A Florida Keys vacation is unlike any other United States vacation. This chain of islands off the tip of Florida is like visiting another county. As you pass each white rocky beach and cross each long bridge, you’ll feel the stress just stripping away. With an island vibe in every city, you’ll relax and enjoy fishing, snorkeling, boating, beach combing and shopping. Combine all that with plenty of attractions for the whole family and heaps of the “World’s best Key Lime Pie” and you will have a fantastic Florida Keys vacation. Keep reading to plan the perfect Florida Keys vacation that will keep your expectations real and your vacation unreal.
About The Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a chain of islands located off the southern tip of Florida and stretching to within 90 miles of Cuba. The islands stretch for 125 miles and are connected by the famous Overseas Highway, making them easy to travel between.
It’s good to know that “The Keys” are not just Key West. Key West is the most popular island in the Keys. However, there are 200 more islands to visit! Generally, the Keys are divided into the five major Keys with larger cities. Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West; listed from Miami south.
Just offshore of the Keys is the world’s third largest barrier reef, only smaller than the Great Barrier Reef and the reef offshore of Mexico, Belize and Honduras. This reef draws in tourists looking to scuba dive and snorkel as animal life is abundant. This animal life also draws in lots of anglers looking to catch the abundant fish or go further offshore in search of larger catches.
The Keys were built by coral reef. As the coral eroded and turned to sand, plants and animals found the islands and built them up. Because of their coral nature, you may expect smooth sandy beaches. However, what you’ll likely find are white beaches with coarser limestone sand. Therefore, this isn’t the best beach vacation destination, we like the Virgin Islands for that, but it is a great place for unique offshore experiences.
When To Visit The Florida Keys
Because the Florida Keys stretch so far into the Caribbean region, the climate is more like that of an island than the rest of the mainland USA. Instead of four distinct seasons, the Florida Keys have a wet and dry season.
The wet season stretches from June through October. During the wet season, rainfall is more likely and temperatures are higher (80-85 ºF). The dry season stretches from November through April. Temperatures during this time are cooler (65-75 ºF) but it rains less. Either season has a high likelihood of sunny days and warm weather so choose a time with a temperature that is more appealing to you.
One thing to be aware of is hurricane season. Hurricane season in the Keys runs from June-November, with August and September being the most aggressive part of storm season. We wouldn’t recommend avoiding this time altogether as you can get cheap bookings during this time. However, if you book during hurricane season, make sure your trip is refundable, even for weather events.
Additionally, you have to account for other tourists. Winter is the most crowded season as people flock to the Keys to avoid cold weather elsewhere in the USA. Spring and fall are less crowded times to visit the Keys. However, if you visit in the spring avoid the end of February and March as school spring breaks happen during this time and families and college students flock to the beaches.
Summer can be a great time to visit as some people think 85 ºF averages are too hot, and they may be right, but this means the hotel prices can go down during this less popular time.
Getting There and Around
Key West does have a small airport and flights into this airport can be reasonable. However, they are often inflated. Rental cars can also be inflated if picking up in the Keys.
Consider flying into Miami or Fort Lauderdale and renting a car there. This will give you a chance to explore all of the Keys via a road trip and likely reduce your flight and rental car prices.
You will need a rental car for your Florida Keys vacation unless you are only planning on visiting Key West. It takes around 4 hours to drive from the top of the Keys to the bottom – it’s longer than it looks. With all this milage, we recommend a smaller fuel efficient car as it will save you money on gas.
There are buses that travel between the Keys. However, they are limited in times and take extra time out of your vacation. Additionally, there are ride shares and taxis. However, those will cost lots of money as trips between the Keys can get long.
How Many Days To Spend On You Florida Keys Vacation?
You’ll need 3-4 days to make a trip to the Keys worthwhile. However, we recommend a minimum of 5 days. If you’d like to see all of the top sights, plan to spend a full week in the Keys. Additionally, if you’re interested in lots of activities like scuba diving or deep sea fishing, you could spend 10-14 days in the Keys without getting bored.
Where To Stay On Your Florida Keys Vacation
Lots of Florida Keys accommodations have a minimum number of nights to book. We found it hard to plan an island hopping vacation where we stayed in a different spot each night. So we have two recommendations for places to stay in the Keys if you are exploring all of the islands on your Florida Keys vacation.
First, stay in the Middle Keys, particularly in Marathon. This will mean you’ll likely have a decent drive each day but it will never be more than an hour.
Second, stay in two places during your trip. First, in the Upper Keys, around Islamorada and then in Big Pine Key. This will allow you to shorten your drive time each day to under 45 minutes to a destination.
Additionally, if you only want to explore one Key, stay there. However, we think every Florida Keys vacation should span the full length of the overseas highway.
Search for home rentals here:
- Marathon – Middle Keys
- Islamorada – Mid-Upper Keys
- Big Pine Key – Mid-Lower Keys
What To Budget For The Florida Keys
The Florida Keys is one of the most expensive vacation destinations in the United States. It feels like every activity in the Florida Keys costs money, the food is overpriced and the hotels are outrageous. Here are some typical prices:
- Food: $10/person for take away and $30/person for sit-down
- Hotels and Home Rentals: $300/night, Key West is more like $500/night
- Transportation: $80/day for a rental car. Gas seems to be around the U.S. average.
- Activities: $50/person/day; higher if you are looking for specialty activities like scuba diving or fishing
What To Pack
Pack nice warm weather clothing for your trip. However, don’t forget to pack a light rain jacket and a sweatshirt or sweater for cooler weather – it pops up regularly if only for short periods.
For the beach, pack your swim gear, these cool beach blankets and quick drying towels, a waterproof pouch for your phone, sunglasses and a hat. Additionally, make sure you have REEF SAFE sunscreen. A majority of sunscreen sold in the US has chemicals that may be harming the reef off the coast of the Keys. Look for sunscreen without any active ingredients that start with O (good safe rule you can steal). We like this one. Additionally, if you have room in your suitcase, pack your own snorkel gear so you don’t have to waste money renting. We’ve definitely gotten our money’s worth on our snorkel gear.
We hope this has helped you to plan your perfect Florida Keys vacation. For more information checkout our related Florida posts below or visit our Florida vacation planning page. Or leave a question in the comments section below and we’d be happy to help.
