This ultimate Miami to Key West drive takes you through some of the best parts of tropical Florida. After leaving Miami and passing the Everglades, you exit the mainland and enter the Overseas Highway. It impressively takes you from key to key until you reach the Southernmost Point of the continental USA.
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- Total distance: 164 mi / 264 km
- Total driving time: 3.5 h
1. Miami
The starting point of your tropical South Florida drive delivers a beachy big-city vibe. In Miami, you can enjoy white beaches during daytime and party the night away on Ocean Drive until the morning arrives.
But Miami is also a lot more than beautiful beaches and a fun nightlife scene. Little Havana and Wynwood offer versatile cultural experiences, and Everglades is just a short trip away.
Enjoy culture in Little Havana and Wynwood
Little Havana is a great place to increase your understanding for the Cuban heritage in Florida. Maybe, the neighborhood even is where the city’s real heart is.
In Little Havana, home to many Cuban exiles, you get a taste of old Cuba. Neighborhood highlights include trying Latin American food, listening to live music and, of course, watching games of outdoor domino.
Another Miami neighborhood with a lot of soul is Wynwood. Eye-popping in vivid colors, Wynwood’s murals is what once made the area famous.
Nowadays visitors come to Wynwood to stroll around, take in the street art and capture that perfect picture for their social media accounts.
See alligators in the vast Everglades
A visit to South Florida is not complete without a stop to check out the unique wilderness in the Everglades. The area represents the wild and untamed side of Florida, and there are many reasons to visit Everglades.
In the incredibly large wetland, you’ll find birds, lizards and alligators. Nature lover or not, it’s a big experience.
Exploration of Everglades can be done as a day trip from Miami, or as a stop as you work your way down towards Key West.
When you head south, Ernest Coe Visitor Center of the Everglades is just a small detour away. Close by, the Anhinga Trail offers great chances to see alligators in the wild in the Everglades.
Route info: Everglades National Park has five different visitor centers. Among these, Ernest Coe Visitor Center is the most convenient one for this itinerary. The Ernest Coe section of the park, which is its southern portion, is famous for its alligator-lined trails.
2. Key Largo
- Driving distance: 67 mi / 108 km
- Driving time: 1.5 h
Key Largo is the first major upper island of the Florida Keys. As indicated by its name, the island is at 33 miles (53 km) long the largest segment of the Keys.
In Key Largo, the famous Overseas Highway adventure begins. Water activities are very appreciated all over the Keys, and Key Largo is certainly no exception.
Enter the Overseas Highway
From Key Largo, the road trip continues on one of the most spectacular roads in the world, the Overseas Highway.
The Overseas Highway takes you on bridges from key to key until you reach Key West. To enter it from the mainland, you can just continue on US Highway 1 until it becomes the Overseas Highway at Key Largo.
As soon as you reach the first key, you feel that the stress of the mainland disappears. Instead, you embrace the laid-back Florida Keys vibe.
Stop at the first undersea park in the US
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is known as the first undersea park in the United States. In the park, home to coral reefs and dive marine life, you really get to see how rich the Keys are in natural beauty.
At John Pennekamp, you can explore the corals from a glass-bottom boat, or by diving and snorkeling. So it’s totally up to you how active you want to be when you visit. If you don’t want to, you don’t even need to dip your feet in the water when you explore.
Enjoy peaceful times on quiet canals with the African Queen
Another nice way to explore the waters of the Florida Keys and to learn some movie history is to take the African Queen on the canals. The steamboat got famous through the 1951 movie with the same name with stars such as Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.
The African Queen canal trip is extra interesting if you have seen the movie. But even if you haven’t seen it, the boat tour is a pleasant stop to make on the itinerary. The Key Largo canals are incredibly peaceful.
More info: Best Key Largo accommodation
3. Islamorada
- Driving distance: 17 mi / 27 km
- Driving time: 0.5 h
After a first taste of Florida Keys, it’s time to explore Islamorada. It’s an area packed with opportunities to fully take in its beautiful surroundings.
Explore the forgotten Indian Key
Located within sight of the Overseas Highway, Indian Key Historic State Park is a unique stop. It’s offshore and only accessible by boat.
Indian Key has an unexpectedly rich past: This humble island became the first county seat of Dade County in 1836. Wrecking ships was big business, and the founders wanted to compete with Key West.
In the end, it didn’t work out, and a long time has passed since anyone lived on the key. But a visit to the island is both historically interesting and a great chance to see some exceptional marine life.
Feed fish at Robbie’s
Another option is to go to Robbie’s.
People from all around the world go to Robbie’s for the opportunity to feed tarpons. The place has become like an institution along the Overseas Highway.
Massive silver giants wait at Robbie’s dock for food. And they aren’t shy when you dangle fish on the surface. The tarpons love to snatch it out of your hands — and down in their stomachs it goes.
More info: Where to stay in Islamorada
4. Marathon
- Driving distance: 30 mi / 48 km
- Driving time: 0.5 h
As you leave Islamorada, you have passed the halfway point between Miami and Key West. In Marathon, you’re instead about halfway to Key West from the start of the Overseas Highway.
When the Florida Keys Overseas Railroad was built in the early 1900s, the stakes were high and the efforts put in by the workers enormous. They worked day and night to finish the project on schedule.
As they worked the men said that “this is getting to be a real marathon”. Hence the name for the local station and later city was born.
Relax on Sombrero Beach
It’s almost impossible not to long for a beach to relax on when you travel in the endless summer season of the Florida Keys. And in Marathon find one of the most popular beaches in the Florida Keys, Sombrero Beach.
At Sombrero Beach, you’ll find a sandy shoreline, calm waters and palm trees that give shade for the moments when the direct sun feels too strong. The beach with its shallow water is ideal for a day of unwinding, sunbathing, swimming and snorkeling.
Visit a turtle sanctuary in the heart of the Keys
From April to October, it’s nesting season in the Keys for loggerhead turtles. Turtles just love the warm Florida waters.
A great way to learn more about them is to visit Florida Keys Turtle Hospital in Marathon. The turtle hospital rehabilitates injured sea turtles and return them to their natural habitat.
If you book a guided tour, you get to learn about turtles and the hospital’s efforts to save them. A visit is a rewarding experience both for adults and younger travelers on a family road trip.
5. Big Pine Key
- Driving distance: 21 mi / 34 km
- Driving time: 0.5 h
Now, we’re getting really deep into the Florida Keys. The Lower Keys is the area of the Keys after the Seven Mile Bridge. That includes every key from Bahia Honda Key and Big Pine Key until you reach Key West.
Recline on Bahia Honda Key
Spending time in Florida Keys is as much about unwinding as it is about seeing things.
Sombrero Beach, higher up in the Keys, is always mentioned as one of the best beaches in the Florida Keys. Another one not to miss is the Lower Keys’ Bahia Honda Beach.
In Bahia Honda State Park, the beach is beautiful with crystal clear water and lots of shoreline to explore. In addition, its shallow water also makes it a great place to stop for families.
Check out a heaven for the tiny Key Deer on Big Pine Key
On Big Pine Key, you’ll find the National Key Deer Refuge. It has been established to protect the local key deer and other wildlife in the Florida Keys. It’s a fun place to visit for anyone who likes nature and animals.
The key deer is the tiniest member of the North American white-tailed deer family. So you might be surprised about how small it is. The refuge is about 9,000 acres, and there the tiny deer lives side by side with other species, such as the Lower Key marsh rabbit and the silver rice rat.
6. Key West
- Driving distance: 29 mi / 47 km
- Driving time: 0.5 h
You have reached your final destination! In Key West, not only does the Overseas Highway end but also the continental United States.
Ernest Hemingway called Key West his home for some of the most fruitful time of his writing career. When you visit the island, it’s easy to fall in love with it. It’s one of the most unique Florida islands.
Key West is famous for its endless summer, sunset celebrations and unique quirky vibe. In Old Town of Key West, you can have the best of times. And most of the best things to do in Key West are centered around the two main streets, Duval and Whitehead Street.
Explore Duval and celebrate on Mallory Square
Duval Street is packed with fun stores, tasty restaurants and bars that can cool you off even on the hottest of Florida days. When you arrive at Duval, you are guaranteed to find something to do.
A popular place to visit is the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. There you are welcome to walk in a garden full of butterflies. It’s peaceful, fun and educational.
And don’t forget that in Key West, every day ends with sunset celebration on Mallory Square. As the sun starts to set on the horizon, hundreds of people gather and quirkily celebrate the sunset.
Finish with a slower pace on Whitehead Street
Next to Duval, on Whitehead Street, you’ll find a much slower pace. There the setting is ideal to indulge in Key West history at the Ernest Hemingway Key West House and Key West Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters Museum.
More iconic places and splendid photo opportunities on Whitehead Street are Mile Marker 0 and the Southernmost Point. The latter marks out the Southernmost Point of the continental United States. Both are perfect spots to round off your amazing drive.
Where to stay
After an action-packed road trip, it’s nice to not have to rely on your car for a while. From Key West hotels in Old Town, you have most attractions and things to do within walking distance.
- Almond Tree Inn – Excellent Key West lodging near Duval Street.
- Blue Marlin Motel – A more inexpensive motel.
Tip: If you want to extend the road trip, you can start in Orlando instead of Miami. That way, you make it an Orlando to Key West road trip and get to see some more of the beautiful South Florida.
You might wonder…
It’s 164 miles (264 km) from Miami to Key West, a stretch taking about 3.5 hours to drive. To fully enjoy the road trip, we suggest taking it over multiple days, though.
The main stops included on our itinerary are Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and the Lower Keys. In each area along the way, you’ll find several appreciated points of interest.
Islamorada is located halfway between Miami and Key West. Therefore, Islamorada is the ideal location if you want to stop somewhere around the middle of the journey.
Also known as the heart of the Keys, Marathon is located midway between the start of the Overseas Highway and Key West.
Thanks to the Florida Key’s endless summer, driving from Miami to Key West drive can be done at any time of the year. However, keep in mind that the summer can be exhaustingly hot and humid down here.
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