Krabi Town

This article is about Krabi Town. See Krabi Province for attractions elsewhere, including Krabi's famous beaches. Krabi (กระบี่) is the capital of Krabi Province, Thailand. Understand Krabi is a small city with a population of around 25,000. Located just upriver from the coast, it has no beaches and most visitors make a beeline for Had Yao, Ao Nang or Rai Leh (Railay). Nevertheless, Krabi is a relaxed place which is pleasant enough for travellers to spend a night or two and one can certainly better experience Thailand here than in Ao Nang or the other beach resorts. Get in Direct connections are by air, road and sea from other parts of Thailand. By plane Krabi International Airport (KBV) is about 10 km from the city limits, 15km from city centre. It is 40km from Ao Nang and 23km from Had Yao. To/from Bangkok Thai Airways [1], Air Asia [2] operate daily direct flights to/from Bangkok. To/from Ko Samui Bangkok Airways [3], operate flights to Koh Samui. To/from outside Thailand Air Asia [4] has daily flights to/from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tiger Airways [5] flies to/from Singapore 4 times a week. The international departure tax surcharge is 700 baht but is included in most tickets now; domestic departure tax is included in the price of the flight. National Car Rental has a branch at the airport; motorcycle taxi rides are available outside the terminal. Krabi Limousine (tel. +66-75692073) has a desk inside the terminal and provides "limousine taxi" (using large air-conditioned sedans) transport to Krabi for 500 baht; Ao Nang for 800 baht; Phuket for 2500 baht. travelkrabi.com offers taxi and minibus (minivans) for less however travellers have to make deposit payment of 200 baht online via credit card. Getting to/from airport: An airconditioned airport bus service links the airport with Krabi Town, Ao Nang and Noppharat Thara Beach. Fares are 90baht to Krabi and 150 baht to Ao Nang/Noppharat Thara. Buses meet all flight arrivals. For times to the airport, see Ao Nang page. Songthaews run from Krabi Town to the airport and cost 30-50 baht, depending how much they overcharge you. Going to the airport, they will drop you at the departure terminal. From the airport, you will have to walk out and catch them along the main road to Krabi, a distance of about 400m. By train Krabi does not have a railway station. Most travellers head to Surat Thani and transfer onto buses to Krabi from there. See the Surat Thani page for train times and the "By Bus" section below for bus connections between Krabi and Surat Thani. By bus To/from Bangkok: Buses to/from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (tel. +66-24351199) take about 12 hours and depart as follows: VIP bus at 07:20 (710 baht) First class bus at 19:00 (486 baht) Second class bus - 07:30, 19:00, 19:30, 21:00 - 378 baht Please note: Prices change, this information is quite old, expect about 100-200B increase In Krabi, buses arrive/depart from the bus terminal at Taladkao, about 5km north of town. To/from Surat Thani: Public buses run from Krabi's bus station Talat Kao. These airconditioned public buses are run by Phantip and cost 150 bahts. They leave Krabi at the following times (correct in November 2012): 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 11:00, 12:30, 13:30, 15:00 & 16:30. Tickets can be bought at the bus station or on the bus. Make sure to buy the ticket at the bus station ticket office or on the bus and not from a travel agent. The trip should take no more than three hours, but some travellers have endured ridiculous ten hour rides on private buses (giving thieves ample time to go through the bags underneath the bus) which included extensive "repair stops" right in front of restaurants coincidentally affiliated with the bus company. To/from Phuket: Shuttle buses run between Krabi airport and Phuket airport several times a day. There are also mini-buses that make the 2 hour run (more likely to be 3 hours). They depart every hour from Phuket busstation for 120 baht. To/from Hat Yai: Vans take just over 4 hours, and cost around 250 Bt, and pick up / drop off generally where you want. To/from Ao Nang: White-coloured songthaews run from Krabi Town to Ao Nang via Klong Jilard, Sai Thai, Ao Nang Junction Village and Noppharat Thara Beach. Fares 50 baht during the day until 18:00, 60 baht between 18:00 and 22:00. They run every ten minutes during the day and every 30 minutes after 18:00. In Krabi, songthaews depart from in front of the 7-Eleven on Thanon Maharat. By car Krabi is located just off Highway 4. It is 946km south of Bangkok, 180km by road to Phuket, and 70km to Phang Nga. By boat Ferries run from/to Ko Phi Phi, Ko Jum and Ko Lanta daily. Most depart in the morning. Tickets can be purchased at the dock or from tourist offices and most local guesthouses and hotels. The normal passenger ferry does not start from the centre of town anymore, but from a new passenger port about 4 km outside Krabi (Klong Jilad). Free taxi transfer to the pier should be included in the price of your ticket. If your boat starts from the old piers in the center of town (Chao Fah pier or Phi Phi pier), you are most likely on a more expensive and longer tourist boat ride. Also, make sure that when you arrive at the airport the taxi driver takes you to the correct pier. Many times they'll take you to a travel agent near the old pier and sell you additional accommodations or services. Only ever buy the ticket you need. Prices will often get cheaper the closer you get to your next destination. There is one ferry a day from Krabi town to Ko Yao Noi at 11 am. Frequent speedboats and longtail boats run from Krabi Thalen Pier which is about 27 km West of Krabi town. Speedboat costs 150 bahts and longtail boat costs 120 bahts. Ferry tickets to Ko Phi Phi are 300 baht as of September 2012, including pickup and transport to the pier outside town. High season price is 100 baht more (signs may list 400 bath, but the low season price is only 300). In fact, two of the four daily boats actually run for 250 bath, but you may have a hard time finding someone to sell for this price (this is easier when buying your return ticket on Ko Phi Phi). The large displayed time-tables in the many travel agencies are just for show and the times are often not to be taken literally. Ask. As of September 2012, there were four ferries a day from Krabi to Ko Phi Phi a day, including: 9am and 2:30pm. They may add additional ferries during high-season. The pier at Klong Jilad, for ferries to and from Ko Phi Phi has a taxi desk with posted prices: 150 baht to Krabi town, and 350 baht to the airport. Get around You can use either the songthaew or a taxi. From the bus station a taxi will cost B100 as it is about a 4Km trip. To the Tiger Temple from town, pay B200 in a taxi. With a songteow - opposite and a couple of hundred metres up from from the pier (opposite the police station)is a songteow stop at Maharaj Soi 7. Blue ones go to Tesco Lotus and other out of town places (this is on the way to the airport and Tiger Temple) Brown ones go to the bus station and charge B30. Blue with white/yellow/red stripe (variable) go to the airport. To get to and from Ao Nang - in the centre of town on Maharaj Rd (main road) near the traffic lights where male statues hold them up (you will know once you see this!) is a Vogue shopping complex. A white songteow goes from here to Ao Nang and costs B50. It will come into Ao Nang along the beach road. Many of these white ones were also seen at the bus terminal but the writer did not go to Ao Nang from here, but only returned. It went through Krabi and arrived at the terminal for a cost of B80 from Ao Nang. With the songteow, push the button to stop where you want to get off, then go and pay the driver. If you want to be more adventurous and hire a car, then Krabi Friendly Car Rental, krabicarhire.com (ph 075 612558, 081 6071494)will do it for you. The Writer hired a car for a day as at May 2012, and the rental is for 24 hours-we hired at 1pm, and returned at 1pm the next day. You must post a "bond" (by credit card)in case someone who is uninsured runs into you or you are at fault. This is B10,000(and is returned to you at the end of the hire if no problems). At the point of hire,the company checked all damage on the car and recorded it so when the Writer returned,there was no problem. The lady who delivered the car spoke reasonable English.Hire is B1300 per day of 24 hours, plus refill of petrol. The writer did a fair bit of driving and the refill was B700,costing B2000 for the 24 hours. See Khao Kanab Nam, the symbol of Krabi, two karst rocks situated next to each other. 15 minutes longtail boat can take you from the pier to the rocks, where you can walk up some stairs to the top. Wat Kaew: one of the main temples in Krabi town, new building (to some it may look like a shiny white wedding cake) located on Thanon Maharat close to Th. Pattana. Contemporary Art Museum of Krabi, opposite Wat Kaew, open T-Su 10:00 to 5:00. Tiger Temple (Wat Tham Sua): one of the most famous temples in Southern Thailand, located on top of a mountain about 8 km northeast of the Krabi town. There is a stairways with 1237 steps to the top to visit a tiger's footprint on the top of mountain. Those who make it to the top will also be rewarded with 360 degree views of the area and the sea. To get here is just a few Km out of town and a couple from the bus station. Take the road to the airport and turn left/north before you get to the big shopping malls. You should actually be able to see the big Buddha on the mountain-top. Should cost no more than B200 in a taxi. Red/white songthaew should get you there for 20-50 baht per person. The way back is 20 bath. As you walk in, you will see a huge Stupa on the right with steps leading up inside. Entrance fee is B199, but this is NOT the Tiger Temple!!!! This is up the top of a near vertical mountain some 300 metres (about 900 feet)skyward further along the path! If you continue walking past the shop on the left, apparently run by the Temple, which advertises bananas to feed the monkeys (and then there are many notices which advise against feeding them because they are a pest - and they are, sometimes trying to steal shiny objects like cameras). Shortly on the left you will see the steps upward (there is no cost for this but you can leave a donation at the top if you make it). Many of the steps are quite steep, there are more than 1200 of them. If you have health problems, please think about this! Restrooms are available during the hike up, as is a water dispenser at the top. The view from the top, and from other places as you walk up, is phenomenal. Do Go get a relaxing but powerful (and wildly inexpensive) massage, or couples massage, at Dhara Massage and Spa. The two women working there must have real certifications and training, and they are very focused in their work. Just off Thanon Issara on the small street near Soi Ruamjit. If you're walking away from the water on Issara, pass major street Th. Ma Ha Rat on your right, then take your first left and it will be on your left. Buy Krabi Town is far cheaper than any of the tourist resorts - this is reflected in the price of food and drinks especially. There are two night markets in Krabi town that are worth a look, and at weekends there is the 'Walking Street" market from 5-10pm. Also there is a Vogue department store where real items can be found cheaper than in Ao Nang. Do check out the Tesco Lotus Shopping Mall and Big C which are near the airport. Prices are cheap and there are lots of eateries available there. There are a few art gallery offering affordable pop art pieces. Eat At night there is a charming night market close to the promenade next to the piers. Food is good and cheap, with Muslim influences. From time to time the town organizes shows on a small stage next to the market. An even better market can be found on Maharat Soi (Lane) 10 in the centre of town. This market has plenty of fresh fruit and lots of authentic cooked food. Only a few places have menus, otherwise point and enjoy. This market does not sell alcohol. There is also the new 'Walking Street' night market, between Vogue Department store and ViengThong Hotel, Fri-Sun, 5-10pm which sells food and general items such as clothes and handicrafts etc, and there is a largish seating area. Not to be missed is the covered morning market (the biggest in South Thailand) on Maharaj Soi 9 (behind the Shell station). For early birds only. After 8am all the action is subsiding. Exactly at that time you can watch a show of national pride: the national anthem is playing and almost everyone comes to a standstill for a minute. The best place to get all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetable, khao njao (sticky rice), PatongKhoo, ChaRaawn (sweetened Thai-Tea) or fresh hot soymilk. The section of fresh fish and meat sellers is for hardened stomachs only. There are several Italian restaurants of varying degrees of authenticity. Viva has Italian management. Since August 2010 Tamarind restaurant in ChaoFaa road is a good option too with amazingly good Pizza from 150-190TB, thin and crispy; french fries are terribly soft though, and the pricey Tuna-salad wins a prize for lack of creativity. Fantastic Thai food available from 31 kitchen next to Fubar. The Sin-O-Cha bakery next to Vogue department store does meals and is a good place for breakfast or to have coffee and cake. At night the pavement pancake stall outside the bakery is always packed with locals, the pancakes are larger than those at other stalls. RuenMai restaurant, about 2km from the center on Marharat road, has very nice atmosphere and very good local dishes from 100 TB. open every day but closing between 3 and 5pm. You can get great western and thai breakfast (and maybe even the best coffee) at Relax Coffee near the pier. Arun is a good breakfast place too (same roadside as Relax, more colourful atmosphere, here it is better go for the fresh Thai-coffee version: a large, very strong coffee. closed during low season. During low season are very few restaurants open at all! The floating restaurant (RuenPae) was open as well as a couple near the tourist area towards the pier, but in the town very little at all. The floating restaurant near the police station at the river does brilliant seafood at a reasonable price as well as provides mosquito coils to keep these pests away from your legs. As at March 2013, a good fish dinner for two, beer included, was B400. Drink There are a number of bars and cafe bars in Krabi town centre that cater to tourists, expats and natives. A few of them will have live bands at the weekend belting out cover songs, though Rocky Bar has live music every night. Stick to the main areas and it is most unlikely you will have anything but a pleasant time. The Roof Top Bar above KR Mansion next to the 7 eleven on Chao Fa Road is an option. Its a good place to watch the sunset and have a cocktail.The friendly British girl who runs it is a great source of information on the locality. Sleep Budget Tha central town area is flooded with a variety of guesthouses. Most have wifi and can arrange tours, tickets and trips to the islands. In the low season, you can get a room from 100 baht. A Mansion Hotel, 12/6 Chao Fa Rd.. A contemporary style hotel located near Tamarind restaurant. 450 THB for fan room, 550+ for air con room. Free excellent quality high speed wifi on premises which reaches most rooms. 450-840 THB.  edit Area 51, 1/13-14 Soi Ruamjit, ☎ 075630257. Nice little Guesthouse close to the city, with a bar downstairs, friendly staff and free wifi, the place is also a local radio station 200-300 THB.  edit Blue Juice, 1/1 Chao Fa Rd., ☎ (075)630679. A diving shop doubling up as bar and guesthouse, as well as travel agent all in one building. 150-350 THB.  edit Cha guesthouse, 45 Uttarakit Rd, ☎ +66 75 630 609, [6]. Budget place. Single rooms @100bt, situated in the back within central garden area.  edit Chan Cha Lay, 55 Utarakit Rd, ☎ +66 75 620-952 (chanchalay_krabi@hotmail.com), [7]. A budget option. This small hotel is clean and well-kept. Centrally located. Rooms 250 baht with shared bath, 350 baht with for private bath (low season). Air-con rooms also available.  edit Good Dream Guesthouse and Good Dream 2, 83 Uttarakit Road, ☎ +66 -75622993 (krabidream@gmail.com, fax: 75622993), [8]. Centrally located budget guest house(s) with many foreigner options for food and drink nearby and free Internet/Wi-Fi for guests. All rooms have hot water. 120-500 baht.  edit Judy Guesthouse, Utarakit Road. Next to Jamacia Seed Bar, it's above a convenience shop, with sign saying Judy's Guesthouse, 150 Baht per night.  edit K Guesthouse, 15/25 Chao Fa Rd., ☎ (075)623166 (kguesthouse@yahoo.com), [9]. rustic wooden exterior building, Thai-style accommodation, different from the usual concrete buildings. 150-450 THB.  edit Krabi Nature View Guesthouse, (directly accross from Chao Fa Park), ☎ +66 075.624037, +66 081.892.2656 (info@krabinatureview.com), [10]. Guesthouse with travel services. Walking distance to the main part of town and night market. Friendly staff and free wifi. 150-350 THB.  edit KR Mansion, 52/1 Chao Fa Road, Krabi (Very close to town and next to the 7 eleven on Chao Fa road), ☎ +66 -75612761 (chaina_ans66@hotmail.com). A great hotel with well priced rooms, all with fan or air con, good restaurant, travel services, a roof top bar offering drinks with views and sunsets" 200-550 baht.  edit Lipstic Guesthouse, 20 Maharat Soi 2, ☎ (075)612392 (lipstickb@hotmail.com). A guesthouse located in an alley near Pizzeria Gusto in the centre of the town. 150-450 THB.  edit May & Mark, 6 Maharaj Soi 2, ☎ (075)612562 (maymark2544@yahoo.com). This is primarily a restaurant, but the extremely friendly owners also keeps some rooms above the restaurant. They like to learn new dishes from travellers who are willing to show them how to cook different dishes. Many of the dishes on the menu at the restaurants were learned from previous travellers.  edit No. 7 Guesthouse, Khongkha Rd. hostel-style accommodation, with central television lounge where you can watch DVD movies. Also free book exchange on site. Free wifi, and one hour of internet in the lobby for each guest. 150-400 THB THB.  edit Pak-Up. Opened in November 2010, this very nicely-designed hostel currently only has dorm rooms. The rooms are spotless and the bunks are sturdy with large lockable drawers underneath for storage and a night light and plug socket for each bed. There's also fast free Wi-Fi, and large, clean modern bathrooms with hot water, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. There's also a rooftop bar. Fan 180 baht, air-conditioning 200 baht (during low season), high season: 280 / 300 Baht.  edit Smile Guesthouse, 12 Khong Kha Rd., ☎ (075)624015 (info@smile-gueshouse.com), [11]. Hostel-style accommodation. 200-450 baht.  edit Swallow Guesthouse, 31 Maharaj Soi 4, ☎ 075612464. checkout: 11:00. One of the longest running guesthouses in Krabi, right in town, minutes from all markets, shopping, etc. Tickets and tours for all area destinations and beyond. Extremely clean fan rooms only and friendly service. Free in-room Wi-Fi up to 6 mbit from 1 Dec 2010. 200-350 baht.  edit Mid-range City Hotel, 15/2-4 Sukon Road, (fax: +66-75621282), [12]. Standard western style hotel, comfortable but not especially luxurious. Trappings include hot water and cable TV. Double rooms with fan start from 450 baht and rooms with air-con from 550 baht. As at June 2012, aircon rooms in the old part of the hotel are B650. Are clean,although dated, and with hot water. There is no restaurant in the hotel at all.  edit Grand Tower Hotel, 9 Chao Fa Rd., Krabi, ☎ (075)621456-7, [13]. a big hotel on Chao Fa street, also has an onsite restaurant. 300-700 THB.  edit Thai Hotel, 7 Issara Rd., Krabi, ☎ (075)611474-6, [14]. Standard western style hotel. Double rooms with fan start from 400 baht and rooms with air-con from 500 baht. There is a buffet restaurant on the premise offering buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  edit Vieng Thong Hotel, 155 Uttrakit Rd., ☎ (075)620207 (viengthong2001@hotmail.com), [15]. 900-1200 THB per night - these prices are wishful thinking of the management as it is barely a 2-star hotel; has to be bargained down agressively after looking at the rooms. A hotel a bit of a walk from Chao Fa Rd., close to the city-market. Some older rooms overlook the river and the Khao Khanab Nam rocks, the symbol of Krabi. The newer rooms have windows to a brickwall or to another room at just 2 meters distance. There are conference rooms and restaurant (overpriced) on premises.  edit Greenhouse Hotel, 35 Maharaj Rd. It is centrally located some 200 metres from the "traffic lights" and Vogue shopping centre. Breakfast is included in the price. Little English is spoken but this depends who is on duty at the time. Shower water is hot, no lift, and free internet (two terminals) in the lobby. Staff were very helpful when a club opened nearby and the loud music was blowing the writer out of bed. A complaint to find another hotel had the staff talk to the club and the noise stopped promptly at 10pm, so a decent night's sleep was obtained. 850-1000 baht.  edit Splurge Krabi Loma Hotel, 20 Chao Fa Rd., ☎ (075)611168 (Booking@Krabi-Loma-Hotel.com), [16]. a standard hotel, with a swimming pool and restaurant on premises.  edit Phanom Bencha Mountain Resort, ☎ +66-75660-501 (info.pbmr@gmail.com), [17]. This garden resort is a 50-minute ride from downtown Krabi and the airport, and has a natural swimming pool and trekking opportunities in the adjacent Phanom Bencha National Park. Low/high season prices are: double bungalows for 4 people 1000/1300 baht; single bungalows 500/800 baht; tents 350 baht. This is an eco resort.  edit Contact Nationwide television, cable TVs and local cable TV channels are available on Ko Lanta. International newspapers and magazines are available at some bookstores. Landline telephones, satellite phones, all mobile phone systems, high-speed internet (ADSL) are available. There is also a main post office on Uttrakit Rd. about a block south of Chao Fa Rd. with parcel services. Get out Ao Nang Ko Phi Phi Ko Lanta Rai Leh Phuket Khao Lak Ko Jum Ko Lipe Ko Siboya Khao Sok Baan Ao Leuk Routes through Krabi Town Bangkok ← Phang Nga ←  N  S  → Trang → Sadao This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!