Guide to travel in Miami, Orlando and other destinations near your Florida holiday home.
Getting to and around your Florida holiday home is a relatively stress free experience on account of America’s excellent infrastructure system. However, public transport options are slightly more limited than in other states, and some cities are better served than others. Travel in Miami, for example, is easier than travel in Orlando, whichever mode of transport you choose. Road travel is undoubtedly the most flexible and convenient method for getting around, so car hire in Florida is nearly always part and parcel of the Florida holiday experience.
Travel to your Florida holiday home by air
There can be few Florida holiday homes that are not within reasonable striking distance of an international airport. Unfortunately, not all the international airports receive scheduled flights direct from the UK. Although charter flights are sometimes available to the state’s smaller airports, you may find you have to first travel to Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach or Tampa (or even a city in another state) before flying to the airport nearest your Florida holiday home.
Travel to Miami and the other big three international airports from Manchester or London is easy enough and often good value if you are flexible with your dates and times. Airlines serving these airports include BMI, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
You can arrange car hire in Florida’s airports when you arrive, but booking is recommended.
Car hire in Florida: the best option for getting around
A vehicle is something of a necessity for tourists who want to enjoy the many attractions available near their Florida holiday home and car hire in Florida is often an economical way of touring around, especially if you book a vehicle for a minimum of three days at a time. Book online for the best discounts and be sure to get an unlimited mileage deal if you anticipate using the car a lot.
Many of the names of companies offering car hire in Florida will already be familiar to you (Alamo, Avis, Hertz) and the process of hiring is pretty much the same as in Europe. You do not need an international driving licence, only your UK licence.
Car hire in Florida usually means driving an automatic vehicle. If you are accustomed to driving a manual, take some time to familiarise yourself with the controls before you drive off. Also, check out the main driving laws in Florida.
Bus travel in Miami and other major cities.
Within the cities, bus travel is generally convenient and affordable. Bus travel in Miami, for example, runs 24 hours a day. Discount tickets and passes offer good value in most cities. For example, a book of ten tickets costs $7 in Jacksonville while a monthly pass for unlimited Metrobus travel in Miami costs $75. Local transport authorities tend to run buses in towns while private enterprises serve the most popular tourist areas.
Getting from city to city by bus is an option, although it is not necessarily the most efficient method of travel. Car hire in Florida can sometimes work out cheaper and quicker. For this reason, most Brits staying in rural Florida holiday homes rarely experience a bus journey. However, the famous Greyhound Bus service has an extensive network that connects the Panhandle to the Keys and operates almost around the clock. Daily Greyhound Bus travel from Miami, for example, sees departures from 4am until 2.30am. There is a flat rate for each one-way fare and it is payable (in exact change) to the driver. Some current fares (October 2006) are Jacksonville to Key West $97; Orlando to Miami $44.50.
Rail travel from Miami to Tampa, Tallahassee or Jacksonville
Intercity trains in Florida are run by Amtrak and are generally reliable but they are not a popular form of transport. The problem for most tourists staying in Florida holiday homes is that rail stations are usually located a long way from visitor attractions and far outside city centres. They can also be quite expensive and sometimes take tortuous routes ie the train that departs Jacksonville to travel to Miami (about 320 miles as the crow flies on the Atlantic coast) takes over 9hrs because it goes via the Gulf coast.
Train travel in Miami city is a different kettle of fish. Miami has a 21-mile Metrorail system that operates from 6am to midnight with trains running every five minutes at peak times. Jacksonville has a similar, but much smaller, Skyway train service. Orlando, Tampa and Tallahassee do not have urban train networks.
Taxis are an option if your Florida holiday home is conveniently located
If your Florida holiday home is not too far from your top priority attractions, it may be more economical to ditch the idea of car hire in Florida, avoid a raft of individual train and bus fares (which can soon mount up for a family), and opt instead for taxi rides. If you travel to Miami and most of the other large cities except Orlando, you can usually hail cabs in the street. In Orlando, however, you cannot flag down a taxi; you need to telephone ahead.
