Perfect 3 Day Krabi Itinerary For First Timers (2026)
Are you planning to visit the beautiful region of Krabi? If so, this article’s for you.
Krabi is a picturesque tropical region on the southern coast of Thailand, surrounded by lush jungle and towering limestone cliffs. Not only does it look straight out of a postcard, but it offers something for every type of traveler, whether you enjoy adventuring, delicious Thai food, or relaxing by the beach.
I spent just under a week in Krabi, and it’s ranked high on my favorite places I’ve visited in the world. This article will cover how to spend the perfect 3 days in Krabi, with tips on where to stay and how to get around.
Here is everything you should know before visiting the beautiful Krabi.
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Where To Stay In Krabi
Krabi consists of Krabi Town, Aonang, and the peninsula of Railay. The airport is around a 40 minute drive from Aonang Beach, and 20 minutes from Krabi town.
Aonang is the most touristy area of Krabi, has the best restaurants, and is where you’ll hop on the longtail boat to Railay Beach. It consists of a touristy main street that runs parallel to the beach, lined with shops, restaurants, and the kiosks for island-hopping tours.
Railay Beach is only accessible by longtail boat, and has the nicest hotels in Krabi. It has a downtown area with shops, restaurants, and is walking distance to the best beaches in the region.
It’s a 20 minute boat ride from Aonang Beach (100 baht roundtrip//$3 USD), which depart every 15 minutes from 8am-6pm.
Krabi Town has grocery stores, restaurants, its own night market, and is close to the Tiger Cave Temple. It’s a scenic 30-40 minute drive to Aonang beach.
If you want to be near everything, it’s best to stay in Aonang or Railay. But if you prefer a more laid back, local atmosphere, Krabi town is a good alternative.
Here are the top-rated hotel options in each area.
Aonang Beach
- Phu Pha Krabi Resort: Budget rustic hotel with pools within walking distance to the beach
- Avani Aonang Cliff: Luxurious clifftop resort overlooking the sea with pools and free breakfast
- Centara Aonang: Luxurious beachfront spa resort with pools and free breakfast
Railay Beach
- Rayavadee Resort: Secluded 5-star spa resort with pools, restaurants, and a free buffet breakfast next to a cave
- Phutawan Resort: Luxurious clifftop resort with pools, and views overlooking the sea
- Railay Viewpoint Resort: Budget resort with pools and free breakfast
Krabi Town
- Brown Hotel: Comfortable budget hotel with free breakfast
- The Shellsea Krabi: Villa style beachfront spa resort with free breakfast
- Varana Krabi Hotel: Luxurious quiet spa resort with free breakfast
How To Get Around Krabi
Transportation in Krabi is surprisingly cheap, and it’s easy to get everywhere by Grab/Bolt, renting a motorbike, or joining organized tours to the attractions.
Grab and Bolt
Grab and Bolt are rideshare services that are cheap and readily available in the region. I used Bolt to get to/from the airport, and a handful of other times and had a great experience. You can pay the drivers in cash, or with a credit card on the app.
Motorbike and Car Rentals
Motorbike rentals are the next best way to get around, and only cost around 300 baht/day (~$10 USD) depending on the shop. In Thailand, you will be driving on the left side of the road, and the driver’s seat is on the right in cars.
To rent a motorbike, you’ll need a valid passport, international driver’s permit (IDP), and cash for the security deposit. Most shops will rent you a bike without an IDP, but keep in mind you can be fined around 1000-2000 baht if stopped by the police.
I rented a motorbike for 3 days and had no issues getting around the town. Tip: Avoid parking in front of the red lines (no parking zones) especially in Aonang beach, as the police can chain your motorbike, and fine you to get it back.
If you’re not comfortable renting a motorbike, you can rent a car, or join organized tours to get to the attractions. Car rentals cost around 1,200 baht/day (~40 USD), and shops require a valid passport and international drivers permit to rent.
There’s organized group tours available to get to the Tiger Cave temple, emerald pools, and hot springs outside of town.
Perfect 3 Day Krabi Itinerary
Day 1- Dragons Crest Trail, Railay, Cooking Class
Start your first day off in Krabi hiking Dragon’s Crest Trail. This is a beautiful (but intense) hike in the jungle that winds up a mountain to a scenic overlook of the limestone cliffs, and lush forested mountains.
It’s a 4.5 mile roundtrip hike that can take 3-5 hours, but the views at the top make it worth it. I didn’t hike the entire trail, but after an hour into the hike, I had an amazing view of the sea and mountains draped in rainforest.
Entry fee is 200 baht in cash only, and it’s only a 30 minute drive north of Aonang beach. This was one of the highlights of my trip, but keep in mind it’s an intense hike. You’ll definitely want to wear bug spray, and pack lots of snacks and drinks.
After an intense morning hike, stop in Aonang for breakfast or lunch. Aonang has many amazing cheap cafes, and restaurants within walking distance to the beach.
For breakfast, try Yenly Yours, a little cafe right next to the beach that makes mango sticky rice and fresh mango smoothies. For lunch, I highly recommend Kodam Kitchen. They make the most incredible massaman curry I’ve had in my life, and are a definite must-try before you leave.
There’s also a variety of cheap food vendors lining the streets leading up to Aonang Beach, where you can get everything from tropical fruit to pad thai.
Once you refuel, it’s time to visit the best beach in the region, Railay Beach. From Aonang, it’s a short 15 minute ride on a longtail boat that costs 100 baht round trip. You can buy tickets directly at the last kiosk at the south end of Aonang beach.
The boats leave every 15 minutes, from 8am-6pm, and I had no trouble buying tickets during the busy season.
Railay Beach is the stunning beach fringed by limestone cliffs you’ve likely seen in photos of Krabi. It has a hippie downtown street with shops, cafes and restaurants, and upscale hotels scattered around the peninsula.
Railay has a few different beaches lined with lively bars, and is the perfect place to spend the rest of the day relaxing. It also has activities like rock climbing, and a short steep hike to a hidden lagoon and scenic overlook.
Railay Beach was one of the most charming areas of Krabi in my experience, and I spotted a handful of monkeys by the downtown area! It can be crowded during peak season, but has the secluded Tonsai beach that you can get to by doing a short hike through the jungle.
The last activity to pack in your first day if you love Thai food is an evening Thai cooking class with Smart Cook Krabi. They offer evening cooking tours at 5pm, where you can learn how to make soup, stir fry, curry, sticky rice, and more.
They’re the top-rated cooking class in Aonang, and provide roundtrip pickup from hotels in Krabi. Their tours are 1200 baht/person ($38 USD) , and you can either book online, or reserve by messaging them through Facebook or Whatsapp.
Day 2- Island-Hopping Tour
On your next full day in Krabi, spend the day swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing on the nearby islands. Krabi has dozens of dreamy offshore islands and tiny islets that you can visit on an island-hopping tour.
You can book these tours directly at the kiosks on Aonang beach, but they tend to haggle tourists. I noticed the tours online were cheaper than what I was quoted, so I booked the cheapest tour I could find on GetyourGuide (~40 USD) last minute, and had a great experience.
Our group met up in the morning in Aonang beach, and hopped on a boat to Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi Don, Monkey Beach, and Bamboo Island. The Phi Phi islands are the most famous because the film “The Beach” featuring Leonardo Dicaprio was filmed on Maya Bay.
Now, the islands are very crowded, particularly Koh Phi Phi Don and Maya Bay. If you want to avoid crowds, I recommend booking an early morning, or afternoon tour.
That being said, I booked the most popular tour from Aonang Beach through GetYourGuide, and had an amazing time despite the crowds.
Our guide was super-friendly, offered to take photos, and gave us lots of time to snorkel in front of Maya Bay, and relax on the islands. This tour also includes a buffet lunch on Koh Phi Phi Don with vegetarian options.
If you want to avoid the crazy crowds at Maya Bay, you can book an early morning tour, or visit an alternative island like Hong or the 4 islands. You won’t be missing out on much by not seeing Maya Bay, since it’s the most crowded, and you cannot swim on the island.
This early morning speedboat tour visits both the Phi Phi islands, and the 4 islands (Koh Poda, Chicken Island, Tup Island, Phra Nang Cave), with breakfast, lunch, and snacks included.
This afternoon snorkeling cruise visits the four islands, includes dinner, and ends with bioluminescent snorkeling!
The island-hopping tour I went on ended around 5pm, and I drove to Kodam Kitchen to enjoy their amazing massaman curry.
Besides dining out, there’s two night markets in Krabi, the Aonang landmark night market, and Krabi town market. The Aonang night market is a lively night market held every night, with live music, and a variety of vendors where you can shop for souvenirs, or try street food.
The Krabi Town Market is a weekend-only night market (Fri-Sun) that has a variety of cheap street food, souvenirs, and tropical fruit vendors. It’s a bit less touristy than Aonang, and the ideal place to go for street food.
Day 3 – Tiger Cave Temple, Emerald Pool, Hot Springs
On your final day in Krabi, hike to the magnificent Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea). This is an iconic temple with a large golden Buddha statue perched on the hill that you can get to by climbing 1260 steps.
It’s an intense uphill climb that can take 30-50 min to reach the top, but the views at the top unfortunately make it worth it. I saved this for the last day because your legs will definitely be sore the next day after this hike!
You’ll have a view of the towering limestone cliffs, and there’s many interesting buddha statues to take pictures in front of. I saw monkeys along this trail, and stray dogs relaxing high up on the steps, wondering how and why they got there.
If you’re not up for hiking 1260 steps, it’s still worth visiting. There’s a temple at the bottom, and a nice short nature trail to a jungle cave with buddha statues. Entry fee is 50 baht for tourists, and it’s a 30 minute drive from Aonang//15 minute drive from Krabi town.
After hiking, spend the rest of the day relaxing in natural mineral pools and hot springs. Less than an hour from Krabi, you can visit the Emerald Pool, and Hot Spring Waterfall (KhongThomNuea).
The Emerald Pool is a turquoise blue mineral pool you can swim in that’s accessible by a 15 minute hike. Entry is 400 baht/adults. The Hot Stream Waterfall is a series of hot springs varying in temperature that are accessible by a short walk.
Entry is 200 baht/adults, and there’s a cafe at the entrance. These swimming holes are within a 15 minute drive of another so you can easily see both in a day!
If you don’t plan on renting a car/motorbike, you can join an organized tour to visit all three in a day. This small group tour visits all three, and provides pickup from hotels in Aonang.
Krabi Itinerary Map
Summary
Krabi was the highlight of my trip to Thailand, and a place I’ll always recommend to people. It’s surrounded by such gorgeous scenery, and just driving around the region was enjoyable.
If you have limited time, I recommend visiting Railay Beach, hiking Tiger Cave Temple, and trying masaman curry at Kodam Kitchen!
And if you have more time, it’s worth going on an island-hopping tour, or day trip to the emerald pools.
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