Planning a Florida A1A road trip can feel overwhelming once you realize just how long the coastline really is and how many beach towns, historic stops, and scenic stretches you could include along the way.
It’s easy to either try to do too much or miss some of the best spots entirely.
This guide lays out a realistic 5 day itinerary, built from our own experience driving the route from North Florida all the way down to the Keys.
It includes exactly where to stop each day, where to eat, and where to stay, so the drive feels relaxed and vacation-worthy instead of rushed.
If you’re trying to figure out how to plan your A1A road trip without constantly second-guessing distances, timing, or overnight stops, this itinerary gives you a clear, day by day plan that still leaves room to enjoy the scenery along the way.
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The Perfect Florida A1A Road Trip Itinerary
A couple years ago A1A was re-named the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, so you’ll see those names used interchangeably – but they all mean the same thing!
The night before you start your road trip, I recommend staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites in the Amelia Island Historic Harbor Front so that you start day 1 of your itinerary at the very beginning of A1A.
If you’re able to splurge, there’s always the Ritz-Carlton too!
Day 1: Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine
Florida’s A1A coastal highway begins in Fernandina Beach, which is at the very northeast tip of Florida.
In one day, you can drive the 2 hour stretch down to St. Augustine, stopping at a few highlights along the way!
Morning: Watch the Sunrise on Amelia Island
Head to any of the east facing beaches around Amelia Island to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean.
Then you can enjoy a local breakfast before heading out on the road.
Be sure to stop at the Amelia Island Welcome Center before you leave because they will have some helpful brochures, coupons, and general information that will help you on your road trip!
From there, it’s about an hour and a half drive to the Jacksonville Beach Pier.
Lunch: Jax Beach
There are a handful of restaurants here near the pier at Jacksonville Beach.
There’s an Irish Pub, a couple burger places, and some pizza places.
From here, it’s about an hour long drive to St. Augustine.
Afternoon: Explore Historic St. Augustine
Since you’re only here for a short amount of time, I recommend taking a carriage tour through town where they will show you all the highlights.
Also take some time to go across the street and explore the Castillo de San Marcos Monument, which is a historic fort.
There’s a free distillery tasting you can do in town at City Gate Spirits and there are lots of small tourist attractions you can explore.
I have another blog post with a full day’s itinerary for exploring St. Augustine that you can check out if you want some extra ideas!
Dinner: Meehan’s Irish Pub and Seafood House
I recommend getting their fish and chips with a side of mac n cheese and then having some of their bread pudding for dessert.
For drinks, I recommend the Tini Martini Bar and Isabela’s Bar Cuba.
Evening: St. Augustine Haunted Ghost Tour
Most cities offer ghost tours these days, but St. Augustine is especially haunted because of its long history as the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States.
You also want to save your driving for daylight hours since the entire highway is just one long scenic drive, so I recommend ending your day in St. Augustine.
Where To Stay: Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront
The Hilton is right in town, so it’s conveniently located to all the activities you’ll want to do during the day.
So you can park at the hotel and not have to get in your car again until tomorrow!
Click Here To Book Your Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront Stay Today!
Day 2: Space Coast
Today you’ll drive about 3 1/2 hours from St. Augustine, all the way to Cocoa Beach.
This area is known as Florida’s Space Coast because of the Kennedy Space Center, which I recommend visiting on your way down!
Morning: Drive To Kennedy Space Center
It’s about a 3 hour drive to the Kennedy Space Center, so that will take up majority of your morning.
You can catch a sunrise in St. Augustine before your drive and maybe have breakfast somewhere in town before you leave also.
We typically stay at hotels that include breakfast and I don’t really love breakfast foods as much as lunch & dinner, so we don’t typically include many recommendations for breakfasts on our itineraries.
Lunch: Titusville
You’ll want to have lunch before going in to the Kennedy Space Center because it takes a few hours to do everything there.
Titusville is the last town before the entrance, so you can plan to eat at any of the restaurants there.
You could also stop in Daytona Beach before getting to Titusville and do more of a brunch, which will also break up your drive a little bit more since it’s about halfway between St. Augustine and the Kennedy Space Center.
If you don’t have a Sonny’s BBQ where you live, I highly recommend going to one at least once on this road trip!
Afternoon: Kennedy Space Center
At the Kennedy Space Center, you can see the space shuttle Atlantis, a replica mission control room, and see the future of space travel.
There are indoor interactive exhibits too and add-on experiences you can do like dine with an astronaut.
I have a complete guide on visiting the Kennedy Space Center if you want more details.
Dinner: Port Canaveral
There are a handful of restaurants in Port Canaveral where you can watch all the cruise ships that are coming and going.
Across from the Exploration Tower there are a few restaurants.
I’ve been to all of them over the years and you can really go to any of them – just check the menus and see which ones have the foods you like.
Evening: Cocoa Beach Pier and Mini Golf
After dinner, you can spend the evening at the Cocoa Beach Pier or check out one of the local mini golf courses.
If you’ve never been to a Ron Jon Surf Shop, it’s a great souvenir shop right by the beach.
Where To Stay: Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral
There are an insane amount of hotels in this area since it’s such a major cruise port, so there’s something for every budget and style.
When we’re road-tripping, we typically stick to Hampton Inns because they’re affordable, while still being nice, and they include breakfast.
Click Here To Book Your Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral Stay Today!
Day 3: Treasure Coast
Today you’ll be driving from Cocoa Beach all the way to West Palm Beach.
This portion of the Florida coastline is called the Treasure Coast, due to a history of old shipwrecks where treasures are still being found!
Total driving time today will be about 5 hours.
I have a 2 day itinerary for the Treasure Coast area if you want any additional details from my recommendations on this itinerary.
Morning: Drive To Fort Pierce
This portion of the drive will take about 2 hours.
What’s really nice is that this portion of the drive is entirely on island chains off the coast of Florida, so it’s scenic in every direction.
If you want to add any activities to this portion of the drive, I recommend the Navy SEAL Museum.
Lunch: Manatee Island Bar & Grill
I’ve been to about a dozen restaurants in the Treasure Coast area because my Gmom (grandma) lives there and this one is my favorite!
I go here on pretty much every trip and it’s right along A1A, so you don’t even have to take a detour to get here.
They have a little bit of everything when it comes to seafood, but their chicken lettuce wraps are actually my favorite.
And then obviously key lime pie is a must.
Afternoon: Drive To Fort Lauderdale
This portion of the drive is also about 3 hours.
If you want to add in any activities along the way, I recommend Hutchinson Island’s South Beach or stopping in Palm Beach or Boca Raton along the way.
The beaches with piers are always good places to stop and walk around for awhile.
Dinner: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Beach Restaurants
There are a ton of restaurants near the pier with a variety of cuisines.
There’s a few regional chains that you tend to find in vacation spots, so if you’ve never been to one, now is a good time to check it out!
Evening: Night in at Your Hotel/Resort
Tonight I recommend just enjoying the amenities at your resort and maybe even splurging for one of the nicer beach resorts so that you have more amenities to enjoy.
Where To Stay: Tru by Hilton Fort Lauderdale Downtown
Tru by Hilton is a newer brand that is very modern and trendy, while also being one of the more affordable brands within Hilton’s portfolio.
They have a great rooftop pool at this location!
Click Here To Book Your Tru by Hilton Fort Lauderdale Downtown Stay Today!
Day 4: Fort Lauderdale To Miami + Biscayne National Park
The distance from Fort Lauderdale to Biscayne National Park is only about 60 miles, but it could take as long as 4 hours to get there depending on traffic.
You can generally expect it to take at least 2 hours since you’re driving surface streets the entire way.
Morning: Drive to Miami
It should only take about an hour or less to get to Miami’s South Beach from Fort Lauderdale.
I recommend stopping at Hollywood Beach along the way if you want to walk the boardwalk area.
Also, while driving through Miami, take notice of the Art Deco architecture!
Lunch: Versailles Cuban Restaurant
Take a 10 minute detour after you’ve made your way through downtown Miami to enjoy some delicious Cuban food!
I love their Cuban sandwich and their pulled pork.
Afternoon: Biscayne National Park
From Versailles it’s about an hour’s drive to Biscayne National Park.
The vast majority of this park is underwater, so I highly recommend booking one of their sailing tours.
We did one that included snorkeling and stand-up paddle-boarding.
I have an entire blog post about everything we did at Biscayne if you want more details!
Dinner: Key Largo
From Biscayne National Park, it’s about a 1 hour drive to Key Largo.
You can stop for dinner before heading out to the keys or have dinner right when you get to Key Largo.
Key Largo has a few water view restaurants right off A1A that are easily accessible.
Evening: Watch the Sunset
Now that you’re on the Keys, you have beaches facing every direction.
I recommend finding a west-ish facing beach to watch the sunset over the water.
Where To Stay: Hampton Inn Key Largo
I would personally stay at the Hampton Inn in Key Largo, but if you’re able to splurge a little bit, you could also stay at Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo, which is a Hilton Curio Collection resort.
Day 5: Key West
From Key Largo, it’s only about a 2 hour drive to Key West, the southernmost point of the continental US.
Morning: Drive to Key West
I recommend starting your morning on the earlier side, like 8 am or 9 am to start driving down to Key West so that you have the most time as possible to spend exploring Key West.
Lunch: Margaritaville or Sloppy Joe’s
If you’ve never been to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurants, this is the best one to visit!
Get a Cheeseburger in Paradise and a slice of Key Lime Pie!
If chain restaurants aren’t your thing or you’ve already been to another Margaritaville restaurant, then I recommend Sloppy Joe’s.
It’s famous for being a restaurant that Ernest Hemingway would frequently visit.
Afternoon: Explore Key West
A couple of my favorite attractions in Key West are Ernest Hemingway’s home and Harry Truman’s Little White House.
The best way to get around is to book a hop-on hop-off conch train tour, which will take you to all the highlights.
Definitely get a photo at the southernmost point buoy!
If you’re able to, I also recommend going to Dry Tortugas National Park, but you have to book a boat or sea plane in advance to get there.
Dinner: Conch Republic Seafood Company
This is our favorite Mallory Square restaurant.
Mallory Square is kind of like the center hub or downtown for Key West.
Conch Republic Seafood Company is known for their famous conch chowder, which is more like a chili than a clam chowder.
You can also get pretty much any type of shrimp and cocktails.
For dessert, they have a fantastic Hot Pineapple Upside-Down Rum Cake.
Evening: Mallory Square
Spend the evening enjoying the warm ocean breeze and outdoor entertainment around Mallory Square.
Where To Stay: Doubletree Resort By Hilton Hotel Grand Key – Key West
We stayed at the Doubletree Resort up near the airport because it is considerably cheaper than staying in the Mallory Square area.
Click Here To Book Your Doubletree Resort by Hilton Hotel Grand Key – Key West Stay Today!
Day 6: Head Home
From here, the rest of the itinerary is choose your own adventure.
You could fly back home from here or hop onto a cruise ship for an extended vacation.
Or you could drive back up to Miami and fly home from there.
Or if you live in Florida, this day would be your driving home day.
More Fun Places To Visit In Florida
Here are a few more places you can add to your itinerary if you decide to drive back up Florida on the Gulf Coast side!
The Best Everglades National Park One Day Itinerary
Everglades National Park is a great park to visit when you just have one day.
You can take airboat tours around the park and walk a variety of boardwalk and paved trails to see the local wildlife.
Secret Things To Do At Disney World
This post has some of my favorite activities at Disney World beyond just the typical theme park visit.
I grew up taking vacations at Disney World 1-2 times a year and worked there 3 different times as an intern during college.
I still visit usually 2-3 times a year because some of my family lives there now, so I have extensive experience in all things Disney World.
The Ultimate One Week Florida Road Trip Itinerary
This A1A road trip itinerary can be done in 5 days, but if you add on those 2 extra destinations I mentioned above, you can make this a week-long road trip.
I have another blog post where I include the Everglades, Tampa, and Orlando as part of a larger one week Florida road trip itinerary that you can check out if you want to explore even more of Florida!
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