Pursat

Pursat is the capital of western Cambodia's Pursat Province. It is indistinguishable from Cambodia's other small provincial capitals.

Understand

Pursat is a sleepy town that holds marginal interest. Though, it may be used a base for visits to the Tonle Sap Lake or Cardamon Mountains.

Get in

By road

The fully paved Hwy 5 runs northwest from Phnom Penh via Pursat to the county's second largest city, Battambang.

By bus

All buses between Battambang (US$2.50 from Pursat) and Phnom Penh (US$5 from Pursat) will stop here. Buses run every half-hour in the morning and early afternoon. Buses take 4 hr between Phnom Penh and 1½ hr between Battambang.

All the major bus companies service Phnom Penh — Sorya and Capitol Tour are the most reliable big names. Capitol Tour runs the latest afternoon departure from Phnom Penh at 14:00, and sometimes 15:00.

By train

• 1 Pursat Railway Station (1½ km southeast of the center), ☏ +855 95354407. (updated Dec 2023)

Connections from:

• Phnom Penh – 06:40, 4 hr, US$7
• Battambang – 15:00, 2½ hr, US$4
• Maung Russey – 16:00, 1½ hr

Get around

On foot

Central Pursat is easily covered on foot.

By taxi

Motorbike taxis hang around the market, bus stations, train station, and sometimes along the highway. A ride anywhere in town should cost around 1,000 riel. A day trip to Kampong Luang or elsewhere can be negotiated for US$5 or more. The occasional tuk-tuk can also be found.

By motorbike

The Phnom Pech Hotel rents small motorbikes by the day and half-day.

See

Like all of Cambodia's former railway towns, Pursat hosts a charming French-built railway station that has decayed into a slum, which gives the area an interesting vibe. The railway had been restored in 2019.

Do

Walking the town is the best way to know it. Children will scream "hello" at any passing tourist. Locals may invite you for some food or karaoke. As in Battambang, there is a "bamboo train".

Eat

Common to any society that has emerged from food shortages, provincial Cambodia lacks a culture that reveres cuisine and instead favours sustenance. In short, don't expect more than a cheap meal of rice and some gristly meat. Stalls and cafes around town offer similar nondescript human fuel.

Sleep

• Phnom Pech Hotel, Road 1, Pursat, Cambodia (about 200 m north of the main bridge on the west bank of the river), ☏ +855 52 951515. Rooms usually equipped with Western bath, cable TV, and fan or air-con depending on the price. There is an attached restaurant serving decent food. US$6-15. 

Go next

• Pursat offers access to the Cardamom Mountains, giving it potential for eco-tourism.
• 28 km away lie the floating villages of Kampong Luang on the Tonle Sap Lake, a popular day trip.

Routes through Pursat

Poipet ← Moung Ruessei ←

NW  SE

→ Phnom Penh