Getting from Krabi Airport to Krabi Town

(February & October 2009)

 

The most convenient but also the most expensive is to rent a vehicle.

There are several vehicle rental agencies in Krabi International Airport, such as Avis, Budget, National, etc.

 

Price for a subcompact like Toyota Vios or Honda City ranges from 800 – 1,5oo Baht per day with insurance coverage but without petrol. Naturally, the rental price is towards the higher end during the high tourist season, which is between November and March.

I noticed Budget offered the lowest price of 790 Baht a day when I was there in October 2009.

If you don’t want to drive but can afford to pay for a private car or van with driver, you can go for one of the two taxi providers, which is situated when you walk out of the airport customs.

 

A car can take up to 4 persons while a van can take up to 9 persons. Some of the vans are super comfortable with big and plush seats. All the vans seem to have an extended roof which create more vertical interior room.

As you can see from the photo, the price for a private vehicle is quite affordable when you can share the cost among a few persons.

You can also rent the van for the whole day for about 2,500 Baht which includes the driver and petrol. This is a good deal as the cost from the airport to Krabi Town is already 1/5 of the daily cost.

If you are traveling alone and would like to save some money, go for the public shuttle bus, well, almost public.

You see, in most Thailand tourist destinations, there are buses which appear to be public but are actually commissioned by various tour agencies to ferry potential customers from the airport to the tour agencies to sign you up for accommodation and/or tour packages.

 

If you don’t need these services, they will send you off to your intended destination, normally by tuk-tuk. They are usually very polite and efficient during the transition. It’s just a little odd for first-timers who don’t understand why the bus would stop at a tour agency and ask everyone to get off.

Most tourists don’t mind as they understand this is a way for the tour agencies to earn some commissions.

You’ll also see the booth selling the ‘public’ shuttle bus tickets when you exit the airport customs.