Florida, United States
Florida Keys
Driving the Overseas Highway to Key West for UK travellers: how long the 113-mile chain really takes, where to break the drive, and whether to base in Key West or Islamorada.
In short
Florida Keys at a glance
The Florida Keys are a single 113-mile road trip: the Overseas Highway (US-1) hops 42 bridges from the bottom of the mainland down to Key West, the southernmost point in the continental US. You drive it from Miami — there's no other sensible way in, and no UK flights land here — pick up a hire car at MIA, and budget roughly 3.5 to 4 hours non-stop to Key West, though the whole point is to stop. Most first-timers either rush the whole chain in a day or under-rate the upper Keys; the better trip is two or three nights, basing in Islamorada or Marathon for the diving and the fishing, then Key West for the sunsets and the bars.
The Florida Keys are less a place you visit than a road you drive: a thin string of islands curving off the bottom of Florida, joined end to end by one highway that runs out into open sea at Key West. The romance is real — you genuinely cross 42 bridges, the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf on the other, the radio dropping out somewhere over the Seven Mile Bridge — but it’s a long way south of Miami, and the trip works best when you treat the journey itself as the holiday rather than a transfer to Key West.
The mistake almost every first-timer makes is sprinting the whole chain to Key West in a single day, then wondering why they spent a long-weekend trip mostly behind the wheel. Key West is fun, but it’s a small, busy, expensive party town at the end of the road; the calm turquoise water, the reef snorkelling and the best value are all back up in the Key Largo, Islamorada and Marathon stretch you blew past. Give the upper and middle Keys a night before you commit to the bottom, learn to navigate by mile marker like everyone here does, and the drive stops feeling like a slog and starts feeling like the point.
The route
A relaxed three-night drive down the chain that breaks the journey rather than sprinting it. Drive times are US-1 estimates with no stops; in practice the single-lane stretches and the Seven Mile Bridge slow you down, and weekend traffic out of Miami can add an hour.
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Day 1
Miami to Key Largo & Islamorada
Collect the car at MIA and drive about 1h15 (around 60 miles) to Key Largo. Snorkel or dive John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (entry around $9 per vehicle), then carry on 30 minutes to Islamorada for the night — the 'sportfishing capital', with the best mid-Keys restaurants.
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Day 2
Islamorada to Marathon & the Seven Mile Bridge
Drop down to Marathon (about 45 minutes) for the Turtle Hospital and Sombrero Beach, then cross the Seven Mile Bridge — the chain's signature stretch. Bahia Honda State Park just beyond (entry around $9 per vehicle) has the best natural beach in the Keys; stop before the final push to Key West.
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Days 3–4
Key West
The last 50 miles from Marathon take about an hour into Key West. Walk Duval Street, tour the Hemingway Home (around $19), stand at the Southernmost Point marker and watch the sunset performers on Mallory Square. Two nights lets you slow down and do a reef trip or the Dry Tortugas ferry.
Where to base yourself
Pick one or two bases rather than moving every night.
Key Largo / Islamorada (upper Keys)
££ mid-rangeThe closest base to Miami and the best for diving and fishing — John Pennekamp's reef is on the doorstep and the water is calm. Quieter and better value than Key West, with a string of waterfront lodges; the trade-off is it's a 2-hour-plus drive from the Key West nightlife.
Best for: Diving, snorkelling, families, first night out of Miami
Marathon (middle Keys)
££ mid-rangeThe practical halfway base, just before the Seven Mile Bridge, with its own small airport, the Turtle Hospital and Sombrero Beach. Less polished than the upper Keys or Key West but central to everything and noticeably cheaper; a good choice if you're splitting the chain over more nights.
Best for: A central base, families, breaking the drive
Key West (Old Town)
£££ premiumThe end of the road and the only proper town: Duval Street bars, sunset on Mallory Square and walkable old wooden 'conch' houses. It's the priciest, busiest base and parking is a nightmare — book a guesthouse with parking, then walk or cycle everywhere.
Best for: Nightlife, sunsets, the southernmost-point photo
Getting around Florida Keys
A hire car from Miami airport is essentially mandatory — there's one road in and out (US-1, the Overseas Highway), and you'll want the freedom to stop at the bridges, beaches and reef parks along the way. Remember you drive on the right, the US-1 speed limit drops to around 45mph through the towns and is enforced hard, and addresses are given as mile markers (MM) counting down to MM 0 in Key West, so set your sat-nav by MM rather than street name. Once in Key West, park the car and don't move it: Old Town is tiny and walkable, parking is scarce and expensive, and most people hire a bike or a golf cart instead. The Greyhound bus and a shared shuttle service do run Miami–Key West if you'd rather not drive, but you'll lose the whole point of the trip — the stops.
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