Out Thailand
Illustration of Krabi, Thailand

Krabi Airport to Ao Nang: Taxi, Van, Bus & Grab Prices

Last updated 2026-07-08

On this page

TL;DR: Krabi Airport (KBV) sits about 26km from Ao Nang, and the drive takes roughly 30-45 minutes by taxi or private transfer against 45-90 minutes on the shared shuttle once it finishes its stops. The cheapest option is the shared shuttle/minivan run by Phichet Transport for ฿150 (about US$5) per person, or a songthaew via Krabi Town for as little as ฿80 (about US$2), though both mean waiting for the vehicle to fill and extra stops before Ao Nang. A fixed-rate taxi from the airport counter costs ฿550-700 (about US$17-21) for a sedan seating up to three or four, or ฿800-1,050 (about US$24-32) for a minivan seating up to eight or nine. Booking a private transfer online ahead of time usually beats the airport taxi counter on price, typically ฿550-600 (about US$17-18) for a sedan. Grab operates in Ao Nang and Krabi Town but coverage is thinner than Phuket or Bangkok, so treat it as a bonus option rather than a guaranteed ride, especially before 6am. All prices ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).

Landing at Krabi Airport and working out how to get to Ao Nang is the first practical decision of the trip, and unlike some Thai airport-to-beach runs, there isn’t one obvious answer. The 26km stretch is short enough that even the slowest option isn’t a disaster, but the price and comfort gap between a flagged-down songthaew and a prebooked private car is wide. This guide runs through every realistic option, shared shuttle, fixed-rate taxi, private transfer, and Grab, with what each actually costs and how long it actually takes, checked against 2026 operator and booking-platform data.

Prices are in Thai baht (THB) with US dollars in parentheses, converted at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026). Figures below come from airport transfer operators, taxi companies, and booking platforms cited in the Sources section.

Krabi Airport to Ao Nang: options at a glance

ModeTimePrice
Songthaew (shared, via Krabi Town)~60 minutes฿80 ($2) per person
Shared shuttle/minivan (Phichet Transport)45-90 minutes฿150 (~$5) per person
Grab30-45 minutes (subject to driver availability)Dynamic, roughly taxi-level
Fixed-rate taxi (airport counter, sedan)30-40 minutes฿550-700 (~$17-21) up to 3-4 pax
Fixed-rate taxi (airport counter, minivan)30-40 minutes฿800-1,050 (~$24-32) up to 8-9 pax
Private transfer (prebooked online)30-45 minutes฿550-600 (~$17-18) sedan

Figures compiled from Phichet Transport shuttle pricing, airport taxi-counter rates, and 2026 transfer-booking platforms; see Sources. Prices at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).

How much does a taxi cost from Krabi Airport to Ao Nang?

A fixed-rate sedan taxi from the airport counter runs ฿550-700 (about US$17-21), and it’s the quickest door-to-door option at 30-40 minutes. Official taxis queue outside both arrivals halls and charge a set rate regardless of what the meter would show, so there’s no haggling and no surprise at the end of the trip. A standard sedan takes up to three or four passengers; if your group is bigger or you’ve got a lot of luggage, a minivan seating eight or nine costs ฿800-1,050 (about US$24-32). Pay the driver in cash in baht.

This is the option for anyone who lands late, has a connecting flight the next morning, or just doesn’t want to think about transport logistics after a travel day. It costs more than the shuttle, but for a group of three or four splitting a sedan, it works out close to shuttle-per-person pricing anyway.

Is it worth booking a private transfer in advance?

Yes, if you want a driver waiting with your name at arrivals and a marginally cheaper fare than the airport taxi counter. Booking online ahead of time, through a platform like 12Go or directly with a transfer company, typically brings the price down to around ฿550-600 (about US$17-18) for a sedan-sized car, similar capacity to the counter taxi but usually a touch cheaper because you’re not paying a walk-up premium. Travel time is comparable, roughly 30-45 minutes direct to your hotel.

The trade-off is commitment: you lock in a pickup time and (usually) a specific vehicle before you’ve landed, so if your flight is delayed, check the operator’s flight-monitoring policy. Most reputable transfer companies track your flight and adjust automatically, but budget operators may not.

What about the shared shuttle and public bus?

Krabi doesn’t have a government-run airport bus the way Phuket does with its smart bus. The closest equivalent is a privately operated shuttle run by Phichet Transport, using either a minivan or a small coach depending on demand. Tickets are sold from counters in the arrivals hall of both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, cost around ฿150 (about US$5) per person, and departures run at roughly hourly intervals through the day.

The catch is the route. The shuttle drops passengers at hotels in Krabi Town before continuing on to a string of Ao Nang hotels, so the scheduled 45-55 minutes routinely stretches to 60-90 minutes depending on how many stops are on that run. It’s still the best value option for a solo traveller or anyone on a tight budget who isn’t in a rush.

An even cheaper, even slower alternative is a songthaew (shared pickup truck), flagged down outside the terminal for around ฿80 (about US$2). It also routes via Krabi Town and takes close to an hour, with no fixed schedule, so it suits travellers who value cost over convenience and don’t mind waiting.

Does Grab work at Krabi Airport?

Grab is available in Ao Nang and Krabi Town, and you can request a ride from the airport, but don’t expect Bangkok- or Phuket-level coverage. Driver density is thinner across the whole province, so wait times can run longer than the app first estimates, and early-morning pickups before around 6am are the least reliable window, since fewer drivers are working that early. Pricing is dynamic and shown upfront in the app, and it generally lands in the same ballpark as a metered or fixed-rate taxi rather than being a clear discount.

Grab is worth opening as a first check once you’ve cleared arrivals, since if a driver is nearby it can be as fast as a taxi at a similar price. Just have the fixed-rate taxi counter as your backup rather than counting on Grab alone, especially outside daytime hours.

Honest downsides

None of these options is free of a catch. The shared shuttle is genuinely cheap but the multiple stops mean you can’t predict your arrival time within half an hour either way, which matters if you’ve got a tight check-in or an onward booking. The songthaew is cheaper still but has no schedule at all and requires flagging one down, not something every traveller wants to figure out straight off a flight. Grab’s thin driver coverage means it isn’t a dependable fallback, particularly late at night or very early morning. And while the fixed-rate taxi and private transfer are the most reliable, they’re also the most expensive per person for solo travellers, so a group splitting a sedan gets far better value than someone travelling alone.

Getting from Ao Nang back to Krabi Airport

The same choices work in reverse for your departure. Taxi companies such as Andaman Taxi quote around ฿637-700 (about US$19-21) for a Camry-class sedan up to three passengers or a minivan up to nine, taking 35-40 minutes. The Phichet Transport shuttle runs a similar hourly schedule from stops around Ao Nang, including one near the McDonald’s on the main strip, for about the same ฿150 fare as the inbound trip, though again budget extra time for hotel pickups along the route. Whichever option you pick, build in more buffer than you think you need, especially with the shuttle, since a missed flight is a worse outcome than an early wait at the gate.

Getting to Ao Nang: putting it together

If you land with a hotel booking and no patience for stops, book a private transfer in advance or take the fixed-rate taxi counter and be at your room within 45 minutes. If you’re travelling solo or watching the budget, the Phichet Transport shuttle at ฿150 is the better value than most people expect, and Grab is worth a quick check the moment you’re through arrivals. Once you’re settled, see outthailand.com’s Ao Nang guide for where to base yourself, where to stay in Krabi for picking a neighbourhood, and things to do in Krabi for planning your first few days, plus Railay Beach if you’re weighing a longtail-boat side trip. Check what’s on right now too, so your first days line up with something actually happening rather than guesswork.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the cheapest way from Krabi Airport to Ao Nang?

The cheapest option is a shared songthaew via Krabi Town for around ฿80 (about US$2), though it's slow, taking close to an hour, and you'll need to flag one down outside the terminal rather than book it. The shared shuttle/minivan run by Phichet Transport is a more convenient budget option at ฿150 (about US$5) per person, sold from a counter in both arrivals halls, but it also makes stops in Krabi Town and at several hotels before reaching Ao Nang, so it can take 45-90 minutes.

How much does a taxi cost from Krabi Airport to Ao Nang?

The official airport-counter taxi is a fixed rate of roughly ฿550-700 (about US$17-21) for a standard sedan carrying up to three or four passengers, or ฿800-1,050 (about US$24-32) for a minivan carrying up to eight or nine. The fare is set regardless of the meter, paid in cash, and the drive takes about 30-40 minutes direct to your hotel.

Is it cheaper to book a private transfer in advance than to take the airport taxi?

Usually yes. Booking a private transfer online ahead of arrival, through a platform like 12Go or directly with a transfer company, typically costs around ฿550-600 (about US$17-18) for a sedan-sized vehicle, a bit less than the airport counter taxi rate. The trade-off is you commit to a fixed pickup time and driver in advance rather than just walking up to the counter after landing.

Does Grab work at Krabi Airport?

Grab operates in the Ao Nang and Krabi Town areas and can be booked from the airport, but driver coverage is noticeably thinner than in Bangkok or Phuket. Expect it to work reasonably well through the day, with pricing that's dynamic but broadly comparable to a taxi fare, while early-morning pickups before around 6am are the least reliable time to find a driver.

Is there a public bus from Krabi Airport to Ao Nang?

There's no government-run airport bus at Krabi the way there is in Phuket. The closest equivalent is the privately operated Phichet Transport shuttle, which uses a minivan or a small coach, sells tickets from counters in both arrivals halls, and runs at roughly hourly intervals through the day for about ฿150 (about US$5) per person. It functions as the de facto public transport option even though it's a private company.

How far is Ao Nang from Krabi Airport, and how long does the drive take?

Krabi Airport (KBV) is about 26km from Ao Nang. A direct taxi or private transfer takes roughly 30-45 minutes depending on traffic, while the shared shuttle or public bus, which stops in Krabi Town and at multiple hotels along the way, typically takes 45-90 minutes.

How do I get from Ao Nang back to Krabi Airport for my departure flight?

The same options work in reverse. Taxi companies such as Andaman Taxi quote around ฿637-700 (about US$19-21) for the return leg, taking 35-40 minutes, while the Phichet Transport shuttle runs on a similar schedule and price to the inbound trip. Build in extra time if you're booking the shared shuttle, since hotel pickups across Ao Nang add stops before the airport.

Out Thailand Team

Based in Chiang Mai

The Out Thailand team lives in and around Chiang Mai and writes practical, on-the-ground guides to events, cost of living, and daily life in Thailand.