Florida

Introduction

Epcot

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Regions

Florida is divided into four main holiday areas as follows:

Orlando

Located in Central Florida, Orlando is the busiest region in the state. The reason for this is undoubtedly the theme parks, and in particular, Walt Disney. With more than a dozen of different parks, Orlando is the place to have fun in family. If you are not keen on family holidays, them parks and other joy, it is best to get out of here as quickly as possible, because Florida has much more enjoyable cities, beaches, nature and culture for you.

Miami

Miami Beach, Florida - USA

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Divided into two parts, Mainland and South Beach, Miami is one of the most visited destinations in the USA. The busiest part of the city is the Art-Deco district, in South Beach, fully loaded with night-clubs and restaurants; the beach opposite this area is also very popular amongst tourists. In the Key Biscayne area, tourists are offered the chance to visit some celebrities' houses. Shopping lovers would find in Miami a wide variety of shopping malls, such as Bayside, Coco Walk, the Dolphin mall, amongst others. In the end, Miami is the place to be!

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys are the most southern point of North America, bordering almost with Cuba. Not only they are quite famous for the beaches and wildlife parks, but also for the nature reserves and architecture. The night life is also another good reason to go to the 'keys'. Key West is the most popular island and therefore the most visited one of the string. From Miami, it takes a good five hours by car to get there, crossing by dozens of bridges.

Key West in May

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The Coasts

With exciting cities to visit, such as Sarasota, Tampa and Clearwater, and the world-wide famous Everglades National Park, The Gulf Coast is a hidden treasure in Florida. On the other side of the peninsula, the Gold Coast extends itself over sixty miles long on the Atlantic Coast. Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Springs, Boca Raton and many other cities offer an endless variety of entertainment, culture, nightlife and restaurants. The ride in a car is a must over the A1A.

Geography

Florida is the USA's most southeasterly state, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Straits of Florida on the south and the Gulf of Mexico on the west. It also shares a border with Alabama and Georgia.

Cities

Tampa, FL - USA

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Miami

Miami boasts a tropical climate, fine beaches and a vibrant Latin community, three factors which continue to make it a popular holiday destination for Americans and overseas travellers.

Other cities

• Tampa
• Jacksonville is the state's largest city.
• Orlando
• Tallahassee
• St. Petersburg
• Fort Lauderdale
• Cape Coral
• Fort Myers
• Naples
• Pembroke Pines
• St. Augustine
• Key West
• Pensacola

Other significant cities in the state include Hollywood, Port St. Lucie, Coral Springs, Gainesville, Miramar, Clearwater and Pompano Beach.

Sights and Activities

• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Everglades National Park
• Biscayne National Park
• Gulf Islands National Seashore

Events and Festivals

Weather

Florida is the warmest state of mainland USA. Only Hawaii has comparable weather. Temperatures are usually between 25 °C and 30 °C degrees Celsius for most of the year, a bit warmer from June to September and cooler from November to March. The north is rather colder though during winter, when winds from the north occasionally bring frost and possible snowfall, but this is rather rare. Conditions are hot and sticky for most of the year in the southern area. June to November is the rainy season and hurricanes are a possibility for most of the state during this time.

Getting There

By Plane

1. Miami International Airport (MIA/KMIA) is the city's main airport and is one of the United States' largest airports. It is located around 13 kilometres from downtown Miami. There are non-stop routes from and to well over 100 destinations worldwide, including cities throughout North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Miami International Airport is also the largest international gateway for American Airlines, which has nearly 100 destinations served alone!
Some of the main destinations are Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Havana, Düsseldorf, Toronto, Madrid, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Aruba, La Paz, Lima, London, Rio de Janeiro, St. Thomas, Panama City, Manaus, Santiago, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo and Washington, D.C..

To/from the airport

• Bus: Miami-Dade Transit provides excess with its Metrobus.
• Rental cars, shuttles and taxis are available at the airport
• Rail: There are free shuttle buses to nearby Tri-Rail stations.

2. Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the major airport for the city and many airlines serve destinations within the USA and to Europe and South America. The airport is located about 11 kilometres from the CBD of Orlando. It's the second busiest airport in Florida and even in the top 30 worldwide.

To/from the airport

• Bus: Lynx provides a sub-station at the airport with service to Downtown Orlando and other area routes.
• A complimentary coach transportation service for guests staying at Walt Disney World resort hotels. The motor coach service is operated by Mears Transportation. Guests have to book in advance reservations.
• Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line, SunCruz Casinos, Sterling Casinos and Mears Transportation all run scheduled buses from the airport to Port Canaveral for incoming cruise passengers
• The community of The Villages in Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties operates a shuttle between the community and Orlando International Airport. The shuttle stops at Lake Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs
• Taxis and rental cars are both widely available at the airport as well.

3. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) has a number of international connections as well as a fair number of domestic flights. It is located about 5 kilometres from the CBD of Fort Lauderdale and about 33 kilometres from Miami.

To/from the airport

• Bus: The airport is served by Broward County Transit bus Route 1. It has connecting service through the Central Terminal, and also buses to Aventura, in Miami-Dade County.
• Rail: Rail service is provided by Tri-Rail, at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Tri-Rail station, where there is a shuttle that goes to the airport.
• Car: The airport offers airport parking and has rental car facilities. Taxis are available as well.

4. Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), also known as Fort Myers International Airport, is the main gateway for Fort Myers and the surrounding area, including Cape Coral and Naples. It mainly has connections to other cities in the USA, but there are quite a few flights to Toronto and less so to Montreal and even Düsseldorf.

5. Tampa International Airport (IATA: TPA, ICAO: KTPA, FAA LID: TPA) is located around 11 kilometres from Tampa's CBD. A few dozen of airlines serve the airport, mainly on domestic routes, but there are a few interesting alternatives on international routes, like the one to London Gatwick Airport.

By Train

• The Autotrain travels between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida.
• The Silver Service/Palmetto travels between New York and Tampa and Miami, stopping in Washington, D.C., Charleston and Jacksonville, among many other places.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Discovery Cruise Line operates a daily (except Wednesdays) cruise ferry between Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale in Florida and Freeport on Grand Bahama. It leaves at 9:30am from Fort Lauderdale, arriving in Freeport around 1:30pm, and returns from Freeport at 5:15pm, arriving in Fort Lauderdale around 10:30pm. So a one-way trip takes around 4 hours to the Bahamas, and about 5 hours back, which barely leaves you 4 hours at Grand Bahama Island. There are options to spend the night though and take a ferry the next day back to Florida. Services on board include three buffet meals and a Las Vegas style casino! A return ticket costs around US$140.

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

You will find most of the big cities with rental offices by one or more of these companies so picking up a rental car in Florida is easy. Prices will vary depending on the time of the year you are booking. Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

Florida has a number of National Scenic Byways which offer a great way to explore the state crossing beautiful landscapes. Mostly, there are lots of national parks, state parks or monuments along the way and it's generally a better alternative than the faster but boring Interstate Highways.

By Bus

By Boat

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Hotel and Motel Chains

There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include:

• Motel 6
• Super 8
• Days Inn
• Quality Inn
• Red Roof Inn
• Howard Johnson
• Best Western
• La Quinta Inns and Suites
• Holiday Inn
• Econo Lodge
• Travelodge
• Hilton
• Choice Hotels
• Ramada
• Radisson
• Starwood Hotels
• Marriott Hotels

Deluxe Accommodations

Florida boasts many exclusive and even over-the-top hotels and condominiums for vacation rental, overlooking the great beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, near high-fashion spots like South Beach, Amelia Island and Boca Raton, or more low-key areas like Pensacola Beach, at the far western end of the Florida Panhandle, close to Mobile, Alabama. Here are two adjacent to the Gulf Shores National Seashore and the quaint village of Pensacola Beach.

• Beach Club Resort Residence
• Portofino Island Resort

External Links

• Tourism Website
• State Website