Krabi is a large area with a few islands worth visiting and Phuket is also a short boat ride away.
However, Krabi itself has so much to see and do that it is not worth going beyond the sea to fish for at least a week or two. Thus, the city of Krabi, Ao Nang, Noppharat Thara and Railay are sufficient for most. All places are relatively large, and the humid heat makes exploring them slower and heavier than normal. Also located a little further from the city of Krabi, Ao Luek is a particularly good place to visit for some, especially for families and those looking for exotic entertainment opportunities.
It’s especially good to avoid touring places during midday, and around 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., it’s best to stay in their fields, go on a boat trip, or watch shopping indoors in the city of Krabi.
The best ways to move from one place to another in Krabi
In Krabi, the public transport network works better than in Phuket, for example, and there you can take a flatbed (sangthaew) from one place to another quite well even in the evenings. The best connections are from Krabi town, from where you can take a bus both directly to Ao Nang and there via Noppharat Thara. The easiest way to get to Railay is from Ao Nang and Noppharat Thara, whose beaches are only the shortest quarter of a trip to this impressive peninsula. You can also go there from the city of Krabi, and only from the city of Krabi you can go to Ao Luek with public spending games.
In practice, however, many resort to taxis or other private transportation. Lone wolves can easily board a mopota, and it’s cheap but quite uncomfortable and possibly a little dangerous. Taxi services are common, and for a group of 3-4 people, for example, a taxi can not only show roughly all the best places to visit in Krabi, but also tell you about them in English. Taxis are easy to arrange from anywhere, and many hotels also arrange taxis.
Scooter rental is also popular, and Krabi is a relatively easy place for experienced bikers. You can rent a scooter from anywhere, but you should be careful with it, and after dark, it no longer makes sense to ride a scooter.
Krabi Town
The city of Krabi is commonly known as “Krabi Town” and is a place where few people stay but where many visit many times during their holidays. From there you can easily move to many different places, it has the best shopping places, its attractions also include lively squares in the evenings, it is the best place in the area in terms of restaurants and food stalls and there are also a few traditional attractions that Krabi has little to offer.
The actual city center block of Krabi is a small place on the map, but in practice it takes time to get acquainted with it and it is a bit difficult to navigate there at first. The heat makes it difficult to get around at noon, and the early evening traffic jams and general hustle and bustle are a strenuous time to walk, especially near its main street (Maharat Road). The best thing to do in Krabi is to spend time in the morning or after four or five, when its seafront promenade is a particularly picturesque place. The seafront promenade is the best place to be when it’s hot or lively, and there are plenty of good cafes, restaurants and bars to stop by to cool off.
The city of Krabi may not be a good place to stay for many, but you can spend a night or a couple either at the beginning or end of the trip or stay overnight for those who don’t want to be on the beach all the time but specifically want to visit all parts of the Krabi area and possibly islands. It is easy to get there from Ao Nang and Noppharat Thara, and if you are not interested in Ao Nang’s lush core life in many ways, you can stay in the parts of Ao Nang that are closest to Krabi town, as they are within walking distance of Krabi town.
Ao Nang
The most popular and in some cases also the harshest holiday destination in Krabi is Ao Nang, which, however, is quite a wide and varied area to spend your holidays. There can be close to the beach, some distance from it or closer to the city of Krabi, where there are resorts. Ao Nang is also known as Aonang, and many travel agencies and hotel reservation systems consider Noppharat Thara, which is quite seamlessly connected to it.
Ao Nang is the best nightlife spot in the Krabi area and is also partly a K-18 style area with bar girls and suspicious masseuses. However, the side effects associated with spending the evening are not very great compared to Pattaya or Phuket’s Patong, for example, and it is easy to avoid staying overnight outside the intersection of two main roads or along the seafront where the loudest bars and nightclubs are. Alcohol is more expensive in Krabi than in many other corners of Thailand, and often a big beer can cost 100 baht at its lowest, during happy hour.
The level of restaurants in Ao Nang is quite low and there is a lot of food from elsewhere. There are also higher prices than in Krabi town or Noppharat Thara, and Ao Nang is not suitable for those who want to get on the carts of the culinary experiences of southern Thailand. Fish dishes are always the best portion, and the rule of thumb is that the farther the food comes from, the weaker the level it is likely to be.
In addition to visiting Railay, Ao Nang’s best pastimes include scuba diving and snorkelling. Cycling is possible at these times, and one good route is to pedal along the coastal road for several kilometers from Ao Nang to Noppharat Thara. Kayaking and sea trips other than Railay are also possible in Ao Nang.
Ao Nang is versatile in terms of accommodation, with everything from hostels, guesthouses, basic hotels and fine resorts with swimming pools and all the spices. The price range is quite high and room prices peak from early December to mid-March. During the summer seasons, when it is not worth traveling here, accommodation prices fall by 50%.