Key West is the last of a group of islands called «the Florida Keys» and when you go to the very end of this island you find yourself in the southernmost point in the United States. It’s beautiful, it’s relaxing, if you’re into walking around, you’ll love it. If you’re into bar crawling, you’ll love it. If you’re into water sports and water activities, you’ll love it. In other words, you’ll love it. Trust us.
Want to buy a tour to Key West? That’s awesome. But first, we have some things to tell you.
- What they call «tour» is just transportation from and to your hotel to Key West. Once you get there, you’ll have to pay for any tours or activities you want to do.
- Driving to Key West from South Beach will typically take you 3.5 to 4 hours. When you book transportation via a tour company it may take you around 5 to 5.5 hours to get there because the bus will make stops as they pick up other passengers, and they might also make a bathroom stop.
- To put in perspective the previous point: 10 hours of your day will be spent traveling.
- Once you get to Key West, you’ll have about 6 hours to roam around before having to return to the meeting point to be picked up and taken back to Miami.
- If you book, for example, a snorkeling tour you’ll be using 3 hours of the 6 you had to spend.
Our advice:
- If you have a car or can rent one, drive there. You’ll save precious time. Go there early and make the most of your day.
- If you must take a bus, ask the tour company if they offer a next day return option (most do) and spend the night in Key West. It will be worth your while.
- If you’re dreaming of going there and your only choice is to go by tour bus and spend only a day: DO IT. But, keep in mind what we mentioned above and manage your time and expectations.
In a nutshell:
The «key West Tour» that many tour places advertise is just transportation. It takes a while to get there, but it’s worth it. If you’re there for a day, plan ahead, look at the things you’d like to do (Google is your friend), try to make the most of your time. If you can spend a night there, great. You’ll be able to take your time and really get to know the place.
More details:
- Pick up and drop off at your hotel: typically around 6am (you’ll get there right before noon) You’ll be back around 11pm.
- Duration of the tour: traveling time is around 5 hours each way. Free time in Key West is around 6 hours.
- Things you can do while there include: Visiting the house of Ernest Hemingway; the Butterfly and Nature Conservatory; taking the typical photo at the Southernmost Point Buoy; visiting the Key West Aquarium; the lighthouse; taking the hop on – hop off trolley; doing water sports and activities such as parasailing, jet skiing, snorkeling, snuba, scuba diving, swiming with dolphins; bar crawling.
- If you spend the night in Key West, make sure not to miss the breathtaking sunset.
Average price: $69 (add around $25 if you’d like to return to Miami on a different day)
Buy this tour:
Half-Price Tickets – Get a XXXXXXXX discount