5 best day trips from Fort Lauderdale

Day trips compared

The day trips

45 km (28 mi) · About 35 minutes by Brightline; 45–60 minutes by car

1.Miami and Miami Beach

Miami's Art Deco Historic District on South Beach, the Wynwood Walls street-art district and Little Havana's Calle Ocho are all reachable in a day. Brightline drops you downtown, where Metromover and rideshares connect to the neighbourhoods.

Getting there

Brightline train to MiamiCentral, or car via I-95

Best for

First-timers, Culture, Nightlife, Food lovers

90 km (56 mi) · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

2.Everglades National Park (Shark Valley)

Shark Valley on the park's northern edge has a 24 km paved loop through sawgrass prairie, covered by a narrated tram or by rented bike, with an observation tower at the halfway point. Alligators, turtles and wading birds are commonly seen, especially in the dry season.

Getting there

Car via I-75 or US 27 and the Tamiami Trail

Best for

Families, Quiet stays

70 km (43 mi) · About 40 minutes by Brightline; about 1 hour by car

3.Palm Beach and West Palm Beach

Palm Beach's Worth Avenue shopping street and the Flagler Museum, Henry Flagler's Gilded Age mansion Whitehall, sit across the lagoon from West Palm Beach, home of the Norton Museum of Art and the Clematis Street dining area.

Getting there

Brightline to West Palm Beach, or car via I-95

Best for

Couples, Culture, Luxury, Shopping

40 km (25 mi) · About 40 minutes by car

4.Delray Beach and the Morikami Gardens

Delray Beach has a walkable main street, Atlantic Avenue, running down to the beach. Inland, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens commemorates a Japanese farming colony of the early 1900s with landscaped gardens, a museum and a café.

Getting there

Car via I-95

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays, Culture

130 km (81 mi) · About 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours by car

5.Key Largo and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

The first of the Florida Keys has the underwater John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, with snorkel trips, glass-bottom boat tours and diving to the reef and the bronze Christ of the Abyss statue. Start early to beat traffic on US 1.

Getting there

Car via the Florida Turnpike and US 1

Best for

Families, Couples, Beach

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Brightline's high-speed trains from downtown reach Miami in about 35 minutes and West Palm Beach in about 40, with onward service to Orlando. Tri-Rail commuter trains run inland with a station near the airport.
• Broward County Transit runs buses across the county, including routes along A1A and between downtown and the beach.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask