Krabi to Bangkok

About 18 nonstop flights a day connect Krabi to Bangkok. On a mid-October weekday, ten went to Don Mueang (Thai Lion Air at 08:15, 11:40, 13:20 and 17:35, Thai AirAsia at 10:20, 12:30, 17:10 and 19:35, Nok Air at 11:55 and 18:50) and eight to Suvarnabhumi (Thai VietJet at 09:00, 16:30 and 20:35, Bangkok Airways at 09:25, Thai Airways at 09:30 and 20:20, Thai AirAsia at 10:00 and 18:00). The flight takes 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 35. That day's fares ran from about ฿1,340 on Thai Lion and ฿1,400–1,800 on Nok, VietJet and AirAsia to about ฿3,000 on Bangkok Airways; December–January and Songkran cost more.

If you're flying home the same day, land at the airport your international flight leaves from, because moving between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi takes 60–90 minutes. Leave three to four hours between landing and an international departure on separate tickets. Some booking sites list connections on this route via Koh Samui or Chiang Mai that take hours longer, so check the flight is nonstop.

Krabi airport sits east of Krabi Town, 12 km from town (about 20 minutes) and 28 km from Ao Nang (35–40 minutes). A fixed-price taxi from Ao Nang costs about ฿725 for a car and ฿790 for a van, and a hotel-pickup shared van about ฿213. The airport bus runs hourly from about 06:00 to 20:00 for ฿150 from Ao Nang and ฿90 from Krabi Town, but from Ao Nang it can take 90 minutes with the stops, so allow plenty of time.

From Railay there's no road, so it's a longtail boat to Ao Nang or Krabi Town first, then a car. A fixed fare that includes the boat saves arranging both legs. For a morning flight from Ao Nang or Railay, a pre-booked car is the safe choice; aim to reach the airport 90 minutes to two hours before departure in high season.

Every big bus to Bangkok leaves Krabi Bus Terminal, a few kilometers north of Krabi Town, in the late afternoon. Lignite Tour's own booking page lists a 16:00 standard coach at ฿779, a 16:30 at ฿796 and a 17:00 VIP 24 at ฿1,170; the government's Transport Co. runs three between 16:00 and 17:30 from about ฿707; and Andaman Sea Tour's VIP 24 is about ฿1,470. Most go to Bangkok's Southern Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) and some continue to, or end at, Mo Chit, arriving between about 05:30 and 08:00. Allow 12–14 hours; one VIP 24 ride filmed in February 2025 took nearly 15 with a detour and dropped at Mo Chit.

The VIP 24 is the one to book, with one-plus-two seats that recline a long way, a blanket, and a meal and snacks included. The van-and-bus tickets sold in Ao Nang pick up at your hotel between 13:30 and 16:30 and run to Khao San Road for ฿627–1,500, arriving between 03:30 and 06:00. They save the trip to the bus terminal but involve a change and a very early drop on Khao San. Book a day ahead in high season, at the terminal counter or on 12Go.

Krabi has no railway, so the train trip starts with a van to Surat Thani's Phun Phin station, about 2.5–4 hours. Krabi Vijit's vans leave Krabi Town between 08:00 and 15:30 for about ฿715–845 (฿880 with an Ao Nang pickup), Krabi Sea Pearl runs late-morning vans for about ฿600–660, and Van2Travel runs an 18:00 for about ฿480 and sells van-plus-sleeper bundles for around ฿1,000. Check the van goes to Phun Phin station; the cheaper Phantip vans go to Surat Thani town, 14 km away.

A van that leaves around midday catches Express No. 86 (19:31, arrives 06:10) or No. 84 (20:23, arrives 07:05), both with first-class cabins and second-class air-con sleepers. A 15:00–15:30 van catches No. 84, No. 172 or Special Express No. 32 (22:24, arrives 08:10, the newest carriages), and an 18:00 van catches No. 38/46 or No. 170. A second-class air-con berth is about ฿700–900 at the station and first class ฿1,300–1,500. Door to door it's 16–18 hours, against 12–14 on the bus, so take the train for the berth rather than the time. Seats open 90 days ahead except on the Sungai Kolok trains (No. 172 and No. 38), which open 30 days ahead.

Suvarnabhumi has the Airport Rail Link in the basement, ฿45 and 26 minutes to Phaya Thai and the BTS. Don Mueang has the SRT Dark Red Line to Krung Thep Aphiwat, the A1 and A2 buses to BTS Mo Chit for ฿30, and taxis for ฿250–400 to most of the city. The Southern Terminal has no rail link, so plan on a taxi; Mo Chit is a short taxi from BTS Mo Chit and MRT Chatuchak Park. The van-and-bus tickets drop on or near Khao San Road before dawn. The trains end at Krung Thep Aphiwat, with the MRT Blue Line directly underneath.

The flights run the same way from both Bangkok airports, and the night buses leave the Southern Terminal in the evening for a dawn arrival in Krabi. The Bangkok to Krabi guide has every southbound option, the ten trains to Surat Thani and the airport shuttle into Ao Nang.