Frequently Asked Questions
These answers are based on answers previously given to Cool Key West customers' questions.
Yes, they are very comfortable. The luxury touring coaches that carry our guests from Miami down to Key West and back are designed from the ground up for comfortable, safe, and convenient tour transportation. These coaches are engineered for sightseeing, with quiet, efficient engines and elevated seating placed behind broad tinted windows. And all coaches are inspected and licensed for touring operations by the State of Florida Department of Transportation.
The coaches feature a luxurious air-conditioned interior with a wide center aisle running between large, well-padded seats that allow plenty of room to relax on a long ride. The seats compare to business-class on an airliner, and the ride is so comfortable that it is tempting to nap through the trip. But it is a much better idea to lean back, enjoy the scenery, and listen to the narrated tour of the Keys broadcast over the on-board sound system.
With convenient pickup and drop off available from most Miami hotels, a bus tour is the most efficient way to take a Key West day trip during any Miami visit. In terms of time and convenience, it is far easier than dealing with the hassles of air travel for this short round trip. Moreover, having an experienced professional driver at the wheel makes a touring coach the absolute safest transportation option. You are also free to enjoy cocktails with lunch or dinner in Key West knowing that a designated driver will deliver you safely back to your hotel door in the evening.
Key West is unique in being the only Caribbean island that is connected to the U.S. mainland by road. The legendary Overseas Highway that runs 113 miles south-west from the tip of Florida to the last inhabited island in the Florida Keys has an interesting history and actually began life as a railway.
Gilded Age industrialist and Rockefeller/Standard Oil partner Henry Flagler became a Florida railroad and property developer in the late 18th century. When the planned construction of the Panama Canal was announced in 1905, Flagler conceived the idea of extending his Florida East Coast Railway south to connect the deep-water port at Key West to the Florida mainland.
After 7 years, 3 hurricanes, and many engineering innovations, construction was completed in 1912 and Flagler rode the first train into Key West. In 1935, the Category 5 Labor Day Hurricane devastated the Keys and destroyed 40 miles of train track. The bankrupt Florida East Coast Railway was unable to rebuild, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the State of Florida.
Construction on the original Overseas Highway got underway in the 1920s, and with several ferry links, officially opened to Key West in 1928. After the Labor Day Hurricane, the State seized the opportunity to complete construction of an improved road by using the former railway right-of-way and infrastructure. The current Overseas Highway opened in 1938, and several bridges were rebuilt in the 1980s.
Now, a tour down the Overseas Highway takes the visitor across narrow islands and through small towns that retain some of the feel of the Old Keys. The road crosses more than 40 bridges, including the famous Seven-Mile Bridge that seems to soar over blue water that stretches in all directions. From the west end of the bridge onward into the Lower Keys, there is a clear feeling of entering a different, more exotic world.
U.S. Highway 1 along the Florida Keys is truly one of the world’s foremost touring drives, and there is no better way to fully enjoy the scenic beauty and historic interest of the Overseas Highway than by riding in luxurious comfort aboard a modern touring coach while someone else handles the driving.
There is a nearly endless list things to see and do on a Key West Bus Tour, and a day trip down the Keys to America’s Caribbean Paradise is an experience that should be included in any visit to the Miami area. Our Key West Bus Tour from Miami is the easy and fun way to put together the best Miami to Key West Day Trip. It starts with fast online booking and instant confirmation, then the tour begins with convenient morning pick-up from most major Miami hotels.
Traveling along the fantastic Overseas Highway is a wonderful sightseeing trip in itself. Just south of Florida City on U.S. Highway 1, the route runs through the Southern Everglades, a unique natural wetland wilderness. Leaving the Florida mainland, the road crosses narrow land bridges between blue-water bays until a final road bridge across Lake Surprise leads onto Key Largo. A right turn to pass through the busy island village and the Overseas Highway proper begins.
For the next 100 miles, turquoise Atlantic and Gulf water, tropical foliage, marinas, fish camps, and small Keys towns pass outside the windows as the coach crosses over 40 bridges connecting both inhabited and uninhabited islands. The Seven Mile Bridge that crosses open water from Knights Key to Little Duck Key is a world-famous highlight of the trip and so impressive that it is often used as a setting for action movies and television shows.
Shortly after noon, the tour arrives in Key West and you are free to explore all of the possibilities of this exciting island city. Some visitors enjoy simply roaming Old Town and the surroundings, dining, shopping, and hitting classic watering holes like Sloppy Joe’s and Captain Tony’s Saloon. There are also many museums, historic sites, and galleries to check out.
An afternoon on the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park or any of the island’s other public beaches is another great option. And there is enough time to head offshore to enjoy an activity like snorkeling, parasailing, or touring the reef aboard a glass-bottom boat. With 6 hours to spend in Key West, it is easy to get in one of these trips and still be back in time to have dinner before the coach returns to Miami.
After arriving in Key West around 12:00 noon on your Key West Bus Tour from Miami, your island transportation needs will depend on what you have planned for the day. In general, the city is quite walkable. From Mallory Square and the popular Duval Street area in Old Town going south across the island through the Historic District to the beaches of the Atlantic shoreline is a distance of just over one mile. The coach will drop you off at a central point in Old Town, so walking tours of downtown Key West are easily done.
To roam a bit further, perhaps to the excellent beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, popular Smathers Beach, historic charter boat row at Garrison Bight, or the White Street Gallery District, it is nice to have some transportation unless you are a serious hiker. Convenient rental options include bicycles, scooters, golf carts, and electric cars. Vehicles like these are very common on the streets and roads of Key West, short-term rentals are available, and you can choose according to your interests and needs.
Many pre-planned activities and excursions like snorkeling and parasailing trips, glass-bottom boat tours, and so on will either have departure points near the Bus Tour drop-off point or the operator will provide a shuttle service. For Trolley Tours, it is simple to hop aboard at the nearest Trolley stop. When you reserve ahead of time for one of these activities, you have the advantage of receiving all necessary details before arriving in Key West, making for a stress-free visit.
Among the great activity combination possibilities offered with our Key West Bus Tours from Miami, it is very difficult to choose a “best of” selection. This is because all three of these exciting experiences are bucket-list items that everyone needs to try at least once. If you are forced to pick just one for now, it is best to make an objective decision based on what is practical for you and the members of your touring party.
To begin with, folks who prefer to stay dry, elderly guests, or those traveling with very small children should almost certainly go on a glass-bottom boat cruise. These modern tour boats are designed to be comfortable and environmentally friendly while providing the best view of the underwater world you can get without getting wet. The boat features an upper sightseeing and sun deck with bench seating, clean restrooms and a snack bar, and a lower, enclosed observation deck with a large window that provides a great underwater view. A glass-bottom boat cruise is fun for all ages and an excellent educational experience for children.
Thrill seekers and extreme sports lovers will definitely want to try parasailing. A modern parasailing boat will take up to 12 passengers offshore to fly nearly 300 feet above the emerald waters near Key West. The parasail has a swing-like seat that can hold 1, 2, or 3 riders, so you can enjoy the flight with family and friends, or fly solo as long as you weigh over 90 lbs. The parasail lifts off from a platform at the rear of the boat and rises gently into the sky to offer a fun flight along with unique, panoramic views of Key West and the clear water below. Watch for bird and marine life, and if you want to get wet, ask to have a toe dip during your flight.
If you love the water and want to take a boat ride offshore to have a swim, and especially during the hot season, snorkeling in Key West is an activity that should not be missed. With simple, light-weight equipment and no need for special training, you get an amazing view of the corals, sponges, and tropical marine life that make the waters around Key West so popular with divers. Snorkeling is very easy, even for first-timers, and can be enjoyed by folks of nearly all ages and physical conditions. The only gear required is a dive mask, snorkel tube, and fins – all included in your tour package.
According to verified reviews on Cool Key West and TripAdvisor, the best Key West Bus Tours from Miami are:
According to verified reviews on Cool Key West and TripAdvisor, the best kid-friendly Key West Bus Tours from Miami are:
Key West Bus Tours from Miami with Instant Confirmation include:
Key West Bus Tours from Miami with Free Cancellation (in most cases up to 24 hours in advance of your activity date, check the specific activity page) include:
No problem. These Key West Bus Tours from Miami include Hotel Pickup:
