9 Best Places to Go Shopping in Krabi

Krabi Walking Street, also referred to as Krabi Night Market or Krabi Town Walking Street (Thanon Khon Dern in Thai), is the town’s most important shopping event. The event first kicked off back in 2013 offering visitors a glimpse into southern Thailand life through the discovery of products crafted by local artisans and artists. It runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoon, from 5 pm to 10 pm on Soi Maharaj 8.

With around 50 stalls selling a wide range of products, the walking street draws a large crowd for such a small area – every weekend. The market event also takes place on the large plaza right behind Vogue Shopping Center in downtown Krabi. A night market would not be a night market in Thailand without tasty snacks to grab, so there is a multitude of Thai street food favourites to sample here while wandering around from stall to stall.

Ao Nang Walking Street is an L-shaped, partially covered lane at the southern corner of Ao Nang (Beach) Road. The name ‘walking street’ could be misleading as, in Thailand, it usually refers to a weekly market-like fair such as the popular Krabi Walking Street in Krabi Town’s Soi Maharaj 8, or Phuket Walking Street in Phuket Old Town’s Thalang Road.

Opened in 2007, Catalunya Walking Street is a permanent bazaar-like compact shopping complex, in which you will also find an art gallery, a tailor, an optician, an ice-cream shop, restaurants (Thai, Mexican, and international), bars, a bank, and a guesthouse, all right next to Ao Nang Beach.

Maharat Fresh Market is also known as the ‘Morning Market’ of Krabi as it's a lively place to shop in Krabi even before the break of dawn. The market literally never closes – it is not fully active at certain times of the day, such as between noon and 4 pm and from 8 pm to 4 am. Even so, there’s always something going on here.

Inside the compound, you’ll find exotic goods both dry and fresh: rice, spices, chilli paste, colourful fruit, vegetables and flowers, meat, fish, seafood and more. There's also a variety of food stands selling ready-to-eat meals and drinks at very minimal prices. Long tables between the food stands allow vendors and visitors to sit down and have their meal in relative peace in the middle of the hustle and bustle.

Chock Dee Handmade is a long-established silver and gold jewellery boutique on Ao Nang's beachfront. It has a wide choice of bracelets, necklaces, earrings and more. The particularity of the jewels sold at Chock Dee Handmade is that they are all original creations made of precious, semi-precious and rare materials – besides gold and silver, there are also items made with stone, marble, and even fossils.

All of Chock Dee Handmade’s jewellery items are, as its name suggests, handmade in a small factory located in the proximity of Ao Nang. Custom-made orders are also possible. Due to the tip-top quality of the products, prices are slightly higher than other nearby outlets. Even so, it certainly doesn’t hurt to haggle them down a little.

Nopparat Thara Plaza is a contemporary style shopping and dining plaza and a major part of the Ao Nang/ Nopparat Thara shopping scene in Krabi. The plaza opened in February 2014 and has been offering cool shopping opportunities in the otherwise quiet area ever since.

The plaza is set along Nopparat Thara beach road some 500 metres from the northern end of Ao Nang, right next to Holiday Inn Resort Krabi Ao Nang Beach and diagonally opposite Luna Beach Bar & Restaurant. It hosts about 20 shops and restaurants as well as a food court. Designed in a style blending modern and natural elements, the plaza is set in a spacious compound featuring plants, trees, and a large carp pond between the solid hut-like shops.

Railay Walking Street is Railay West’s main shopping hub, with a 70-metre-long lane that gathers a good deal of shops, bars and restaurants. Its entrance is right on Railay Beach West, flanked on both sides by the popular Flame Tree Restaurant. Other eateries featured along Railay Walking Street range from kebab stalls and fruit shake joints to burger joints and pancake stands.

There are a few leisure activity centres also present in the lane such as Railay Rock Climbing Shop and Railay Dive Centre. After an active day out enjoying the outdoor activities, you can go for a relaxing massage at a spa located toward the end of the lane.

Khlong Moung Shopping Center is a small square featuring antique and handicraft shops, massage and beauty parlours, cafes, and boutiques. It is the antithesis of Bangkok shopping in that it’s clean, quiet, and relaxed. The small plaza is about 50 metres before the entrance of Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort.

Shoppers can take their time here, snack or even go for a massage before checking their emails – you can find most of your needs met here, all centralised and handy.

Vogue Shopping Center is a neighbourhood mall in Krabi. It follows the well-trodden Thai path of cramming plenty of brand-name shops under one roof with a central supermarket, food court and fast-food places. Located on Maharaj Road in the heart of Krabi Town, the 3-storey department store provides locals and visitors with a wide range of goods and daily necessities.

The 1st-floor hosts promoted items in its central area, and cosmetics, gold jewellery, and accessories stalls and boutiques. Down at the basement level, you can find stores selling the cheapest products – clothes, toys, shoes, electronic gadgets, mobile phone covers being among them. There’s also a karaoke area as well as a video game arcade nearby.

Krabi Airport Road supermarkets and malls largely make up the shopping scene of the town. Krabi has several large supermarkets, all of them located a few kilometres south of the city centre and on the Petchkasem Road towards Krabi Airport, Koh Lanta and Trang. When heading south from downtown, they come in the following order: Big C Krabi, Outlet Village Krabi, and Tesco Lotus Krabi Town.

Big C Krabi is a ubiquitous green-and-red shopping mall with many branches throughout Thailand. This warehouse-sized building sells such exotica as washing machines, electronic goods, fresh and preserved food, cheap clothing, basic children’s toys, and such. Tesco Lotus plays the same game but in a slightly higher quality bracket. Outlet Village Krabi sells fashion and sportswear along with sports accessories.