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Published: 10/28/24
Everything You Need To Know About Key West Transportation
You wouldn’t think it would be so difficult to figure out how to get around Key West, Florida.
At just 8 square miles, Key West feels too small to require a rental car. Annoyingly, it’s also just too big to depend solely on your own two feet to get from Point A to Point B.
But don’t be tricked into thinking that the only transportation options in Key West are driving or walking. I’m here to prove that false dichotomy wrong. With bike rentals, golf cart rentals, rideshare apps, and yes, even public transportation, there are so many fun and some downright unexpected ways to move about the island.
During our week on Key West, we employed several different methods including walking, driving, rideshares, and boats. It’s not hard to get around the island, but it pays to know your options so you can choose the most effective and budget friendly way to explore Key West.
I’m guessing you’ve ended up on this post because you’re stumped on how to navigated the final and most famous island in the Florida Key islands connected by the Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1). In this post, I’m outlining all your options for getting around Key West. Once you reach the end, you’ll know all your Key West transportation options and their pros and cons.
Read on to figure out the best way for you and your group to get around Key West, whether you’re visiting for a day or a week.
All The Ways To Get Around Key West
| Key West Transportation Options | Pros | Cons | Notes |
| Walking | Free Great climate for walkers Wide sidewalks and good pedestrian infrastructure | At 1 mile across and 4 miles wide, Key West attractions are sometimes out of the range of typical walking distance | For the lowest cost transportation option in Key West, plan to walk most places and take the bus for slightly farther distances like Stock Island or New Town |
| Biking | Affordable Lots of biking routes/trails Many rental shops Don’t need to gas up | Need a certain level of proficiency on a bike to be comfortable biking around the busy island | If you’d like to bike in Key West, consider contacting your rental ahead of time to see if they can help with arrangements. |
| Rideshare/taxi | Great option for getting from the airport to your rental Lots of drivers and companies | Need to wait on your driver Can get expensive depending on how times you use it | |
| Golf carts and other low speed vehicles | Good for Key West’s narrow streets Easier to park Fun | Expensive Can’t go past the CVS on Stock Island | Since golf carts and low speed vehicles are allowed on Florida roads with speed limits of up to 35 mph, these small vehicles are allowed on all Key West streets |
| Rental cars | On demand transportation Easy to pick up at the airport | Parking can be difficult Expensive Not necessary in Key West proper | If you’re driving into Key West as part of a Florida Keys road trip, consider returning your rental car as soon as you reach Key West to avoid parking headaches and rental costs. |
| Public transportation | Very affordable/free Runs frequently Can be used on Key West or as a shuttle service as far as Marathon | Limited to bus service Must adjust your vacation timeline to the bus schedule | The Duval Loop bus is a completely free bus that loops through western Key West’s most visited areas from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. every day. Just hop on at one of its 18 stops. |
| Other options (pedicab, hop on, hop off trolley, etc.) | Novel and fun! | Not practical or affordable for multi-day use | If you’re only in Key West for one day, the Old Town Trolley is a fairly effective (but expensive) way to both get around the island and learn about it! |
Walking in Key West
Walking is hands down the cheapest and easiest way to get around Key West. If you’re staying on the west end of Key West in a visitor-centric neighborhood like Old Town or Truman Annex, you will be able to walk to pretty much any Key West attraction your heart desires, from the ferry terminal to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.
Just remember that like the Washington D.C. mall, things that seem like they are pretty close together are often a 20 – 25 minute walk apart. If you opt to use your feet as your primary form of Key West transportation, be prepared to average about 10K steps a day. Make sure you pack comfortable footwear!
Biking in Key West
If you’re staying a little farther afield in Key West in New Town or even out on Stock Island (where the closest camping is to Key West), but still want to rely on yourself for transportation, consider renting a bike. As whimsical as it sounds, bikes are very popular among Key West visitors.
Bikes solve a lot of Key West’s transportation headaches. You can quickly get across or around the island (it’s about a 7.4 mile loop to circumnavigate Key West) and you still get to enjoy the tropical wind in your hair without worrying about parking.
There are many bike rental shops around Key West. Some of the top-rated rentals are:
Bike Man Bike Rentals
Key West Bicycles
Eaton Bikes
If you’re staying at a Key West hotel or vacation rental, check before you arrive to see if they can help arrange a rental. You may be able to have a bike waiting for you so you start zipping around the island asap. Just don’t forget your helmet, eh?
This helpful guide outlines 6 useful Key West bike routes you’ll use when biking in Key West. You will want to use the actual bike trails instead of sharing the narrow streets with motorized vehicles.
Rideshares and Taxis
Yes, there is Uber in Key West!
We quickly discovered that there are A LOT of rideshare drivers in Key West. We used Lyft to get to and from the airport as well as over to Stock Island for a kayak day trip and never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a driver. I don’t think you need to schedule your rides in advance, but obviously you might want the peace of mind of a scheduled ride if you’re catching an early morning flight.
There are also lots of taxis in Key West.
If you’re arriving with a large group and/or lots of bags, you may prefer to arrange your airport transfer ahead of time with one of these favorite Key West taxi companies:
Spend about 30 minutes in Key West and you’ll probably be struck by how many golf carts and other low speed vehicles (LSVs) like side-by-sides have passed you.
Florida law allows LSV on any road with a speed limit under 35 mph. Since the entire island basically has a speed limit of 30 mph or below, these small vehicles have carte blanche to tootle around wherever they please. In fact, golf carts and LSV can travel as far as the CVS on Stock Island.
It’s easy to navigate Key West’s narrow streets with a golf cart and they’re also charming and fun! If you have limited mobility, are staying out in New Town, or need a way cart all your beach gear around, an LSV might be perfect for your group.
However, they’re not cheap to rent. Expect to pay at least $110 a day. If you’re staying in Old Town or Truman Annex, you’re so close to the main attractions that you might as well walk or bike.
Another popular low speed vehicle in Key West is the lowly scooter. While considerably cheaper to rent than a golf cart, scooters obviously have much less functionality.
Favorite Key West golf cart and scooter rental shops:
Renting a car in Key West
I found rental cars to be expensive in Key West. We paid over $100 per day for our compact sedan. Add up to $40 per day for parking if you’re not lucky enough to snag a free spot and you’re looking at nearly $150 per day just for an on-demand transportation option.
Before you default to renting a car in Key West, analyze your itinerary and see how many times you really need your own wheels. If you’re just planning to spend one day driving the Overseas Highway, rent a car for a single day, then use Rideshare apps or the bus for the rest of your stay. It doesn’t take much number crunching to realize the economic advantage here.
We ended up splitting the difference and only had a rental car for the last three days of our week in Key West. The easiest place to rent a car in Key West is at the airport, but there are also several car rental agencies in New Town along Highway 1.
Parking in Key West
Parking in Key West is a much discussed and maligned headache of the island. Despite what you might read before your visit, it’s not impossible to park in Key West, but it might require more mental energy than you want to use on vacation. Honestly, parking in Key West gave me low-grade anxiety during the three days we had a car.
If you’re willing to drive around a while, you will find an open space, even in Old Town. But before you get too excited, make sure that parking spot doesn’t require a residential parking permit.
There is one parking garage in Key West located in Old Town near the marina at the intersection of Grinnell and Caroline Streets. The cost is $5 per hour or $40 per day. If you are just in town for the day and want to see the Key West highlights, this is a great spot to park your car. The city also operated a few open-air parking lots around the island.
In addition to city parking lots, you’ll see several privately-operated, open-air parking lots.
We parked in one of these on the south end of Duval Street. These are often pretty empty: the result of high rates and bad online reviews. While the pay station didn’t work, we had no problem leaving our car here overnight and paying through the app. Happily, we snagged a free spot near our rental for the rest of our stay.
Tips for parking in Key West
- Your most efficient and stress-free parking option is to suck it up and pay for one of city operated parking lots.
- If you want street parking, look for spots on streets a couple blocks removed from popular Old Town thoroughfares like Duval, Whitehead, and Simonton.
- Double check any parking permit requirements before walking away from your car.
- It’s helpful to have the ParkingApp.com app downloaded on your phone ahead of time.
Key West Public Transportation
Public transportation on Key West is limited to bus service. However, bus service in Key West is designed with both locals and visitors in mind, so don’t be too quick to dismiss it. Key West Transit just might be the user-friendly, affordable transportation you’re looking for during your Conch Republic visit!
A one-way ride costs you $2, while a 7-day pass is just $8.
Duval Loop Bus
For the low, low price of absolutely nothing, you can hop on the free Duval Loop bus. This bus operates similar to the Cincinnati Bell Connector, making about a 1.5 mile loop through Old Town. The bus makes 18 stops, runs every 20 – 30 minutes, and operates every day of the year (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day) from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Even if you’re planning to mostly explore Key West on foot, the Duval Loop bus is a great trick to have in your back pocket in case your group fatigues earlier than expected or it starts raining.
Lower Keys Shuttle
You can also use the Lower Keys Shuttle runs between Key West and Marathon on the Overseas Highway. This bus runs approximately every two hours every day of the week. A one-way ticket costs $4. That’s right, if you didn’t want to rent a car, but wanted to check out Florida Keys highlights like Bahia Honda State Park, you could do so for $8 round trip per person.
Other Key West Transportation Options
In the interest of making this a definitive guide to all your Key West transportation options, here are some other unique ways to get around the island.
Tours
If you’re just in town for a day, you could use the Old Town Trolley’s hop on, hop off tour of the island to kill two birds with one stone. Not only will you get an informative tour, the trolley does a full loop around the island with 13 stops so you can also use it to get around.
The popular Key West Conch Train also allows you to hop on and off, but only at one of their three stops, so this isn’t nearly as effective as the trolley.
Pedicab
Another fun way to get around Key West is by pedicab. Several pedicabs company operate in Key West including Arthur’s Famous Pedicab, Mark’s Pedicab, and Kokomo Pedicab.
Boat
This is definitely a tongue in cheek suggestion, but you could certainly use a boat to come and go from Key West. For some Key West activities, like heading to Dry Tortugas National Park, a ferry (or sea plane) is your only option!
That said, you might be able to use a boat to reach Key West, but once you’re in the Key West marina, you’re still going to need to figure out how to get around the island.
Conclusion: The Best Transportation Options for Key West
You have so many transportation options in Key West!
How you chose to get around will depend on both your budget and personal preferences. Personally, we used a mixture of rideshares, car rental, and walking.
This walkable city is easy to navigate on foot, but you may prefer a little “lift assist” from a bike or the free Duval Loop bus, to reduce your personal mileage.
If you have limited mobility or are staying outside of the main hub of visitor activity (Old Town and Truman Annex) a low-speed vehicle like a golf cart or scooter might work perfectly for getting you to restaurants, attractions, and beaches.
Alternatively, both rideshare apps and taxis are ubiquitous on the island and the “pay to play” nature of these often makes them more cost effective than an LSV rental. If you want to get creative, you can also use tours like the hop on and hop off Old Town Trolley or the Conch Train to navigate the city. There are even pedicabs!
If you opt to drive in Key West, be prepared for both high rental and parking rates. My best advice is to limit car rental to the days you know you will travel off the island. Alternatively, if you are driving into Key West on an Overseas Highway road trip from Miami through the Florida Keys, consider returning your car as soon as you reach town.
However you choose to get around Key West, I think you’ll quickly find that this is an easy town to explore and love.
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