Best Areas in Krabi & Where to Stay

There are multiple areas to stay in Krabi so read this Krabi blog post to find out which area is best suited for your Thailand trip.
Many visitors choose to stay right on the beach in areas like Ao Nang, Railay, Tubkaek beach or Nopparathara beach, while others prefer to explore Krabi town.

Whether you are looking for the best place to stay for a calm, quiet beach area, a luxury beachfront Krabi hotel, an affordable resort experience or cheap and cheerful accommodation in Ao Nang, this article will help you to decide the best place to stay in Krabi for you.

Is Krabi worth visiting?

There is so much to see and do in Krabi. I always encourage visitors to Thailand to spend at least a few days exploring the beauty of Krabi province, from the limestone karsts, crystal blue waters, white sand beaches to emerald lagoons and stunning hikes and viewpoints – there is the best location in Krabi for every type of Thailand traveller.

Best Area to Stay in Krabi – Krabi Town

When most people talk about visiting Krabi, they do not realise that Krabi town is not a beach area. Krabi is an entire province and most visitors prefer to stay in a beach area.
That said, Krabi town has local markets, ease of access to piers and boats for onward journeys and will definitely be an area to get away from the crowds in more popular tourist areas.

Best Area to Stay in Krabi Thailand for exploring

Ao Nang Krabi is usually the place most people refer to when talking about where to stay in Krabi. Ao Nang is a popular area and is the best place to stay in Krabi to use as a base to explore your surroundings, whether that is hiking in national parks or island hopping to popular islands like Koh Hong, Koh Phi Phi or James Bond island.
Ao Nang has a busy atmosphere with tons of restaurants, bars and nightlife and it is easy to take boats and organise trips and excursions from tour operators working along the main street. There are loads of local markets for cheap Thai food and cute restaurants along the sea front.
From Ao Nang beach you can also see beautiful sunsets, eat the best massamam curry I’ve ever had and spot monkeys along monkey trail. Ao Nang is the best place to stay in Krabi when seeking adventure and activities to do. For my full Ao Nang guide, read this post here and for my top picks of where to stay in Ao Nang, see this article here.

Best area to stay in Krabi near Ao Nang – Nopparathara Beach krabi

Nopparathara Beach is just round the corner from Ao Nang Krabi and offers a slightly calmer vibe than the main Ao Nang strip. The beaches are fine but certainly don’t compare to other areas of Thailand.

Best location to stay in Krabi for beautiful beaches – Railay, Krabi

Railay Krabi, is a stunning beach area of Krabi Thailand and many visitors come here for a day trip, either taking a long tail boat or as part of an island hopping tour. I personally recommend coming as part of a day trip from Ao Nang, using the long tail boat. It only costs 100 baht one way or 200 return from the longtail booking area in the corner of Ao Nang beach.

Railay is worth visiting because of its beautiful scenery. It has stunning limestone cliffs or karsts that drop into turquoise waters and white sand beaches. It is also famous for its penis cave, which is a Buddhist fertility shrine so please visit and take photos with respect. The best activities to do on Railay include rock climbing, visiting the bat cave, chilling out at the beach, watching monkeys, hiking to the viewpoint or kayaking around the karsts.

Despite being part of the mainland, Railay is often mistaken for an island as it can only be accessed by boat. This means it is lovely to stay on once the day trippers leave, but it also gives you limited options for hotels, restaurants and bars. In addition, tour excursions tend to cost slightly more when there is a Railay pick up involved in comparison with Ao Nang.

With a small range of hotels, cute restaurants and bars, Railay is always a popular destination with Thailand visitors.

Best Area to Stay in Krabi for quiet resorts – Tubkaek beach

Tubkaek Beach in Krabi is truly a Thailand hidden gem that, after 8+ years of living in Thailand, I have just discovered for myself. It has a huge white sand beach and crystal-clear water and it is the best area to stay in Krabi for a resort experience, without the bustle of Ao Nang and easy walking access to the nearby national park. Tubkaek beach also has some of the best sunsets in Thailand. Despite visiting during school holidays, I think this is one of the best quiet beaches in Krabi and I will definitely return.

All the places to stay in Krabi are beachfront hotels which cover a range of expensive to the more budget end.
The best place to stay in Krabi in Tubkaek beach for luxury is the Banyan Tree Hotel (Agoda) or  (Booking.com). They are located at the end of Tubkaek beach, closest to the national park, and have a wide garden area where weddings are held.
For my most recent stay, I stayed at the Anyavee Resort (Agoda)  or (Booking.com) which was a more affordable hotel to stay at. It has two swimming pools, a good breakfast with a great view of Phangna Bay. The rooms were basic, there is a restaurant and bar on the beach and cocktails strong and delicious. We ate at the restaurant next door, Marcos, one lunchtime which is part of the  Amari Vogue Hotel on Agoda or Booking.com and looks even more impressive with gorgeous gardens and a swimming pool.
Next trip, I have my eye on Tubkaek Krabi Boutique Resort (Agoda) or Booking.com which looks stunning from the beach, with Thai style wooden decorations and is a slightly more luxury beachfront hotel in Krabi, although much more affordable than the Banyan Tree.

Please note there were some jellyfish in this area during dry season when I visited – I did get stung but it wasn’t serious.

Krabi airport

Krabi airport is a very convenient gateway with multiple flights a day connecting it to Bangkok. This makes it easy for travelers to reach Krabi and they have recently

Upon arrival at Krabi airport, travelers have various transportation options to reach their desired destinations. Shared minivans can be easily booked at the airport, providing a cheap way to travel to popular areas such as Ao Nang, Krabi town and Nopparathara Beach for approximately 150-200 baht. If you are heading to Railay then you will need to take a longtail boat from Ao Nang. For travel to Tubtaek, only taxis are currently available and the cost should be approximately 800 baht.

Krabi Resources

For more information about Krabi, here are my Thailand travel blog resources:

Full Ao Nang Guide
Where to stay in Ao Nang

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