Key West Florida Tour: Self-Guided Drive

If you can take the 80-90 degree heat, either June or July is a great time to visit the Keys. Most of the crowds flock to Florida during the colder months, which can result in a little more traffic than anyone wants to deal with.

While it’s hard to go wrong with any of the beaches along the Keys, the best might just be those on Bahia Honda Key. That’s largely thanks to Bahia Honda State Park, which takes up a large swath of this island.

The Florida Keys are 100% worth visiting! With shockingly blue ocean on either side, amazing wildlife, incredible food, and unbeatable beaches, it’s a tropical paradise unlike anywhere else in the United States.

A car is highly recommended during your visit to the Keys. The bike trail which runs alongside the Overseas Highway isn’t yet complete, so you’ll want a vehicle to make it the full 100 miles to Key West.

Key Largo features one of the prettiest tropical parks in the world, complete with the only living coral reef in the Lower 48. But it’s hard to beat Key West at sunset, as the orange rays shimmer on the water and a band plays on the pier.

You can drive to 34 different Keys along the famous Overseas Highway. Although there are over 800 islands in total, this will get you to all the ones most worth seeing.

For safety reasons, there is no stopping on the Seven Mile Bridge. But don’t worry—you’ll still be able to take in plenty of amazing ocean views as you drive!

An absolute can’t-miss experience on any visit to the Florida Keys is the sunset on Key West. As afternoon rolls toward evening, folks gather by the shore, musicians start playing, and street vendors offer mouth-watering food. It’s like a mini festival every single day!

The best way to plan a trip to the Florida Keys is by identifying a few important places where you’d like to stop along the Overseas Highway. This is the main route from Key Largo to Key West, so it’s easy to access anything along this road. Just keep in mind that the drive itself takes 3-4 hours, so make sure you budget enough time to get all the way to Key West!

The Florida Keys mark the southernmost point of the Continental US. This makes them a completely unique environment, which you can’t find anywhere else on the mainland.

The Florida Keys are primarily composed of limestone, left behind by marine animal and plant life long ago. The lower keys actually contain fossilized remnants of ancient coral reefs!

Each Florida Key actually has its own nickname! Key West, for instance, is known as The Conch Republic, thanks to a weird and wild confrontation between a Key West mayor and the federal government, during which the mayor declared the island an independent republic!

There are over 800 Florida Keys in total, but the vast majority of these are completely uninhabited. Temperatures on these islands are generally about 10 degrees lower than on the mainland thanks to constant sea breeze. And the median home price on Key West is $1.5 million dollars as of 2023!

The answer is as simple as it sounds! 7 Mile Bridge gets its name from being about seven miles long. Well, it’s actually 6.79 miles long, but that name isn’t quite as catchy!

The 7 Mile Bridge starts at Knight’s Key near Marathon, Florida, and ends at Little Duck Key in the Florida Keys.

The speed limit on the 7 Mile Bridge is 55 mph. For everyone’s safety, it’s important not only that you don’t speed, but also that you don’t drive too slowly to get that perfect picture.

Yes, a portion of the old Seven Mile Bridge has been converted into a fishing pier and is accessible for visitors to explore and enjoy the scenic views.

Yes, there are several scenic viewpoints along the Seven Mile Bridge where visitors can stop and enjoy panoramic views of the turquoise waters and surrounding islands.