Key West sits at the far end of a 113-mile string of islands, and getting there from Miami is half the fun. The drive alone crosses the Seven Mile Bridge, one of the most photographed stretches of road in the country, with open ocean on both sides and pelicans gliding past your windshield. Whether you're road-tripping on your own or booking one of the many Key West tours from Miami, this southernmost city delivers a strange, wonderful mix of laid-back island life, literary history, and sunset theatrics you won't find anywhere else in Florida.
This guide breaks down how to actually get there, what's worth your time once you arrive, and how to decide between a rushed day trip and a slower multi-day visit. We'll also cover the Dry Tortugas, an even more remote destination that pairs beautifully with a Key West itinerary if you have the extra day.
Getting from Miami to Key West
The distance between Miami and Key West is roughly 160 miles, and under normal traffic that's about a three-and-a-half to four-hour drive one way along the Overseas Highway (US-1). It's a gorgeous route, but it's also long enough that doing it twice in one day leaves you with maybe four or five real hours in Key West itself — not much for a place with this much personality.
That's why most visitors choose one of three approaches:
- Guided day tours from Miami: A bus or van picks you up early, handles the driving, and drops you in Key West for several hours of free time before heading back that evening.
- Self-drive day trips: Renting a car gives you flexibility to stop at spots like Islamorada or Marathon along the way, though you'll be doing all the driving yourself.
- Overnight stays: Spending one or two nights in Key West lets you catch sunset at Mallory Square, wake up without a bus schedule looming, and actually explore Old Town at a human pace.
If you're staying in Fort Lauderdale instead, plenty of Key West tours from Fort Lauderdale run the same routes, just tacking on an extra hour or so of drive time at the start and end of the day. Either city works fine as a base — Miami just tends to have more departure options and slightly shorter travel windows.
What a Typical Key West Day Tour Looks Like
Most organized Key West tours from Miami depart very early, often between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., because the drive eats up so much of the day. Buses typically make one rest stop along the Keys, sometimes at a roadside spot with Key lime pie or fresh conch fritters, before rolling into Key West around midday.
Once there, you're usually given anywhere from four to six hours of free time, sometimes paired with a hop-on-hop-off trolley pass or a guided walking tour of the historic district. That's enough time to hit the highlights, grab lunch, and still catch the evening celebration at Mallory Square before the bus heads back north, arriving in Miami late — often close to midnight.
It's a long day, no question. But for travelers with limited vacation time, it's a genuinely efficient way to check Key West off the list without booking a hotel.
Things to Do in Key West
Key West rewards wandering, but if your time is limited, a few spots consistently earn their reputation.
Duval Street and Old Town
Duval Street is the spine of Key West — bars, galleries, cigar shops, and street performers all crammed into a mile of Caribbean-colonial buildings. It's touristy, sure, but it's also genuinely fun, especially in the late afternoon when the heat breaks and the crowds thicken.
The Ernest Hemingway Home
Hemingway lived and wrote here through much of the 1930s, and the house on Whitehead Street still has the six-toed cats to prove it. The tour runs about 30 minutes and gives a good sense of how the writer lived between fishing trips and bar nights at Sloppy Joe's.
Mallory Square Sunset Celebration
This nightly street festival has been running for decades — jugglers, musicians, food carts, and a crowd that gathers just to watch the sun drop into the Gulf. It's become one of the most reliable answers to "what to do in Key West" for good reason.
Southernmost Point Buoy
The concrete buoy marking the southernmost point in the continental U.S. draws a permanent line for photos. It's a quick stop, but it's Key West's most photographed landmark for a reason.
Snorkeling and Reef Trips
The waters around Key West sit along the third-largest barrier reef system in the world. A few hours of snorkeling near the reef line reveals coral formations, parrotfish, and the occasional sea turtle — a nice contrast to the bar-crawl energy of Duval Street.
Butterfly Conservatory and Key West Cemetery
Less crowded but worth the detour. The cemetery in particular has some of the strangest, funniest epitaphs you'll find anywhere in Florida.
Extending Your Trip: Key West Tours to Dry Tortugas
If you have an extra day, Key West tours to Dry Tortugas National Park are worth serious consideration. The park sits about 70 miles west of Key West, accessible only by boat or seaplane, and centers on Fort Jefferson, a massive 19th-century brick fortress rising out of turquoise water like something from another era.
The ferry ride takes roughly two and a half hours each way, and most day trips include breakfast, lunch, snorkeling gear, and a guided tour of the fort. The snorkeling here is arguably better than anything near Key West itself — clearer water, more fish, less boat traffic. Because access is so limited, the park stays remarkably uncrowded even at peak season.
This isn't something you can bolt onto a single Miami day trip; the logistics don't allow it. But if you're spending a night or two in Key West anyway, pairing your visit with a Dry Tortugas excursion turns a good trip into a genuinely memorable one.
Choosing the Right Key West Tour for Your Trip
Not every traveler needs the same itinerary, so it helps to match the tour style to what you actually want out of the day.
- Short on time: A one-day guided bus tour from Miami covers the essentials — Old Town, some free time, sunset at Mallory Square — and gets you home the same night.
- Traveling with kids: Look for tours that include the Butterfly Conservatory or a glass-bottom boat ride, both easier on younger attention spans than a long walking tour.
- Snorkelers and divers: Consider skipping the standard day tour in favor of an overnight stay with a dedicated reef or Dry Tortugas excursion built in.
- Couples and slower travelers: Two nights in Key West, driving yourself or booking a one-way transfer, allows for actual downtime instead of a packed itinerary.
Departing from Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami changes little beyond pickup time — Key West tours from Fort Lauderdale run nearly identical routes and itineraries, just with a slightly earlier alarm clock.
Best Time of Year to Go
Winter and early spring — roughly December through April — bring the most comfortable weather and the biggest crowds, especially around spring break. Summer months are hot and humid but come with lower prices and thinner crowds on weekdays. Hurricane season runs June through November, with September and October carrying the highest storm risk, so it's worth keeping an eye on the forecast and booking tours with flexible cancellation policies if you're traveling during that stretch.
Whatever season you pick, an early departure matters more than the calendar. Getting ahead of both the heat and the day-trip crowds makes the historic district far more enjoyable to walk around.
Final Thoughts
Key West rewards almost any amount of time you give it — a rushed afternoon still delivers sunset drinks and a walk down Duval Street, while two unhurried days open up snorkeling trips, a Dry Tortugas crossing, and long dinners that stretch into the island's easy nightlife. However you choose to get there, the drive down the Overseas Highway alone is worth the trip. Book early if you're traveling during peak season, and don't underestimate how much ground — and water — there is to cover once you arrive.
