The unglamorous half: the Dry Tortugas ferry and the days it does not run, getting here, parking, getting around without a car, hurricane season, and what the city's own rules say. Prices and sailings change constantly here, so every page says when we last checked.
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Things to do in Key West, and the fact that decides each one
Every Key West sight with the fact that trips people up — Hemingway tickets at the gate only, Eco-Discovery closed for repairs, a Tortugas ferry that sells out.
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Best time to visit Key West in 2026–27, month by month
Dry and 76°F in January, wettest in September. Fantasy Fest 22–31 Oct 2027, the Tortugas ferry's dark days, mid-October-to-April dolphin sails, the calmest water.
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Dry Tortugas, and the ferry that sells out weeks ahead
The ferry lands 175 people a day and sells out weeks ahead. The days it does not sail, which dates are gone, the 6:30 a.m. standby sheet, and the seaplane.
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Getting to Key West — drive, fly, or take the boat
The Key West Express from Fort Myers Beach takes about 3.5 hours, $194 round trip or from $170 booked 8 days ahead. Or fly, or drive 159 miles from Miami.
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Key West at Christmas and New Year's, December 2026
Holiday parade 5 Dec, Lighted Boat Parade 12 Dec, three New Year's Eve drops at midnight, and no city bus on 25 Dec or 1 Jan. Key West's December, dated.
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Key West from January to March 2027 The festival season and spring break
Literary Seminar 7–10 Jan, half marathon 17 Jan, Food & Wine 27–31 Jan, spring breaks 1–26 March, the Tortugas ferry's days off. Key West's peak season, dated.
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Driving to Key West The stops, mile marker by mile marker
159 miles from Miami on one road. The stops worth making from Key Largo to Key West, what each charges and when it opens, and the ones part-closed this year.
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Key West with kids The age limits that decide each trip
Is Key West kid-friendly? Yes, with limits: parasails from 5, jet ski drivers from 16 with a parent aboard (14 at Fury), the ghost trolley from 4, child rates to 12.
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Parking in Key West, and the garage height limit nobody mentions
Old Town parking is $6 an hour almost everywhere, $7 at Mallory Square. The garage bar is 7 feet 2 inches — the detail that strands rental SUVs with roof boxes.
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The Hemingway Home, and why you cannot buy a ticket in advance
$19 adult, $7 for 6–12, open 9 to 5 every day. Tickets at the gate only, 3% extra on cards, and nearly 60 polydactyl cats — about half with the extra toes showing.
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Hotels near the Dry Tortugas ferry, for a 7 a.m. check-in
Four Key West hotels a 6- to 14-minute walk from 100 Grinnell Street, where both ferries dock, for the 7 a.m. check-in, plus parking, standby and days off.
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Camping at Dry Tortugas Ten ferry seats a day, eight first-come sites
Camping reservations are ferry seats: how the ten a day are released, the 60-pound gear limit, the eight $15 sites you cannot reserve, and what to bring.
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Where to stay in Key West, and the license to check before you pay
Old Town, the Seaport, the south shore or New Town: what each area trades, where Booking.com lists it, and the license to check before you pay a rental.
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Cruise ship days in Key West, and how to actually check them
Two working cruise berths, two published calendars, and a Navy pier that stopped taking big ships in 2020. Ships are in from about 8 to 5 — plan around that.
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Key West on a cruise stop What fits before all-aboard
Everything in Old Town is within a 30-minute walk of the pier. What closes early, the reef trip that fits a port day, and why the Dry Tortugas does not.
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The Southernmost Point buoy has moved, and is at 1499 Duval
A temporary buoy went up at the south end of Duval in September 2025 while the plaza is rebuilt. The $4.25 million construction contract was awarded in June 2026.
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Hurricane season in Key West, and the evacuation record
The season runs 1 June to 30 November, peaking 10 September. Monroe County ordered 15 evacuations in 21 seasons, 12 of them with none, and visitors go first.
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Key West without a car, and the routes that are gone
You do not need a car on the island. City buses are $2, on-demand Key West Rides replaced the North and South Lines, and the Duval Loop is suspended.
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Mallory Square sunset, and the four-hour lease behind it
A nonprofit leases the dock from the city for four hours a night and vets every artist on it. Arrive about an hour before sunset, and do not drive there.
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Renting a bike in Key West, and where you cannot ride
Cruisers rent for $10 to $20 a day, less by the week. Ordinary bikes may use the sidewalk; e-bikes keep to multi-use paths under 15 mph. The shops and the rules.
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Renting a golf cart in Key West, and the roads it cannot use
A 4-seat cart is $120 for three hours or $190 a day before fees. Drivers must be 22, and carts may use only roads posted 35 mph or less, which ends on Stock Island.
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The Overseas Heritage Trail, 90 miles and 23 bridges
A free paved trail along US 1 using 23 of Flagler's century-old railroad bridges. It is not continuous, and the best long stretch is at the other end of the Keys.
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Key West Cemetery, and the hurricane that put it there
Nineteen acres on the island's high ground, moved there after the 1846 hurricane unearthed the beach cemetery. There is a free self-guided map at the gate.
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Key West Lighthouse, 88 steps and a cheaper ticket
$17 at the gate or $15.50 online plus a 6% fee, 88 steps, and everything but the tower is accessible. One society runs four museums, and one pass covers all four.
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Photo credits
- Sailboats off Sunset Key: Julian Lupyan, CC0
- Front and Duval Street: Julian Lupyan, CC0
- The beach on Garden Key: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Overseas Highway: Pom' from France, European Union, CC BY-SA 2.0
- A schooner in the light before sunset: Yinan Chen, Public domain
- Smathers Beach before sunrise: Juliancolton, Public domain
- The Seven Mile Bridge from the air: United States Department of Transportation, Public domain
- The pier at Higgs Beach: Pietro Valocchi, CC BY 3.0
- A street corner in Old Town: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0
- The Hemingway House: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Key West Bight Ferry Terminal: Bohao Zhao, CC BY 3.0
- The moat wall at Fort Jefferson: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- A conch house porch: Cayobo, CC BY 2.0
- The Key West cruise docks: Herbert wie, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mallory Square: Julian Lupyan, CC0
- The Southernmost Point buoy: Radomianin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tropical Storm Elsa, July 2021: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC, Public domain
- The rainbow crosswalk on Duval Street: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The sunset celebration at Mallory Square: Hugodesouza1984, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bicycles on Angela Street: Wilhelm Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Truman Avenue at Thomas Street: w_lemay, CC0
- The old bridge ramp at Pigeon Key: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Key West City Cemetery: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0
- The Key West Lighthouse: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
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