Estimated reading time: 12 mins
There’s one road that gets all the attention in Florida, and honestly, it earns it. The Overseas Highway runs 113 miles from the mainland down to Key West, hopping between islands on a string of bridges with nothing but open water either side of the car. I’ve driven a lot of coastal routes over the years and this one still gets me every time, that first stretch after Florida City where the land just runs out and you’re suddenly driving on water.
This trip starts in Miami and finishes in Key West, and it links up the bits everyone actually wants to see: the reef diving around Key Largo, the fishing-village feel of Islamorada, the turtle hospital in Marathon, the beach at Bahia Honda that keeps winning “best in America” polls for good reason, and the Seven Mile Bridge itself, which is worth the trip on its own. Three days is enough to do it properly without rushing, though I won’t pretend you couldn’t happily stretch it to four or five.
It suits pretty much anyone. Couples looking for an easy, scenic drive, divers and snorkellers chasing reef time, food people who want stone crab and key lime pie, and honestly anyone who just wants three days where the biggest decision is which bridge to stop on for photos. You’ll want your own car for this one, since the whole point is the drive itself. Sort your car hire in Miami before you land so you’re not queuing at the airport counter while everyone else does the same thing.
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Florida Keys Road Trip: Quick Facts at a Glance
Start: Miami, Florida
End: Key West, Florida
Best length: 3 days (4 to 5 if you've got the time)
Total distance: Around 160 miles (257km) one way
Best for: Couples, divers and snorkellers, food lovers, first-time Keys visitors
Driving difficulty: Easy. One main road, no navigation needed, just watch your speed through the island towns
Best time to go: Late autumn through spring, when the humidity drops and hurricane season is behind you
Car needed: Yes. There's really no other sensible way to do this route
Main route: Miami → Key Largo → Islamorada → Marathon → Bahia Honda → Seven Mile Bridge → Key West
Sort your wheels first: This whole trip depends on having a car, so it's worth booking early rather than scrambling at Miami airport arrivals. Compare car hire deals in Miami and grab something with decent boot space for beach gear and cool boxes.
The Route: What to Expect
The shape of this one is dead simple: you drive south, the road narrows to a single highway with the ocean on both sides, and you keep going until you physically can’t anymore because you’ve run out of America. US-1 (the Overseas Highway) is the only road you need. Mile markers count down as you head south, starting around MM 110 near Key Largo and hitting zero in Key West, and locals use them as addresses more than street names, which takes some getting used to.
Two driving days and one full day exploring Key West on foot is the balance that works best. Day one is a relaxed half-day drive with reef time built in. Day two is the longer haul, through Marathon and over the Seven Mile Bridge, with a proper beach stop along the way. Day three you leave the car at the hotel and just walk.
← Swipe to scroll on mobile
| Day | Route | Drive time | Vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami → Key Largo → Islamorada | ~2 hrs with stops | Reefs and tarpon feeding |
| 2 | Islamorada → Marathon → Bahia Honda → Key West | ~2.5 hrs with stops | Turtles, beaches, that bridge |
| 3 | Around Key West | Walking only | Duval Street, sunset, trip finish |
Note: FREE Google Map Lower Down the Article.
Florida Keys Road Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Miami to Islamorada
Distance from Miami: About 90 miles to Islamorada (roughly 2 hours without stops, longer with them). First proper stop, Key Largo, is about 55 miles south, around an hour’s drive.
Leave Miami in the morning and you’ll hit Key Largo within the hour, which is your first real taste of the Keys. This is dive and snorkel territory, home to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, America’s first underwater park and still one of the better reef systems in the country. Give yourself at least two to three hours here if you want to actually get in the water rather than just glance at it from the shore. From Key Largo it’s another 45 minutes or so down to Islamorada, your stop for the night, and a proper fishing town with a laid-back, slightly scruffy charm that I mean as a compliment.
Things to do:
- Snorkel or dive John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (2 to 3 hours, boat trips run regularly)
- Feed the tarpon at Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada, an odd but genuinely fun stop
- Wander Founders Park in Islamorada for a quiet sunset over the bay
- Grab an early dinner at one of the waterfront spots along the highway
Local's Secret: Pennekamp gets booked up fast in high season, especially the glass-bottom boat trips. If you can, reserve a slot online the night before rather than turning up and hoping. Saves you standing around when you could already be in the water.
Where to Stay in Islamorada
Day 2: Islamorada to Key West
Distance from Islamorada: Marathon is around 25 miles south (about 40 minutes). Bahia Honda is a further 15 miles (25 minutes). Key West is the final 40 miles or so after that, roughly an hour, though the Seven Mile Bridge alone takes about 10 minutes to cross at a steady pace.
This is the big driving day, and it’s a properly good one. Marathon is your first stop, home to the Turtle Hospital, which rehabilitates injured sea turtles and lets you get genuinely close to the process rather than watching from behind glass. From there it’s a short hop to Bahia Honda State Park, which has one of the best beaches in the entire state, sand that’s actually sand rather than the crushed coral you get further south, plus the old railway bridge you can walk out onto for a proper view. Then comes the Seven Mile Bridge itself, which is exactly what it sounds like and somehow still manages to feel longer than that when you’re on it, water on both sides and barely any sense of land at all.
Things to do:
- Visit the Turtle Hospital in Marathon (guided tours run on the hour, allow 1.5 hours)
- Swim or just sit at Bahia Honda State Park (2 to 3 hours if you can spare it)
- Walk out onto the old Bahia Honda railway bridge for the classic photo
- Cross the Seven Mile Bridge, and actually look up from the road for a second
- Catch sunset at Mallory Square once you’ve checked in to Key West
Bridge Watch: There's nowhere to stop on the Seven Mile Bridge itself, so get your photos from the old parallel bridge at either end instead. And if you're prone to getting a bit uneasy over open water, this is the stretch to be mentally ready for, it's genuinely a long way with nothing either side.
Recommended read: USA Travel Tips For First-Timers: Your Fun, Foolproof Guide
Where to Stay in Key West
Day 3: Key West
Driving: None. Park the car and walk everywhere.
Key West is small enough to properly explore on foot, and honestly the car becomes a hindrance the second you arrive, parking is tight and everything worth seeing sits within a mile or so of Duval Street. Start at the Southernmost Point buoy, more a photo op than a landmark, then work through Old Town towards the Hemingway House, where the famous six-toed cats still wander the grounds. Fort Zachary Taylor has the best beach in town if you want sand and a swim, and the whole island winds down at sunset with buskers and food stalls at Mallory Square, a nightly ritual that somehow never gets old.
Things to do:
- Photo at the Southernmost Point buoy (get there early, the queue builds fast)
- Tour the Ernest Hemingway House and meet the resident polydactyl cats
- Swim or sunbathe at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park
- Walk Duval Street and duck into the side lanes for the quieter bits
- Catch the Mallory Square sunset celebration to close out the trip properly
Wildlife Watch: Chickens roam free all over Key West and nobody bats an eye, they're considered part of the island now. Less charming are the iguanas, which are an invasive species and genuinely everywhere. Neither will bother you, but don't be surprised when a rooster wanders past your breakfast table.
Recommended reads: All Guides to the USA
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Where To Stay For This Florida Keys Road Trip
You’ve got two proper overnight stops on this route, and where you base yourself changes the feel of each night quite a bit. Both towns are compact enough that you don’t need to overthink location too much, but a bit of planning helps.
Islamorada (night 1): Stay somewhere along the water if you can, this stretch of the Keys is all about the view from your balcony. It’s quieter than Key West, more fishing lodge than party town, and that’s exactly the contrast you want on night one before things pick up further south.
Key West (nights 2 and 3): Old Town is the obvious pick if you want to walk everywhere, though it does get loud around Duval Street on weekends. If you’d rather sleep properly, look slightly further out towards the New Town side of the island, still an easy walk or short ride into the centre, just with a bit more peace after midnight.
Pit Stops & Side Detours
The main route already covers the essentials, but there are a few easy extras worth folding in if you’ve got a spare hour or want to stretch the trip beyond three days. None of these need a big detour off the highway.
- Alabama Jack’s, a ramshackle waterfront bar just before Key Largo, good for an early beer and conch fritters before the reef stop
- Indian Key Historic State Park, a short boat or kayak trip off Islamorada for a quieter slice of history
- Sombrero Beach in Marathon, a decent alternative if Bahia Honda is packed out
- Blue Hole in the Lower Keys, a former quarry that’s now home to alligators, a genuinely odd sight this far into saltwater territory
- Dry Tortugas National Park, a longer boat or seaplane trip from Key West if you’ve extended the trip to four or five days
- Skip: trying to squeeze in every state park along the way. Pick two or three and actually enjoy them rather than ticking boxes from the car window
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Browse the shopLocal Eats Worth Chasing
The Keys do seafood properly, and a few dishes are worth actively seeking out rather than just ordering whatever’s nearest. For more food-led ideas across other trips, my travel inspiration hub has plenty to dig through.
- Key lime pie, obviously, and it’s worth comparing a few slices along the route since every spot swears theirs is the original
- Stone crab claws in season, served cold with mustard sauce, a proper Keys specialty
- Conch fritters, a bar snack you’ll see everywhere and one that’s genuinely worth trying at least once
- Fresh grouper sandwiches, blackened or fried, at pretty much any waterfront shack along the highway
- Cuban coffee in Key West’s Old Town, small, strong, and exactly what you need before a day of walking
Road Trip Playlist
Podcasts to Queue Up
The Overseas Highway is scenic enough that you won’t want music blaring the whole way, but the longer inland stretches between towns are perfect for something to listen to.
- A history podcast covering the Florida East Coast Railway, the line that first connected these islands before the 1935 hurricane wiped much of it out
- A true crime episode or two, since the Keys have a genuinely strange history worth digging into
- A long-form travel interview show for the stretch between Marathon and Key West
- A marine biology or ocean conservation podcast, given how much of this trip revolves around the reef
- Something light and funny for the Seven Mile Bridge crossing, when you’d rather laugh than think too hard about how much water is either side of you
Quick win: Download the playlist. Use zero data, and you dont need to worry about signal!
Road Trip Essentials
Nothing complicated here, but a handful of things make this drive noticeably easier, especially if it’s your first time on the Overseas Highway.
A hire car booked ahead of time. Miami airport rental counters get busy, and cars can sell out on peak weekends. Book your car hire in Miami early so you’re not left with whatever’s leftover on the lot.
Sun protection, more than you think you need. There’s very little shade on most of this route and the glare off the water is relentless. Sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen reapplied more often than feels necessary.
Patience through the island towns. The speed limit drops sharply through Key Largo, Islamorada and Marathon, and the police here do actually enforce it. Build a bit of slack into your timings rather than fighting the limits.
An airport transfer if you’re not driving both ways. Plenty of people drive down and fly out of Key West International, or vice versa. If that’s your plan, sort an airport transfer rather than juggling a one-way rental drop-off.
A guided reef or fishing trip booked in advance. Boats fill up fast in high season. GetYourGuide and Viator both list snorkel, dive and sunset sail options around Key Largo and Key West, worth locking in before you set off.
Working data the whole way down. Signal can wobble on the more remote stretches between towns, right when you need the map most. A Holafly eSIM sorts that out before you land, and the code THETRAVELTINKER gets you 5% off any eSIM or 10% off Holafly plans for the first 12 months.
Travel insurance, sorted before you go. Water activities, boat trips and the general unpredictability of travel abroad all make this worth having in place. VisitorsCoverage is the one I point people towards. And if a flight gets delayed or cancelled on either end, it’s worth knowing you may be able to claim flight compensation rather than just absorbing the cost. For more planning basics, my travel planning resources page and general travel tips are worth a browse too.
Sunset Alert: Mallory Square's sunset celebration only really works if the sky plays along, so if it's cloudy on your first Key West evening, don't stress. You've got two nights here, save the proper sunset watching for whichever one looks clearer.
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Helen Ross
I’m a 32-year-old photographer and travel enthusiast, journeying from place to place, immortalizing the hidden tales, unseen moments, and the narratives that lie between.
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