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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Krabi Town
กระบี่
Stay 1–2 nights in Krabi Town for markets and the Tiger Cave Temple, then move to Ao Nang or Railay for the beaches.
Krabi Town is the provincial capital and the transport hub for the Andaman coast, not a beach destination. Most travellers pass through on the way to Ao Nang, Railay or the islands. Those who stop find cheaper food, two night markets and the Tiger Cave Temple within a short ride. One or two nights is enough before you move to the coast.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- กระบี่
- Best months
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- May–Oct (southwest monsoon, many restaurants closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,500 excl. bed · High ฿2,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Street-food dish at the night market | ฿30–60 |
| Seafood plate at a riverside restaurant | ฿200–400 |
| Coffee or Thai tea | ฿40–80 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop | ฿80–120 / ฿35–60 |
| Songthaew to Ao Nang | ฿60–80 (check) |
| Taxi, town centre to bus station | ฿100 (check) |
| One-day island tour (4 islands, Hong or Phi Phi) | ฿1,000–1,300 by longtail or speedboat (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KBV · Krabi International Airport
- About 15 km (9.3 mi) from the town centre; shared buses and songthaews meet arriving flights.About 9.3 mi (15 km) from the town centre; shared buses and songthaews meet arriving flights.
Typical fares
- Songthaew Krabi Town → Ao Nang
- ฿60 before 18:00, ฿80 18:00–22:00 (check)฿60 before 6:00 PM, ฿80 6:00 PM–10:00 PM (check)
- Taxi town centre → bus station
- ฿100 (check)
- Longtail to Khao Kanab Nam
- about ฿300 per boat (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Songthaews (shared pickups) cover the town and run to Ao Nang; blue ones head out past the airport road, brown ones to the bus station. Motorcycle taxis and taxis handle short hops. Renting a scooter (about ฿150–200 per day) is the cheapest way to reach the Tiger Cave Temple and out-of-town sights.
See and do
Known for
- Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua)
- Khao Kanab Nam karst rocks
- Night markets and Walking Street
- Gateway to Ao Nang and Railay
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ao Nang | White songthaew from Maharaj Rd or the bus terminal | About 30–40 min |
| Railay (Rai Leh) | Longtail boat from the pier or Ao Nang | About 30–45 min |
| Ton Sai | Longtail boat from Ao Nang or Railay | About 45 min |
| Ao Luek | Bus or minivan north on Hwy 4 | About 1 h |
| Had Yao | Songthaew or taxi south | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Riverside / Maharaj Road
- Walk to the night markets, pier and most restaurants; best for a short stay without a scooter.
- Near the bus terminal (Talad Kao)
- About 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the centre; practical for an early onward bus but little within walking distance.About 3.1 mi (5 km) north of the centre; practical for an early onward bus but little within walking distance.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Too expensive | แพงไปphaeng pai |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Minivans sometimes stop short of the bus station and taxi drivers offer inflated rides to Ao Nang: walk to the station and take the songthaew.
- Do not feed the monkeys at the Tiger Cave Temple; bites need rabies treatment immediately.
- Some travel-agency ferry timetables are display only: confirm departure times at the pier.
- Many restaurants close in low season (May–Oct).
Krabi Town is calm and safe for a short stay. Watch traffic and unlit pavements at night, agree taxi and boat prices before you board, and treat monkey bites at the Tiger Cave Temple as a medical emergency.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Krabi Town yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua)
- Khao Kanab Nam karst rocks
- Night markets and Walking Street
- Gateway to Ao Nang and Railay
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand — Krabi: www.tourismthailand.org/Krabi
- Krabi International Airport: www.krabiairportonline.com/
- Wikivoyage: Krabi Town, revision 5299194 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5299194
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Krabi Townกระบี่
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Krabi; most countries have embassies in Bangkok and some consulates in Phuket.
Songthaews stop running at night; keep the number of a taxi or your guesthouse.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/krabi-town). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.