Krabi International Airport (KBV) sits on the west coast of southern Thailand in Krabi Province, 10 kilometres east of central Krabi Town and 15 kilometres from Ao Nang Beach, the region's main resort strip. The airport opened in 1999 and was rebuilt to its current capacity in 2017, with a single runway handling around 4.8 million passengers per year on direct flights from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK), Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK), Chiang Mai, Singapore Changi, Kuala Lumpur KLIA, and seasonal routes from Stockholm, Helsinki, Zurich, and Moscow via charter operators Finnair and Nordic Leisure Travel. KBV is the primary gateway for the limestone-karst coastline of the Andaman Sea, for Railay Peninsula rock-climbing, Ao Nang beach holidays, Phi Phi Islands day trips, and for Koh Lanta and Koh Jum longer-stay island escapes.
Book an airport transfer to Krabi Airport
Fixed-price private transfers with English-speaking drivers. Meet-and-greet included.
Getting to and from Krabi Airport
The airport terminal is compact by regional standards with a single pedestrian level for departures, a ground-level arrivals hall, five jet bridges, and remote bus-parking positions for lower-season demand. All four rental-car agencies (Avis, Budget, Sixt, Thai Rent a Car) have counters inside the arrivals hall; a compact economy rental runs 850 to 1,400 Thai baht a day with insurance. The arrivals hall has a Bangkok Bank ATM, a SIM-card counter from AIS and True Move, a small food court upstairs in the departure lounge, and a 7-Eleven convenience store just outside the exit. Left-luggage service at 150 baht per piece per day runs from a small kiosk near the taxi rank. The Amari VIP lounge inside departures is 750 baht per person for three hours, with hot meals, showers, and a free bar. The airport WiFi is reliable and unlimited with a simple SMS-verified login.
Getting from KBV to the main resort zones is the most common question. A pre-booked private transfer from KBV arrivals to Ao Nang typically lands at 700 to 950 baht for a sedan and 900 to 1,400 baht for a van, with meet and greet at the arrivals exit and a 30-minute drive. Phi Phi Islands are reached by transfer to Klong Jilard pier in Krabi Town followed by a two-hour ferry; many visitors book a door-to-door combo ticket at 850 baht one way. Koh Lanta takes 2.5 hours by a combination of minivan and Ban Hua Hin car ferry; door-to-door is 750 baht. The airport bus service number 8838 runs 24 times daily between KBV, Krabi Town, Ao Nang, and Nopparat Thara pier for 150 baht per person. Metered taxis at the dedicated taxi rank charge 450 baht fixed-rate to Ao Nang and 300 baht to Krabi Town. Grab rideshare is available but pickup is restricted to a designated spot near the long-stay parking.
Railay Peninsula, accessible only by longtail boat from Ao Nang or Krabi Town, is the jewel of the Krabi coastline. The peninsula's four beaches, Railay West, Railay East, Phra Nang Cave Beach, and Tonsai, sit beneath 300-metre limestone cliffs that draw rock climbers year-round. Railay West is the swimming and sunset beach with a white-sand strip and calm water; Phra Nang Cave Beach with its principal stalactite shrine to the sea goddess Phra Nang is the single most photographed beach in southern Thailand. A longtail from Ao Nang to Railay costs 200 baht per person with a 10-person minimum departure; private charter for a single party starts at 2,000 baht round-trip. Rock climbing operators including King Climbers and Real Rocks run half-day beginner courses for 1,200 baht per person and full-day lessons for 2,000 baht, with gear included.
The Four Islands day trip from Ao Nang is the other standard excursion, visiting Poda Island, Chicken Island, Tub Island, and the long sandbar connecting Chicken Island and Tub Island at low tide. Longtail boat tours run 500 to 900 baht per person including snorkeling gear and a beach lunch. Bigger speedboat tours with hotel pickup, better snorkel gear and more stops run 1,500 to 2,200 baht. The Hong Islands north of Ao Nang are a second all-day tour option with a partially-enclosed lagoon reachable only through a narrow natural arch. Phi Phi Islands is the biggest-name day trip 40 kilometres southwest, often combined with Maya Bay where The Beach was filmed; speedboat day tours from Ao Nang including lunch, snorkel gear, and national-park fees run 1,800 to 2,600 baht per person, departing 8:30 am and returning 5 pm.
Nearby hotels in Krabi Airport
Accommodation around KBV clusters in three zones. Ao Nang Beach is the central resort strip with a two-kilometre beachfront boulevard of mid-range and budget hotels, family restaurants, and longtail-boat piers; hotels here include Krabi Resort at 3,200 baht, Aonang Princeville at 2,600 baht, and the five-star Centara Grand Beach Resort at 7,500 to 12,000 baht. Krabi Town, 15 kilometres east, gives a more authentic provincial-capital feel with riverside night markets, the Khao Kanab Nam twin-limestone cliffs river viewpoint, and cheaper guesthouses at 600 to 1,800 baht. Klong Muang and Tubkaek beaches north of Ao Nang hold upmarket spa resorts like Dusit Thani, Sofitel Krabi and Centara Grand Tubkaek at 6,500 to 18,000 baht with private coves. Railay Peninsula holds a small cluster of resorts only accessible by boat, with Railay Princess and Rayavadee at 5,500 to 28,000 baht nights.
Food around Ao Nang and the airport zone showcases southern Thai cooking with a heavy Muslim influence in roti and mataba pancakes. Lae Lay Grill on the Ao Nang hillside is the classic sunset seafood restaurant with steamed sea bass in lime-chili, grilled tiger prawns, and a tom yum goong at 450 to 900 baht per dish. Soi Sunset in central Ao Nang has walkable street stalls with pad thai at 80 baht, green curry at 150, and mango sticky rice at 120. Krabi Town's Chao Fah Pier night market opens 5 to 10 pm daily with massaman curry, fresh squid skewers, and sato-bean stir-fries from the Muslim fishing villages. Koh Klang Island, a 15-minute longtail ride from Krabi Town, offers Muslim-village homestays with crab curry and green-mango salad cooking classes. A full massaman-curry-and-rice dinner for two at the night market runs 320 baht.
Shopping around KBV is modest and mostly focused on Ao Nang's Center Point market, McDonald's-area night bazaar, and the Krabi Town Walking Street that runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings 5 to 10 pm. The Walking Street sells batik sarongs at 250 baht, woven-rattan hats at 180, hand-painted coconut shells at 80, Thai herbal balm jars at 50, and durian-flavoured candy. Central Plaza Krabi, a modern mall 10 minutes from KBV on Highway 4, has international brands, a cinema and a Tops supermarket for 7-Eleven-alternative groceries. Duty-free shopping at KBV departures is limited to three small counters; most southern Thailand travellers pick up last-minute gifts at the larger Phuket airport duty-free instead. Pearl jewellery from the Andaman oyster farms is sold through certified shops near Ao Nang's central beach plaza at 800 to 6,500 baht.
Practical info & when to visit
Nightlife around KBV concentrates in Ao Nang and has a mellow family-resort pace rather than a clubbing intensity. Chang Bar on Ao Nang Beach plays fire-spinning shows every night at 9 pm over buckets of Chang beer and Sangsom whisky. Bamboo Bar and Last Cafe on the Ao Nang northern end pour cocktails at beach bean bags until midnight. In Krabi Town, Old West Bar and Why Not Bar host live guitar sessions. For a fuller nightlife experience travellers usually head to Phuket or Phi Phi Don's Reggae Bar. Thai Muay Thai stadium fights run at Ao Nang Krabi Stadium Tuesday and Friday 8 pm with ringside seats at 1,200 baht. Ladyboy cabaret shows are performed at the Aonang Cabaret Show nightly at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm for 600 baht.
Seasonality in Krabi runs on Andaman Sea monsoon patterns. High season runs November through March with 28 to 33 degree days, minimal rainfall, and clear calm seas ideal for boat tours. Peak prices land late December through mid-January. April and May heat up to 35 degrees with haze from regional agricultural burning in early April; hotel rates ease after Songkran. The southwest monsoon runs mid-May through October with heavy but brief afternoon downpours, rougher seas closing some speedboat operations to Phi Phi and Koh Lanta, but the lowest hotel rates of the year and greener landscapes. September is traditionally the wettest month. National parks Ao Nang Marine and Hat Noppharat Thara close island overnight stays during monsoon but keep day trips operating most years. The Loy Krathong lantern festival in November and the Thailand Phi Ta Khon ghost festival in June lift the calendar.
Practical travel tips for a KBV-based trip: always pre-book the first airport transfer because the metered-taxi queue after a late-night Bangkok flight can stretch 45 minutes. Carry Thai baht cash in 100 and 500 denominations for longtail fares, 7-Eleven snacks, and night-market food; ATMs at KBV and every beach have a 220-baht foreign-card withdrawal fee. Reef-safe sunscreen is mandatory at national parks including Hat Noppharat Thara. A waterproof phone pouch saves equipment during longtail rides. Decent walking sandals handle beach sand, rocky longtail-boat boarding, and Ao Nang evening markets better than flip-flops. Most Ao Nang and Railay restaurants add a 10 percent service charge and 7 percent VAT to check totals, so budget accordingly. The tap water is not potable; bottled 20-baht 1.5-litre water is in every 7-Eleven.