Short answer
Stay in Ao Nang if you want a road-served town with restaurants, shops, tour desks and easy transport; stay at Railay if you want cliffs and beaches in a car-free setting and accept a boat for every arrival and departure. Railay is a peninsula cut off from the mainland by limestone cliffs, so it is reachable only by boat, about 10 minutes by longtail from Ao Nang according to Wikivoyage. Our Krabi 4 Islands day, from $35 per person, collects guests in the Ao Nang and Krabi area and from the beach at Railay and Tonsai.
Ao Nang is the town with roads; Railay is the beach with none
Choose Ao Nang if you want a base, and Railay if you want a setting. Wikivoyage describes Ao Nang as a resort town about 15 km from Krabi Town and, in high season from roughly 1 November to 30 April, the busiest and most tourist-oriented beach destination in the province. Almost everything sits along Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara beaches beside Ao Nang Road, with shops, restaurants and travel desks that sell island tours, which makes it easy to plan several days out.
Railay is different in kind. Wikipedia calls it a small peninsula between Krabi Town and Ao Nang that is accessible only by boat, because high limestone cliffs cut off the mainland. It has four areas: Phra Nang, West Railay, East Railay and Ton Sai. Wikivoyage adds that there are no cars, and that it is a 5 to 10 minute walk between most landmarks, with Ton Sai a longer hike through the jungle.
How the boat between Ao Nang and Railay works
Every trip to Railay starts on a boat, so the crossing matters more than the distance. Wikivoyage's Railay page says longtails leave Ao Nang on demand and take about 10 minutes, against 15 minutes from Ao Nammao and 30 minutes from Krabi Town. It gives 100 baht per person with a minimum of eight people, while its Ao Nang page says 80 baht by day and 100 after 18:00. Neither figure is dated and the pages disagree, so ask at the ticket booth and budget about 100 baht each way.
There is no pier at Ao Nang, so Wikivoyage warns that you may walk several metres into the surf before you climb aboard, depending on the tide. That is fine with a day bag and awkward with a large suitcase, so pack light for Railay. The same site says a longtail from Ao Nang runs in all seasons subject to the weather, and recommends leaving from Ao Nammao in the monsoon months of May to October.
Beaches compared: a base beach against the postcard beaches
Ao Nang Beach works better as a base than as a destination, according to Wikivoyage. It says the west side is littered and crowded with boats waiting to take tourists to the islands, and the east side is more scenic and better for swimming. It also warns against swimming near the creek that separates Ao Nang Beach from Nopparat Thara. Nopparat Thara is quieter, but the same page says it gets narrow at high tide and suggests asking locals about jellyfish before you swim.
Railay's beaches are the reason people take the boat. Wikivoyage describes West Railay as fine white sand and shallow water, where most longtails from Ao Nang arrive, and Phra Nang as a white beach framed by cliffs, about 20 minutes from Ao Nang by longtail. East Railay is the mangrove side and, it says, not good for swimming. The Ao Nang page also calls the Railay beaches beautiful but crowded, so do not expect empty sand in high season.
Food, shops and evenings
Ao Nang has the choice. Wikivoyage says restaurants along the beach are generally more expensive than those up the hill or towards Nopparat Thara, where some places cater more to Thai visitors. It also lists a Tesco and a Makro and plenty of convenience stores, though it calls shopping in Ao Nang dismal for anything else. If you like a different restaurant each night, or need supplies close to your hotel, Ao Nang is the safer base.
Railay is smaller. Wikipedia says East Railay has the shops and restaurants of a boardwalk, West Railay a group of luxury resorts, and Ton Sai caters to climbers and backpackers and is more rustic. Wikivoyage says Ton Sai is where the nightlife is, with bars on the beach and late longtails back to Railay or Ao Nang, though staying in Ton Sai is easier. Choose Railay for sunsets, early nights and cliffs, not for a long list of restaurants.
Season: when each base works best
The Thai Meteorological Department's 1981 to 2010 table for the Krabi station shows the pattern. January and February are the driest months, with 32.0 and 43.4 mm of rain on average, and October is the wettest at 323.5 mm, with September at 275.2 mm. Wikivoyage gives high season in Ao Nang as roughly 1 November to 30 April, and says that in low season many places shut or cut their hours and the town is relatively deserted.
Railay feels the season more, because every arrival is by boat. Wikivoyage's Krabi Province page says the best time to visit is November to April. If you come between May and October, keep one day free for weather and think twice about a Railay stay with a tight onward flight. Ao Nang, with a road to the airport, leaves you more room for a rough-sea day than a peninsula does.
Tours from each: where our 4 Islands day starts
On our Krabi 4 Islands day, from $35 per person, you can stay in either place. A minibus collects guests in Ao Nang and the Krabi area between about 7:30 and 8:40 am, while Railay and Tonsai guests are collected from the beach. There is coffee and a light breakfast at a private pier, and the speedboat leaves at about 9:00 am for Phra Nang Cave Beach, the Tup and Chicken Island sandbar, a snorkelling reef and a picnic lunch on Poda Island. You are back at about 2:00 pm.
Two practical points. The national park fee is not in the price: on our tour it is 200 baht per adult and 100 per child, paid in cash at check-in, and the Department of National Parks' June 2022 table puts Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park in that group. And there is no pickup from Phuket, Koh Lanta or Phi Phi, or from hillside hotels a minibus cannot reach. The stop-by-stop route is in the travel guide.
Who should pick which
Pick Ao Nang if you travel with small children or a lot of luggage, want a different dinner every night, plan three or more day trips, or arrive late from Krabi airport. Wikivoyage's Krabi Province page puts the airport about 40 km from Ao Nang, and its Ao Nang page says the drive takes about 40 minutes. Our Krabi airport to Ao Nang guide covers the options, and Ao Nang things to do covers the days.
Pick Railay if the cliffs and beaches are the holiday, you can travel light and you are happy with quiet evenings. One way to get both is to split the stay: a few nights on Railay, the rest in Ao Nang, which keeps the tour desks and the airport road within reach. Our Railay Beach guide and Phra Nang Cave Beach guide go into the peninsula, and the 4 Islands or Hong Islands comparison helps you pick the day.
Practical checklist
- Decide first whether you want roads and shops (Ao Nang) or a car-free peninsula (Railay).
- Pack light for Railay: you may wade into the sea to board a longtail, so a small bag beats a large suitcase.
- Budget about 100 baht per person each way for the longtail and confirm the price at the ticket booth.
- If you travel between May and October, keep one day free in case the sea stops the boats.
- For our 4 Islands day, tell us your beach or hotel when you book and keep 200 baht per adult and 100 per child in cash for the park fee.
Questions and answers
Can you drive to Railay?
No. Wikipedia says the Railay peninsula is accessible only by boat because high limestone cliffs cut off the mainland, and Wikivoyage says there are no cars in the village. You cross by longtail from Ao Nang, Ao Nammao or Krabi Town.
How long is the boat from Ao Nang to Railay?
About 10 minutes to West Railay according to Wikivoyage, and about 20 minutes to Phra Nang Beach. The fare is not dated on the pages we read: they give 80 to 100 baht per person, so confirm it at the booth.
Is Railay better for beaches than Ao Nang?
Wikivoyage treats Ao Nang Beach as a base rather than a destination, and describes Railay's beaches as beautiful but crowded. West Railay and Phra Nang are the scenic ones; East Railay is mangrove and not good for swimming.
Do you collect from Railay for the 4 Islands tour?
Yes. Railay and Tonsai guests are collected from the beach, while guests in Ao Nang and the Krabi area are collected from their hotels. There is no pickup from Phuket, Koh Lanta or Phi Phi.
Which months are driest in Krabi?
January and February, with 32.0 and 43.4 mm of rain on average at the Krabi station, according to the Thai Meteorological Department's 1981 to 2010 table. October is the wettest month at 323.5 mm.