A chain of islands running south-west from Miami, linked by forty-two bridges across open sea. The drive is the attraction as much as the destination.
Miami to Key West is three and a half hours without stopping, and stopping is the entire point.
Key Largo has the first coral reef state park in America. Islamorada is sport fishing and a sandbar you can walk to. Bahia Honda has the best beach in the Keys — which matters, because most of the chain has no beach at all, just mangrove and rock. Then the Seven Mile Bridge, and Key West at the end. Two nights along the way and two in Key West beats a day trip, and a day trip is what most people do.
A reef, a bridge, and a very odd town at the end.
America's first underwater park. Snorkel or dive the reef, or take the glass-bottom boat. Ninety minutes from Miami.
The best beach in the Keys by a distance, with the old railway bridge above it. Most of the chain has no beach at all.
Exactly what it sounds like — seven miles of road across open water. The old bridge alongside is now a walking pier.
Conch houses, Hemingway's six-toed cats, and Duval Street. Small enough to walk, and best in the morning.
Street performers and a crowd every evening for the sunset. Touristy and genuinely good-natured.
A 19th-century fort on an island seventy miles further out, by ferry or seaplane. A full day and the best snorkelling in Florida.
Four main stops down the chain, each with its own character.
Ninety minutes from Miami. Pennekamp reef park, and the easiest overnight if you're short of time.
Sport fishing capital, good restaurants, and a sandbar you can wade to. The nicest middle stop.
The turtle hospital, the Seven Mile Bridge, and the only proper beach in the Keys.
Old Town, Duval Street and the sunset. Busy with day-trippers and cruise passengers until about five.
December to April is dry, warm and the busiest. Avoid hurricane season if you can.
Winter is the peak — 24–26°C, low humidity, and hotel rates to match. Spring is warm and quieter after Easter. Summer is hot, humid and stormy, and the Keys are directly exposed to hurricanes between June and November, with evacuation orders a real possibility. Fantasy Fest in late October fills Key West entirely.
Three and a half hours by road from Miami, or fly into Key West (EYW) via a US hub.
Essential unless you fly in. One road runs the length of the chain, and mile markers are how addresses work.
US dollar. Tipping 18–20%, and not in the price.
Key West is small and fills. Book accommodation well ahead, particularly in winter and for Fantasy Fest.
We'll build the drive with stops along the chain, pair it with Miami, and write the payment plan out in full.
Yes, if you break it. Driving down and back in a day is three and a half hours each way to see one town at its busiest.
Almost none — the reef stops the waves that build sand. Bahia Honda is the exception. Come for boats, reefs and the drive.
Two nights. It's small, and the difference between day-trippers leaving at five and the town at eight in the morning is the whole experience.
It's a long way — about six hours of driving. Possible over two weeks, but we'd pair the Keys with Miami and Orlando with the Gulf coast instead.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
12 nights · Apr–May, Sep–Oct · from £2,399pp
13 nights · Apr–May, Oct–Nov · from £2,299pp
13 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,149pp
15 nights · Dec–Apr · from £2,399pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
