality against the current list before you assume. The lists change, and the ones that changed most recently removed several nationalities from the 60-day air exemption, and the land border list is administered separately and does not move in step with it.
Thailand to Laos
Nong Khai, via the Friendship Bridge. The most direct route if you are coming from Bangkok or the north-east. The second bridge handles the vehicles and the trains, the first handles pedestrians and it is the busy one. With the 15-day exemption this is a walk to a counter, a stamp, and a change of currency. Two to three hours from Bangkok by train to Nong Khai, plus the crossing.
Chiang Khong, via the Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. The Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong crossing. Smaller, quieter, and the better choice if you are in the north and want to go straight to Luang Prabang. The direct bus from Chiang Rai works and is the normal way people do it.
Mae Sai, via the Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. For going north to Luang Namtha and the Golden Triangle. Slightly more of a detour but it is a genuinely pleasant area and the crossing is straightforward.
All three of these require a passport and, for most nationalities, the 15-day exemption. Bring printed accommodation details and 20,000 baht or the equivalent, which is a border requirement for some nationalities and the easiest thing to be caught without.
Thailand to Cambodia
Aranyaprathet, via the Second Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge, to Poipet. This is the big one and it is the one most people take. The train and the bus both run. With the 15-day exemption it is a matter of queues, not paperwork, and you can do it in a few hours if the connections line up. Poipet on the other side is a dense, chaotic border town, and people often spend a night there rather than pushing straight on to Siem Reap or Battambang.
Chanthaburi, via the Taksin Bridge, to Sihanoukville province. The quieter route, less used, and it is a reasonable choice if you are heading to Koh Kong or Sihanoukville rather than the temples. Fewer people, shorter queues, and less of a commission-taking culture on the other side.
Trat, by ferry to Koh Kong. Real, and a genuinely good option if you want to go to the Cambodian islands. The ferry crosses to Koh Kong town, and the schedule is seasonal so you need to check it in advance rather than assume.
Which one to take, in one line each
Going to Luang Prabang: Chiang Khong, from Chiang Rai. It is the route designed for it.
Going to Vientiane or elsewhere in Laos: Nong Khai. Most trains, most buses, most options.
Going to Siem Reap or Battambang: Aranyaprathet to Poipet, then onward. Direct bus from Bangkok, or train to Aranyaprathet.
Going to the Cambodian coast or islands: Chanthaburi or Trat. Less crowded than the main route.
What actually goes wrong
Money. You need cash in the local currency before you cross, because the exchange on the other side is worse and the ATM on the border side frequently does not work for foreign cards. Change in Thailand.
Tickets bought in Thailand for a bus that does not exist. The travel agent on the Bangkok side will be helpful and the ticket will be real. The bus will then not be the one you expected. Where the route is well established, book it yourself at the station the day before.
The Laos eVisa. If your nationality is not exempt, Laos requires an eVisa in advance and it is done online, it takes a few days, and the border you pick must be one that accepts eVisas. Not all of them do. Check before you commit to a route.
Overstaying by one day. The 15 days are counted from the crossing. If you arrive on the 15th, you have until the end of the 29th or the 30th depending on how the day is counted, and the counting is not always intuitive. Photograph the stamp.
Trying to do two countries in a day. Aranyaprathet to Poipet to Siem Reap in one day is a common plan and it works roughly half the time. The connections are not synchronised, and when one is missed you are buying a new ticket in a town where nothing is negotiable.
One piece of advice that saves most people a day
Cross in the morning, always. The queues build through the day, the onward connections thin out in the afternoon, and a border closed early in the evening turns into a night somewhere. A morning crossing gives you a whole day on the other side and a spare one in reserve if the first plan goes wrong.
