How to Go from Bangkok to Krabi

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Krabi, located in Southern Thailand on the Andaman Sea is a great place to visit on its own, but it is also the hopping off point for a little Thai island hopping – Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta are two of the popular islands that you can easily get to from here.  However, first of all, you need to get to Krabi.  And the good news is that you have options.  On the budget end of the scale, you can pick up an overnight bus, there are train and bus options, and also flights.  There are several options for transport between Bangkok and Krabi, but what’s the best way to go from Bangkok to Krabi?  And what are the options for traveling to Krabi from Bangkok?  Here’s our guide on how to get to Krabi from Bangkok.

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Easiest Way to go from Bangkok to Krabi

By far the easiest way to go to Krabi from Bangkok is to fly. Book early for the best prices and availability.

Book a Flight here

We had a fabulous time on our visit to Krabi – with great food and some super places to visit.  It’s definitely worth passing through here at least once, although several times will get you visiting a few more places in the area, as it’s a bit of a hub for getting to places once you’re here.

Where is Krabi

Krabi is about 780 kilometers (485 miles) from Bangkok – and that takes a heck of a long time if you travel overland, however, some of the transport options mean that you’ll be able to sleep and travel overnight while going from Bangkok to Krabi.  Krabi is in southern Thailand and is both the name of a province and a city.  This guide is about going to the city of Krabi, which is on the Andaman Sea.

You’ll likely want to visit Krabi because from here it is (relatively) easy to go from Krabi to Langkawi in Malaysia, or from here to Railay, or even the famous Phi Phi islands. One of the most popular routes here on ASocialNomad is Koh Tao to Krabi, so here’s a link to that.

How to Go from Bangkok to Krabi – Transport Options

In this guide on how to go from Bangkok to Krabi, we’ll cover the fastest way to travel from Bangkok to Krabi, the easiest way to go to Krabi from Bangkok, and the cheapest way to get to Krabi from Bangkok, as well as the most fun way to get to Krabi from Bangkok. 

How to get to Krabi from Bangkok

For transport from Krabi to Bangkok, then you have several options.  I’ll start with the quickest, which can take as little as 90 minutes (although that doesn’t include any check-in times!).

Flight from Bangkok to Krabi

The quickest way to get to Krabi from Bangkok is to fly (and as we found recently when we headed between Bangkok and Phuket, the sheer amount of time and hassle to do these trips by bus is huge, so if you have the budget, then fly).

Check the prices of flights from Bangkok to Krabi here.

Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Airport

Flying from Bangkok to Krabi is the most comfortable way to do this trip and you’ll find flights from both Don Mueang (DMK) and Suvarnabhumi (BKK) airports to Krabi Airport.  You can reach both of these Bangkok airports by public transit – depending on where you’re staying in Bangkok and flight time is about 90 minutes.

Here are the flights from Don Mueang Airport to Krabi

Check the BKK flights to Krabi here

There are about 10 flights a day from Bangkok to Krabi, (don’t bother with connecting flights, go straight for the direct one), and flights start at 07:30 (ish) and the last flight to Krabi from Bangkok is at around 19:15 each day.  There may be some variations in the schedule in the offseason.

Check times and book a flight from Bangkok to Krabi here.

Unsure which airport is best for you?  Be sure to take a look at our map of airports, bus stations, and train stations for Bangkok and Krabi, it’s later in this article.

Once you’ve arrived at Krabi Airport it’s about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).  You can take a bus or a taxi from Krabi Airport to the city in about 17 minutes.

Book a private transfer from Krabi Airport to Krabi with Welcome pickups here.

Taxis from the airport to Krabi city center (depending on where you want to go) will cost about 350 THB.  Note that this is NOT a set fare, you’ll need to negotiate with the driver.

Krabi Airport

The public bus runs from Krabi Airport to the city center and costs 90 THB, you can buy tickets from ticket desks at the airport.  The bus takes about 30 minutes and runs to both Krabi town center and Ao Nang.  The operational hours of the Krabi Airport bus are from 06:00 to 00:00, so it’s operational for the times that flights from Bangkok are scheduled to arrive.  These buses are scheduled to depart every 30 minutes, but drivers will tend to wait for more passengers, so don’t rely on this.

There are different buses that run to different areas (the bus station, Krabi town, Ao Nang)

Overnight Buses from Bangkok to Krabi

If you’re looking to save on a night’s accommodation and to get a cheap ticket from Bangkok to Krabi, then you can take a 15-and-a-half-hour bus.   You’ll have a choice of bus stations to leave from in Bangkok, Mochit, the Southern Bus Station, and Khao San.  All buses leave in the late afternoon/early evening and will arrive 15 plus hours later in Krabi.

The fastest bus is the most comfortable and it leaves from Khao San – there are options for the Express Bus or the VIP bus.  The Express Bus takes an hour less, but the VIP bus gives you a little more room and comfort.

Check seat availability and book a bus from Bangkok to Krabi here.

Buses arrive at either the Krabi Bus Terminal or the Ao Nang Police Box, so check which bus you’re booking and understand where you’ll arrive in Krabi.

Krabi Bus Terminal is still 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from Krabi Walking Street (which I use as the center of Krabi and where you’ll likely end up on an evening), so you’ll need to take either a bus from the bus terminal or hop in a songthaew to get to where you’re staying.

Train + Bus from Bangkok to Krabi

If you’re looking to save on accommodation, then you might find an overnight train a little more comfortable than an overnight bus.  However there are no through tickets currently available for this route, so you’ll have to book them separately.

First of all, you’ll need a train from Bangkok to Surat Thani, then a bus or shuttle from Surat Thani to Krabi.

Train from Bangkok to Surat Thani

Trains from Bangkok to Surat Thani take around 12 hours at the quickest. They leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station.  And while the first “overnight” train leaves at 15:30, you’ll want to consider the fact that it arrives at Surat Thani at 02:30 before booking it.  The later trains arrive at a much more palatable hour and mean you’re likely to get a bit more sleep!

Check the train times and availability from Bangkok to Surat Thani here.

Sleeper trains in Thailand are pretty cool, we’ve ridden several of them.  You’ll start with a seat then the train staff will come round and make your bed after dinner.  They’re really rather comfortable.  We’ve ridden perfectly happily in second-class A/C sleepers.

Book a second-class A/C sleeper to Surat Thani from Bangkok here.

Thai Train Bangkok

Buses from Surat Thani to Krabi

It takes about 4 hours from Surat Thani to Krabi by bus.  Phantip Travel runs several buses a day that go from Surat Thani railway station to Krabi Bus Terminal.  They have an office at the train station where you can buy a ticket for the bus.  They also run buses to Ao Nang, although you might have to transfer to their Surat Thani main office first for this bus.

Once you’ve arrived at Krabi Bus Terminal, then you’ll need to follow the instructions are above to get to your final destination in Krabi.

The train and bus combo is something of a pain and a bit of a long-winded way to go from Bangkok to Krabi and it’s not one I recommend (which is a shame because I love overnight trains!). I’ve taken this train from Bangkok to Surat Thani and arrived there at 05:30, which, I admit is better than 02:30, but it’s still a rough trip!

Arriving in Krabi

Whether you choose an overnight bus, a train and bus combo, or a flight you’ll still need to arrange to get to your final destination once you arrive in Krabi.  I’ve included details of how to get from Krabi Airport and also the Krabi bus terminal to the city.

The quickest way to get from Bangkok to Krabi

The quickest way to go to Krabi from Bangkok is to fly.  You can choose between DMK or BKK airports, depending on flight time, availability, and your location in Bangkok.  Flights between Bangkok and Krabi tend to be relatively cheap and it means you’ll get to Krabi and be enjoying this part of southern Thailand hours earlier than if you take the other options.  Book flights from Bangkok to Krabi here.

The easiest way to go to Krabi from Bangkok

If you’re looking for a really easy way, then take a look at the overnight bus, it goes directly from three different bus stations in Bangkok, including Khao San.  You can check the times and availability of buses to Krabi from Bangkok here.

The cheapest way to go from Bangkok to Krabi

The cheapest way to get to Krabi from Bangkok is to take a bus  – reserve your seats here.

The best way to go from Bangkok to Krabi

While I’m normally an overnight train lover, this isn’t one of those times.  Flying between Bangkok and Krabi is the best way to do this route.  And you’ll have a choice of departure airports and times to pick.  Reserve your seat early for the best prices.

Map of Transport Options for Bangkok to Krabi

You can see the full map for Bangkok to Krabi here

Map of Bangkok to Krabi

Popular Routes in Thailand

Want to know more about different forms of transport in Thailand? Our guide to Thailand transport is here. And here’s how to travel some of the popular routes around Thailand, your options, and how we did it.

Travel Tips for Exploring Thailand

Final Words on How to Go from Bangkok to Krabi

It’s a long haul down from Bangkok to Krabi, especially if you take an overland route.  Overnight buses take at least 15 hours, an overnight train only gets you as far as Surat Thani, where you’ll need to take another 4 hour bus to get to the bus terminal in Krabi.  And while you need to factor in getting to the airport in Bangkok and any check-in time, it’s still a lot quicker to fly to Krabi from Bangkok than any other option.

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AUTHOR

Sarah Carter
Sarah Carter is an avid reader, writer and traveller. She loves hiking, sailing, skiing and exploring the world through food. She left a successful career in IT security and compliance in both the UK and US to travel the world with husband and partner in adventure, Nigel.

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