Itinerary · The Overseas Highway
Driving Miami to Key West: Where to Stop and Stay Overnight
The drive from Miami to Key West takes about 3.5 to 4 hours in normal traffic — and the smart version of it starts with a night in Florida City, the last mainland town before the Overseas Highway. Travelog Inn sits right where Florida’s Turnpike ends at US-1: sleep here, take the hot breakfast when it opens at 6:30 AM, and you’re over the 18-Mile Stretch ahead of the day-trip crowd.
The plan
- The night before
Florida City — the last mainland stop
Fuel, groceries, and anything you forgot cost less here than anywhere on the islands. The Florida Keys Outlet Marketplace is 5 minutes from the hotel for swimsuits and sunglasses; then park free in front of your room.
- 6:30 AM
Breakfast, then the 18-Mile Stretch
Eat at the hotel, get on US-1, and cross the mangrove flats before traffic builds — the Stretch and the Upper Keys back up fast on weekends and in season.
- ~35 min in
Key Largo (around mile marker 100)
The first Key and the self-styled Dive Capital of the World. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is the classic stop — glass-bottom boats and snorkel trips to the reef, best booked ahead.
- ~1 h 15 min in
Islamorada
The sportfishing capital: charters, sandbars, and a good coffee-or-lunch break depending on your start time.
- ~2 h in
Marathon & the Seven Mile Bridge
Marathon is the halfway feel of the drive; just past it, the Seven Mile Bridge is the postcard stretch of the whole highway. No stop required — the drive itself is the attraction.
- ~3 h in
Key West
Mile marker 0. Arriving before lunch beats both the traffic and the parking hunt — which is exactly what the overnight in Florida City buys you.
What to book ahead
- Your Florida City room for the night before — the hotel fills on weekends, holidays, and race weekends.
- Pennekamp snorkel or glass-bottom boat trips if you’re stopping in Key Largo — they sell out in season.
- Key West parking or your Key West hotel, if you’re staying overnight at the end too.
Tips from our front desk
- Leave by 8 AM at the latest — Upper Keys traffic is the variable that decides your whole day.
- Doing Key West as a day trip from the hotel is possible but long: about 2.5–3 hours each way. Our honest advice is to turn a day trip around at Islamorada or Marathon instead.
- Everything — gas, groceries, sunscreen — costs more once you’re on the islands. Stock up in Florida City.
- Driving back north, the hotel works the same way in reverse: a last night before an early Miami airport run, about 40 minutes up the Turnpike.
Common questions
- How long is the drive from Miami to Key West?
- About 3.5 to 4 hours in normal traffic, and more in season. From Travelog Inn in Florida City — the last mainland stop — Key West is about 2.5 to 3 hours.
- Where should I stop overnight on the way to Key West?
- Florida City is the classic overnight: it’s where the Turnpike ends and the Overseas Highway begins, so you clear the 18-Mile Stretch first thing in the morning. Travelog Inn guests get breakfast from 6:30 AM and free parking at the door.
- Why stay in Florida City instead of Key Largo?
- Mainland prices, the area’s last big grocery and outlet shopping, and a head start on the Stretch before it backs up. Key Largo is lovely — but as your first stop of the morning, not your bill for the night.
- What are the best stops between Miami and Key West?
- Key Largo for Pennekamp’s reef trips, Islamorada for fishing charters and sandbars, Marathon for the Turtle Hospital, and the Seven Mile Bridge just past it — the drive’s postcard moment.
Make Travelog Inn your base
Travelog Inn Florida City–Homestead is the overnight stop this plan is built around: 88 ground-floor rooms with free parking at your door, a complimentary hot buffet breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30 AM so early starts begin fed, and a sun-drenched pool for when you're back. Best rates are always right here on our official site, or call the front desk at (305) 248-9777.