Cool Free Things to Do in Railay Beach

Railay Beach is a beautiful beach destination in the Krabi region of Thailand, located just 10 minutes long tail boat ride from Ao Nang. It is known for its stunning limestone cliffs, beautiful beaches, caves, and rock climbing opportunities.

Railay is part of the mainland, but it is only accessible by boat due to the high limestone cliffs that cut it off from the rest of the area. Even though it is a small area, it has plenty of things to do and see. I recommend spending at least one full day exploring Railay.

There are frequently long boats from Ao Nang to Railay, especially in the peak season from November to May. You can just book a ticket at the ticket booth on the main road near the central area of Ao Nang Beach. The ticket is 100 baht/ adult for a shared boat (8 people).

There are also many tours that take you to the Four Islands which also include a visit to Phra Nang Beach in Railay, but in my opinion, the stop there is too brief to fully explore the area. It’s best to spend a full day or even stay overnight to truly experience its beaches, caves, and viewpoints.

I had a wonderful time exploring Railay with a full day trip from Ao Nang. In this article, I will show you the 12 best free and cool things to do in Railay.

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Free Things to Do in Railay Beach

1. Phra Nang Beach

Phra Nang Beach is the best beach in Railay. It is located within 15-20 minutes walk from the Walking Street and Railay West Beach where the long boat from Ao Nang arrived.

The beach has white sand, clean calm water, and stunning views of the limestone cliffs. It is a good place for swimming, sunbathing, chilling, and kayaking. Unlike Rail West and Railay East Beach, there are no boat docking in Phra Nang Beach, creating a quieter atmosphere free from boat activity.

The beach is home to just a couple of restaurants including the unique The Grotto cave restaurant. There are no sunbeds and umbrellas, so it is best to bring your own beach mat or beach towel with you.

At two ends of Phra Nang Beach, you can check out the Princess Cave and Bat Cave. Princess Cave is easier to reach, and Bat Cave requires a little bit of hiking and rock climbing. It is worth checking out these two beautiful caves while you are on Phra Nang Beach. They are both free to visit.

2. Railay West Beach

Railay West Beach is a popular and busy beach in Railay. It is the first point of arrival on the island if you’re coming by long-tail boat from Ao Nang Beach. Lots of boats are located at the central area of the beach, from where you can buy boat tickets back to Ao Nang.

The beach has white sand and breathtaking views of the limestone karts. It has good conditions for swimming, kayaking, and paddle boarding.

There are several restaurants and bars along the beachfront area. You can also easily walk to the walking street for more dining and convenience store options.

You can find hidden trails at two ends of Railay West Beach. One trail in the northern end area takes you to the neighboring Tonsai Beach, another trail in the southern end area takes you to several viewpoints and rock climbing spots like Candlestick Wall.

3. Hidden trail at Railay West Beach

This trail is located at the southern end of Railay West Beach. It takes you to several nice viewpoints, small caves, and rock climbing areas. If you like hiking, you should check out this trail. You don’t need to be a professional climber or take a climbing course to do it.

I recommend using Map.me to navigate the starting point, and have general ideals of the direction of the trail. You can use the free version of Map.me to use its navigation function. I used it for several hiking destinations in Thailand and found it very useful.

The trail was easy to follow with some climbing through sharp rock and root trees. There are some ropes along the way to support your hike. Along the trail, you’ll pass a small cave, several viewpoints overlooking Railay West and Tonsai, and spots where you can watch rock climbers in action.

4. Hike to Tonsai Beach

At the northern end of Railay West Beach, you can find the trail to Tonsai Beach. The trail is moderate and takes 10-15 minutes to walk to reach Tonsai.

Tonsai Beach has a quieter atmosphere than Railay and is a popular rock climbing destination. I recommend checking out this beach at the end of your day trip after exploring everything in Railay.

From Tonsai, you can also buy a boat ticket to get back to Ao Nang. The boat ticket is located at the northern end of the beach. There are more frequent boats back to Ao Nang from Railay Beach though.

I hiked to Tonsai, explored its beach and the village, then walked back to Railay, for the boat back to Ao Nang. The area is relatively small, so if you’re not swimming, walking around the beachfront and the village takes about an hour or so.

5. Bat Cave

Bat Cave is one of the good free things to see in Railay. It is located near the northern end of Phra Nang Beach. The cave is a nice hiking destination and you can have some nice views of Phra Nang Beach and the dramatic limestone cliffs.

The trail head can be found at the northern area of Phra Nang Beach. You can walk to the north of the beach and look for the trail on the right side leading to the bushes. After a short walk, you will see a steep rock climbing with rope along the trail.

After the rope, keep left to get to the ladder area, and climb this to go inside the big cave. I wore New Balance shoes and it was very slippery inside the cave, so be careful when walking around.

6. Princess Cave

This cave is a unique place to visit, located at one end of Phra Nang Cave. It is free and is easy to find, so you can have a quick look. The cave is home to a shrine and a lot of unusual and colorful wooden phalluses, which were made by local fishermen for fertility and good luck.

The area around Princess Cave is surrounded by high limestone cliffs, and you can often see many rock climbers scaling them.

7. Diamond Cave / Phra Nang Nai Cave

Diamond Cave is located near Railay Walking Street, between Railay West Beach and Railay East Beach. The cave is open everyday and the ticket is 200 baht per adult.

As I already saw many caves in both Thailand and Vietnam, I skipped it. The road to Diamond Cave is quite nice. You can admire the stalactites and stalagmites from outside of the cave. There are also many monkeys in the area around the Ancient tree within stalactites.

Even if you don’t plan to pay the entrance fee or go inside the cave, the road leading to it is still worth exploring.

8. Railay Walking Street

Railay Walking Street is a main street of Raily, connecting Railay West Beach and Railay East Beach. A walk from the west to east is around 10 minutes.

The walking street is packed with restaurants, bars, massage shops, convenient stores, and rock climbing school. You can buy some snacks at the Walking Street and bring them to the beach.

9. Free rock climbing to East Railay Viewpoint

If you like rock climbing but don’t want to take a climbing course, you must check out the trail to East Railay Viewpoint and Railay Lagoon. This is free and in my opinion is one of the best things to do in Railay, especially if you like hiking and are not scared of heights.

The starting point is located on the road between Railay East West and Phra Nang Beach. The trail is short, around 1km long but extremely steep. There are big ropes along the way to support you.

The viewpoint has stunning views of Railay East, Railay West, the village, and the limestone cliffs. Make sure to climb during daytime only, wear proper shoes, and avoid it when it gets wet.

10. Railay Lagoon

Railay Lagoon and East Railay Viewpoint trails share the first 90 meters. After the first 90 meters of climbing, turn right to reach the Lagoon or left to reach the Viewpoint.

The way to the Lagoon is more difficult than the way to the viewpoint. The final section has a steep descent, and many people stop at the opening of the hole.

I visited the Lagoon in the afternoon. It was a low tide, the water shallow, and quite muddy, some people swimming, some people taking photos. Only a few people made it to the bottom, so it was peaceful.

11. Kayaking at Railay West and Phra Nang Beach

Kayaking is a popular beach activity in Railay, especially in Phra Nang Beach and Railay West Beach. You can rent a kayak on the beach for about 200 baht/1 hour, 300 Baht/ 2 hours.

At Phra Nang Beach, you can kayak to the nearby islands like Koh Rang. You can see lovely stalactites and grottos around this island.

12. Checking out local restaurants and bars

The Walking Street is packed with local restaurants, cafes, and bars. I had my lunch at Railay Family Restaurant located at the central area of the Walking Street.

The restaurant is quite popular and has a good vibe. They serve Thai food at a reasonable price. The owner was friendly and welcoming.