The 10-day plan at a glance
This loop is built as an open-jaw: land at Miami (MIA), spend the first days in the southeast and the Keys, swing up through Orlando, then finish down the Gulf and fly out of Southwest Florida (RSW). Doing it this way means every leg moves you forward instead of doubling back. A rental car is essential. The two longest drives are Miami to Orlando (about 3.5 hours) and the Overseas Highway to Key West (about 3.5 to 4 hours), and both are part of the fun rather than dead time.
Aim for the dry season, November through April, for the best weather across every region and the easiest wildlife viewing in the Everglades. Summer trades cooler crowds for heat and daily afternoon storms, and it overlaps hurricane season, June through November. Start your planning at the Florida travel guide and check dates against our best time to visit Florida guide.
Days 1 to 2: Miami and the Everglades
Ease into the trip on Miami Beach. Fontainebleau Miami Beach at 4441 Collins Avenue is the grand old resort with the famous pool scene, while InterContinental Miami at 100 Chopin Plaza puts you downtown near the water and Brickell dining. Spend Day 1 on the sand and in the Art Deco district along Ocean Drive, then eat Cuban in Little Havana.
On Day 2, drive 45 minutes west into the sawgrass. Everglades Holiday Park Airboat Tours at 21940 Griffin Road runs narrated airboat rides and gator programs on the edge of the River of Grass, an easy half-day that gets you into the wetland without a long detour. If you want the deeper wilderness, the main Everglades National Park entrances south of Miami add hiking and ranger walks. See the South Florida region guide for how Miami, the Everglades, and the coast connect.
Days 3 to 4: The Overseas Highway to Key West
Point the car south on US-1 and drive the Keys. It is 113 miles and about 3.5 to 4 hours nonstop, but you will stop: snorkel the reef at John Pennekamp in Key Largo, hand-feed tarpon at Robbie's of Islamorada at MM77.5, and swim the sandy beach at Bahia Honda State Park past the Seven Mile Bridge. Break the drive with a night in Key Largo at Gilbert's Resort & Marina at MM107.9 if you want two easy days instead of one long push.
In Key West, stay at Opal Key Resort & Marina at 245 Front Street, steps from the Mallory Square sunset. Give yourself a full day on the water with Fury Key West Watersports at 631 Greene Street for a reef snorkel and sunset sail, then walk Duval Street and hit the Southernmost Point buoy. For the mile-by-mile version of this leg, read our Florida Keys road trip plan and the Overseas Highway driving guide.
Days 5 to 7: Back up through Palm Beach to Orlando
Drive back up from Key West and break the trip on the Atlantic coast. Palm Beach makes a comfortable overnight, and The Breakers Palm Beach at 1 S County Road is the landmark oceanfront resort if you want to splurge for a night. From there it is about 2.5 hours up to Orlando.
Give Orlando two full park days. Whether you pick Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, or one of each, buy tickets ahead and arrive at opening to beat the heat and lines. Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort at 6550 Adventure Way is a good-value base with a lazy river and early access to Universal parks. Plan your park choices on our Florida theme parks page. If your crew leans toward roller coasters over beaches, this is where you spend the extra time.
Days 8 to 10: The Gulf coast to Naples and Sanibel
Drive about 1.5 hours from Orlando to the Gulf beaches around Clearwater and St. Pete, where the sand is fine white quartz and the water is calm and warm. Opal Sands Resort & Spa on S Gulfview Boulevard sits right on Clearwater Beach. Spend Day 8 here, then work south down the coast.
Days 9 and 10 belong to the southwest coast. Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Naples, and Marco Island trade nightlife for shelling, sunsets, and quiet sand. Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina at 275 Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach and JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort at 400 S Collier Boulevard are two strong bases, and in Naples you can book a shelling cruise or backcountry fishing trip with Pure Florida at 1200 5th Avenue S or Dalis Fishing Charters at the Naples City Dock. Sanibel's Bowman's Beach is one of the best shelling beaches in the country. Fly out of Southwest Florida (RSW) near Fort Myers, a short drive from all of it. Explore more on the Southwest Florida region guide, and if you have even more time, add the Panhandle with our Gulf Coast road trip.
Where to stay and eat around the loop
Your southeast nights are covered by Fontainebleau Miami Beach at 4441 Collins Avenue or InterContinental Miami at 100 Chopin Plaza, and down the Keys you have Gilbert's Resort & Marina at MM107.9 in Key Largo and Opal Key Resort & Marina at 245 Front Street in Key West. Eat Peruvian ceviche at CVI.CHE 105 downtown before you leave Miami, and once in the Keys, order the catch of the day and key lime pie at any open-air fish house.
On the drive back up from Key West, The Breakers Palm Beach at 1 S County Road is the landmark oceanfront splurge for a Palm Beach overnight, and in Orlando Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort at 6550 Adventure Way keeps the park days easy with a lazy river and early park access. For a break from park food, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in the Orlando tourist corridor is a reliable family seafood stop, and the International Drive strip covers every other budget.
On the Gulf, Opal Sands Resort & Spa sits right on Clearwater sand, and farther south Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina at 275 Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach and the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort at 400 S Collier Boulevard anchor the southwest coast. In the Tampa Bay area, the historic Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City is worth a dinner, and in Naples you can eat and book a boat trip in the same downtown block near Pure Florida at 1200 5th Avenue S.
For the budget, this loop runs roughly 900 to 1,000 miles, so a rental car for the full 10 days and a fuel allowance are the fixed costs, along with park tickets bought ahead. Room rates swing highest in Key West and Miami during winter and holidays, so those two stops drive most of the lodging spend. Balance them with lower-cost nights in Key Largo, Palm Beach, or off-beach Orlando, and book the dry-season Keys nights and any Biscayne or reef trips well ahead. Anchor the details with our getting around Florida guide and the best time to visit Florida page.
A few logistics smooth out the long loop. Reserve your Key West and Miami hotels first, since they book up earliest and cost the most, then fill in the middle nights. Fuel up before the Overseas Highway and again before the Everglades, where stations thin out. On the drive back up the Atlantic coast, Fort Lauderdale makes an easy lunch break, and Café Bastille Fort Lauderdale is a relaxed sidewalk stop before you push north to Orlando. If your dates fall in winter, the Keys and Miami run their highest rates and their best weather at the same time, so book those nights the moment your plans firm up. In the southwest, Sanibel's Bowman's Beach and the shelling on Captiva reward an early start before the midday crowds and heat. Give yourself a buffer on the final day: RSW is a short drive from Fort Myers Beach and Naples, but beach traffic on the causeways can be slow on weekends, so leave early for your flight.
Frequently asked questions
Is 10 days enough to see all of Florida?
Ten days covers the southern loop well: Miami, the Everglades, the Keys, Orlando, and the Gulf beaches down to Naples and Sanibel. It does not reach the Panhandle in the far northwest, which is a two-day drive from Miami and deserves its own trip. If the Panhandle beaches are the goal, build a separate route rather than trying to bolt them on.
Which airports should I use for a 10-day Florida loop?
Fly into Miami (MIA) and out of Southwest Florida (RSW) near Fort Myers. That open-jaw setup lets the whole loop run one direction around the bottom of the state and saves you a long backtrack at the end. Orlando (MCO) and Tampa (TPA) are alternate exit points if RSW flights do not work.
How much driving is involved?
The two longest legs are Miami to Orlando (about 3.5 hours) and the Overseas Highway to Key West (about 3.5 to 4 hours). Everything else is 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Total driving over 10 days is roughly 900 to 1,000 miles, which is very manageable spread across the trip.
Can I do the theme parks and the beaches in one trip?
Yes, and 10 days is the amount of time that makes it comfortable. Two days in Orlando for the parks and three or four on the Gulf gives each its due without rushing. Front-load the parks while your energy is high and end on the quieter southwest beaches to wind down.
Where should I splurge and where should I save on a 10-day loop?
Spend on the two stops that are hard to do cheaply: Key West and Miami Beach, where the location is the whole point and rooms run highest in winter. Save on the in-between nights in Key Largo, Palm Beach, or off-beach Orlando, where solid hotels cost far less. A rental car for the full trip and park tickets bought in advance are fixed costs, but packing beach lunches and eating at casual fish houses keeps the daily spend down.