The best ways to get to Krabi

Krabi is located on the south-west coast of Thailand, around 800km from Bangkok and 170km from Phuket. It is easily accessible by road, air and sea. We’ve provided a lot of details on how to do this, so please scroll down or use the quick links below to jump to the section you need.

Getting to Krabi by plane
Getting to Krabi by bus
Getting to Krabi by train
Getting to Krabi by car
Getting to Krabi by boat

How to get to Krabi by plane

Krabi Airport (KBV) is small and conveniently situated for just about everywhere in the province as it is on the main highway, Route 4.

Which airlines fly to Krabi?

Below we list all the scheduled airlines who fly direct to Krabi. For current flight schedules and ticketing, please visit the airline website. All of them offer online booking facilities; links are provided for your convenience, but please note that we are not affiliated with the airlines in any way and cannot be held responsible for bookings made on these sites.

Currently you can fly directly to Krabi year round from four different countries: there are international flights from Singapore; from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Doha in Qatar (which connects to Qatar Airlines’ worldwide network); and Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Nanning, Nanchang, Guilin, Jinjiang, Guiyang, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Changsha, Hefei, Kunming, Tianjin, Taiyuan, Shenyang and Shanghai (Pudong) in China.

Starting 31 October 2018, and running for only the winter season until 31 March 2019, Norwegian Airlines is also offering direct flights to Krabi from Scandinavia: twice a week (Thu and Sat) from Copenhagen, twice a week from Oslo (Tue and Sun), and twice a week from Stockholm Arlanda (Wed and Fri).

Note: additional charter flights to Krabi also operate during the high season months (Nov – Apr) from other cities in Scandinavia, Poland, Germany and Russia: please contact your local travel agent for further details as these services change frequently.

Domestic flights go to and from Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui. There are 2 airports in Bangkok, please make sure you have the right one if you have an onward flight.
Airport codes:
DMK – Don Muang Airport (Bangkok)
BKK – Suvarnnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok)
KBV – Krabi Airport.
If you do need to transfer between Don Muang and Suvarnnabhumi Airport, please allow at least 4 hours in peak periods. The two airlines that fly KBV – BKK, Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways, are the ones used by international airlines for their connecting flights (also known as a codeshare arrangement), and they will usually transfer baggage directly to / from your international flights. Other airlines will not offer a check through service.

Air Asia
Krabi Airport Office: +66 (0)75 701551
Air Asia is a budget airline that flies from Bangkok (DMK) to Krabi 8 times daily and offers one daily flight from Chiang Mai to Krabi. They also have international flights from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Guangzhou to Krabi 1 – 3 times a day on each route.

Bangkok Airways
Krabi Office: +66 (0)75 701608
Bangkok Airways operates direct flights from Krabi to Koh Samui daily, with additional flights at peak times. They also have daily flights between Krabi and Bangkok (BKK).

Nok Air
Call centre: +662-900-9955, or 1318 (free) within Thailand
The low cost carrier Nok Air offers flights from Bangkok (DMK) to Krabi, with two services daily.

Qatar Airways
Krabi Airport Office: +66 (0)75 701683
Qatar offers 3 – 5 flights a week, depending on the time of year, to and from its hub in Doha. This means direct flights to Krabi can be booked from any of its destinations in Europe, Africa or America via the Doha hub, a very convenient way to travel.

Scoot
Call centre: 001 800 852 7146 (toll-free within Thailand)
Scoot (formerly Tiger Airways) operates one daily flight from Singapore. Note: Scoot is also a budget airline, so allow plenty of time for onward connections.

Thai Airways
Krabi Airport Office: +66 (0)75 701591-3
Thai Airways operates on the Bangkok (BKK) – Krabi route, with some flights under the name Thai Smile Air. There are 4 – 5 flights daily in total. They are the best choice if you have a connecting flight as they are a full service airline (part of Star Alliance). Business class also available.

Thai Lion Air
Call centre: +662-529-9999
The low cost carrier Lion Air offers flights from Bangkok (DMK) to Krabi, with three services daily, as well as a daily flight to / from Singapore.

For Chinese flights to Krabi, please contact China Eastern Airlines; Hong Kong Airlines; Spring Airlines; Juneyao Air; Newgen Airways; Okay Airlines; Shanghai Airlines; Sichuan Airlines and Lucky Air.

Another airport near to Krabi is Phuket International Airport (HKT), around two hours’ drive away (taxi 2500 – 2700 baht per car). This is worth considering as an alternative arrival point as it is a much larger airport serving many more international destinations. There is also a good selection of cheap charter flights to Phuket, which could save you money – even factoring in the extra cost of the taxi.

For information about travelling to and from the airport in Krabi, please see our detailed airport guide – getting to and from Krabi Airport and the services available inside the terminal building.

How to get to Krabi by bus

Buses for Krabi leave from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal on Boromratch Chonnani Road. Most travel overnight and cost from 620-970 baht, depending on the levels of comfort inside. Journey time is around 10 hours. Tickets rarely have to be booked in advance, excepting around Thai public holidays. There are also direct bus connections from Had Yai (234 baht); Phuket (155 baht); Trang (129 baht); and many other destinations, including Malaysia.

So-called “tourist” buses and minivans also operate the same routes for a similar cost and will often pick up from your hotel; contact an agent once you are here for more information.

Joint ferry + bus tickets are available from (and back to) islands on the east coast (Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan) and further south (Koh Lipe and Langkawi). These are run by the same “tourist” bus companies and offer a relatively seamless transfer, though expect a fair amount of waiting around.

Reports of thefts on the tourist buses (the kind that store luggage in a hold under the bus) are fairly common, so keep valuables on you at all times. Not all buses have toilet facilities – please check before you travel! Note also that reckless driving on all buses and minivans in Thailand is the norm and the death toll from road accidents here is one of the highest in the world: fatal crashes involving tour vehicles amount to 30 – 50+ incidents per year nationally – one every week or so. (When you actually see how people drive here, these figures may in fact seem miraculously low…). Of course, the odds are that you will make it safely, but if you are of a nervous disposition, be warned!

Buses all arrive in Krabi Town. Public buses go to the bus terminal in Talaat Kao; private tourist buses arrive in the Andaman Wave Master or Lomprayah stations slightly out of town. From any of these places it is easy to catch a local bus or taxi to the beach areas, or to the pier if you are heading to the islands.

How to get to Krabi by train

There is no railway in Krabi, so you can’t actually get here by train! But it’s a common misconception that you can, so we feel it’s worth noting, if you were planning to come by this route. If you are travelling from the north of the country, the nearest train station to Krabi is in Surat Thani. From the south of Thailand or Malaysia, the nearest station is Trang. From either of these stations, it is possible to continue your journey to Krabi by bus (see above) or taxi, which should take 1.5 – 2 hours.

Driving to Krabi

The road network in Thailand is excellent and there are easy to follow highways that will bring you to Krabi from either the north, south or east. The GPS coordinates you will need are N 8.08346, E 98.895437. These will bring to you to the main junction at Klong Jilad from where you can head straight into Krabi Town, or turn right to head to the various beach areas. These are clearly signposted from this junction (look out for the blue panel signage). Larger hotels will provide off-street parking; this is especially important if staying in the beach area of Ao Nang, where parking can be difficult.

How to get to Krabi by boat

If you are travelling from Phuket, it is possible to come directly to Ao Nang on the ferry operated by Ao Nang Travel or the faster speedboat, operated by Green Planet, which also picks up passengers in Koh Yao. Current schedule is below:
Phuket – Ao Nang
Ferry: 8.30, 700 baht
Boats leave from Rassada Pier
Speedboat: 15.00, 1250 baht
Boat leaves from Bang Rong pier and travels via Koh Yao (700 baht).

Ao Nang – Phuket
Ferry: 15.00, 700 baht
Boats leave from Nopparat Thara pier, going via Railay / Tonsai.
Journey time 1 hr 45 mins, daily service from November – April; thrice weekly (Sun, Wed, Fri) from May – October
Speedboat: 11.00, 1250 baht
Boat leaves from Nopparat Thara pier and travels via Koh Yao (700 baht).

It is also possible to travel by boat then overland to Krabi from the larger Thai islands (Samui, Phangan, Tao, Lipe) with a joint ferry + bus ticket (see “Getting to Krabi by bus“, above). These tickets do not need to be booked in advance and are easily available from any local tour agent.

If you wish to bring your own boat, there is a municipal marina in Krabi Town, that is small but centrally located: Krabi River Marina; or the recently opened Krabi Boat Lagoon, which is in the more isolated Neua Klong district. This marina is better equipped, with around 80 berths for yachts of up to 75 feet, and more than 100 hard stand slots and is managed by the experienced team from Phuket Boat Lagoon. More development around these marinas, as well as new marina sites are being planned, but have yet to open.