Railay Beach, Krabi Province – How to Arrive ? Where to Stay ? What to Visit ? – Page 1

Maps – Orientation

Map 1 : Distance from Bangkok

Map 2 : Overview of the Zone – Boat Transport

Map 3 :  Railay Beach

Map 4 :  Krabi Zone

Map 5 : Interactive Map

  1. Points in Red : Transport
  2. Points in Blue : Tourist Attractions
  3. Points in Green :  Beaches

How is Railay Beach ?

A very beautiful place, near Ao-Nang.

Look at the Maps above.  Railay Beach is part of the Krabi region. Usually tourists visit in the Krabi region : Ao-Nang + Railay Beach + Krabi Town. Close to Krabi region are the islands : Koh Phi Phi, Phuket and Koh Lanta which are very touristic.

Krabi beach is very close to Ao-Nang, just 3 Km. There are long tail boats that connects the 2 places. See later How to move between Ao-Nang and Railay beach.

Note : It is better not to bring a big suitcase to Railay, if you are arriving from Ao-Nang as I explain later.

Railay Beach can only be reached by boat (because of mountains). It is not very convenient but it makes the place special. There is a floating pier on the east side that can accommodate small boats.

Look at Map 3 above. Railay Beach is a small place. It is composed of 3 beaches : The west beach, which is the main beach, the east beach where the floating pier is located and Phra-Nang beach which can be reached via an alley starting at the bottom of the east beach. Between the beaches, is the center of Railay with a walking street. In this street there are many restaurants.

Except the beaches, there is also a cave to visit in Railay.
See Page 3 – What to Visit in Railay Beach.

Because Railay beach is small, the prices of the hotels are high and the capacity of the hotels is limited. See Page 2 – Where to Stay in Railay Beach.

The nightlife is good in Railay Beach. The center is animated at night with bars and restaurants. Still, it is quiet here at night compared to the nearby Ao-Nang.
Railay Beach is not specially a place for big parties, like in Koh Phi Phi.

The food in Railay Beach is OK. There are no foreign owners of western restaurants, but the available restaurants are serving good quality food.

Note that many of the employees in Railay are not sleeping in Railay. They are arriving in the morning to the pier and leaving in the afternoon. So, the number of inhabitants in Railay is bigger at day time.

Is it worth to visit Railay Beach ?

Yes, definitely worth a visit. The scenery is very beautiful and it is easy and cheap to reach Railay Beach from Ao-Nang.
If you think the hotels are too expensive, you can visit Railay Beach for half a day with a boat from Ao-Nang. See later How to arrive to Railay Beach from Ao-Nang.

How to Arrive to Railay Beach ?

Option 1 : By Boat

Look at the Maps above. This is the only way to reach Railay Beach. There are mountains in the zone and there are no roads to Railay Beach.

There are boats to Railay Beach from Phuket, Koh-Lanta, Koh-Phi Phi, Krabi Town and Ao-Nang. In some cases, the boats are making a stop in Ao-Nang before arriving to Railay Beach.

  • You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Thailand with the site 12GoAsia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

See location of the piers on the specific pages :

  1. For the pier in Phuket, see Phuket page
  2. For the pier in Koh-Lanta, see Koh-Lanta page
  3. For the pier in Koh-Phi Phi, see Koh-Phi Phi, page
  4. For the pier in Krabi town, see Krabi Town, page
  5. For the pier in Ao-Nang, see Ao-Nang, page

Location of the Pier in Railay Beach

Look at Map 3, above. The pier is located on the east side of Railay. It is a floating pier.

Boats Between Ao-Nang and Railay Beach

There are 2 places in Railay Beach and 2 places in Ao-Nang, from which it is possible to take a boat.

The cheap option :

There are long tail boats that move between the main beach of Railay and the main beach of Ao-Nang (so, it is a service from center to center). In Railay the boats start from the west beach (the main beach of Railay, see location on Google Maps or on the Maps above) and not from the east beach, where the pier is located .

In Ao-Nang they start from the main beach (see location on Google Maps or on the Maps above) and not from the pier which is located 3 Km to the left (see location on Google Maps or on the Maps above).
The price on a long tail boat is 100 Baht per person (price at the moment I am writing). You need to wait till there are 8 people filling the boat (it usually happens fast).

The advantage of this cheap service is that it is cheap and that you don’t need to arrive to the pier in Ao-Nang. The disadvantage is that if you have a big suitcase, you need to carry it on the sand and into the long tail boat.

It is not convenient and your stuff can get wet. So, don’t do the mistake that I have made. Don’t bring a big suitcase to Railay Beach (if you arrive or go to Ao-Nang) (for other destinations, you will use the pier of Railay, on the east beach).

Of course that you can also take the long tail boat just for yourself and not wait for 8 people. You need to pay for 8 people.

The booth, in Railay beach, in order to buy a boat ticket is right on the sand.

The expensive option :

You can go to the pier on the east beach and take a long tail boat, just for yourself.

How to arrive to the Krabi Region

Before arriving to Railay beach by boat, you need to arrive to the region by flight, bus, train or taxi.

You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Thailand with the site 12GoAsia. Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

Where to Stay in Railay Beach ? – Hotels

See this on Page 2.

How to Move in Railay Beach ?

Option 1 : By foot

This is the only option to move in Railay Beach. The distances are short and there are no roads.

How is the Climate in Railay Beach, Krabi ?

Note : The climate in Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Koh-Lanta is quite similar. Also Krabi is very similar.

Temperatures

It is hot in this zone, all year round. At day time around 31 degrees Celsius. At night around 24 degrees celsius. You better have air-conditioning in your room.

Rain

Like in all Thailand, there is also in this zone a rainy season. The rainy season here is from April to December.

  • May to November : around 250 mm rain (the month of September is very rainy, around 400 mm rain).
  • April and November : around 150 mm rain.

How is the Nightlife in Railay Beach ?

The center of Railay (the walking street), is animated in the evening. There are restaurants and bars.

It is also nice to sit on the sand of the main beach (the west beach).

Railay Beach is not a place for beach parties like in Koh Phi Phi. There may be small parties in the budget hotels.

What to Eat in Railay Beach ?

There are enough restaurants in Railay Beach. There are no foreigners that offer an authentic western cuisine. Still, the few restaurants that do exist , have good quality of food.

There are of course a lot of pizzas.

And there is Sea food

And there is an Indian restaurant, for a vegetarian like me. It is called Kohinoor Indian Restaurant.

Continue to Page 2 – Where to Stay in Railay Beach

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