Highlights of the Florida Keys

The "Road to Paradise" leads from Miami through the Florida Keys to Key West. The route is often driven in one go to reach the end of the island chain at Key West. Since accommodations in Key West are quite expensive, many people only take a day trip to Key West, zooming past all the beautiful spots where a stop would be worthwhile.

Road trip fans take note: The route through the Florida Keys to Key West is considered one of the most beautiful roads in the USA. The only road - Overseas Highway - connects the 161 km long island chain. The famous Overseas Highway was built from the railway line of Flagler's Railroad in 1938. The designation as an All-American Road highlights particularly scenic and cultural landmarks, making this drive a must-see. Traveling this scenic route connects you to stunning landscapes, significant history, and a variety of recreational offerings, turning the road trip quickly into a mini vacation.

Here you can find a list of all All-American Roads

On the drive from Miami, you first reach Homestead. From here, US Highway 1 takes on the additional name of Overseas Highway and is considered a Scenic Highway and All-American Road. It leads you over approximately 200 km and 42 bridges to the southern end of the Florida Keys in Key West. The further you move from the mainland, the more Caribbean the scenery becomes. The water is turquoise and clear, the beaches are white and inviting.

The Overseas Highway is among the most beautiful routes in the world. For others, it is a long drive that stretches out like a piece of chewing gum.

To ensure you don't have the same experience, I've compiled a list of stops that are worth your time along the Florida Keys. This way, the picturesque route to Key West will definitely not be boring. I truly believe that a trip to Key West deserves a longer visit.

So here you will find my tips for the best stops along the way from Miami to Key West!

The distance from Miami to Key West is approximately 160 miles (about 260 km). The drive takes around 3.5 to 4 hours non-stop at an average speed of 80 km/h. If you're doing a day trip, you would need 8 hours of drive time. It is doable, especially if you truly have no other time. Read on, and you will see how many amazing places and stops you will miss.

My tip: Driving from Miami to Key West and back in one day is anything but relaxing. I advise against it. You will just be "flying" over the Keys and hardly have any time to see the beautiful places hidden here.

I recommend spending at least one night, ideally two or three, in Key West. It's best not to go on a weekend when the locals also head to the Florida Keys. Then all the weekend traffic flows Friday afternoon out and returns Sunday evening on the Overseas Highway, which is only two lanes in a few places.

Here are my tips for Key West

The Florida Keys comprise around 200 coral islands, strung together like a pearl necklace over a distance of 290 kilometers at the southern tip of Florida. Until the Labor Day hurricane in 1953, the islands were connected by a railway line. The route was destroyed by the hurricane and never rebuilt. You can view remnants of it at Bahia Honda State Park.

The Overseas Highway was built on the old railway line, connecting the islands via 42 bridges. The most famous bridge is the Seven Mile Bridge.

Underwater extends the world's third-largest tropical coral reef. After the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Belize Barrier Reef, which stretches from Mexico to Honduras.

In 1982, the residents of the Keys wanted to declare independence as the "Conch Republic." Named after the large fighting conch shell typical of the area, which shimmers pink (Wikipedia).

By the way, the term "Key" is not derived from the English word "key" but from the Spanish word "cayo" (island).

As you turn off the mainland onto the largest and first stop on the way to Key West, your first thought might be: "Oh my god, is this ugly." True, because the first view falls on concrete structures. The view of the mangroves, palm trees, and picturesque nature is initially hidden from you on the largest island of the Keys.

From here, you finally leave the mainland behind, and it's island hopping from one to another. Passing former pirate nests and subtropical paradises!

Key Largo is, by the way, the longest island in the Keys at 53 km. The Caribbean Club Bar is a well-known filming location in Key Largo. The ship "African Queen" from the movie of the same name is located right behind the Holiday Inn hotel on the shore.

On our way back to Miami, we took a lunch break at Mrs. Mac's Kitchen. Here you must try a piece of the famous Key Lime Pie. Of course, we also had a small meal. Since my salad wasn't great, I recommend sticking with the Key Lime Pie or ordering a conch salad, which is typical for the Keys.

Islamorada is the secret capital of the Upper Keys. From Islamorada, you are completely surrounded by water. Unfortunately, you can only see the water a bit due to the road barriers. So we opted for an SUV beforehand, which is generally higher and gives us more "view."

Islamorada has declared itself the "sport fishing capital of the world." Here, ideal conditions exist for deep-sea fishing in the ocean. Thus, you can also bring your catch to many restaurants, where it will be prepared for you. Since I have never gone fishing, I skipped this activity.

At Anne's Beach, you will find an idyllic beach. This area is popular not only for relaxing but also among kitesurfers. It was windless when we visited, so this activity was not considered during our trip. Additionally, we found this section of the beach quite small, with hardly any parking spaces, and we couldn't quite understand the recommendation for this beach. So we left pretty quickly after a short stop (also because we couldn't find an official parking spot).

Marathon is a mix of tourist center, nature reserve, and fishing village. Here we undertook a helicopter tour over the Keys and the Seven Mile Bridge. The views were sensational. The weather was perfect, the sea calm, and thus conditions were ideal for clear water and a view down to the seafloor.

We were able to see not just rays, mantas, and even manatees and turtles in the water.

Alternatively, you can ride your bike along the Old Seven Mile Bridge (Old 7) from Marathon to Pigeon Key. Pigeon Key is best reached on foot or by bike. Alternatively, there is a ferry found south on the left side of the bridge towards Knight's Key. The latter is the more pleasant choice in the heat. The small island is 2 miles (3.22 km) from Marathon. In the past, railway workers lived there.

The Seven Mile Bridge is the most famous of the bridges on the way to Key West. Interestingly, it is not actually seven miles long, but only 6.79 miles (10.93 km). But that number doesn't sound quite as good, does it? It is one of the longest road bridges in the world. It connects Marathon and Bahia Honda. About halfway there, the old railway bridge extends to Pigeon Key.

If you want to access the old bridge, you must head to the parking lot directly in front of the bridge. Unfortunately, you can only see it quite late. From the parking lot, you can access the old bridge and also enjoy the view of the new Seven Mile Bridge.

Driving over the bridge by car is only half as spectacular as taking a helicopter flight over it! Simply magnificent.

Even my driver from the airport in Miami to Miami Beach was raving about Bahia Honda State Park and the amazing beaches here. Supposedly, these are the most beautiful beaches in the Florida Keys, attracting locals and residents from Miami. To name a few: Calusa Beach, LoggerHead Beach, and Sandspur Beach. Sandspur Beach and Logger Head Beach are on the Atlantic Ocean, while Calusa Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico (I'm still looking for a good map; it's no easy task).

For me, the most beautiful beach in Bahia Honda State Park is Sandspur Beach. It's also the longest beach. You reach it by turning left after the park entrance. Here, you have an unobstructed view of the sea, with only some mangroves lining the shore. You can lay in the sun here (be careful, there are no shade-providing palm trees or trees), snorkel, or kayak.

The water is bright turquoise, and the beach is white. However, what many may not like is that there is a lot of seagrass even on the beach. This can lead to an odor not being the best. For everyone who complains, a sign has been posted that explains why the seagrass is not removed. Nice!

If you turn right after the park entrance, you will find more beaches on the left and right. There's a kayak rental and a souvenir shop that also sells drinks, food, and ice cream. From here, you can also capture great photos of the old Bahia Honda Rail Bridge. It is often referred to as the Old Railway Bridge.

You can see the remains of the old railway track that Henry Flagler had built over 100 years ago. This was the only connection from island to island until Key West.

You can get a better view of the old, half-dilapidated structure from the other side of the peninsula of Bahia Honda State Park. If you're coming from Miami, the turnoff to the left is just after the bridge. You will need to walk a bit to get a good view of the old bridge.

To reach Big Pine Key, you must leave the Overseas Highway. Signs everywhere warn you of deer. Deer? Yes, the Key Deer lives here, a rare and endangered deer species. We didn't think we would see one of these during the day in the heat. But hope springs eternal, and then suddenly a Key Deer crossed the road in front of us. We were so perplexed (and I was the driver) that we couldn't get the camera out in time. But we did see a little Bambi!

Key West marks the westernmost point of the Florida Keys archipelago. Besides the Hemingway House, the sunset at Mallory Square is especially famous, which is applauded every evening (crazy!).

If that's too much, you can take a catamaran tour to snorkel at the third-largest reef in the world. After that, you can enjoy the sunset on board before returning to the harbor in Key West. I can recommend this tour to everyone.

Read more: My Highlights in Key West