Krabi is the easy Andaman arrival that people make hard. It has its own airport with hourly budget flights from Bangkok for the price of a nice dinner, a night bus that’s cheaper than the dinner, and a train that goes most of the way and then stops — and every year travellers spend fifteen hours and a sleepless night getting there to save a thousand baht they’ll hand a longtail driver by lunch. Here is every Bangkok to Krabi route costed for 2026, with the honest verdict on each, and the one thing the airport doesn’t tell you: Krabi town, Ao Nang and Railay are three different places, and your ticket ends at the first.
The short answer: fly. Krabi is the one Andaman destination where flying is both the fastest and, most weeks, the cheapest sensible option — ฿900–2,500 from Don Mueang, 80 minutes, then a ฿150 shared van to Ao Nang. The night bus is for the genuinely broke or the genuinely romantic; the train is for people who’ve already done the night bus. Where you go once you land is in our Krabi area-by-area stay guide.
Bangkok to Krabi: your options compared
One-way, one adult, August 2026 fares; door-to-door times assume central Bangkok to an Ao Nang hotel. Fares move with season and lead time — treat them as a compass.
| Route | Door to door | Cost | Best for | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fly DMK/BKK → Krabi (KBV) + van | 4–5 hours | ฿1,100–2,800 | Almost everyone | Flights on 12Go |
| Night bus, Sai Tai Mai → Krabi | 12–13 hours (overnight) | ฿700–1,200 | Tight budgets; saving a hotel night | Buses on 12Go |
| Night train to Surat Thani + bus | 15–17 hours (overnight) | ฿1,000–1,800 | Rail romantics with time | Train + bus |
| Fly to Phuket + bus or ferry to Krabi | 6–8 hours | ฿1,200–2,500 | When Phuket flights are far cheaper, or you’re doing both | Phuket → Krabi on 12Go |
| Drive | 10–12 hours | fuel and tolls, ~฿2,000 | Road-trippers looping the south | — |
Flying to Krabi: the right answer, most weeks
AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion fly Don Mueang (DMK) to Krabi many times a day for ฿900–2,500 depending on how early you book and whether it’s December; Thai VietJet, Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways fly from Suvarnabhumi (BKK) for a little more, which is worth it if you’re connecting from an international flight and don’t want the hour across town to Don Mueang. Flight time is about 80 minutes. Krabi airport is small and efficient, forty minutes from Ao Nang: the shared airport van is ฿150 per person to Ao Nang (counter in arrivals), the airport bus a little less, and a metered-ish taxi ฿600–700 for the car. Ask for Krabi Town if you’re staying there (20 minutes, ฿100 by van). The Railay boats leave from Ao Nang or Ao Nam Mao — you can be on the peninsula three hours after landing.
Verdict: fly. The premium over the night bus is often under ฿500 once you count the bus’s 5am arrival and the taxi from its out-of-town terminal, and you arrive rested in daylight, which matters on an island-hopping coast. Compare the Bangkok–Krabi flights on 12Go, which lines the low-cost carriers up against each other and against the buses on one page.
The night bus: cheap, long, and it works
Government and private coaches leave Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai, a ฿150 Grab from Sukhumvit) through the evening and reach Krabi’s bus terminal — five kilometres outside Krabi Town, not in Ao Nang — twelve to thirteen hours later, which means before dawn. ฿700–900 for a first-class seat, ฿1,000–1,200 for a VIP 24-seater with the reclining armchairs, which is the one to buy; the overnight difference between a 32-seat and a 24-seat bus is the difference between sleeping and not. Bring a jumper: Thai buses are refrigerated. From the terminal, songthaews and taxis run to town (฿60–100) and Ao Nang (฿150 shared, ฿500–600 private), and you’ll be on a beach by eight.
Verdict: good value if the ฿1,000 genuinely matters or you want the hotel night saved; avoid the cheapest operators sold from Khao San agencies, which add a minivan transfer and a “free” stop at a shop. Book the named operators’ VIP coaches — Bangkok–Krabi buses on 12Go show the seat class and the departure terminal before you pay.
The train: most of the way, then a bus
There’s no railway to Krabi. The southern line’s sleeper trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat reach Surat Thani (Phun Phin station) between about 4am and 9am — ฿800–1,000 for a second-class air-con berth, ฿1,500–1,800 first class — and from there it’s a 2½-hour bus or minivan to Krabi for ฿200–300, with vans meeting the morning trains. You can also ride further to Trang and come up from the south (two hours), which suits anyone heading to Koh Lanta first. Total ฿1,000–1,800 and a long day, but a lovely one: you wake in the limestone south with the mist on the rubber plantations.
Verdict: for people who love trains and have the day; the Bangkok–Surat Thani sleepers and the Surat Thani–Krabi bus both book on 12Go, and the lower berths go first in high season. The same trains serve our Bangkok to Koh Samui and Bangkok to Phuket routes, so the whole Andaman-and-Gulf decision happens at one platform.
Via Phuket: when the fares say so
Phuket has far more flights than Krabi, so in peak weeks a Phuket fare can be half the Krabi one. From Phuket airport or town, buses and minivans run to Krabi in 2½–3 hours for ฿200–350; in high season the Phuket–Krabi ferry (via Phi Phi or direct to Ao Nang/Railay, 2–3 hours, ฿600–900) turns the transfer into the first island day. Worth it only if the flight saving is real or Phuket is on the itinerary anyway — Phuket to Krabi options are on 12Go.
Booking it: Krabi’s three arrival points, and the mistakes that cost a day
Know which “Krabi” your ticket ends at. The airport and bus terminal serve Krabi Town, the provincial capital on the river with no beach; Ao Nang, the resort strip and pier, is 20 km west; Railay is boat-only from Ao Nang or Ao Nam Mao (฿150, 10–15 minutes, last boats around 6pm). Plan the last leg before you land. Arrive in daylight if Railay is the first night — the longtail landing in waist-deep water with bags is a morning activity, and the boats stop at dusk. Green season (May–October) doesn’t change the mainland logistics but cancels island days and roughens the Railay crossing; high season (November–April) sells out the morning flights weeks ahead — book early, and book the Sunday–Thursday departures if the fares look high. Budget the onward spend: the longtail counters are fixed-price and fair; the Price Index has the taxi and boat fares you’ll meet at the other end.
Bangkok to Krabi: your questions, answered
What is the cheapest way to get from Bangkok to Krabi?
The night bus, at ฿700–1,200 all in — but a budget flight booked two or three weeks out is often ฿1,000–1,300 and saves you a night and a 5am arrival. For most people the flight is the cheaper choice once time is counted.
How long does it take to get from Bangkok to Krabi?
About 80 minutes in the air and 4–5 hours door to door including the Don Mueang transfer and the van to Ao Nang; 12–13 hours on the night bus; 15–17 hours by train and bus.
Is there a train from Bangkok to Krabi?
Not directly — Krabi has no railway. Take the sleeper to Surat Thani (or Trang) and finish by bus or minivan, 2–2½ hours. Every ferry and bus company sells the connection at the station.
How do you get from Krabi airport to Ao Nang or Railay?
Shared van from the arrivals counter, ฿150 a head, about 40 minutes to Ao Nang; taxi ฿600–700 for the car. For Railay, go to Ao Nang or Ao Nam Mao and take a longtail (฿150, 10–15 minutes) — there’s no road, so don’t look for a taxi that goes all the way.
Should I fly into Krabi or Phuket?
Krabi if Krabi is the destination — it’s smaller, closer to Ao Nang and has plenty of Bangkok flights. Phuket only when its fare is dramatically cheaper or you’re visiting both; the 2½-hour bus or the high-season ferry bridges them. Our Phuket stay guide and Bangkok to Phuket route guide cover that side.
Related guides
- Where to Stay in Krabi: Best Areas by Traveller Type
- Seven Days on the Andaman Coast: An Island-Hopper’s Itinerary
- Bangkok to Koh Samui: Every Route Costed
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Tickets: flights, VIP buses and the train-plus-bus combinations in one place — Bangkok to Krabi on 12Go, or the Bangkok to Ao Nang page if you want the van included. Hotels: pick Ao Nang, Railay, Krabi Town or the Klong Muang strip first, then compare Krabi hotels on Agoda. Not sure Krabi is your coast at all? Our Where to Go in Thailand matcher scores all 77 provinces against your month, your crowd tolerance and what you actually want from the trip.
