Phuket or Krabi? Which one should you visit?

If you are planning a trip to Thailand and have never been to either of these places, which one should you visit?

Well if you want endless sunshine, idyllic beaches, watersports, jungle covered national parks, various kids activities, bustling markets, banging nightlife and a great selection of food, both of these places can provide that. The question is, who does it better and from our perspective which place is more suited to our needs as a young family?

The honest answer is both are suited to a young family and ultimately, it comes down to personal preference based on your own experiences and the time you spent there. We have had lots of people reach out to us asking for our opinion on these two places as they plan a holiday to Thailand. This blog is only based on our opinion having been to both places but we hope you find it helpful.

Phuket and Krabi are large provinces based on the South West coast of Thailand. Both are easy to get to as they have international airports enabling you to fly direct to them or via Bangkok. They aren’t that far apart and you can travel between the two provinces by air, sea and road.

They both sit on the warm Andaman Sea with a water temperature around 30c which is awesome it feels like bath water! Both have an abundance of beach options to suit everyone’s needs. Phuket has more to choose from. If you are looking for surfing/watersports, beach bars, parties in places like Patong, Kamala, Karon and Kata (to name but a few!), Phuket is more suited. If you are looking for more natural, crystal clear calmer water and unspoilt sometimes empty beaches such as Railay, Tonsai, Joy, Klong Muang, Krabi should be your choice. There are so many smaller islands across both but the most famous/visited belongs to Krabi (Koh Phi Phi Islands). You can get to the Phi Phi islands from both provinces via plenty of different boat options. For us as a family, Krabi beaches ticked more boxes. Krabi wins!

Both places have so much to see and do. Phuket has more options related to history such as its Old Town, temples, shrines and many festivals/shows but because it is more built up, there is naturally more rubbish everywhere which is unattractive. Krabi’s greatest asset is its untamed natural surroundings! The famous mystical mountains are all over the province and you never get tired of this backdrop. Natural adventure options everywhere ranging from island hopping, treks, kayaking, climbing and cave exploration. The iconic Emerald Pool and neighbouring Hot Springs were also a hit for us. Krabi wins!

Again, plenty of options on both. Phuket has more choice across the spectrum from budget to luxury suiting every need out there. Krabi can offer more remote and unique places to stay particularly if you are looking for isolation. Our Air BNB in Phuket was both bigger, more luxurious, well equipped and cheaper than our one in Krabi. Phuket wins!

Phuket’s pace of modernisation has surpassed Krabi in respect of that feeling of being somewhere very cosmopolitan. There are shopping malls in Phuket. None in Krabi. Some would say that isn’t necessarily a good thing! Krabi Town and Ao Nang has plenty of smaller, more unique independent businesses which helps the locals. More handicrafts etc. For us as a Western international family, we pick Phuket because we know that if there is anything we want, there is a good chance that it will be on sale there. Phuket wins!

Similar to the shopping category, Phuket’s pace of development means it now has a very busy diverse nightlife scene especially in Patong. The Bangla road and surrounding areas in Patong is absolutely heaving with bars and nightclubs. It attracts many partygoers and is only 2nd behind Bangkok for the scale of its diverse party scene. The beach club scene is also busy. Krabi has clusters of bars along Ao Nang and the OId Town but not anywhere near the scale of Patong or other busy areas of Phuket. Krabi is much more about the beach bars as chilled party venues with Railay and Tonsai as the popular ones. Although nightlife is not something we are that fussed about, from what I have experienced in small doses across both, Phuket wins!

Phuket attracts a cosmopolitan crowd from all over the world with its wide variety of shopping malls, high end hotels, yachting marinas and classy beach/night clubs. Krabi also attracts a mixed crowd but has a higher concentration of backpackers. There is a large population of people living and working in Krabi who are ethnically from the Arab states and India hence the higher concentration of restaurants serving Persian and Indian cuisine alongside Thai food. With Krabi, it felt more relaxed than Phuket. Less frantic. We didn’t encounter the occasional taxi mafia or impatient Thai people like we did in Phuket. In Krabi, all the Thai locals and expats were more relaxed and welcoming to us tourists. Krabi felt more like real Thailand than Phuket and that feeling of authenticity is important. Krabi wins!

It’s not difficult to live in both places on a shoe-string budget. There are plenty of places where you can keep accommodation, food and drink costs down. However, due to Phuket’s modernisation and attracting a more cosmopolitan crowd, it felt like prices were a tad more expensive on the whole vs Krabi. For example, a popular service such as traditional Thai massage is 250/300 baht in Krabi and 300/350 baht in Phuket. We feel that Krabi has more options at the lower end of the price scale. Krabi wins!

Ultimately, the choice of which place will boil down to what sort of traveller you are and what you are looking to do more of. I always prefer to form my own opinion based on first hand experience and if you do get the opportunity, visit both of them and form your own opinion. Neither of the places should disappoint you. When we compare the above categories, we were looking for a peaceful, relaxing and uncomplicated place. Our money stretches a bit further, the locals are more patient and friendly, we went to some amazing empty beaches and the natural beauty of the national parks was out of this world! Overall Krabi gets our vote.