Getting Around the Florida Keys: Your Full Transportation Guide

Getting around the Florida Keys is simpler than most first-timers expect but only if you plan ahead. The entire island chain runs along one road, US-1 (the Overseas Highway), so there’s no complicated navigation to figure out. What catches people off guard is how spread out everything is, and how limited the alternatives to a car actually are once you get outside Key West. This guide covers every real option: what works, what doesn’t, and what we’d tell you if you called us directly before your trip.

Quick Answer: A rental car is the most practical way to get around the Florida Keys, especially if you’re staying in Marathon or the Middle Keys. Shuttle services, rideshares, and public transit exist, but work best for specific routes or within Key West itself.

Do You Actually Need a Car in the Florida Keys?

For most of the Keys the answer is yes, and there’s really no getting around it. Key West is the one genuine exception; everywhere else, from Key Largo through Islamorada and Marathon, the distances between things are too long to manage comfortably without wheels. This isn’t like a beach town with a cute walkable main street. Restaurants, beaches, bait shops, and boat ramps are strung out along 113 miles of two-lane highway. The vibe is relaxed. The logistics aren’t.

That said, the answer also depends on how you plan to spend your time. Guests staying at our Marathon waterfront properties with places like Blue Pearl and Ocean Muse often go entire days without leaving the property. They’re fishing from the dock at sunrise, spending the afternoon on the water, and watching the sun go down over the Gulf. A car matters a lot less when the property itself is the destination. But if you want to eat out, explore, or day-trip to Key West, having your own vehicle makes a real difference.

What Are the Best Ways to Get to the Florida Keys?

Here’s what actually makes sense for most travelers:

Driving from Miami is far and away the most common approach. Miami International Airport to Marathon runs about 1.5 to 2 hours on a good day. You pick up US-1 in Florida City and follow it straight down through the island chain. It’s a genuinely beautiful drive where the scenic open water on both sides, pelicans on the bridge railings, that specific feeling of the city finally releasing its grip. Traffic builds up on weekends and throughout the winter season (January through April), so leaving Miami before 10am or after 6pm saves real time.

Flying into Key West International Airport (EYW) works well if Key West or the Lower Keys is your final stop. American, Delta, JetBlue, and United all serve EYW with connections from major hubs. Rental cars, taxis, and rideshares are available at the airport.

Flying into Marathon Airport (MTH) is charter and private aircraft only. There’s no commercial service at Marathon. If Marathon is your destination, MIA is the closest commercial airport include the factor in the drive time when you’re booking flights.

Taking a shuttle is genuinely worth considering if you’d rather not drive. Florida Keys Express Shuttle runs 24/7 from both MIA and Fort Lauderdale down through the Keys, including Marathon. Luxury vans with Wi-Fi make the 1.5-hour ride easy. Keys Shuttle covers similar ground with multiple daily departures connecting Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, and Key West.

The Key West Express ferry from Fort Myers takes a different approach entirely with about 3.5 hours on the water, roundtrip around $150, and the return trip timed around sunset is something people talk about for years. If you’re combining the Keys with time on the Gulf Coast, it’s worth the price.

How Do You Get Around Once You’re in the Keys?

Rental cars are the move for anyone staying from Key Largo to Marathon. Book in advance as peak season inventory runs out, especially for anything bigger than a compact. Most guests pick up at MIA and either return there or drop off at Key West Airport if they’re ending the trip there.

Uber and Lyft are available throughout the Keys, but “available” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. In Marathon and the Middle Keys, waits are long, drivers often come from well outside the area, and surge pricing during weekends or bad weather is common. Don’t build your evening plans around a rideshare pickup in Marathon. Plan for the car.

Freebee is a free electric car service running in Islamorada. Just download the app or call 305-984-5057 to request a ride. It’s genuinely useful for getting around Islamorada without burning time hunting for parking. More Keys towns should do this.

Key West Transit runs buses across Key West, Stock Island, the Lower Keys, and Marathon, operating from 5:40am to 10pm with a 20-bus accessible fleet. If you’re day-tripping to Key West from a Marathon property like Luna Light or Vista Del Mar, the Lower Keys Shuttle connects Marathon to Key West and back. It’s a legitimate option when you want to spend a full day in Key West without worrying about the drive home. Call 305-600-1455 or check the Key West Transit site for current schedules.

Getting Around Marathon, FL: The Local Breakdown

Marathon gets a lot less transportation coverage than Key West in most travel guides, which doesn’t serve guests well. Here’s what you actually need to know if this is your base.

There is no car rental counter in Marathon. The airport handles charter and private aircraft only, and there’s no Enterprise, Hertz, or Budget location in town. If you need a rental car, you’re picking it up at MIA on the way down or arranging delivery. Don’t assume you can sort this out after you arrive.

Parking in Marathon is genuinely easy. Unlike Key West, you won’t circle blocks or pay $30 for a lot. Most restaurants, shops, and marinas on US-1 have on-site parking or adjacent lots. At our properties, guests have private parking on-site and no street hunting required.

The Publix at MM 50 is your anchor. Publix at 5407 Overseas Hwy is open daily 7am–10pm and handles everything: groceries, liquor, deli, bakery, pharmacy. It’s well-stocked, staff are friendly, and the Cuban sandwiches from the deli counter are worth stopping for even if you don’t need anything else. One honest note: parking can get tight during peak season, especially on weekends. Go before 9am or after 8pm if you want an easy in-and-out.

Uber reliability in Marathon is genuinely poor. This comes up in guest conversations regularly. Drivers are inconsistent, surge pricing is unpredictable, and leaving a restaurant in Marathon at 9pm hoping to catch a ride back to the property is not a plan we’d recommend. If you’re going out for dinner, drive yourself or designate a driver. The restaurant parking situation is easy enough.

The Lower Keys Shuttle to Key West runs from Marathon and is the right call for a Key West day trip. You’re not fighting Duval Street parking, not paying the lot fees, and not doing a 45-minute drive after a full day out. Check current schedules through Key West Transit before you go, routing and timing do shift seasonally.

Bike paths exist but are patchy. Marathon has some pleasant local cycling routes, especially through residential areas and near the Crane Point Hammock preserve. US-1 itself has a shoulder that long-distance cyclists use, but it’s not a casual afternoon bike ride situation. For most guests, bikes work great for short trips around the property neighborhood and not as a transportation strategy.

Kayaks and paddleboards are often the better answer. Quite a few of our properties include them. If you’re staying at a place like Emerald Oasis or Seabreeze Cove, you have on-site water access and no reason to drive anywhere to get on the water. Some of the best exploration in Marathon happens 50 feet off the back dock.

What Is Driving the Overseas Highway Actually Like?

Most people find it one of the best drives they’ve ever taken. US-1 through the Keys spans 113 miles, crosses 42 bridges, and passes through the Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon which is an open ocean visible in every direction, nothing between you and the horizon. It’s two lanes almost the entire way. That’s not a problem. It’s kind of the point.

A few things worth knowing before you go. Traffic in the Upper Keys, especially around Key Largo, piles up hard on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings when the Miami weekend crowd moves. Marathon and the Middle Keys are notably calmer. In peak season (late December through April), budget extra time for any drive longer than 30 minutes. There are essentially no shortcuts or alternate routes. If you’re behind a 40-foot RV doing 48mph over the bridge, you’re behind it until they turn off.

Parking is easy everywhere in the Keys except Key West, where most visitors find a lot for the day and walk or take transit from there.

How Do You Get from Marathon to Key West?

Marathon sits at Mile Marker 50, the literal midpoint of the island chain. Key West is 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Your options:

1. Drive it: easiest and most flexible. You cross Seven Mile Bridge with open water on both sides. It’s worth driving slowly. Stop at Bahia Honda State Park on the way down if you’ve never been as it is one of the best beaches in the Keys and five minutes off the route.
2. Lower Keys Shuttle: the right call for a full day in Key West when you’d rather not drive back.
3. Rideshare: works, but expect surge pricing, especially on the return trip late in the evening.

Is Biking Around the Florida Keys Worth It?

In Key West, yes! It’s one of the better cycling cities in Florida, and renting a bike downtown is a perfectly sensible thing to do. Outside Key West, the honest answer is: it depends on what you’re after.

Long-distance cyclists do ride the full Overseas Highway. The shoulder is wide in most sections and the scenery is hard to beat. But for casual vacation biking as a transport strategy between towns, not really. Islamorada and Marathon both have some pleasant local riding, particularly away from the highway. As a way to get dinner or reach a nearby marina, totally fine. As a replacement for a car, no.

Mopeds in Key West are popular and come with a well-documented injury rate among tourists. Most rental shops will mention this. If you’re going to rent one, wear the helmet even though Florida doesn’t require it for adults, which somehow makes the accident statistics worse, not better.

FAQ: Transportation in the Florida Keys

Plan Your Marathon Stay

If you’re figuring out where to base yourself in the Keys, Marathon puts you at the center of the island chain. An easy drive to Islamorada for dinner, 45 minutes from Key West, and sitting right at Seven Mile Bridge. It’s a strong argument for the Middle Keys over either end.

Our Marathon waterfront properties are built for guests who want to be on the water. Private docks, heated pools, kayaks, fishing gear are the kind of setup where the car keys stay on the counter for most of the trip. Browse current availability at paraisovacationrentals.com/properties/ or reach out to us directly if you want help matching a property to how you actually plan to spend your time. We know these properties and this island well and that’s a better starting point than scrolling through a booking algorithm.