Miami to Key West: Drive, Bus or Tour

Miami to Key West: drive vs bus vs day tour

Drive your own car if you want to stop along the way, take a day tour if you do not want to drive, and sleep over if you want more than a few hours in town. The Florida Keys tourism office says drivers can travel the whole Overseas Highway from Miami in less than four hours. That is the best case, with no stops.

Key West is a bigger outing than an Everglades National Park day trip. The road alone takes up to eight hours there and back. So the real question is how many hours you want in town and who you want at the wheel.

The Overseas Highway is part of the trip, not only the way to Key West.

Distance and time: car vs bus vs shuttle

The drive from Miami to Key West is about 159 miles and takes under four hours without stops. The first 50 miles, to the start of the Keys, take about an hour, the tourism office says. After that the Overseas Highway runs 113 miles over 42 bridges. The Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon is actually 6.79 miles long.

The tourism office does not publish a time for heavy traffic. Add a buffer if you must be back at a set hour. Here is what a fast day could look like.

The bus is slower. Greyhound's route page says the fastest bus takes 4 hours 30 minutes and runs at least three times a day. It boards at the Miami Intermodal Center, Golden Glades or Miami Beach, at 4101 Collins Avenue, and stops at the Key West airport. The page does not show return times here, so check that a bus back leaves late enough before you plan a same-day trip.

The shared van is faster than the bus. Keys Shuttle's schedule shows vans leaving Miami airport at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and reaching Key West about four hours later. The vans back to Miami leave Key West at 5:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. That is why the shuttle suits a one-way trip or an overnight stay, not a day trip.

Cost: driving vs bus vs shuttle vs day tour

Among the paid options, a day tour is the cheapest way to see Key West in a day, and a shared van is the dearest. Greyhound tickets start at $23.48 one way, and you still have to get home. Keys Shuttle charges a base rate of $175 per person one way from Miami airport. It says seasonal rates apply from October through May, so the price on your date can be higher.

Driving has no ticket price, but it has costs. You pay for gas, a rental car if you need one, and parking in Key West. No official page publishes a figure for any of them, so check your rental quote and the parking signs on the day. If you need to get to the airport or the rental counter first, a taxi Miami ride is one option, and the transport page covers the car decision.

A day tour bundles the seat, the driver and the return. Best Things to Do in Miami's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 8 day trips from Miami to Key West that last 13 to 18 hours, from €16 to €231. The cheapest of our five picks, the 14-hour Key West trip with hotel pickup, is from €36 per person. It leaves out food, drinks, tips and optional tours in Key West.

Key Takeaway Miami to Key West is about 159 miles each way, so a same-day round trip means close to eight hours at the wheel before you stop anywhere.

Time in Key West: day trip vs overnight stay

A day trip gives you about six hours in Key West, and an overnight stay gives you a full second morning. The tour pages show why. The 14-hour trip with hotel pickup states six hours of free time in Key West. The other tour pages we checked list the total length, 13 to 16 hours, and do not state the free time, so expect about the same or less.

A car gives you the most control. You choose when to leave, and you can stay for dinner. The cost is that you still drive home, which can be four hours at night after a long day.

Staying over solves that. Old Town is the historic center, and two hotels on our list sit there. Island City House is a historic inn two minutes' walk from the harbor, with a garden pool and kitchens. The Truman Hotel is a boutique hotel on Truman Avenue with an outdoor pool and a daily continental breakfast. Both are on Booking.com and rated 8.0 or higher there.

A van or bus one way plus a night in town fits well. The shuttle's last van back leaves at 1:30 p.m., so you would not rush for it.

Driving: your own car vs going without

Driving is the best choice if you want to stop at beaches, bridges and roadside spots, and the worst if you do not want to drive after dark. The highway is easy to follow because there is one road, U.S. 1. Green mile markers on the shoulder count down from 113 at the Miami-Dade and Monroe County line to 0 in Key West.

Pro Tip Watch the green mile markers on the road shoulder. They count down from 113 to 0 in Key West, so you always know how many miles are left.

Without a car, the bus, the shuttle and a tour all cover the trip. Rental cars are not a problem to find, since Miami airport has a rental center, but one-way rentals and prices are not published on official pages, so ask the rental company. For a day trip, a tour avoids the question.

One honest limit applies to all of this. A same-day drive is tiring, and the tourism office's four hours is a best case. With young children, or if you drive only a little, split the trip over two days.

Day tour: guided trip vs going alone

A day tour is worth it if you do not want to drive and are fine with a set schedule, and it is the wrong choice if you want to stay for sunset or dinner. You leave when the group leaves. Some tours offer activities in Key West, but those cost extra.

Here is what each of the five picks offers. All five list free cancellation on GetYourGuide.

The 14-hour hotel-pickup trip, from €36 per person, is run by Royal Globe Tours LLC. It has a 4.3 rating from 4,004 reviews, includes round-trip air-conditioned transport and an English and Spanish guide, and picks you up at selected hotels. The 15-hour trip from downtown Miami, from €37, is run by Key West Sightseeing tours, rated 4.4 from 353 reviews. It meets at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami-Downtown, 340 Biscayne Boulevard, and takes up to 50 people.

The bus day tour with optional activities, from €55, is run by Xcursions USA and rated 4.2 from 2,505 reviews. It lasts 13 hours, meets at 401 Biscayne Boulevard and does not include hotel pickup. Optional extras such as a trolley, glass-bottom boat, Conch Train or snorkel trip depend on the option you choose, and entrance fees are not included. The one-day coach tour, from €55, is also run by Xcursions USA. It is rated 4.6 from only 38 reviews and lists a restroom and air conditioning on board. Neither Xcursions tour is suited to wheelchair users.

The trip with dolphin spotting or snorkeling, from €59, lasts 15 to 16 hours, includes pickup and is run by US2U Tours. It is rated 4.5 from 556 reviews. Choose it if you want a boat activity in the plan, and expect less free time in town.

For a closer look at how a guided Key West day works from start to finish, see the Miami to Key West day tour page.

Flights and ferries: what runs and what does not

Flights exist, but no official page lists fares or flight times. The tourism office says major U.S. airlines fly to the Florida Keys, and Key West International Airport is the island's airport. A flight is mostly useful if you want to skip the drive one way and have the budget for it.

There is no regular ferry from Miami to Key West. The Key West Express runs from Fort Myers Beach, on the other side of the state. There is no train either, since the Overseas Railroad stopped running after severe damage in 1935. The highway was later built on its remains.

Which should you pick?

Pick the car if you want freedom, the shuttle or bus if you are staying over, and a tour if you want a simple day without driving. This table sums up the choice by the things most travelers weigh.

The best pick for most first-time visitors is the tour, since it is the only option that solves the return trip too. The best pick for a relaxed trip is a night or two in Old Town.