Florida Guide Florida regions, islands, and historic-city planning

Keys route planner

Driving the Overseas Highway: Miami to Key West through the Keys

The Overseas Highway (US-1) runs about 160 miles from Miami to Key West on a single road, crossing the Seven Mile Bridge and a chain of islands to mile marker zero in Old Town. It is toll-free but slow — two-lane stretches, one road in and out, and one bad crash can stall the whole chain — so give it a full day and stay at least a night. In Key West, base in walkable Old Town for Hemingway's home and its six-toed cats, Fort Zachary Taylor's beach, the lighthouse, and the butterfly conservatory.

7 checked places checked July 13, 2026

Positioning

Use this guide when

Best for
  • Travelers deciding whether to day-trip or overnight in the Keys.
  • Drivers who want the timing, mile-marker, and traffic reality before leaving Miami.
  • Planners deciding what to actually do once they reach Key West.
Tradeoffs
  • A same-day round trip is possible but wastes the best of Key West and risks a night drive back up a single road.
  • An overnight costs a Key West room but buys the town after the day-trippers and cruise crowds leave.
  • The drive itself is the scenery, so rushing it to 'get there' misses the point of the Keys.

Treat the drive as part of the trip and give it a night. Leave Miami early, navigate by mile markers, and expect two-lane single-file stretches where one crash can stall everything; the Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon is the scenic centerpiece. In Key West, base in Old Town at The Marker or the quieter Marquesa so you can walk to Hemingway's home, Fort Zachary Taylor's beach, the lighthouse, and the butterfly conservatory without moving the car. If you only have one day, drive down early, keep Key West to a half day, and accept you'll be tired — but the far better version is an overnight so you own the town at sunrise and sunset.

Comparisons

Choose the lane by constraint

Day trip vs overnight in Key West The difference is the town after hours and a safe, unhurried drive.
  • Same-day round trip: Do a day trip only if Key West is a bucket-list checkmark and you accept a long, tiring drive down and back on one road in a single day.
  • Overnight: Stay a night when you want Old Town after the day crowds leave, a real beach afternoon, and a morning drive back instead of a night one.
  • Tie breaker: If you would be driving back up US-1 after dark, don't — book the overnight.
Beach day vs town-and-museum day Fort Zachary Taylor's beach versus Old Town's homes and landmarks.
  • Beach day: Spend the afternoon at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Key West's best beach, when you want swimming and shade over sightseeing.
  • Town-and-museum day: Walk Old Town for Hemingway's home, the lighthouse, and the butterfly conservatory when the landmarks matter more than beach time.
  • Tie breaker: With a full day, do the homes and landmarks in the cooler morning and the beach in the afternoon.

Quick plan

Leave early, navigate by mile markers, and stay a night in Old Town.

Step 1 Leave Miami early Beat traffic on the single road, navigate by mile markers (MM 0 in Key West), and stop for the Seven Mile Bridge.
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Step 2 Base in Old Town Stay at The Marker or The Marquesa so you can walk to Hemingway's home, the lighthouse, and dinner without the car.
The Marker Key West Harbor ResortThe Marquesa Hotel
Step 3 Drive back in the morning Do the landmarks in the cool morning, the beach in the afternoon, and drive US-1 north in daylight, not after dark.
Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum

Trip plans

Strong starting points

Two days, one night Drive down, overnight, drive back The right version: a full day down with stops, a night in Old Town, a morning drive back.
  • Leave Miami early, navigate by mile markers, stop for the Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon, and check into Old Town at The Marker or The Marquesa.
  • Spend the afternoon and evening walking to Hemingway's home, the lighthouse, and dinner, then drive back up US-1 in the morning rather than at night.
The Marker Key West Harbor ResortThe Marquesa HotelErnest Hemingway Home & MuseumKey West Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters Museum
One long day Key West in a single day Possible but tiring: leave at dawn, keep the town to a half day, and know you'll be worn out.
  • Leave Miami at dawn to beat traffic, drive straight down, and give Key West a focused half day — Hemingway's home and a walk down Duval.
  • Cool off at Fort Zachary Taylor's beach, then start the drive back well before dark to avoid a night on the single-road chain.
Ernest Hemingway Home & MuseumFort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Add a morning Add an Everglades stop on the way The drive starts near the Everglades, so a short detour pairs a swamp and the Keys.
  • Before dropping into the Keys, detour to the Everglades' main eastern entrance near Homestead for the Anhinga Trail at the Ernest F. Coe area.
  • Keep it to a morning in the December-to-April dry season, then continue south to US-1 and the islands.
Everglades National Park - Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center

Decision toolkit

Use cases and default picks

Scenario Worried about traffic on one road US-1 is a single road in and out with two-lane stretches, so leave early, avoid holiday weekends, and build slack; one crash can stall the whole chain.
The Marker Key West Harbor Resort
Scenario Want a beach and shade Fort Zachary Taylor is Key West's best beach, with shade and swimming, for about $6 per vehicle plus a small per-person surcharge as of 2026.
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Rain and heat plan Afternoon storms are common in the Keys in summer, and there's no fast way off the island chain, so keep indoor Old Town anchors ready and don't count on a same-day drive back through a storm.
  • On a wet afternoon, walk to the butterfly conservatory or the lighthouse and keeper's quarters instead of the beach.
  • If a storm sets in, an overnight beats driving back up a single flooded road after dark.
The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Best Key West base The Marker Key West Harbor Resort A walkable waterfront resort on the Historic Seaport, a few blocks off Duval, so you can leave the car once you arrive. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Best signature stop Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum Hemingway's home and its six-toed cats ($19 adult as of 2026) is the definitive Key West visit, best in the cooler morning. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Best Key West beach Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park The best swimming beach in town with shade, about $6 per vehicle plus a small per-person surcharge as of 2026. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Best quiet base The Marquesa Hotel A restored 1880s boutique hotel a block off Duval, the adults-oriented, quieter alternative for an Old Town stay. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Best rainy-hour stop Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory A glass-domed conservatory (about $17.50 adult as of 2026) that works when the beach doesn't, right in Old Town.

Editorial read

The drive: distance, time, and mile markers

The single most useful thing is to know how long it really takes and how to navigate it.

The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida State Park Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park The southernmost state park in the continental United States, wrapping a pre-Civil War brick fort with the best swimming beach and sunset vantage in Key West, just west of Old Town.
Calibration Keep the drive framed as a full-day, single-road leg so readers plan enough time.

Editorial read

One road in, one road out

The Keys' single-highway reality shapes when you drive and whether you overnight.

The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Waterfront Old Town resort The Marker Key West Harbor Resort A waterfront resort on Key West's Historic Seaport, a few blocks off Duval Street with pools and a restaurant — a walkable Old Town base for the end of the Overseas Highway. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Restored 1880s boutique hotel The Marquesa Hotel A boutique hotel in restored 1880s homes on the National Register, a block off Duval in Key West's Old Town — a quieter, adults-oriented base for a Keys trip.
Calibration Keep the one-road constraint front and center so readers don't plan a rushed round trip.

Editorial read

What to do at the end

Old Town is walkable, so base there and leave the car.

The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Historic House Museum Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum The Spanish Colonial house on Whitehead Street where Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote in the 1930s, now a walkable Old Town museum famous for its gardens and six-toed cats. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida State Park Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park The southernmost state park in the continental United States, wrapping a pre-Civil War brick fort with the best swimming beach and sunset vantage in Key West, just west of Old Town. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Lighthouse Museum Key West Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters Museum An 1847 lighthouse and restored keeper's quarters run by the Key West Art & Historical Society, climbable for a rooftop view over Old Town directly across from the Hemingway Home. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Butterfly Conservatory Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory A climate-controlled glass conservatory at the south end of Duval Street with hundreds of free-flying butterflies and birds, a reliable indoor stop when Key West heat or rain interrupts a walk.
Calibration Keep the Old Town anchors distinct by payoff — home, beach, landmark, indoor — so each earns its stop.

Supporting places

What each anchor does in the guide

The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Signature Old Town stop Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum Anyone who wants the definitive Key West visit. Hemingway's home and its roughly sixty six-toed cats, about $19 adult and $7 child (6–12) as of 2026, open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with guided tours; go in the cooler morning. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Best Key West beach Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park Travelers wanting swimming and shade over sightseeing. Key West's best beach plus a 19th-century fort, about $6 per vehicle (2–8 people) plus a small per-person county surcharge as of 2026; open 8 a.m. to sundown. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Old Town landmark Key West Lighthouse & Keeper's Quarters Museum Travelers wanting a climb and a view across a hot or rainy afternoon. The 1848 lighthouse and keeper's quarters across from the Hemingway home, about $17 adult (cheaper online) as of 2026, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Rainy-hour Old Town stop Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory Anyone needing an indoor stop when the beach doesn't work. A glass-domed conservatory of live butterflies and birds, about $17.50 adult as of 2026, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., an easy Old Town walk. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Old Town base The Marker Key West Harbor Resort Travelers overnighting to avoid the night drive back. A waterfront resort on the Historic Seaport, a few blocks off Duval, so the town is a walk once you arrive. The Southernmost Point buoy marker at the edge of Key West, Florida Quiet Old Town base The Marquesa Hotel Adults wanting a quieter, boutique Key West stay. A restored 1880s boutique hotel on the National Register, a block off Duval, the quieter alternative for an Old Town night. Sunset over the sawgrass marsh at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park, Florida On-the-way Everglades stop Everglades National Park - Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Travelers adding a swamp morning before dropping into the Keys. The main eastern Everglades entrance near Homestead, gateway to the Anhinga Trail; park entry about $35 per vehicle for seven days as of 2026 (new $100 non-U.S.-resident fee from 2026), best in the December-to-April dry season.

FAQ

Common decisions

Question How long does it take to drive from Miami to Key West? About 160 miles and roughly 3.5 to 4 hours nonstop, but realistically a full day with stops and traffic. US-1 is a single road with two-lane stretches and the Seven Mile Bridge, so leave early and plan an overnight rather than a rushed same-day return.
Question Is there a toll on the Overseas Highway? No, the main US-1 Overseas Highway is toll-free the whole way to Key West. The only toll is on the optional Card Sound Road shortcut into north Key Largo, which most drivers skip.
Question Should I day-trip Key West or stay overnight? Stay overnight if you can. A same-day round trip means a long, tiring drive down and back on one road, often ending after dark. An overnight in walkable Old Town lets you see Hemingway's home, Fort Zachary Taylor's beach, and the lighthouse without the car and drive back refreshed in the morning.
Question What's the best beach in Key West? Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park has the best swimming beach in town, with shade and a 19th-century fort, for about $6 per vehicle plus a small per-person surcharge as of 2026. It's an easy stop from an Old Town base.

Related guides

Read next

Region decision Florida by region: the Atlantic coast vs the Gulf coast vs the Keys Florida is too spread out to see in one trip, so pick a region and base, not a statewide loop. The Atlantic coast is about surf, historic St. Augustine, and the Palm Beach–to–Fort Lauderdale strip; the Gulf coast is about calmer, warmer water and the beach towns of Sarasota, Naples, and Sanibel; the Keys are a separate long drive to Key West. Add the Everglades as a nature day from either the Miami side or the Gulf side. Choose by the water you want, the season, and how much driving you will tolerate. Gulf-coast base planner Where to base on Florida's Gulf coast: Naples vs Sarasota vs Sanibel Florida's Gulf coast has calm, warm water and three distinct bases. Naples is the walkable, upscale town base — Fifth Avenue South, a botanical garden, and a zoo, though the historic pier is closed and rebuilding. Sarasota pairs beaches with the Ringling museum estate and Selby Gardens and is the most culture-heavy. Sanibel is the quiet barrier island for shelling, the Ding Darling wildlife refuge, and the Shell Museum, all reopened after Hurricane Ian. Pick by whether you want a town, culture, or island nature.

Sources

Checked references