South Florida travel guide
Do you need a car in Miami?
Sometimes no, and it is worth saying so. But the places most visitors actually want to reach have no transit route at all. Drive times, airport transfers and what the tolls really cost.
If you are staying in South Beach, Brickell or Downtown and not leaving the city, you can manage without a car — those areas are walkable, rideshare is constant, and hotel parking often costs more per night than the rental would. If you want to see the Keys, the Everglades, Key Biscayne or the Gulf coast, you need one, because none of those places has a transit route from Miami.
Can you get around Miami without a car?
Yes, within a limited area. Downtown, Brickell and South Beach work fine on the Metromover, Metrorail and rideshare. Everything beyond them does not — which is why the honest answer to do I need a car in Miami is that it depends on whether you intend to leave the city.
The Metromover is free and loops Downtown and Brickell. The Metrorail Orange Line runs from MIA into the city for about $2.25, and the Metrobus Route 150 Airport Express goes straight to Miami Beach for the same fare. In Miami Beach itself the Trolley is free across South, Mid and North Beach, and Citi Bike covers the short hops. A taxi from MIA to South Beach typically runs $35 to $55. Rideshare is everywhere and reasonably priced by big-city standards. If your trip is South Beach, Ocean Drive, a couple of restaurants and the beach, a car mostly becomes something you pay to park. Visiting Miami without a car is entirely workable inside that triangle, and where to stay in Miami changes the answer more than anything else.
Beachfront hotel parking commonly runs $25 to $45 a night, downtown and Miami Beach garages run roughly $20 to $40 a day, and street parking in South Beach is metered and enforced hard — worth checking against what Miami Beach hotels charge to park before you commit either way. A car sitting in a garage for four days of a five-day trip is money spent on storage. Work that out before booking anything — including a rental.
Wynwood, the Design District, Little Havana and Coconut Grove are all reachable by rideshare for less than a day's parking. For the accommodation side of the decision, the operator we recommend has a useful breakdown of where to base yourself in Miami depending on how much driving you plan to do.
How long are the drives from Miami?
Key West is about four hours, Fort Lauderdale under an hour, Naples two hours across Alligator Alley, Orlando three and a half up the Turnpike. None of the four has a practical alternative to driving except Fort Lauderdale.
| Destination | Distance | Drive time | Alternative to driving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key West | ~160 mi | 3 hr 30 – 4 hr | Shuttle ~5 hr, or a connecting flight. No train. |
| Key Largo | ~60 mi | 1 hr 15 | None practical |
| Fort Lauderdale | ~28 mi | 35 – 50 min | Brightline, ~30 min |
| Naples | ~125 mi | ~2 hr | None practical |
| Orlando | ~235 mi | 3 hr 30 – 4 hr | Brightline or a short flight |
| Everglades (Shark Valley) | ~35 mi | 45 min | None |
| Key Biscayne | ~10 mi | 20 min | None — no Metrorail, causeway is tolled |
Planning figures, not guarantees. I-95 and the Turnpike both add substantially at rush hour, and weekend traffic through Key Largo regularly adds an hour to the Keys run. If you are choosing a vehicle for the distance, which EV suits a road trip covers the trade-offs.
Miami to Key West drive time
The Overseas Highway is the reason people make this trip rather than fly it. Two-lane sections through the middle Keys do not reward hurrying, and you will want to stop. Allow a full day each way if you plan to see anything — the Florida Keys road trip itinerary breaks the route into stops.Route, stops, and where to park in Key West
Miami to Fort Lauderdale
The one route on this list where the train usually wins. Brightline does it in about half an hour and you avoid parking at the other end.Train versus driving, and when each makes sense
Everglades day trip from Miami
Forty-five minutes west and completely unreachable by transit. Shark Valley, the Tamiami Trail airboat operators and the main park entrance all assume you arrived by car.Which entrance, and how long to allow
Miami to Naples & Orlando drive
Alligator Alley to Naples is straight, fast and almost empty, so sort fuel or charging before you set off rather than partway across — the range calculator is worth two minutes if you are in an EV. Orlando is a Turnpike run with tolls most of the way.Realistic timings and what the tolls come to
How do you get from the airport?
Short hops from MIA and FLL are easy by rideshare or transit. The problem is the long ones — and the fact that renting later means making the journey twice.
| Route | Distance | Typical time | Usual options |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIA to South Beach | ~10 mi | 20 – 30 min | Rideshare, Airport Express bus, Metrorail |
| MIA to PortMiami | ~8 mi | 15 – 20 min | Rideshare or port shuttle |
| MIA to Key West | ~165 mi | ~4 hr | Drive, shared shuttle, or a connecting flight |
| FLL to Port Everglades | ~3 mi | ~10 min | Rideshare or port shuttle |
| FLL to Fort Lauderdale beach | ~6 mi | 15 min | Rideshare |
Renting a car at Miami airport is the other route, and the one most people default to. Transit and rideshare handle the short runs well. Neither helps if you are heading somewhere the map does not reach, and both mean two journeys instead of one when you eventually rent a car anyway.
The alternative is having the car brought to you. Delivery to the arrivals curb at MIA or FLL is standard for the delivery-only operators here, which avoids the counters, the shuttle to a remote lot, and the concession and facility fees added at those counters. There is a fuller explanation of skipping the rental counter entirely if that is the part you were dreading.
Landing late? Collecting after hours is its own problem — 24 hour car rental covers how that works at MIA and FLL. Arriving on a cruise? PortMiami and Port Everglades work the same way — see Miami cruise port transportation — and car rental at PortMiami covers the terminal-side logistics. Renting only for the days either side of a sailing usually beats paying terminal parking for the whole week.
Is the train faster than driving to Fort Lauderdale?
Usually yes. Brightline runs Miami to Fort Lauderdale in about half an hour against 35 to 50 minutes by car, and you are not paying to park at the other end.
For a day trip with no other stops, take the train. I-95 between the two cities is unpredictable enough that the half-hour figure holds better than the driving one, and Brightline drops you in central Fort Lauderdale rather than a garage. The Brightline Miami station sits at MiamiCentral downtown, which is its own consideration if you are staying on the beach.
Driving wins in three situations: you are carrying luggage, you are continuing north or west afterwards, or you are travelling as a group where per-person fares add up quickly. It also wins if Fort Lauderdale is a stop rather than the destination — the beach, Las Olas and Port Everglades are spread out enough that you will want wheels once you are there.
Timings and the route are on the Miami to Fort Lauderdale page. If you land on driving, car rental in Fort Lauderdale and at FLL covers that end.
Do rental cars in Florida have SunPass?
It varies by company, and it matters here. Many South Florida expressways are cashless, so without a transponder the toll is billed by plate afterwards with an admin fee attached to each crossing.
There is no booth. That is the part visitors do not expect. A $1.50 toll becomes something considerably worse across a week once per-crossing administrative fees are added, and you find out weeks later on a statement.
Ask whether the rental includes SunPass before you book, because policies differ. Amped Auto Rentals fits it in every vehicle and bills tolls at cost plus a flat admin fee, itemised after the rental; the specifics sit in their requirements, deposit and insurance notes.
Two more worth knowing. The Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne is tolled, which catches people out on what feels like a local drive. It is worth reading alongside what a rental actually costs once fees are counted. And parking, not fuel, is the real cost of a car in Miami — the strongest argument for renting only on the days you actually leave the city.
If you do need one
The operator we recommend across this site is car rental across Miami-Dade from Amped Auto Rentals, a delivery-only electric fleet based in Miami Gardens. There is no counter and no lot — a driver brings the car to your hotel, home, MIA or FLL, and collects it from wherever you finish.
From $85/day, with free delivery on rentals of seven days or longer.
- Delivered fully charged anywhere within 50 miles, or to the arrivals curb — delivered to your hotel instead of a counter
- SunPass fitted as standard, which matters on cashless expressways
- A refundable hold rather than a charge — how a car rental deposit works
- Rent only the days you are actually driving, since they deliver and collect — see how to save money on rental cars
- Tesla, electric SUV and a petrol SUV when the EVs are booked
Questions people ask before booking
It depends entirely on where you are staying and what you plan to do. In South Beach, Brickell and Downtown you can manage without one: those areas are walkable, rideshare is cheap and constant, and parking is expensive enough that a car is often a liability. Once you want to leave the city — the Keys, the Everglades, Key Biscayne, the Gulf coast — a car stops being optional, because none of those places have a transit route from Miami.
Yes, within a limited area. The Metromover is free and covers Downtown and Brickell. The Metrorail Orange Line runs from Miami International into the city for about $2.25, and the Metrobus Route 150 Airport Express reaches Miami Beach for the same fare. The Miami Beach Trolley is free across South, Mid and North Beach. Rideshare fills the gaps. What none of that covers is the wider region: Miami-Dade is large and spread out, and the places most visitors actually want to reach sit outside the transit map.
For a city break, yes. If you are staying in South Beach, Brickell or Downtown and your plans are restaurants, the beach and a couple of neighbourhoods, rideshare and the free Metromover cover it comfortably. It stops being doable the moment your list includes anywhere outside Miami-Dade's transit map.
Rideshare wins for short hops inside the city, where you would otherwise pay $20 to $40 a day to park at both ends. Renting wins once you are making several trips a day, travelling as a group where one car beats several fares, or leaving the city at all — a return rideshare to the Everglades or the Keys costs more than a day's rental, if a driver will even take it. Surge pricing during peak hours, heavy rain or a major event can flip the maths quickly. Many visitors do both: rideshare in town, and a car for the days they drive out.
Parts of it are, and the rest is not. South Beach, Lincoln Road, Brickell, Downtown and Coconut Grove are all pleasant on foot. But Miami-Dade is spread across roughly 2,000 square miles, and the distances between those walkable pockets are real. Walkable neighbourhoods inside a car-dependent county is the honest description.
Yes. The Miami Beach Trolley is free and runs several routes covering South Beach, Middle Beach, North Beach and the Collins Link. It is slow but frequent, and for most beach-area trips it removes any reason to move a car. Downtown Miami has its own free service in the Metromover, which is elevated rather than a trolley but works the same way.
For a city-only trip: rideshare, plus the free Metromover downtown and the free Trolley in Miami Beach. For a trip that includes the Keys, the Everglades, Key Biscayne or the Gulf coast: a car, because none of those has a transit route. Most visitors are better served by combining the two than by committing to either for the whole stay.
No, and it is arguably the worst place in the county to keep one. South Beach is walkable end to end, the Miami Beach Trolley is free across South, Mid and North Beach, and Citi Bike covers what walking does not. Street parking is metered and heavily enforced, and hotel parking commonly runs twenty-five to forty-five dollars a night. If Miami Beach is your whole trip, skip the car. If it is your base for day trips to the Everglades, Zoo Miami or the Keys, rent only on the days you actually leave.
About three and a half to four hours without stops, covering roughly 160 miles on the Overseas Highway. In practice nobody drives it without stopping. Allow a full day each way if you want to see anything, because the two-lane sections through the middle Keys do not reward being in a hurry, and weekend traffic through Key Largo can add an hour.
Three practical options. Driving takes about four hours from MIA and gives you the Overseas Highway, which is the reason most people make the trip. A shared shuttle runs the route in roughly five hours. A connecting flight takes about an hour in the air but adds two airports to your day. There is no train, and the bus takes most of a day. Route and stops.
Not once you are there. Old Town Key West is small and walkable, and parking is genuinely difficult. The car is for getting there and back.
The Old Town Parking Garage on Grinnell Street is the reliable option and the one locals point visitors to. Street parking in Old Town is metered, tightly enforced and scarce in season. Many guesthouses have only a handful of spaces, so confirm parking when you book rather than assuming. Full Key West drive guide.
About 28 to 30 miles, which is 35 to 50 minutes by car outside rush hour and can stretch past an hour and a half when I-95 is bad. Brightline covers the same route in around half an hour.
Usually. Brightline runs Miami to Fort Lauderdale in about half an hour against 35 to 50 minutes driving, and you are not paying to park at the other end. Driving wins when you are carrying luggage, continuing north or west afterwards, or travelling as a group where per-person fares add up quickly.
Around two hours across Alligator Alley, about 125 miles on I-75. It is a straight, dull, fast road with almost nothing between the two coasts, so plan fuel or charging before you set off rather than partway across. Orlando is the other long haul from here — see Miami to Orlando drive time.
Three and a half to four hours, roughly 235 miles up the Turnpike. Tolls apply for most of it, which is worth knowing in a rental — on cashless stretches the charge is billed by plate afterwards unless the car carries a transponder.
About 10 miles and 20 to 30 minutes. Rideshare from the terminal is the simplest option. The Metrorail and Airport Express bus are cheaper if you are travelling light. A delivered rental works too, and makes sense if South Beach is a base rather than the whole trip. Renting at MIA.
It is about three miles, ten minutes at most — the port sits practically next to the airport. Rideshare or a port shuttle covers it easily. The reason to have a car is what happens either side of the sailing, not the transfer itself. Cruise port transport.
It varies by company, and it matters more in South Florida than most places because many expressways here are cashless — there is no booth to pay at, so without a transponder the toll is billed by plate, usually with an administrative fee attached per crossing. Amped Auto Rentals fits SunPass in every vehicle as standard and bills tolls at cost plus a flat admin fee, itemised after the rental.
Work out how many days you will actually drive. Beachfront hotel parking commonly runs twenty-five to forty-five dollars a night, so a car that sits in a garage for four days of a five-day trip is poor value. Renting only for the days you leave the city is usually cheaper, and it is straightforward when the car is delivered and collected rather than picked up at a counter.
Work out the days you'll actually drive, then rent those
A car for the Keys and the Everglades, rideshare for South Beach, and nothing sitting in a garage at $40 a night. Delivered and collected, so renting three days of a seven-day trip is no harder than renting all seven.