Krabi - a city in Thailand - detailed description with a map

Krabi is a city that inhabits about 30,000 inhabitants, the administrative center of the province of the same name in southern Thailand. It is 946 km from Bangkok, and 180 km from Phuket.

Krabi Town is located at the mouth of the Krabi River, a little distance from the coast of the Andaman Sea and does not have a single beach.

Nevertheless, this provincial town is included in the list of the main tourist centers of the Krabi province. It makes it possible to feel and understand the life of a true, authentic Thailand with its national flavor - not a single Europeanized resort in the province of Krabi can deliver such pleasure.

The city is not too big, it has two main streets and all the infrastructure is concentrated along them. Krabi River runs along the river, and the second street is almost parallel to it. Although it’s easy to navigate in Krabi Town, a detailed map with the attractions marked on it may be needed by tourists who want to visit this city while traveling in Thailand.

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Since there are no beaches in Krabi town, those who wish to lie in the sun and swim in the Andaman Sea are forced to go to neighboring resorts. But this is not at all difficult: motor boats regularly sail from the city embankment to the beaches of Railay, to Ao Nang you can inexpensively get to Songteo, and by rented car or motorbike get to any beach in the province.

The main attractions in Krabi are excursions to the jungle with macaques living there, as well as visits to restaurants, bars, shops and bazaars with goods at very low prices. The prices here are really much lower than in other resorts in Thailand, so Krabi Town is the best place to buy national clothes and a variety of gifts.

Sights

There are many travel agencies in the city offering trips to the nearest islands of Thailand and excursions to the sights of the province (read about the interesting things in Krabi province in a separate article).

Almost all the attractions of Krabi Town are located in the surrounding area, and there are not so many of them directly in the village.

Promenade

The most tourist destination in the city of Krabi is the picturesque embankment of the river of the same name. This is the most popular, and the best place for walking here, especially in the evening. There are many interesting sculptures on the embankment, in particular, the metal composition, considered the symbol of Krabi Town: large and small crabs. From the inscription on the plate it is clear that the monument to the crabs illustrates Aesop's fable, in which the mother teaches cub discipline and good manners.

One tradition is associated with this sculpture: people who dream of an ideal family and good children should rub the crab shell, and then their dream will come true. The robbers have already been rubbed to a shine - their shells literally sparkle in the sun!

At the monument to crabs, many tourists who want to be photographed usually get their heads taken - an excellent picture is taken to commemorate a trip to Thailand. Unfortunately, there are really a lot of people (it takes a particularly long time to wait if tourists from China appear), and therefore you need to either be patient, or turn on arrogance.

By the way, after dinner, with special care, touch the crab. By this time, the metal sculpture manages to get so hot in the sun that contact with it can cause a burn.

Temple complex Wat Kaew Korawaram

A unique religious attraction - the temple complex Wat Kaew Korawaram - recognized as the second most beautiful and popular in the entire province (in the first place Wat Tham Suea). Ensemble Address Wat Kaew Korawaram: Issara Road, Pak Nam, Krabi 81000. It is most convenient to get there on foot, since this is the center of Krabi, and a map with attractions will help you navigate the city streets.

This complex seems to be "locked up" on city streets between ordinary buildings - there is no space around, air access as if completely absent. But precisely because of this contrast, the shrine looks like a shining white pearl in a gray dirty sink.

You can move around the entire complex, although there are paths along which only monks can walk. You also need to know that you can enter some buildings (and there are quite a lot of them here) only with the permission of religious ministers.

The main element of the temple complex is the monastery, which is called the White Temple. It is located on an elevation, and a snow-white staircase leads to it, the railing of which is decorated with images of mythological dragon snakes. The style of this building is completely unusual for Buddhist temples: the walls are made of dazzling white stone, and the roof is painted with dark blue paint. Indoors, the walls are decorated with bright frescoes telling about the life of the Buddha. In the White Temple, a majestic statue of Buddha sitting in the lotus position is established.

Entrance to the ensemble Wat Kaew Korawaram and the White Temple is free.
The temple is open for visits daily from 08:00 to 17:00.
When planning to visit this religious object, you need to dress appropriately - it is unacceptable to be with bare shoulders, in short skirts, shorts. Before entering the temple you need to take off your shoes.

Where to stay in Krabi

Krabi town became famous for the incredible cheapness of hotels and hostels. To rent a hotel room here can be much cheaper than in any other settlement of the province of the same name in Thailand. You can find many cheap hotels on Booking.com and immediately book your favorite room.

Siri Krabi

Hostel "Siri Krabi" with a terrace and a shared lounge offers a double room for $ 18 per day. In the hostel 2 * "Amity Poshtel" a double room with a private bathroom can be rented for $ 26 per day.
Hotel 2 * "Lada Krabi Express" superior double rooms with a large double bed, a private bathroom and a flat-screen TV offer for $ 27.
For the same money, you can rent an economy double room in the 3 * hotel "Lada Krabi Residence". And in the Krabi Pitta House 3 * hotel, where you can rent a car, there are cheaper double rooms with a balcony - from $ 23.

Krabi pitta house

By the way, it is not necessary to reserve accommodation in Krabi in advance. As in many cities in Thailand, cheap hotels here can be accommodated from the street, without prior booking. This has its advantages: it is cheaper (hotels do not pay commission for the Internet booking system), and immediately on the spot you can evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of housing. Most of the hotels in Krabi Town are located in heaps - in the center and near the promenade - so finding a place to stay will not be a problem.Find out RATES or book any accommodation using this form

Food in Krabi Town

The cost of lunch depends on what cuisine will make up this dinner. The cheapest thing is to eat in eateries for local or in macaroons: Tom Yam soup, traditional Pad Thai, national rice dishes - the price per serving is 60-80 baht. A huge selection of delicious dishes of Thai national cuisine in the city of Krabi is offered at the night market.

Krabi Night Market

There are a lot of restaurants in Krabi town that serve Western or marine cuisine. Given where exactly such a restaurant is located, the prices are approximately as follows:

pizza will cost 180-350 baht,
a steak will cost from 300 to 500 baht,
the cost of lunch from an Indian restaurant will be 250-350 baht.

I must say about drinks. In the restaurant, 0.5 liter beer will cost 120 baht, and in the store you can buy exactly that for 60-70. Water 0.33 liters in a restaurant costs 22 baht, in a store - from 15. Coffee and cappuccino on average cost 60-70 baht.

Cheap restaurants and cafes in rows are located on the promenade. They are open until late in the evening, and are remarkable not only for their cheapness, but also for the quality of their dishes. There are more expensive restaurants on the promenade, but their cost is relative - they are expensive, if you compare them with cheap eateries, and when compared with the establishments of the nearest Ao Nang, then the prices are surprisingly low.

Weather in Krabi

The city of Krabi, like the rest of Thailand, attracts tourists all year round with its weather. But although it is always summer here, there are two climatic seasons:

wet - lasts from May to October;
dry - lasts from November to April.

In the dry season, daytime temperatures are between + 30-32 ℃, nighttime - +23 ℃. The most pleasant for relaxation is considered the weather of January-February. It is the dry season that is “high” in southern Thailand, including in Krabi Town - at this time there is a large influx of tourists.

During the wet season, the number of sunny days approximately coincides with the number of days when heavy rains occur. During this period, the daytime air temperature slightly decreases - up to + 29-30 ℃, and the night temperature rises - up to + 24-25 ℃, which, along with very high humidity, often creates not very pleasant conditions. This is the main reason why Thailand has fewer vacationers during the wet season.

How to get to Krabi Town

Krabi is 946 km from Bangkok, and it is precisely in Bangkok that most of the tourists from the CIS countries arrive. The most convenient way to get from Bangkok to Krabi is by plane. There is an airport 15 km from Krabi Town, where in 2006 a terminal was opened operating in international directions.

Krabi Airport accepts flights from the following airlines:

Thai Airways, Air Asia and Nok Air from Bangkok;
Bangkok Airways from Samui;
Air Shuttle from Phuket;
Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur;
Tiger Airways from Darwin and Singapore.

From the airport in Krabi town, you can get in different ways.

You can rent a scooter at the exit from the terminal, and a car at the National Car Rental (price from 800 baht / day). You can also arrange a car rental in advance - this service is available on the airport website (www.krabiairportonline.com) or at Krabi Carrent (www.krabicarrent.net).
Buses run to Krabi Town, and further to Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara. On the left at the airport exit there is a Shuttle bus ticket office where tickets are sold - the fare to the center of Krabi is 90 baht.
You can use the songteo - they stop on the highway going to Krabi, 400 meters from the airport.
You can take a taxi, and it is better to order it in one of the following companies Krabi Limousine (tel. + 66-75692073), Krabi Taxi (krabitaxi.com), Krabi Shuttle (www.krabishuttle.com). The fee for the whole car is about 500 baht.

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City options

Songteo Minibuses

In Krabi, as well as in many cities in Thailand, the cheapest way to ride pickups is songteo. From the bus station (it is located 12 km from the city) through Krabi town they run to the beaches of Nopparat Tara and Ao Nang, as well as to the pier Ao Nammao. Pickups heading to Ao Nang stop at the White Temple and wait there for a couple of minutes until people gather.

With an interval of 10-15 minutes, the songteos go from 6:30 to about 20:00.

The trip fee in Thai currency will be like this (after 18:00 it can increase):

from the bus station in Krabi town - 20-30;
around the city - 20;
from the bus station to Ao Nang or Nopparat Tara - 60;
from Krabi town to the beaches - 50.

Taxi

Taxis in Krabi Town are tuk-tuks on motorcycles with carts or small trucks. Trips are paid according to the price, which is on many city stands. Bargaining is possible, although it is not always possible to lose something. It is beneficial to drive a large company, because you have to pay for the whole car, and not for each person.

Rented bikes and cars

In many hotels and travel agencies you can rent a motorcycle, scooter, bike or bicycle. An ordinary bike, like a Honda Click can be taken for 200 baht per day (with insurance or more, a “tricked out” one will cost more). Such bikes can be rented for 2500-4000 baht - the final amount will depend on the age of the vehicle, the duration of the rental (the longer, the cheaper), talent to bargain.

Although Krabi is a small city, and you don’t need a car to move along its streets, you may need it for trips over longer distances. If you want to rent a car, you can do it at Krabi Car Hire (www.krabicarhire.com). This company needs to leave a deposit of about 10,000 baht in case of an accident and damage to vehicles, and if everything is in order, then it will be returned.