Take a car trip in Florida
Take a car trip in Florida. Check out a roadmap through the main cities of the sunny state that is full of beautiful places. Hiring a luxury car service with a chauffeur to drive you and your family around can turn your trip into an unforgettable experience. We have separated 12 destinations for you to get to know them one by one, stopping and enjoying the main attractions – from St. Augustine to Key West. Check out:
1. St Augustine
Our car trip in Florida starts in the city of St Augustine. It is the oldest city in all of the US, dating back to 1565, that is, a place very rich in history. St Augustine has a beautiful and pleasant beach, and many old sights. There is, for example, the Castillo de San Marcos, which is the oldest fort in the country, dating back to 1672; the famous church Our Lady of la Leche, which welcomes mothers and pregnant women who pray for the health of their children; an old mill, and lots of nice restaurants.
The city is about 100 miles away from Orlando, and in our itinerary it is the northernmost city in the state of Florida.
2. Daytona Beach
Our next city on our road trip across the state is Daytona Beach. It’s just an hour away from Orlando, and it’s a cool beach town to get to know. Its beaches are beautiful and it is a great option to spend one or more days enjoying the beach. Daytona Beach is home to NASCAR.
To give you an idea, the Daytona Beach Speedway is the main oval automobile circuit in the country. Therefore, the city is ideal for those who enjoy car races, but also like to relax on the beach, visit the pier, which is full of events, shop and enjoy a lot.
3. Orlando
When talking about Florida, Orlando is one of the most outstanding city, along with Miami. Orlando doesn’t have a beach, but it has so many attractions, tours and things to do that you could spend weeks there to get to know everything. Orlando’s theme parks are the city’s main attraction, with both Disney World as well as Universal Studios, home to the world of Harry Potter.
In addition to the more than 30 parks, there are also several museums in Orlando, which are very interesting, and there are options for children and adults. Finally, there is shopping in Orlando, which attracts millions of tourists every year in search of outlets and malls with unbeatable prices. Orlando is a complete city, and in the itinerary it is one of the ones you can reserve more days to get to know as much as possible.
4. Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is another beach town tip for your car trip in Florida. It is after Orlando, down the state towards the south, and is very popular with surfers. Cocoa Beach’s main tourist attraction is its pier, which is very popular, full of shops, bars, restaurants around it, food stalls and an incredible view of the sea.
5. Tampa
Tampa is already a bigger city compared to some of the previous ones. It is 60 miles away from Orlando and 200 miles from Miami, and has no beaches. Many tourists stay there, because the city is well developed and has theme parks like Busch Gardens.
Accommodation there is cheaper than in Orlando and Miami, for example. Tampa has many dining options of all types, and there you can also go to the Lowry Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry and many other attractions.
6. Clearwater Beach
Located in the west of the state, bathed by the crystal-clear sea of the Gulf of Mexico, Clearwater Beach is a paradise city. Its highlight is precisely the sea that bathes it, which, unlike other cities, is not the Atlantic, but the Gulf of Mexico. It has a very famous pier, which is a tourist spot and can be visited at any time of the day, especially at sunset, which yields beautiful photos.
The city is small and what is most worthwhile there are its paradisiacal beaches, some of the shops that are on the boardwalk and the quiet of the place. The city is just over an hour away from Orlando, and its beaches are among the best beaches in Florida.
7. Palm Beach
Palm Beach is the next city on our itinerary. It is already much closer to Miami than to Orlando, and is very little explored by tourists, so we consider it quiet and pleasant for those looking for a little more tranquility. It has very beautiful beaches, museums, great restaurants and bars.
In Palm Beach there are dozens of huge mansions, which show how luxurious and expensive the city is for anyone looking to live or have a beach house. A very beautiful area that we recommend is Worth Avenue, which has incredible patios with fountains and super luxurious decor, where people go to shop and meet. Most of the city’s stores are luxury brands and are very expensive. There’s also Four Arts Gardens, an art gallery with gardens and trees of all kinds, which is really pretty.
8. Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdaleis a very famous tourist city, which has one of the largest ports in the US and the world. It is already bigger compared to Palm Beach, and it comes close to the size of Miami. It is from Fort Lauderdale that many cruises depart from Miami and the Bahamas, and there are about 25 miles of sand there, meaning the beaches are a major attraction in the area.
Las Olas Boulevard gathers bars, restaurants, galleries and shops in a very pleasant tree-lined space. Another cool tip in Fort Lauderdale is to go to Riverwalk Park and take a boat or a Water Taxi, which drops you off at any of the clubs, restaurants, shops and resorts in town.
9. Naples
When taking a car trip in Florida, you can also go to Naples. It is approximately 2 hours from Miami and 3 hours from Orlando. As a beach town, Naples is smaller and less hectic than Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It is more similar to Clearwater Beach, which is in the Gulf of Mexico, so the sea waters are very blue and clear, reminding us of the Caribbean.
Naples is considered a haven for many people who are looking for more peace, but who demand a good structure. The city offers good shopping malls, golf courses, very luxurious buildings and several beaches. If you want to shop, head to Fifth Avenue South, with designer stores, art galleries, restaurants, cafes, hotels and more. The beaches near this part of the city are usually much more crowded, so if you want even more calm, look for the beaches in the southern part of Naples. The city’s Botanical Garden is also a good option for a walk, if you don’t like the beach so much.
10. Miami
Miami is, like Orlando, a huge, super-developed city, full of attractions. There you will see some incredible beaches, some very popular, others more paradisiacal. There are also several open museums and natural parks, shopping malls and huge outlets. The city also has a busy nightlife, with some of the best clubs in the world. And don’t miss Miami’s main avenues, Lincoln Road, Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive – in all of them you’ll find dozens of restaurants, bars, shops and galleries, all facing the sea.
11. Coral Gables
Coral Gables is considered a historic neighborhood, not a city, located south of Miami. It is an ideal place to spend a day strolling, discovering its architecture and Mediterranean style. There you will see many galleries, shops, mansions and some luxurious hotels. You can have lunch or dinner in one of the many restaurants, and enjoy the charm of the fountains, squares and arches.
Coral Gables was planned in the 1920s and became known as the American Riviera. Among the main historical sites there, we recommend you to visit the Biltmore Hotel, which is a super luxurious hotel with an incredible pool and recreation area, used by residents as a club.
12. Key West
The last city tip on our roadmap is the island of Key West. It is located in the south of the state, and is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and impressive places to visit in Florida. The road trip there is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, because Key West is part of the famous Florida Keys, which is a set of paradise islands, and to go there you will pass through many of them. The trip is made over bridges that connect one island to another, and which have a surreal view.
Key West is about 3 hours away from Miami. There you can relax on the beach, practice water sports, visit parks and nature reserves, and enjoy Key West’s Mallory Square, where the sunset is celebrated every day.
Excited to take a car trip in Florida? Book Mundi’s luxury car service to drive you around.
