Andaman Coast
Krabi
Say Krabi and you really mean Ao Nang, the beach strip 20km from the airport: use it as a calmer, cheaper base than Phuket, a 10-minute longtail to Railay and a 50-minute ferry to Phi Phi.
Best length
4-6 nights (or as a 2-3 night add-on to Bangkok/Phuket)
Airport
Krabi International (KBV), ~25km from Ao Nang
Airport to Ao Nang
Taxi ~45 min, about ยฃ14; shared shuttle bus ~1h, about ยฃ3.50
Best base
Ao Nang for most trips; Railay for scenery; Krabi Town for budget
In short
Krabi at a glance
When people say "Krabi" they usually mean Ao Nang, the beach strip 20km from the actual town and airport, not Krabi Town itself. Use Ao Nang as a calmer, cheaper island-hopping base than Phuket: it is a 10-minute longtail-boat ride to Railay, a 50-minute ferry to Phi Phi, and a short drive to jungle day trips. Krabi Town is for budget and a local night-market evening; Railay is for one or two nights of cliff-and-beach drama once you have seen how the boats work.
The short version
- "Krabi" almost always means Ao Nang beach, not Krabi Town โ book your hotel by the area name, not the airport name.
- Ao Nang is the practical base: longtail boats to Railay, ferries to Phi Phi and jungle tours all start here.
- Railay is road-free and reached only by longtail; it is worth one or two nights but a faff as a single base.
- Krabi Town is 20km inland, cheaper and more local, but you will commute to every beach โ fine for budget, poor for a beach holiday.
- Use Krabi instead of Phuket if you want the same Andaman islands with less traffic, neon and party pressure.
The first thing to understand about Krabi is that it is not really one place. The airport and the actual provincial town sit about 20km inland on a river, while almost everyone who books a โKrabi holidayโ ends up on the beach at Ao Nang, a separate strip of hotels, restaurants and tour shops with its own pier. Get that right when you book and the rest of the trip falls into place; get it wrong and you spend the first day wondering why your hotel is nowhere near the sea. Ao Nang is the practical base for first-timers: it is where the longtail boats to Railay leave, where the Phi Phi ferries go from (just along the coast at Nopparat Thara), and where every jungle and island tour collects you.
The headline scenery is the limestone karst peninsula of Railay, which has no road at all โ you reach it only by a 10-to-15-minute longtail boat from Ao Nang beach, wading shin-deep to climb aboard at low tide. It is worth one or two nights for the cliffs and the quieter Phra Nang beach round the headland, but it makes a frustrating sole base because everything funnels back through Ao Nang. Krabi Town itself is the budget-and-local option: night markets, cheaper rooms and a genuine Thai-town evening, at the cost of commuting to every beach.
Treat Krabi as the calmer alternative to Phuket. You reach the same Andaman highlights โ Phi Phi, the Four Islands sandbar, snorkelling stops โ from a smaller, less frantic base, with November to March giving the clearest skies and calmest seas. The structured planning below โ where to stay, how the boats and ferries work, airport transfers and a realistic budget in pounds โ picks up from here.
Plan your Krabi trip
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Krabi
Railay (West and Phra Nang beaches)
Railay is the postcard limestone-cliff peninsula near Krabi, cut off from the road and reachable only by longtail boat from Ao Nang. Railay West is the main sweep of sand; round the headland, Phra Nang is the prettier beach and the better swim. The boats are cheap but run on a full-up, tide-dependent basis, so go early before the day-trip boats land.
Railay Beach
Railay isn't one beach but a road-free peninsula of four, reached only by longtail boat from Ao Nang. Don't judge it by Railay East, where the boats from Krabi land into mangrove and there's almost no beach at low tide โ walk the few hundred metres across to Railay West to swim, and round the headland to Phra Nang, the best stretch of sand here. Go early: a 10-minute longtail from Ao Nang costs about เธฟ100 (ยฃ2.30) each way, but the day-trip armada lands on Phra Nang from mid-morning, so aim to be on the sand before 09:00. It works as a half-day from Ao Nang or a one-to-two-night splurge; it does not work as a single base for a whole trip.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier โ not an exhaustive directory.
Ao Nang
ยฃยฃ mid-rangeThe beach strip most people mean by "Krabi". Walkable promenade, the longtail pier for Railay, the ferry pier nearby at Nopparat Thara, and the widest choice of hotels, restaurants and tour shops. Busy and a little touristy, but the easiest base for everything.
Best for: First-timers, island-hopping, couples, families
Railay
ยฃยฃยฃ premiumA road-free peninsula reached only by longtail boat, ringed by limestone cliffs and rock-climbing crags. Mostly mid- and high-end resorts, no through-traffic and limited shops โ dramatic for one or two nights, but a hassle to use as your only base.
Best for: Scenery, climbers, a short romantic splurge
Krabi Town
ยฃ valueThe actual provincial town, 20km inland on a river, with night markets, cheaper rooms and a genuinely local feel. Good value and a real Thai-town evening, but you will commute to every beach, so it suits budget and culture-first trips rather than a beach holiday.
Best for: Budget travellers, longer stays, local atmosphere
Nopparat Thara / Klong Muang
ยฃยฃ mid-rangeQuieter beach stretches just north and west of Ao Nang. Nopparat Thara has the main ferry pier and a calmer beach; Klong Muang is resort-led and sleepy. Choose these if you want space and a pool over nightlife and walkable dining.
Best for: Quiet resort stays, families wanting calm
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-booked private taxi / transfer to Ao Nang | ~45 min | about ยฃ14 (เธฟ600) per car | Easiest with luggage or a late flight |
| Shared shuttle bus to Ao Nang | ~1h with stops | about ยฃ3.50 (เธฟ150) per person | Cheapest; slower as it drops other hotels |
| Taxi / Grab to Krabi Town | ~25-30 min | about ยฃ9-ยฃ12 (เธฟ400-เธฟ500) | If your hotel is in the town itself |
| Onward boat to Railay | Transfer to Ao Nang, then 10-15 min longtail | Transfer plus about ยฃ2.30 longtail | No direct road โ you must reach Ao Nang first |
When to go
Sweet spot: November to March is the sweet spot: clear Andaman skies, calm seas for the boats and daytime highs around 28-32C. December to February is the driest and busiest; November and March give you nearly the same weather with fewer crowds and lower prices.
The Andaman wet season runs roughly May to October, peaking in September-October โ expect short heavy afternoon downpours, choppier seas and the occasional cancelled boat, though mornings are often clear and prices drop 30-50%. April is hot (mid-30s) and humid but still dry. Book December-February rooms and Phi Phi ferries well ahead, as UK winter-sun and dive demand fills the good places early.
What it costs
There are no direct UK-Krabi flights. You connect once or twice โ typically via a Gulf hub (Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi) or via Bangkok, then a short domestic hop to Krabi (KBV). Return fares from the UK are often ยฃ550-ยฃ800 booked ahead outside the December-February peak, more over Christmas and February half-term. A Bangkok-Krabi internal flight is cheap, often ยฃ20-ยฃ45 each way.
Daily budget per person
Krabi is cheap on the ground but the long-haul flight is the real cost โ budget the trip around the airfare, not the daily spend. Staying in Krabi Town instead of Ao Nang cuts room rates by roughly 40-50%, but you then pay it back in time and transport getting to the beach each day.
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Where to stay
Tours & tickets
Airport transfers
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