Shopping and Eating in Krabi

Shopping

You can get a cross-section of Krabi’s best shopping when you go to Krabi town and get acquainted with the offer of the main street and the side streets between it and Joenranta. For many, Thai products are at least a little familiar in advance, and many know that things like pharmacy products, food, clothing, shoes, and a variety of valuable items from gold to jewelry are good shopping. If you manage to avoid pirated products, there are locally made products that may well be of Western origin but made in Thailand or other nearby countries, at excellent prices and good quality.

Finding food from anywhere in Krabi is no problem, and many shops such as 7-Eleven stores are open 24 hours a day. During the season from November to April, everything is open daily, but during the monsoon season, many places close. This is especially true of beach resorts, which are only visited in winter, but of course there is life in the city of Krabi even in quiet times.

Food is also well available at the evening markets in the city of Krabi, both on the riverfront near Kong Ka Pier (daily from 5 pm to 10 pm) and opposite the market hall (Fri – Sun from 5 pm to 10 pm), behind the City Hotel. You can get nuts and other delicacies from the market hall, but you should be careful with nuts both there and elsewhere. They can be completely overpriced, and you should pay attention to the size of the package. There are also other Asian delicacies in Thailand, such as bean-like beans, seaweed and the most wonderful local products, some of which come from Japan and Korea.

Prices in Krabi vary considerably, but in general almost everything is affordable compared to Finland. The most affordable are local products such as handicrafts, decorations and clothing. In terms of value for money, clothes are good shopping, as are shoes and other accessories, and also medicines, other pharmacy products, and products from opticians are inexpensive. Food, various delicacies sold in stalls and markets and local products, and getting around by public or taxi are especially cheap. Western products are expensive, luxury products, alcohol and also tobacco is more expensive than other products.

Dining at Railay

Restaurants and food

In Thailand, you should prefer local food, and the closer the food comes from, the better it usually is. The very basic portions, made quickly in a wok and served with rice or noodles, both of which are different, are the best value for money. These include familiar dishes such as Pad Thai (pát thai), which is always a worthy and almost always an excellent meal. You can get one from the congested stall in the Krabi city center at 40 baht.

Thailand is a place with food for everyone and Krabi is a diverse place in terms of its food. You shouldn’t worry about hygiene unnecessarily, but nightclub stalls with grilled meats and some other products that may be too much for the stomach may come up. However, with common sense, one can quickly discern what is pure and what is not. Chicken, meat and some other products may be poorly preserved, but Seafood is kept on ice and is always safe. The fruits are excellent and healthy for breakfasts and snacks, and are worth buying in pieces at markets and elsewhere. Especially papaya, pineapple, watermelon and mango are excellent. You shouldn’t eat a lot of vegetables raw, you should skip normal salads,

A big surprise and disappointment for vegetarians in Thailand is that vegetarian food is rare and that almost all meals contain meat, fish or at least fish sauce. Pad Thai, which is often available in Europe as a vegetable version, always contains some shrimp and perhaps something else that is not pure plant. Normal stalls and restaurants are not suitable for vegetarians, but it is easy not to eat meat (i.e., pork, beef, or chicken) but complete avoidance of seafood or fish cannot be practiced in them. Krabi has vegetarian and Indian restaurants that always have a wide variety of vegetarian dishes. Many vegetarian restaurants also offer meat and fish dishes, and like Indian restaurants that offer tandoori meat, for example. they are suitable for groups with both vegetarians and carnivores. The most vegetarian restaurants come in Krabi town, but there are also quite a few in Ao Nang.

Thai food is one of the best in the world in terms of value for money, and in many places it is possible to eat all meals in euros or up to one and a half. 40 baht is the normal price for a meal in many places, and such prices are met somewhat in stalls along the main road in Krabi town and along its side streets such as Soi 10. You can also eat in the market hall and evening markets at fairly reasonable prices, and in the city of Krabi it is possible to eat well for 40-80 baht. In the actual restaurants the prices are higher, but in the city of Krabi you can eat a good meal with food drinks for 100-150 baht. Such meals are Thai dishes, and foods from elsewhere are always more expensive. If you want to eat Western dishes such as pizza, steak or a burger, it can cost 200-400 baht.