Railay Beach is located within a short boat ride from Ao Nang and Krabi Town. In this article, I will show you how to get to Railay from various locations in Thailand and how to get around.
Railay Beach is a beautiful beach destination located in Krabi Province. It is known for its stunning beaches, limestone cliffs, and dramatic landscapes. It is a perfect place for relaxing, swimming, kayaking, and rock climbing, as well as exploring the caves and nature trails.
Railay is located in mainland Thailand but it is only accessible from the mainland and other islands by boats, including long tail boats and speed boats.
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How to get to Railay Beach from Ao Nang
It is only a 15-20 minute boat ride from Ao Nang Beach to Railay Beach. You can easily book a ticket at one of the several ticket booths along the beach road. I booked my ticket at Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Club. The ticket was 100 baht 1 way.
You can buy return tickets, and use that to get in any boat back to Ao Nang. The last boat is at 6pm. I only bought a one way ticket, you can buy a ticket at Railay Beach for the boat beach to Ao Nang too.
I travel to Ao Nang in December which is part of the high season (October to April). There are lots of boats, and it runs when there are enough people on the boat (8 people).
If the long tail boats do not run along Ao Nang Beach in the low season, or rough sea, you can check boats at Ao Nam Mao pier or the pier in Krabi Town. It is easy to book a boat ticket at the ticket counter, or you can have a look at some schedule online here.
How to get to Railay Beach from Krabi
Krabi Airport to Railay Beach
You can take a taxi from Krabi Airport to either Ao Nang Beach or Ao Nam Mao Pier, then buy a boat ticket to get to Railay Beach. But, I recommend booking a combo ticket which includes a shared minivan to the pier and ferry to Railay.
The journey from Krabi Airport to Railay is around 1 hour. If you take a boat from Ao Nam Mao Pier, the boat arrives at Floating Pier East Railay. If you take the ferry from Ao Nang Beach, the long tail beach will arrive at Railay West Beach. From either location, you can walk to your hotel.
Krabi Town to Railay Beach
Similar to Krabi Airport, you can book a connecting ticket which includes transfer from your hotel in Krabi Town to the pier, and long tail boat for Railay. This is a convenient option because you don’t have to find the location of the pier, and navigate to the pier.
You can also find your way to Kong Ka Pier, located along Chao Fah Park, to buy a boat ticket to Railay. The boat arrived at Railay East Beach. The journey is around 40 minutes.
How to get to Railay Beach from Bangkok
Bangkok to Railay Beach By air + boat
The quickest way to reach Railay Beach from Bangkok is to take the flight from Bangkok to Krabi Airport. The flight is around 1.5 hours. You can fly from either Don Muang Airport or Suvarnabhumi Airport to Krabi Airport.
You can book a package ticket to get from Krabi Airport to Railay Beach. It includes a minivan transfer to Ao Nam Mao Pier, and ferry to Railay East Beach. Otherwise, you can take a taxi to the pier and buy a ticket there. It is around 40 minute drive from the airport to the pier, and a 20 minute boat ride.
Bangkok to Railay Beach By bus + boat
It is around 16.5 hours to travel from Khao San Road in Bangkok to Railay Beach by bus and boat. You can take a night boat. There are several buses departing from Khao San Road. You can book a ticket at local travel agencies, or book it in advance in 12go.asia.
Bangkok to Railay Beach By train + bus + boat
This is not the best option, but if you are a train enthusiast, you can take a train ride from Bangkok to Surat Thani, then bus to Ao Nang Beach, and finally boat to Railay Beach. This option involves lots of transport, and is not suited for first-timers in Thailand.
The train departs from Krung Thep Aphiwat Station. You can get to the train station by MRT Blue Line and stop at Bang Sue MRT station. The journey to Surat Thani is around 12 hours. I recommend taking the 2nd class sleeper aircon train for your comfort.
At the train station, find the way to Surat Thani Town by minivan and buses to Ao Nang Beach, then from there book a boat ticket to Railay. Some travel agencies such as Sapthaweephol and Future Travel & Service offer combo tickets from Surat Thani Town to Railay by van and ferry. You can check it here.
How to get to Railay Beach from Phuket
The boat journey from Rassada Pier in Phuket to Railay Beach is around 1 to 3 hours. The duration depends on the type of boat you take, whether it’s a ferry or a speedboat.
There are also ferry departures from other piers such as Jian Vanich Pier, Laem Hin Pier, or Bang Rong Pier. All ferries arrive at Floating Pier East Railay.
Some boat companies running this route include Ao Nang Travel & Tour, Seatran Phuket, Andaman Wave Master, Koh Yao Sun Smile, Tiger Line, and Bundhaya Speed Boat. You can find the way to the pier, or book with a company that includes a pick up from your hotel to the pier. Check all options here.
How to get to Railay Beach from Koh Lanta
It is a 1.5 hour boat ride from Saladan Pier, Koh Lanta to Railay East Beach. This only operates during the high season which is from November to April. Some companies running this route include Ao Nang Travel & Tour, Tiger Line, Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club, and Bundhaya Speed Boat.
You can book tickets at the pier, at local travel agencies, or online in advance. You can consider using their hotel pickup service for easier travel. Have a look at all the boat schedules from Koh Lanta to Railay here.
If there is no direct boar running between Koh Lanta and Railay in the low season, you will need to go to Ao Nang by land first, then a long tail boat to get to Railay. I’m sure a local travel agency will help you with this.
Walking is the best way to get around Railay Beach
Railay Beach is a small beach area including several beaches, caves, and a main walking street. You can easily get around and explore everything on Railay on foot. There are no cars on Railay.
It is only a 10 minute walk from Railay West Beach to East Beach through the walking street. I spent a day exploring all the caves, beaches, and lagoons on Railay.
You can easily see all the highlights in Railay on foot. They include Phra Nang Beach, Lagoon, East Railay Viewpoint, East Railay Viewpoint, and Diamond Cave. You can walk to Tonsai Beach nearby too.
See more:
- Best areas to Stay in Railay Beach
- Best areas to Stay in Krabi
- Stay in Ao Nang or Railay
- Cool Free Things to Do in Railay Beach
- How to Spend 5-7 Days In Krabi & Ao Nang Itinerary
- Top 27 Best Things to Do in Ao Nang, Krabi
These are my suggestions of how to go to Railay from Ao Nang, Krabi, Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Lanta. This beach area is very small, you can easily explore everything on foot. Walking is the best way to explore Railay.