UltimateGuide Florida
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The beach at Rosemary Beach on the Gulf of Mexico The beach at Rosemary Beach on the Gulf of Mexico The Breakers, Palm Beach The St. Pete Pier The former Hotel Ponce de Leon, now Flagler College

The city guide to Florida, USA

Best of Florida

The theme parks of Orlando, Palm Beach’s grand hotels, Gulf sunsets from Sarasota to 30A and the Spanish streets of St. Augustine.

Where to eatWhat to see

Your trusted, one‑stop guide to Florida

Florida is two long coasts and a lot in between: Orlando and its theme parks, the Palm Beaches, Tampa Bay, Sarasota, the Historic Coast around St. Augustine and Amelia Island, and the white sand of the Emerald Coast. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm. Miami, Naples, Key West and Fort Lauderdale have their own guides.

Scenic Highway 30A: the back story

The beach road

Scenic Highway 30A

South Walton·In depth

Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, Seaside, WaterColor and Grayton Beach: a string of small Gulf towns on the Emerald Coast, best explored by bicycle.

Plan the trip

Choose your guide

Miami, Naples, Key West and Fort Lauderdale have their own guides; the rest of Florida is right here, region by region.

Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, Miami BeachOur Miami guideMiamiSouth Beach, Brickell and the Design DistrictSunset at the Naples PierOur Naples guideNaplesFifth Avenue South and the GulfThe corner of Front and Duval Streets in Key WestIn our Miami guideKey West & the KeysDown the Overseas HighwayFort Lauderdale’s Central Beach on the AtlanticIn our Miami guideFort LauderdaleBeaches and canalsSpaceship Earth at EPCOTRegion guideOrlando & the theme parksDisney, Universal and Winter ParkThe clock tower on Worth Avenue, Palm BeachRegion guideThe Palm BeachesWorth Avenue and the BreakersThe Tampa skyline from the Hillsborough RiverRegion guideTampa BayTampa, St. Pete and ClearwaterCà d'Zan at The Ringling, SarasotaRegion guideSarasota & Longboat KeyThe Ringling and the beach keysCastillo de San Marcos, St. AugustineRegion guideSt. Augustine & Amelia IslandThe Historic CoastEastern Green, Rosemary BeachRegion guide30A & the Emerald CoastWhite sand on the Gulf

Plan your trip

The road trips and practical things to know before you go.

Eastern Green, Rosemary BeachRoad tripScenic Highway 30ABeach towns by bicycleSpaceship Earth at EPCOTOrlandoTheme parksDisney, Universal and the Space CoastThe Anhinga Trail, Everglades National ParkOutdoorsNational parksThe Everglades and the seashoresCanaveral National SeashoreBefore you goFlorida essentialsDriving, fees and seasons

In depth: Florida’s back stories

Where to stay, where to eat and how to plan your theme-park days.

The Breakers, Palm BeachThe back storyWhere to stayPalm Beach to the PanhandleSeventh Avenue in Ybor City, TampaThe back storyFlorida’s MICHELIN starsNow state-wideSpaceship Earth at EPCOTThe back storyThe theme parksPlanning the days

ULTIMATE City Guides: Europe & beyond

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

The Acropolis of Athens by day, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.Visit the guide The old town of Belgrade above the Sava, with the spire of the Cathedral Church of St MichaelSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.Visit the guide The Romanian Athenaeum in its gardenRomaniaULTIMATE BucharestBelle Époque palaces, concerts at the Athenaeum, a buzzing food and coffee scene, and the castles and mountains of the Carpathians.Visit the guide The Hungarian Parliament lit up at night on the DanubeHungaryULTIMATE BudapestThermal baths, grand coffee houses, ruin bars and MICHELIN-starred dining on both banks of the Danube, with day trips to the Danube Bend and Lake Balaton.Visit the guide Oia’s white houses and blue domes on the rim of the Santorini calderaGreeceULTIMATE Greek IslandsIsland hopping made easy: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos and the Cyclades, plus Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, with ferries, beaches, hotels and tavernas.Visit the guide The Blue Mosque at nightTurkeyULTIMATE IstanbulTwo continents, one city: Hagia Sophia and the bazaars, Bosphorus ferries, meyhanes and rooftop bars, Sinan’s hammams and the car-free Princes’ Islands.Visit the guide The Triple Bridge over the LjubljanicaSloveniaULTIMATE LjubljanaSlovenia’s green, car-free capital of river cafés and Plečnik’s bridges, an hour from Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the caves and the Adriatic.Visit the guide The Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth TowerUnited KingdomULTIMATE LondonRoyal palaces and the Thames, world-class museums, West End theatre, grand hotels, and the restaurants and bars of Soho, Mayfair and the City.Visit the guide Yachts in Puerto BanúsSpainULTIMATE MarbellaWhitewashed lanes and orange trees in the Old Town, the yachts of Puerto Banús, beach clubs on the Golden Mile and day trips to Ronda and Gibraltar.Visit the guide Monaco from above, Port Hercule and Monte-Carlo below the mountainsOur sister guideULTIMATE MonacoThe Casino and Monte-Carlo’s palace hotels, the Prince’s Palace on the Rock, superyachts in Port Hercule, Larvotto’s beach clubs and the Grand Prix streets.Visit the guide The Millennium Bridge over the MoračaMontenegroULTIMATE PodgoricaMontenegro’s relaxed capital of rivers and café terraces, and the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, Cetinje and the mountains.Visit the guide The Sebilj fountain and the square of BaščaršijaBosnia & HerzegovinaULTIMATE SarajevoWhere East meets West at a line in the pavement: an Ottoman bazaar, Habsburg boulevards, Bosnian coffee and the 1984 Olympic mountains, with Mostar two hours away.Visit the guide The Stone Bridge over the VardarNorth MacedoniaULTIMATE SkopjeA 15th-century stone bridge between a 21st-century square and an Ottoman bazaar, Kenzo Tange’s concrete city, Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid three hours away.Visit the guide St Alexander Nevsky CathedralBulgariaULTIMATE SofiaRoman streets beneath the city, golden domes, warm mineral springs and a mountain at the end of the main boulevard.Visit the guide Skanderbeg Square with the Et’hem Bey MosqueAlbaniaULTIMATE TiranaAn Ottoman mosque painted with waterfalls, museums in bunkers, Blloku’s cafés and the Dajti cable car, with Berat, Gjirokastër, the Alps and the Riviera within reach.Visit the guide The spires of Zagreb Cathedral above the rooftopsCroatiaULTIMATE ZagrebCroatia’s elegant capital of cafés, museums and markets, and the gateway to Plitvice Lakes, Istria, Dubrovnik and the islands of the Adriatic.Visit the guide Goat Cay and the turquoise shallows of the ExumasOur sister guideULTIMATE The BahamasSeven hundred islands: Nassau and Paradise Island, the Exuma Cays and the swimming pigs, Harbour Island’s pink sand, marinas and island hopping.Visit the guide The golden sand and calm water of Paynes Bay, St. JamesOur sister guideULTIMATE BarbadosThe Platinum West Coast and Sandy Lane, UNESCO-listed Bridgetown, rum where it was born, Friday nights in Oistins and the wild Atlantic east.Visit the guide Bixby Creek Bridge on the Big Sur coastUSAULTIMATE CaliforniaSan Francisco, Napa and Sonoma, Big Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway, San Diego, Palm Springs, Lake Tahoe and the national parks.Visit the guide The Las Vegas Strip at duskNevadaULTIMATE Las VegasThe Strip and its shows, MICHELIN dining, Sphere and Fremont Street’s neon, with Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon beyond.Visit the guide Griffith Observatory with downtown Los Angeles beyondCaliforniaULTIMATE Los AngelesHollywood and the Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills’ grand hotels, the Sunset Strip, the Getty and the beaches from Santa Monica to Malibu.Visit the guide Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, Miami BeachFloridaULTIMATE MiamiSouth Beach and the Art Deco district, Wynwood’s murals, the Design District, Little Havana’s cafecito and the beaches of Key Biscayne.Visit the guide Sunset at the Naples PierFloridaULTIMATE NaplesWhite-sand beaches and sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico, Fifth Avenue’s terraces, grand beach resorts and golf, with the Everglades and Marco Island close by.Visit the guide The New York City skyline from Top of the RockNew YorkULTIMATE New YorkManhattan’s grand hotels and MICHELIN dining, Broadway and the Met, Fifth Avenue shopping, Central Park and the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO.Visit the guide Gros Piton and Petit Piton, the twin volcanic spires of the UNESCO-listed PitonsOur sister guideULTIMATE St LuciaThe UNESCO Pitons and Soufrière’s drive-in volcano, Marigot Bay, Rodney Bay and the Gros Islet street party, reefs, rum and cocoa.Visit the guide An aerial view of a small island ringed by reef in the MaldivesOur sister guideULTIMATE MaldivesUndersea restaurants and overwater bars, Hanifaru Bay’s mantas, the whale sharks of South Ari, private islands and the little capital, Malé.Visit the guide The Lujiazui skyline across the Huangpu River from the BundChinaULTIMATE ShanghaiThe grand hotels of the Bund facing the towers of Pudong, every MICHELIN star, Yu Garden, the two Shanghai Museums and day trips to Suzhou and Hangzhou.Visit the guide The ramparts of Galle FortOur sister guideULTIMATE Sri LankaColombo, the ramparts of Galle Fort, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the tea country by train, Sigiriya and leopards in Yala.Visit the guide

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals talking about Florida, its restaurants, theatres, museums and neighbourhoods.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    Everglades National Park

    Good to know

    Everglades National Park

    South Florida·National park

    At Everglades National Park, non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person on top of the entrance fee, unless they enter with an annual pass. A private vehicle pays $35 for seven days (nps.gov).

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    Castillo de San Marcos, St. AugustineItineraryA day in St. AugustineOne day, on footThe clock tower on Worth Avenue, Palm BeachItineraryA day in Palm BeachOne day, on foot and by carThe Dalí Museum in St. PetersburgItineraryA day in St. PetersburgOne day, on foot and by car

    Know your regions

    Orlando & the theme parks

    Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Epic Universe, Winter Park’s Park Avenue, two-star Sorekara and Kennedy Space Center an hour away.

    The Palm Beaches

    Worth Avenue, the Breakers, the Flagler Museum, West Palm Beach’s new MICHELIN star and Boca Raton.

    Tampa Bay

    The Tampa Riverwalk and Ybor City, the Dalí Museum and St. Pete Pier, the Don CeSar and Clearwater Beach, and four MICHELIN stars.

    Sarasota & Longboat Key

    The Ringling and Cà d’Zan, Sarasota Art Museum, Siesta Beach, Lido Key and the resorts of Longboat Key.

    St. Augustine & Amelia Island

    Castillo de San Marcos, Flagler College, the Lightner Museum and the lighthouse, with Ponte Vedra and Amelia Island to the north.

    30A & the Emerald Coast

    Scenic Highway 30A’s beach towns, Destin and Sandestin, and Pensacola with Gulf Islands National Seashore.

    Our favourites right now

    Hotels

    1. 1Where to stay in Florida: the back storyFlorida · In depth
    2. 2The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande LakesGrande Lakes, Orlando · Resort hotel
    3. 3Waldorf Astoria OrlandoBonnet Creek, Orlando · Resort hotel
    See all 30

    MICHELIN Stars

    1. 1Florida’s MICHELIN stars: the back storyFlorida · In depth
    2. 2SorekaraOrlando · Fine dining
    3. 3CamilleOrlando · Fine dining
    See all 12

    Theme Parks

    1. 1Orlando’s theme parks: the back storyOrlando · In depth
    2. 2Walt Disney World ResortLake Buena Vista · Theme park resort
    3. 3Universal Orlando ResortOrlando · Theme park resort
    See all 5

    Sights

    1. 1Mount DoraLake County · Day trip
    2. 2Flagler MuseumPalm Beach · Museum
    3. 3Worth AvenuePalm Beach · Shopping street
    See all 24

    National Parks

    1. 1Everglades National ParkSouth Florida · National park
    2. 2Biscayne National ParkHomestead · National park
    3. 3Dry Tortugas National ParkWest of Key West · National park
    See all 5

    Property

    1. 1Buying property in Florida: the back storyFlorida · In depth
    2. 2Michael Saunders & CompanySarasota · Brokerage
    3. 3Corcoran, Delray BeachDelray Beach · Brokerage
    See all 3

    Getting Around

    1. 1Orlando International Airport (MCO)Orlando · Airport
    2. 2Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)West Palm Beach · Airport
    3. 3Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)Jacksonville · Airport
    See all 10

    The ULTIMATE letter

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