Cool Free Things to Do in Krabi Town

Krabi Town is one of my favorite areas to visit in the Krabi region of Thailand. It has a more local and relaxing atmosphere compared to the touristy Ao Nang and Railay.

If you enjoy a local vibe, authentic food, and affordable prices, you’ll love visiting and staying in Kabri Town. It has a wide range of night markets, relaxing nightlife, and close proximity to some famous attractions like the Tiger Cave Temple and Emerald Pool.

If you rent a scooter, you can easily explore most attractions in Krabi Town at your own pace. If you don’t rent a vehicle and stay in Ao Nang, you can take a day tour that takes you to the Tiger Cave Temple, Emerald Pool, Hot Spring, and Krabi Night Markets within a single trip.

If you stay in Krabi Town and don’t rent a scooter, you can also explore the area easily on foot as it is a really small area. The town center revolves around the City Night Market, which spans about 1 kilometer in length and 300 meters in width.

For attractions a bit outside of the town center, you can use riding shared services such as Grab, Bolt, and InDrive. If you are solo, Grab Bike is a good option. For those with a group, you can use a taxi. These services are available in Ao Nang and Krabi Town.

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10 Cool Things to Do in Krabi Town

1. Krabi Weekend Night Market

Krabi Weekend Night Market, or Krabi Walking Street, is only open in the evening from 5pm to 10pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The market is closed to traffic, so you can safely walk around and explore. It is located on Maharaj Soi 8, right next to Vogue Shopping Center.

If you are in Krabi on weekends, you must check out this market. It has a cozier atmosphere compared to the bigger Ao Nang Land Mark Night Market.

The market has a souvenir section and a food section with a stage. You can buy handmade crafts, clothes, souvenirs, and enjoy local foods at cheaper prices compared to markets in Ao Nang.

The market has a wide range of Thai food at decent quality and price. You can eat Pad Thai, Thai fried rice with pineapple, grilled meat, noodle salad, mixed cut fruits, smoothies…

There are tables and chairs at the center of the foot areas, so you can sit, eat, and watch live performances and music.

Foot Court at the Weekend Night Market Krabi

You can check out the Vogue Shopping Center for more shopping experiences and air conditioning. KFC is located inside the building, making it a convenient spot if you’re craving some fast food.

There are also a couple of markets (the city Night Market and Black Crab Night Market) within walking distance of the Weekend Night Market, making it easy to go market-hopping on foot. This is the best market in Krabi Town, in my opinion.

2. Krabi City Night Market

Krabi City Night Market is open everyday from 10 am to 11pm. If you don’t have a chance to visit the Weekend Flea Market, you can check out this night market.

It is centrally located in the heart of Krabi Town, just a couple of blocks away from Pak nam River and The Weekend Night Market.

The market has many stalls selling fresh fruits and restaurants serving local Thai food. You can get fresh food and smoothies here for about a third of the price you’d pay in Ao Nang. The restaurants have open kitchens, clean tables and chairs for you to sit and eat.

3. Black Crab Night Market

Black Crab Night Market is the riverfront market, located on Utarakit road right next to the River. The market is a great addition to the night market scene in Krabi Town, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. It is open every night from 4pm to 10pm.

This market has lots of stalls selling souvenirs, food, and drink. There is also a stage where you can watch music performances. There are several bars around the market, which is a good place to have drinks and people watch.

Just across the market is the Pak Nam River promenade and square. It is a good place to chill, hang out, and watch people. The square is home to the The Mud Crabs Sculpture and Krabi’s 0 km plaque with the Elegant Eagle statue. It is a good place to take photos.

4. Chao Fah Park Night Market

The Krabi River Nightmarket is located on Khongkha Road, next to Pak Nam River. It is close to Chao Fah Park, Kong Ka Pier, and Chao Fah Park Pier. It is open daily from 6pm to midnight.

The area is lined with mobile restaurants with table and chair setting along the river promenade. You can find delicious and authentic food here. I had ginger fish, rice, and papaya salad. It was very tasty and reasonably priced.

Be sure to check it out if you are looking for good and affordable food. I prefer the food here than in the other night markets of Krabi Town.

5. The Mud Crabs Sculpture

The Mud Crabs Sculpture is the huge statue located along the bank of Pak Nam River, next to Black Grab Market. It is a symbol of Krabi Town, set against a scenic backdrop of the river and mangrove forest.

Within the square where the Crabs statue is located, you can find an eagle statue just next to it. It’s a great spot to relax and take photos. If you visit the local market nearby, be sure to check it out.

6. Pak Nam River

Pak Nam River is located on the edge of Krabi Town. It is a scenic spot where the river meets the Andaman Sea. It’s known for its beautiful views, fishing boats, and a relaxed local vibe.

You can take a leisure walk along the river promenade, chill at the river square near Mud Crabs Sculpture, check out the riverside night markets, or take a boat ride along the river to visit the caves and mangrove forests.

There are several piers along the river, where you can take long tail boats along the river, or boat to places like Railay and Phi Phi island.

7. Krabi Town Mangrove Walkway

Visiting the Mangrove Walkway is one of the best free things to do in Krabi Town. It is a 500m long raised walkway running through the mangrove forest, on the bank of Pak Nam River.

It is a peaceful place to take a leisure walk along the lush mangrove forest. You can observe some wildlife such as crabs, monkeys, mudskippers, birds, and monitor lizards.

In the middle of the walkway, you can see an observation tower, where you can climb up and enjoy stunning views of the mangroves, the Krabi River, and the limestone karsts.

There are boats at the end of the walkway, offering boat rides to Khao Khanab Nam Cave on the other side of the river. However, the tourist sign at the beginning of the walkway advises against using them, as they are not licensed tourist boats.

The Walkway has free entrance and is technically open all hours, but it is best to visit during daytime. It is not worth visiting during night time and nothing special after dark.

Krabi Town Mangrove Walkway is easy to find from the main road 411 along the river near Krabi Hospital. You can put Krabi Urban Forest on Google Maps and follow its direction.

8. Wat Keaw & Wat Kaew Korawararam

These are two small local temples located in the heart of Krabi Town, a short walk from all the night markets. If you stay in Krabi Town, you can check out these temples.

They are peaceful places to visit and you can admire its beautiful architecture. I visited them early in the morning, and the atmosphere was serene, with no crowds.

9. Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave temple)

Wat Tham Suea is a famous temple in the Krabi region of Thailand. It is located within 15-20 minutes drive from Krabi Town and is a must-see attraction in Krabi.

Even if you’re not into temples or religion, it’s still worth visiting for the hiking opportunities, stunning natural landscapes, and peaceful atmosphere.

I visited Tiger Cave Temple on a rental scooter. The road was quite flat and easy to navigate. You can probably use Grab or Bolt to get to the temple. There are also many tours that take you around Krabi inland attractions including this temple.

The temple is open everyday 6am to 6pm. The entrance ticket is 50 baht. You can park the scooter at the parking area near the ticket counter.

Staircase at tiger Cave temples — Staircase at Tiger Cave temples

The hike to the top of the main temple is extremely steep. It is around 1200 steps stairs with stunning views of surrounding areas all the way to the top. There are monkeys near the top, so don’t feed them and protect your belongings.

It takes around 30 to 60 minutes one way, depending on your physical fitness. You can rest as much as you want along the way. The top is home to several Buddha statues and has sweeping views of the limestone karsts and the city.

If you can hike to the top, you can check a smaller complex near Guanyin statue to the Amazing Tiger Hand Cave. You just need to climb around 100 steps from the temple ground to the peaceful jungle area with several other caves and temples.

10. Emerald Pool and Hot Springs

If you want to swim inside the jungle and take a break from the beaches, you can check out the Emerald Pool and Hot Springs. These attractions are located around 1 hour drive from Krabi Town.

These are not free things to do in Krabi though. It is quite expensive to buy the ticket to these places, around 400 baht for foreigners.

You can reach these places by rental scooter. Many full-day tours depart from Ao Nang or Krabi town, typically including hotel pickup, visit to the Emerald Pool, hot springs, and Tiger Cave Temple.