Ultimate Krabi 4 Day Itinerary: Krabi, Thailand Guide

Perfect 4 Day in Krabi, Thailand Itinerary

Located on Thailand’s Southwestern coast, Krabi is a total paradise! With pristine beaches, giant limestone cliffs, friendly people, and island hopping, you will never want to leave. This 4 day Krabi itinerary covers how to see some of the top attractions you won’t want to miss!  If this is your first time in Thailand, I would also recommend reading the 15 things to know before visiting Thailand!

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How to Get to Krabi, Thailand

Getting to Krabi is easiest by plane. Their airport is Krabi International Airport (KBV). We actually flew in from Chiang Mai, but if you only want to visit the beaches of Thailand, we would suggest flying into Bangkok first and spending a couple of days. Bangkok is home to some of Thailand’s most beautiful temples.

From Bangkok, you will find pretty inexpensive flights to Krabi. For flights, we use Skyscanner to find the best price and time. In Thailand, another popular transportation tool you should check is 12goAsia.

How to Explore Krabi

There are several ways you can get around Krabi. If you stay centrally in Ao Nang, there will be very little travel except to and from the airport. Locally, you can also get tuk-tuks for short trips, Grab Car service (like Uber) or hire a private driver for day trips. Krabi is also a great location for island hopping.

Day 1: Explore Ao Nang And Railway Beach

Why not start your trip with the amazing beaches in Krabi! After all, they are the main attraction of Krabi! Ao Nang and Railway are easily the best beaches to visit and the closest in proximity.

Ao Nang Beach

The first beach you should hit is Ao Nang. If you stay in Ao Nang (which we recommend), you will be within walking distance to sinking your toes in the sand!

Depending on the tide, you can have a far walk down to the water or the ocean will be up to the stairs. The tides in Thailand can make a huge difference! With a long stretch of beach, you will be able to find a great spot to relax.

Railay Beach

Is there such a thing as too much beach? Make sure you add Railway beach to your 4 day Krabi itinerary. From Ao Nang Beach, Railway beach is about a 15-minute boat ride.  This short ride includes views of giant limestone cliffs surrounded by brilliant turquoise water!

Railay beach is probably the most popular beach to visit in Krabi. This little beach town is full of food vendors and cute little shops. Kayaking, snorkeling, and rock climbing is also very popular in this area. You can even spot monkeys walking through the small island!

Tips on How to Get to Railay Beach From Ao Nang

There are some tips you should know in order to get a boat to Railay beach without any hiccups.

1. From Ao Nang beach, you will see longtail boats on the beach. To get to the boats, you may need to wade through the water. Sometimes the water can be up to your waist, so dress accordingly and think about bringing a dry pack. 
2. You can walk right up to the boats and pay for either a single trip or a round trip. We bought single trips for both visits we did. The single trip is usually around 100-150bht, depending on the time of day. Later in the day tends to be more expensive.
3. The boat will not leave until there are about 8-10 people aboard.
4. if you bought a roundtrip ticket, be aware that there are two different companies. One company will have purple banners and the other red. You can only do your round trip with the company you purchased through.

Krabi Bar Hopping

In the afternoon, Ao Nang has a strip of bars that are basically a hole in the wall. At first, we were a little taken aback by all the girls trying to grab us to come inside. After we got past that, we found many of these outside bars consisted of the women playing pool, connect four, and Jenga with the tourists.

If you lost, they wanted you to buy them a drink. Overall we had a good time and conversed with other tourists and locals.

If bars are not your scene, consider adding a sunset dinner cruise or a Krabi cooking class to your 4 day itinerary! Cooking classes are very popular in Thailand and it’s a fun way to experience their culture.

Day 2: A Day Trip to Tiger Cave

After a full day of relaxing at the beach consider adding the trek to Tiger Cave Temple. We booked a private driver through the hotel. You can also go on a group tour.

Tiger cave temple is found in Northeast Krabi with a 1,237-stair climb to the summit. Upon arrival, don’t be surprised if the grounds are covered with monkeys. This climb is a little difficult, especially in Thailand’s humid climate, but the views at the top are beautiful.

This climb is not for everyone. We were drenched in sweat before we made it to the top, and I need to stop multiple times for a break. If you don’t enjoy hiking or have a problem with climbing stairs, you should skip this. An alternate Krabi attraction would be visiting the Emerald lake and hot Springs or doing an additional island hopping tour. 

Tips Before Going to Tiger Cave

Make sure to bring lots of water and use the restroom before you go. On the trail, there are only squat toilets. Squat toilets are common in Thailand, so we always made sure to have wipes with us.

Also, make sure to bring sunscreen and bug spray since you will likely sweat it all off. Lastly, wear comfortable sneakers for the climb.

Find additional things you should pack in this Thailand Packing Guide, along with my ultimate beach vacation packing list!

Address: Krabi Noi, Mueang Krabi District, Krabi 81000, Thailand

Day 3: Krabi Island Hopping Tour

You can’t visit Krabi without doing an island hopping tour to your 4 day itinerary. We suggest doing a 4 or 5 island boat tour, this way you will have optimal time at each destination. Any more than this will be exhausting!

I’d recommend no more than 5 stops for a day trip. Any more than that, you might not get enough time at each spot. Find tours here!

Day 4: Optional Day Trip to Phi Phi Island, Bamboo Island or Railay Beach

On day 4 in your Krabi Itinerary, we would recommend taking a day trip to Phi Phi island, Bamboo Island or Railay Beach. You might also want to consider spending 1 or 2 days in Phuket, another popular beach town!

Day Trip to Phi Phi

If Phi Phi Island is not included in your boat tour, or your tour only lets you explore for an hour. We only had about an hour to explore this island and it was nowhere close to enough. This island is arguably one of the most beautiful islands and famous around the world! Find Tours here!

Bamboo Island Day Trip

Bamboo island is another option. This was the cleanest beach and clearest water we experienced in Thailand. This island is smaller and has fewer facilities so you will want to bring lunch.

Railay Beach

If you don’t feel like taking a full-day boat trip, you can also head back to Railway beach! We visited this beach twice during our trip because we loved it so much!

Sunset at Ao Nang Beach

Enjoy your last night watching the sunset at Ao Nang beach! If you enjoy beer, we recommend grabbing a few Chang beers on the swings. They can be found all the way to the left of the beach (if you are facing the water).

Best Places to Stay in Krabi

We stayed in the heart of Ao Nang with just a 5-minute walk to the beach! Being more of a budget traveler, we stayed at Kokotel. The space was fun and convenient. Breakfast was included in our stay, however, I would recommend getting breakfast elsewhere.

Overall we really enjoyed our stay here, and the price of this hotel was very reasonable for such a good location! You will find restaurants lining down both sides of the streets, so finding food is not hard. To see  Kokotel hotel click here!

For additional accommodations, check with Booking.com.

Best Time to Visit Krabi

The best time to visit Krabi and the rest of Southwest Thailand is October through April. Monsoon season begins in May and ends around October. May is considered the offseason, therefore everything drops in price.

We happened to travel to Krabi at the beginning of May and had one or two big storms. They were both at night, and it doesn’t tend to rain for too long. One night the power did go out in the whole town for about 10 minutes, but according to locals, that is normal during storms.

 Krabi, Thailand 4 Day Itinerary Wrap-up

This concludes our Krabi 4 day itinerary. Although slightly touristy, we really enjoyed our time in Krabi and we hope you have the best time exploring Krabi too! 

Here are more popular Thailand Guides: Chiang Mai Itinerary | Temples to see in Bangkok | Volunteering with Elephants 

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