Krabi is a province on Thailand's Andaman coast, not a beach, and the three places people mean when they say "Krabi" are genuinely different trips.
Railay is reachable only by boat
Railay is a peninsula, physically attached to the mainland, with limestone cliffs behind it tall enough that no road was ever built. The only way in is a longtail boat, typically from Ao Nang or from Krabi Town's pier.
That single fact explains almost everything about it. Prices are island prices because everything arrives by boat. It is crowded in the middle of the day with people who came over for a few hours, and then it empties when the boats stop. And the same cliffs that keep the road out are why it became one of Asia's best-known rock-climbing destinations, with bolted routes at every grade rising directly off the sand and schools running beginner courses daily.
Tonsai, next door
Tonsai sits immediately along the coast from Railay and has a longer-staying, more committed climbing crowd. It is scruffier, cheaper and a distinctly different scene.
Ao Nang is the strip
Ao Nang is where most visitors stay: the hotels, the restaurants, the dive shops, and the boats out to the Four Islands and the Hong Islands. It is unambiguously built for tourism. It is also the practical base, because everything departs from here.
Krabi Town is the part nobody stays in
About half an hour inland, on the river, Krabi Town is an ordinary Thai provincial town. A night market, cheap rooms, local restaurants, and no beach whatsoever. Almost no foreign visitor stays there, which is precisely why some people prefer it: prices are a fraction of Ao Nang's and the place is not performing for anyone.
Season matters more here than elsewhere
Krabi shares the Andaman coast with Phuket, so the southwest monsoon runs roughly May to October and high season is broadly November to April.
The reason to care is that nearly everything Krabi is famous for happens on a boat. Island-hopping trips get curtailed or cancelled when the sea is rough, and a Railay stay is hostage to the same boats. Rain you can work around; a cancelled crossing you cannot.
The part that changes weekly
Which islands the boats are actually running to, whether Railay is worth the crossing on a given morning, and which of Ao Nang's operators are currently any good are all local knowledge with a short shelf life.
Browse Local Friends in Krabi on Roavi, or start with the Krabi city guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Railay an island?
No, and this trips people up constantly. Railay is a peninsula attached to the mainland, but the limestone cliffs behind it make road access impossible, so the only way in or out is by longtail boat, usually from Ao Nang or Krabi Town. It functions like an island, prices like an island, and empties out when the last boats stop running for the evening.Should I stay in Ao Nang, Railay or Krabi Town?
Ao Nang is the resort strip: most hotels, most restaurants, and the main boat departure point, at the cost of feeling built for tourists. Railay is dramatic and quiet after the day-trippers leave, but you are committed to the boat schedule and to whatever is on the peninsula. Krabi Town is a real riverside town, roughly half an hour inland, with a night market, far lower prices and no beach — it suits people who want a base rather than a view.Why is Krabi known for rock climbing?
The limestone karsts around Railay and neighbouring Tonsai are dense with bolted routes at every grade, right above the sand, with schools running beginner courses daily. It is one of the best-known climbing destinations in Asia, and Tonsai in particular has a long-stay climbing scene that gives it a different character from Railay proper.When should I visit Krabi?
High season is broadly November to April. Krabi is on the Andaman coast alongside Phuket, so the southwest monsoon hits it from roughly May to October, bringing rougher seas and cancelled or curtailed island-hopping trips. Since most of what people come to Krabi for happens on a boat, the sea state matters more here than the rainfall.