For most first visits, stay in Ao Nang: it has the widest choice of rooms, the boats to Railay and the islands leave from its beach, and you can walk to dinner. Choose Railay for car-free scenery, Krabi Town for a low budget and local life, and Klong Muang or Tubkaek for a quiet resort stay where you will need a vehicle for almost everything.
Krabi is not one town but a stretch of coast with several separate bases, each 15 to 40 minutes from the next by road or boat. Where you sleep decides how much time you spend in taxis and longtails, so it is worth thinking about before you book. Our Krabi guide introduces the province and its beaches; this page compares the bases side by side.
| Base | Best for | Beach | Evenings | Getting around |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ao Nang | First visit, tours, families | Busy town beach | Restaurants, bars, markets | Walkable; longtails from the beach |
| Nopparat Thara | Ao Nang access with more space | Long, shaded, quieter | Few options, walk or ride to Ao Nang | Short ride to Ao Nang |
| Railay | Scenery, climbing, no cars | West Railay and Phra Nang | Small bars, quiet after dark | Boat only |
| Krabi Town | Low budget, local food, transit | None in town | Night markets, riverside | Buses, ferries, airport close |
| Klong Muang / Tubkaek | Resort stays, couples, rest | Calm, uncrowded | Mostly hotel restaurants | Taxi or own vehicle |
Ao Nang: the practical choice
Ao Nang is where the infrastructure is. Hotels range from hostels to large resorts, the main road is lined with restaurants and tour desks, and the longtail boats to Railay leave from the beach in front of town. If you plan to do one or more island tours, staying here means short pick-ups or none at all.
The trade-off is that Ao Nang is a resort town built for visitors, not a village. The beach itself is fine for a swim but not the reason to come. Rooms on the hill streets behind the beach road cost noticeably less than seafront hotels and are often a short walk from the sand; check the map, because some "Ao Nang" hotels are several kilometers inland.
Our Ao Nang guide goes into the town itself. As a base it suits first-timers, families who want restaurants within walking distance, and anyone without a scooter.
Nopparat Thara: the calmer next-door beach
Nopparat Thara (Hat Noppharat Thara) begins where Ao Nang ends, to the north-west, and is part of the national park that also covers Phi Phi. The beach is long and backed by casuarina trees, and at low tide the sea goes out a long way. Hotels sit along the road behind the beach rather than on it.
It works well if you want Ao Nang's restaurants and boats within a short ride but a quieter room at night. Longtails also leave from the Nopparat Thara end. Without a scooter or bicycle, though, you will use taxis more than you expect, and the walk into Ao Nang in the heat is longer than it looks.
Railay: beautiful, boat-only, and a little awkward
Railay is a peninsula cut off from the road network by limestone cliffs, so you reach it only by boat: about 15 minutes by longtail from Ao Nang, or from Krabi Town. That isolation is the point. There are no cars, the cliffs rise straight behind the beach, and in the evening the day-trippers leave.
The peninsula has four distinct areas, and they suit different people:
- West Railay: the swimming beach, with mid-range and upscale resorts. The best all-round choice if your budget allows.
- East Railay: a mangrove shore where boats from Krabi Town land; not a swimming beach, but cheaper rooms a few minutes' walk from West Railay.
- Phra Nang: the beach at the southern tip, reached on foot from East Railay; very limited accommodation.
- Tonsai: over the headland from West Railay, popular with rock climbers, simpler and cheaper.
Think about logistics before booking. Longtails usually land on the beach, so you may step into knee-deep water with your bags; a backpack is easier than a large suitcase. Food, drinks and laundry cost more because everything arrives by boat, and in rough weather boats can be few or stop for a while. The Railay Beach guide covers the beaches and climbing.
Pack light if you are going to Railay. The longtail landing is a wet one, there is no road for a taxi to meet you, and the paths between East and West Railay are short but not built for wheeled suitcases.
Krabi Town: cheap, local and close to everything except the beach
Krabi Town is a working provincial town on the Krabi River, about 18 km by road from Ao Nang. It has the cheapest guesthouses in the area, markets with food for local prices, and a real daily life that the beach areas lack. It is also the best place to sleep before an early flight, bus or ferry, because the airport and the long-distance bus terminal are both closer than from the beaches.
The obvious drawback is that you have to travel to every beach. If you stay in town for several days, budget for daily rides to Ao Nang or plan boat trips that pick up from town. For one or two nights at the start or end of a trip, it is a good choice.
Klong Muang and Tubkaek: quiet resort coast
North-west of Ao Nang, the coast at Klong Muang and Tubkaek (also spelled Tub Kaek) is lined with larger resorts and very little else. Klong Muang is about 12 km from Ao Nang by road, and Tubkaek a little further. The beaches are calm and uncrowded, and the views look out towards the islands of Phang Nga Bay.
These are places to stay in, not to go out in. Expect to eat most meals at your hotel or take a taxi to Ao Nang, and check whether your resort runs a shuttle. For a honeymoon or a week of rest this is ideal; for a first trip with tours every day it is inconvenient.
Reasons to choose Klong Muang or Tubkaek
- Quiet beaches with few day visitors
- Larger rooms and resort facilities
- Good sunsets over the bay
Reasons to think twice
- Few restaurants outside the hotels
- Taxis needed for Ao Nang and tours
- Not much to do in the evening
Getting between the bases
Transport shapes daily life in Krabi more than most visitors expect. Grab and Bolt both list Krabi as a service area (October 2026), which makes taxis between Ao Nang, Krabi Town and the resort coast easier to price; see our comparison of Bolt and Grab. Shared pickup trucks (songthaew) run on the main road between Krabi Town and Ao Nang during the day, and hotels and tour desks sell transfers.
Many visitors rent a scooter. If you do, you need a valid licence for a motorcycle, a helmet by law, and insurance that covers riding; the UK government warns that unlicensed or uninsured riding can invalidate travel insurance. Our guide to riding a scooter safely in Thailand covers the rest.
Longtails link Ao Nang, Nopparat Thara and Railay by sea. They leave when enough passengers have gathered, and the fare is higher after dark; check the price on the board at the ticket booth on the beach road.
When the season changes the answer
From December to April the sea is calm and every base works. In the rainy months, roughly May to October, Railay's boat-only access becomes a real consideration: crossings are rougher and there can be waits. Thai Meteorological Department normals give Krabi around 270–290 mm of rain in each month from August to October. In this season a hotel in Ao Nang or Krabi Town, where roads reach the door, is the more flexible choice, and resort prices on the quiet coast often fall.
If you are moving on, Krabi Town is the natural last stop for the minivan and ferry to Koh Lanta, and Ao Nang has boats towards Koh Yao Noi and Phi Phi; see where to stay on Phi Phi if you plan nights there too.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to stay in Ao Nang or Railay?
Ao Nang is better for convenience, budget choice, restaurants and tours, because everything is walkable and roads reach your hotel. Railay is better for scenery and a car-free stay, but it costs more and every arrival and departure is by longtail boat. Many people split their stay: most nights in Ao Nang, one or two in Railay.
Is Krabi Town worth staying in?
Yes, for one or two nights, especially before an early flight, bus or ferry. It is the cheapest base with the most local food, but there is no beach in town, so for a beach holiday you would spend a lot of time in taxis.
How far is Ao Nang from Krabi Town?
About 18 km by road, usually under half an hour without traffic. Songthaew pickup trucks, taxis, Grab and Bolt connect the two. Krabi Airport is east of Krabi Town, so Ao Nang is roughly 30 km from the airport.
Where should families stay in Krabi?
Ao Nang or Nopparat Thara suit most families, with short transfers, many restaurants and island tours leaving from the beach. Klong Muang and Tubkaek work for families who want a resort with a pool and are happy to stay mostly at the hotel.
Sources
- Grab Thailand – Transport services and cities (checked October 2026)
- Bolt – Cities in Thailand (checked October 2026)
- Thai Meteorological Department – Climate normals 1991–2020 (Krabi station) (checked October 2026)
- UK FCDO – Thailand travel advice: safety and security (checked October 2026)