Travel to Florida

Flying to Florida

Flights to Florida's major airports (Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Jacksonville) are served by all major U.S. carriers, including Delta Air Lines (www.delta.com) and United Airlines (www.united.com). Miami and Orlando are also served by European carriers, including British Airways (www.britishairways.com) and Virgin Atlantic Airways (www.virginatlantic.com).

As Florida is a year-round vacation destination, airfares can be just as high during summer and “Spring Break” (mid-to-late-March) as during the Christmas holidays. Tickets are lowest in the off-peak months: February-May (excluding Spring Break and Memorial Day weekend) and September-beginning of December (excluding Thanksgiving weekend).

Major airports are: Miami International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Southwest Florida International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, Tampa International Airport, Daytona Beach International Airport, Jacksonville International Airport and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.

Notes

Consider flying into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), which is only 48km (30 miles) from Miami Beach, as an alternative to more expensive Miami International Airport (MIA).

Airport Guides

Flight times

From London to Miami is 8 hours 10 minutes, and from New York is 2 hours 40 minutes. From London to Orlando is 9 hours, and from New York is 2 hours 30 minutes.

Air passes

The three major airline alliances, OneWorld (American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and others; www.oneworld.com), SkyTeam (Air France, Delta Air Lines, KLM and others; www.skyteam.com), and Star Alliance (Air Canada, Lufthansa, United Airlines and others; www.staralliance.com), offer various air passes for North America. Visit their respective sites for more information.

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Florida by Rail

Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245, in the USA only; www.amtrak.com) is the rail service provider. Amtrak's Miami Station is 11km (7 miles) northwest of the city centre. It is the southernmost point on the network, marking the southern end of the main east coast line from New York (and ultimately Boston). Amtrak also serves Jacksonville, with services running through Orlando to Tampa (a branch line terminates at Sarasota, a few miles south of Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico), and west through Pensacola.

Rail passes

Amtrak (1 800 872 7245 in the USA only; www.amtrak.com) offers multi-day rail passes good for travel throughout the United States. Prices are $429 for the 15-day pass, $649 for the 30-day pass, and $829 for the 45-day pass.

Driving to Florida

Driving to Florida is relatively easy for those coming from within the USA, with its extensive interstate network. The state has plenty of highways, with frequent motels and resting places along the route should you need to stop. Traffic will be dense closer to large urban areas and it is recommended that drivers avoid getting to these areas during rush hour traffic.

Getting to Florida by boat

Miami, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Port Canaveral, Port of Palm Beach, Saint Petersburg, Tampa, and Jacksonville are the state's major ports of call. Information can be found at www.flaports.org.

Cruise ships

The port of Miami has been called the 'Cruise Capital of the World' and offers ocean liners for weekend getaways and extended luxury cruises. The port of Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, is the second most important cruise port in Florida. Other cruise ports on the east coast include Port Canaveral, and the ports of Palm Beach and Jacksonville. The main west coast cruise ports include Saint Petersburg and Tampa. Numerous major cruise lines call at Florida's ports.