Key West
Key West travel guide
Conch houses, Mallory Square sunsets and the boat to Dry Tortugas
A small coral island at the end of the Florida Keys with a historic Old Town, Duval Street nightlife and reef trips. December to April is dry and warm. Three or four nights covers the island and a Dry Tortugas day. Island prices are very high, and Visa Waiver visitors need an ESTA.
At the far end of the Overseas Highway sits a coral island about 6 km long, closer to Cuba than to Miami's towers. People drive or fly down for the sunset crowds on Mallory Square and for Hemingway's house with its six-toed cats. Cuban coffee, conch fritters and a carefree streak keep them for longer than planned.
Wrecking made the island rich in the 19th century, when salvagers stripped ships that ran onto the reef. The wooden Conch houses of Old Town date from that money. Cigar makers from Cuba followed, and their porches and shutters still line the side streets.
Duval Street is the main strip: roughly 2.5 km of bars, galleries and T-shirt shops running ocean to gulf. It is loud by night. Walk one block over onto Whitehead Street; the island turns residential and shady.
The pace suits bikes. Most visitors stay three or four nights. That leaves time for the museums and a reef snorkel trip, plus the boat or seaplane to Dry Tortugas National Park far to the west.
Winter and spring are the sweet spot, with highs of 24 to 28C and little rain. Hurricane season runs June to November; late summer is hot and wet, with thinner crowds.
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Top things to do in Key West
Old Town history, sunset rituals, reef and fort trips, and a famous bar crawl along Duval.
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Best time to visit Key West
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 24 to 28C with under 55mm of rain a month; peak prices and full guesthouses.
Highs of 32 to 33C, rain peaking near 184mm in September, and the main hurricane risk.
Warm water and easier rooms; late October is busy for Fantasy Fest.
Fantasy Fest fills the island in the last week of October with costume parades on Duval Street; book a room months ahead or come the week after.
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Getting there
EYW, the Overseas Highway or the Fort Myers ferry
Key West International Airport (EYW) is about 6 km south-east of downtown, with flights from Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte and several other US hubs; taxis and ride-hailing apps cover the short run to Old Town. Fares are often higher than to the big Florida airports, so many visitors fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale and drive the Overseas Highway (US 1) across the Keys, a scenic run of three to four hours that crosses the Seven Mile Bridge. Keys Shuttle runs shared vans from both mainland airports to Key West addresses, and Greyhound buses also run down from Miami. The Key West Express ferry crosses from Fort Myers Beach in about three and a half hours, with a winter route from Marco Island too, and cruise ships call at the piers near Mallory Square.
- EYW airport
- Taxi or ride-hail to Old Town in minutes
- Drive from Miami
- Overseas Highway, about 3 to 4 hours
- Keys Shuttle
- Shared vans from Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports
- Ferry
- Key West Express from Fort Myers Beach
- Book a hotel with parking if you drive; spaces in Old Town are scarce and costly.
- Leave Miami early to cross the Seven Mile Bridge in daylight.
Staying safe
Storms and late nights
Key West is a low-crime holiday town; the main risks are weather and alcohol. Hurricane season runs from June to November, and Monroe County orders visitors to evacuate when a major storm threatens.
- Hurricanes
- June to November, peaking in September and October
- Duval Street
- Busy and boozy late at night
- Buy travel insurance that covers storm cancellations if you travel between August and October.
Where to stay
Old Town guesthouses or Stock Island
Old Town holds almost everything a visitor wants, with guesthouses in restored Conch houses. Quieter and cheaper options lie further east.
- Old Town (off Duval)
- Walk everywhere, historic guesthouses; noisy on Duval itself
- Truman Annex
- Gated former naval area near Fort Zachary Taylor, calm and close to the sunset
- New Town
- Chain hotels along North Roosevelt Boulevard, needs a bike or bus
- Stock Island
- Marinas and newer resorts just off the island, more space and less noise
- Some guesthouses are adults-only or gay-oriented; check before booking with children.
Getting around
Bikes, scooters and the Duval Loop
Narrow one-way streets and costly parking make a car the worst way to get around. Rent a bicycle or scooter from one of the many shops; both can usually be parked right outside where you are going. Golf carts are popular too, but need a parking space like a car. Key West Transit runs buses around the island, including the free Duval Loop through Old Town, and the Lower Keys Shuttle north as far as Marathon. Taxis and Uber or Lyft are easy to find. Old Town itself is walkable end to end in about half an hour.
- Bicycle
- Flat island, the most practical way to get around
- Duval Loop
- Free Key West Transit bus around Old Town
- Lower Keys Shuttle
- Bus up the Keys to Marathon
- Taxi and ride-hail
- Plentiful for late nights
- Lock bikes every time; theft from racks is common on Duval Street.
Know before you go
What makes Key West worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square, with jugglers and street performers as the sun drops into the Gulf.
- Hemingway's house on Whitehead Street, where descendants of his polydactyl cats still roam the garden.
- Fort Zachary Taylor, a Civil War-era fort with a quieter beach and a better sunset than Mallory Square.
- Dry Tortugas National Park, a ferry or seaplane ride to Fort Jefferson and clear snorkelling water.
- Cuban coffee at a ventanita, the walk-up window cafés of Bahama Village and the side streets.
Good to know
- The Southernmost Point buoy draws long queues for a photo; go early morning.
- Beaches are small and rocky compared with the mainland; bring water shoes.
- Dry Tortugas trips sell out, so book the Yankee Freedom ferry or the seaplane well ahead.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Key West, month by month
Key West's dry season runs from December to April with highs of 24 to 28C; June to October is hotter and wetter, with rain peaking near 184mm in September.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Key West (NOAA, via Wikipedia).
Whitehead Street to Fort Jefferson over three island days
Day one, morning. Beat the queues at the Southernmost Point buoy, then walk up Whitehead Street to the Hemingway Home and Museum, where the writer lived for about a decade. Across the road, climb the Key West Lighthouse for a view over the rooftops.
Afternoon. Join a guided tour of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, then cool off in the Key West Shipwreck Museum near the waterfront. In the evening, head to Mallory Square about an hour before sunset for the performers, then dinner in Bahama Village.
Day two. Spend the whole day on the ferry or seaplane to Dry Tortugas National Park. Fort Jefferson's brick walls and the snorkelling off its moat wall make the early start worth it.
Day three. Rent a bike and ride the quiet residential streets of Old Town, stopping at Key West Cemetery, then along Atlantic Boulevard past Smathers Beach and the AIDS Memorial by the White Street Pier. Finish with a swim and sunset at Fort Zachary Taylor, and a last drink at Captain Tony's Saloon on Greene Street.
Plan the Dry Tortugas day carefully. The national park lies about 70 miles west of Key West: seven small islands at the end of the Florida reef, centred on Fort Jefferson, the largest brick masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere. The Yankee Freedom III catamaran, the park's official ferry, takes roughly two to two and a half hours each way, and its fare includes the park entrance fee. Seats sell out well ahead in the dry season, so book as soon as your dates are fixed, and bring snorkel gear for the moat wall.
At the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum on Whitehead Street, expect cats: around 40 to 60 live on the grounds, about half with extra toes, descended according to the museum's story from Snow White, a cat given to Hemingway by a sea captain. In the evening, the sunset celebration at Mallory Square brings street performers and craft stalls to the waterfront; check the schedule on cruise-ship days.
Key lime pie, conch fritters and Cuban coffee
Two dishes define the island. Key lime pie, made with small, tart Key limes and condensed milk, is served in almost every restaurant, and the debate over meringue or whipped cream is never settled. Conch fritters, deep-fried and served with a dipping sauce, are the classic bar snack, though most conch is now imported since harvesting is banned in Florida.
Seafood is the focus: Key West pink shrimp from local boats, grouper and yellowtail snapper sandwiches, and stone crab claws during the October to May season.
The Cuban influence runs deep. A Cuban sandwich and a sweet café con leche make a cheap breakfast, and El Siboney on Catherine Street has served Cuban home cooking well away from the tourist crowds for years.
On the waterfront, the Historic Seaport around Key West Bight has open-air bars and raw bars, including the Schooner Wharf. Duval Street restaurants trade on location; the better meals are usually a block or two away, in Bahama Village or around the Truman Annex.
Fantasy Fest, Hemingway Days and hurricane season
Key West's climate splits neatly in two. From December to April, highs run 24 to 28C and monthly rain stays below 55mm. From June to October highs reach 32 to 33C and the rain climbs, peaking at about 184mm in September. Winter is the dry high season; summer and autumn bring the heat, the rain and the hurricane risk.
The busiest party is Fantasy Fest, a costume and parade festival that takes over the island for about a week at the end of October. In July, Hemingway Days brings readings, a fishing contest and the famous look-alike contest at Sloppy Joe's. In April, the Conch Republic celebrations remember the island's tongue-in-cheek 1982 secession.
Hurricane season runs June to November, with the peak risk in August to October. Storms can close the Overseas Highway and trigger evacuations, so keep plans flexible.
For trips off the island, Bahia Honda State Park in the Lower Keys has some of the best natural beaches in the chain, and the drive back up US 1 makes a fine last day before flights from Miami.
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How we research our Key West travel guide
Duval Loop bus times, Fort Jefferson boat and seaplane trips and hurricane advice are rechecked when they change. City facts follow the City of Key West website, park details the National Park Service and entry rules the State Department.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of Key WestUS State DepartmentNational Park Service
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Key West.
Getting there
Key West International (EYW) is about 6 km south-east of downtown, a short taxi or ride-hail trip to Old Town.
About 210 km, usually three to four hours depending on traffic, crossing the Seven Mile Bridge.
Yes. The Key West Express ferry runs from Fort Myers Beach, with fewer sailings outside the winter season, and from Marco Island in winter.
By the Yankee Freedom ferry from Key West or by seaplane; both need booking well in advance.
Timing & weather
Fantasy Fest runs for about a week at the end of October, with parades on Duval Street. Hotels book up months ahead.
The best time to visit Key West is Dec to Apr. Highs of 24 to 28C and the driest months, before hurricane season.
- Dry season: December - April (Highs of 24 to 28C with under 55mm of rain a month; peak prices and full guesthouses)
- Wet season: June - October (Highs of 32 to 33C, rain peaking near 184mm in September, and the main hurricane risk)
- Shoulder: May, November (Warm water and easier rooms; late October is busy for Fantasy Fest)
August is the warmest month in Key West, with average highs of 33°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 19°C. September is the wettest month, at about 184 mm of rain; February is the driest. Key West's dry season runs from December to April with highs of 24 to 28C; June to October is hotter and wetter, with rain peaking near 184mm in September.
General
A bike or scooter is better. Streets are narrow and one-way and parking is scarce; the free Duval Loop bus covers Old Town.
Mallory Square for the street-performer show, or Fort Zachary Taylor for a quieter beach view.
Yes. Around the Hemingway Home on Whitehead Street live dozens of cats, many with six toes, descended from his own.
Narrow one-way streets and costly parking make a car the worst way to get around. Rent a bicycle or scooter from one of the many shops; both can usually be parked right outside where you are going. Golf carts are popular too, but need a parking space like a car.
Booking
Yes. September sits in the peak of the June to November hurricane season. Book flexible rates and follow Monroe County instructions if an evacuation is ordered.
Stay & facilities
Key lime pie is served all over Old Town. For Cuban food, try El Siboney on Catherine Street or a walk-up coffee window.
Visa & documents
With an approved ESTA, citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries (most of Europe, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand among them) can stay up to 90 days. Everyone else needs a B-2 visitor visa, which means an interview at a US embassy. Since January 2026 nationals of a number of countries face full or partial entry restrictions.
Health & safety
Key West is a low-crime holiday town; the main risks are weather and alcohol. Hurricane season runs from June to November, and Monroe County orders visitors to evacuate when a major storm threatens.
