[ffire]

Hi again

Planning our trip to visit Florida. It seems flights to Tampa are the cheapest. If we want to check out Tampa, Miami (?), West Palm beach and Jacksonville is it feasible to hire a car and drive or is that just a ridiculous idea. I am not sure how many hours apart driving these actually are.

Thanks for your help.

[Mike Peterson]

One of the benefits of doing this would be you may end up driving through an area you may not normally have and find that it is what you are looking for.

If you have the time then go for it but it will take quite a bit of time.

If you spend a couple of days in Tampa then spend a day to drive to Miami (5 hours or so driving time) and then spend a couple of days there, head up to West Palm and spend a couple of days there, another day to head up to Jax (5 hours driving time) and then a couple more there, you are up to 10 days. It will give you a decent feel for the area though.

[ffire]

Thanks for that....we were going to allow 3 weeks (but that also includes visiting people in Alabama and Atlanta

How long would it take to drive from Miami to West Palm?

[yukiko11]

Many years ago, I got a chance to work at the Florida state fair in Tampa. We drove from California to Tampa in about 2.5 days with two drivers and no overnight stays. Florida is not very big compared to some states and the turnpike makes it easier to get from place to place. You didn't mention where you were coming from so it is dificult to tell you how long it would take to get there, but you could easily see every tourist sight in less than 2 weeks.
Look up Mapquest. You can get not only driving directions, but mileage, gas cost and time. They also have deals on hotels and info on local sights.
If you have a reliable car, and you live in the states, compare the car rental and the airline fare to what it would cost to use your own car and drive.

[ffire]

We are coming from Australia lol

But was going to fly into Miami or Tampa and then drive around to see if there is an area that appeals to us for relocation. Sounds like 5 hours gets you from one side to the other thereabouts.

[Mike Peterson]

Originally Posted by ffire

Thanks for that....we were going to allow 3 weeks (but that also includes visiting people in Alabama and Atlanta

How long would it take to drive from Miami to West Palm?

Depending on traffic it could be anywhere from 1-2 hours. Figure for about 1 1/2.

[TatersFan]

Yes, you need to drive around 1. to see the places you are interested in and 2. to see how people here drive, especially in South FL, Central FL, and Tampa. It's not pleasant.

[OrlandoRE_Miracle]

Sounds like a great idea. You'll need to rent a rent a car regardless, there's no way to get anywhere here without one.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by ffire

Hi again

Planning our trip to visit Florida. It seems flights to Tampa are the cheapest. If we want to check out Tampa, Miami (?), West Palm beach and Jacksonville is it feasible to hire a car and drive or is that just a ridiculous idea. I am not sure how many hours apart driving these actually are.

Thanks for your help.

If you're spending three weeks then it's a great idea.

If you're sure you want a "city" feel then ok you can see the quaint Florida towns as a tourist type thing as you go through.

If you feel there's any chance you are interested in not so "city" then you can get the names off of recommendations here and google map the trip.

MAKE SURE YOU GET GPS IN YOUR RENTAL CAR THEY ALL OFFER IT AND IT'S PRICELESS.

Just plug in an address and it tells you how to get there.

JACKSONVILLE is the LONG detour. It s a whole day for you just driving more or less 4 hours just to here, Vero Beach and I'm 1.25 hrs from WPB.

Seriously, if you think you want to live IN Jacksonville downtown think again and read my posts. I wanted to also and it's NOT for anything near residential unless you buy or rent a condo in the Tower.

Are you going to spend half the time "in the Northern part" and the other half in the "south part" like from WPB down?

I think one day in Jax will answer that if it's a downtown you're interested in.

Sounds like a fun trip don't forget to see the really awesome small places... these cities are really the LAST place that give a realistic impression of lifestyle choices here.

If it were me, I'd drive all the way down the COAST on the West from Tampa then cross over to the East coast. You dont want to miss that West coast with all the variety and the keys etc.

OR start in Jax, get that out of the way, drive across to the West and start that way.

[OrlandoRE_Miracle]

If you think there's any chance you might drive the car out of Florida, check the rental car company rules. Sometimes they have special rules on driving the car out of state.