How Far Is Key West From Miami?

Key West is about 159 miles from Miami by road. That is roughly 4 hours in a car with no traffic, or 4 hours 30 minutes on the Greyhound bus. We read each operator's page again on 4 November 2026. This page says where each number came from.

What is the best way to get from Miami to Key West?

Each option has its own section below with the source.

So, Greyhound is the cheapest direct ride we could confirm, the county buses cost less with a change, and the car is best if you want to stop.

Is there a ferry from Miami to Key West?

No, there is no ferry from Miami to Key West. The one passenger ferry, the Key West Express, sails from Fort Myers Beach on the Gulf coast, takes about 3.5 hours and costs $145 one way for an adult. The Florida Keys tourism board lists only this ferry, and the operator's pages name only Fort Myers Beach and Key West, with no Miami or Marco Island sailing (re-read 5 Nov 2026).

Getting there: Fort Myers Beach (1200 Main Street) to Key West (100 Grinnell Street): boarding from 7:00 a.m., aboard by 7:30 a.m., departs 8:00 a.m. Key West to Fort Myers Beach: boarding from 5:00 p.m., aboard by 5:30 p.m., departs 6:00 p.m. About 3.5 hours between ports, depending on weather and sea (Key West Express, re-read 5 Nov 2026)

Price: One way: adult (13 to 61) or senior (62 and over) $145, ages 5 to 12 $120, age 4 and under $60. Round trip, full fare: adult $194, senior $184, ages 5 to 12 $135, age 4 and under $85. Round trip, non-refundable, booked at least 8 days ahead: $170 Monday to Thursday and $180 Friday to Sunday for an adult or senior (Key West Express fares, re-read 5 Nov 2026)

Note: Parking at Fort Myers Beach is $20 a day per vehicle, and booking a space is recommended but not required. In Key West you pay the city for the lot across the street. Changes cost $25 (3 or more days before), $40 (within 2 days) or $60 (same day or no-show) a person (Key West Express fares page, read 4 Nov 2026)

The tourism board says the boat docks at the Key West Bight Ferry Terminal in the Historic Seaport, within walking distance of Duval Street. A round trip in one day means about 7 hours on the boat and about 6.5 hours in Key West, if the boat is on time. The booking page shows which dates the boat runs, so check your date.

So, take the ferry only if you start on Florida's west coast.

How long is the drive from Miami to Key West?

Getting there: About 161 miles and about 4 hours 6 minutes with no traffic, from downtown Miami to Old Town Key West (our route check on OpenStreetMap data, 4 Nov 2026). Greyhound's route page gives 158 to 159 miles for its bus route (Greyhound, read 4 Nov 2026)

Getting there: Route from Miami International Airport: Florida's Turnpike south to US-1 in Florida City, then about 22 miles to Key Largo and on along the Overseas Highway (Florida Keys tourism board, how to get here, read 4 Nov 2026)

Yes, you can drive. The Florida Keys tourism board says the Overseas Highway's green mile markers run from 127 near Florida City down to 0 in Key West. It gives these mile marker ranges:

• Key Largo: 108 to 90.

• Islamorada: 90 to 63.

• Marathon: 63 to 40.

• Lower Keys: 40 to 4.

• Key West: 4 to 0.

The board says the road is the only main road through the Keys, so traffic can build at busy times and you should plan extra time. It also says Florida's Turnpike Extension and Card Sound Road use cashless tolling, paid by SunPass, a compatible transponder or toll-by-plate. We did not read the toll amounts. We also did not read any one-way rental fee. Rental companies set those, so ask when you book a car in Miami and drop it in Key West.

So, plan on about 4 hours of driving, and more at busy times.

How long is the bridge to Key West?

There is no single bridge. The tourism board counts 42 bridges on the 113-mile Overseas Highway.

Note: The modern Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon is 6.79 miles, or nearly 36,000 feet, long. It opened to traffic in 1982, has 440 spans and a 65-foot clearance. A 2.2-mile part of the old bridge next to it is now open for walking, running, biking and fishing (Florida Keys tourism board, "So how long is the Seven Mile Bridge again?", read 4 Nov 2026)

The same article says 37 new Keys bridges were built to replace the converted railroad bridges. The old bridge carried cars from 1938 for 44 years. The road follows the route of Henry Flagler's railroad, which reached Key West in 1912 (tourism board history articles, read 14 Oct 2026).

So, the longest bridge is 6.79 miles, one of 42 on the way.

Is there a bus from Miami to Key West?

Yes, three kinds: Greyhound, the Keys Shuttle from the airports, and the county buses with one change.

Greyhound

Getting there: Greyhound, Miami to Key West: 3 buses a day. First departure 5:00 a.m., last 11:00 a.m. Fastest trip 4 hours 30 minutes, 158 miles in the trip summary and about 159 miles in the FAQ. Fares from $24.98 on 4 Nov 2026 (it showed $23.48 on 14 Oct and $23.98 on 15 Oct). Miami stops: Miami Intermodal Center, 3801 NW 21st Street #171; Miami Golden Glades, 15890 NW 7th Ave; and Miami Beach, 4101 Collins Ave. Key West stop: Key West Airport, 3439 S Roosevelt Blvd (Greyhound route page, read 4 Nov 2026)

The page has no schedule date. All three buses leave in the morning, so a late flight into Miami will not connect to the same day's bus. The Key West stop is at the airport, on the New Town side of the island, so you need a taxi, rideshare or city bus to reach Old Town.

Keys Shuttle from Miami airport

Getting there: Keys Shuttle's schedule page lists departures from Miami airport (MIA) at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., with an estimated Key West arrival at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Going back, it lists Key West departures at 5:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with an estimated MIA arrival 4 hours later. Pickup is about 30 minutes before the listed time (Keys Shuttle schedule, read 4 Nov 2026; the page has no date)

Note: At MIA, exit through Door 11 on the arrivals level (ground floor, baggage claim), cross to the median and look for the "KEYS SHUTTLE" sign. A reservation is required in both directions. Your card is charged when you book online, you can cancel for a full refund within 24 hours of booking, and phone bookings cost $10 more (Keys Shuttle home page and FAQ, read 4 Nov 2026)

We could not find a fare on the Keys Shuttle site, so ask when you book.

County buses: Route 301 and the Lower Keys Shuttle

Getting there: Miami-Dade's Route 301 "Dade-Monroe Express" runs south from W Palm Dr and 3 Ave in Florida City to mile marker 98 (Key Largo), 87 (Tavernier), 74 (Islamorada) and 50 (Marathon). The weekday, Saturday and Sunday timetables are the same. 14 trips a day reach Marathon, the first leaving at 5:00 a.m. and the last at 8:30 p.m., each 2 hours 10 minutes. Going north, 14 trips leave Marathon from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (Miami-Dade Route 301 timetable, read 4 Nov 2026)

Price: The inter-county express fare for Routes 301 and 302 is $2.65, or $1.30 discounted. A transfer from a regular Metrobus to the express is $0.95 with an EASY Card (Miami-Dade transit fares, read 4 Nov 2026)

Getting there: Key West Transit's Lower Keys Shuttle runs 10 trips each way, Monday to Sunday. Toward Key West, the first bus leaves Marathon (Sadowski Causeway, mile marker 53.5) at 5:35 a.m. and the last at 8:04 p.m. They reach Whitehead and Eaton Streets in Old Town between 7:30 a.m. and 9:51 p.m., about 1 hour 55 minutes later. The timetable marks Marathon Sombrero Rd. (mile marker 50) as the Route 301 transfer point (City of Key West, Lower Keys Shuttle schedule, read 4 Nov 2026)

Price: The city's "Keys" fare is $4 one way and $8 for a day pass. The fare page names the Lower Keys Shuttle only to say the senior discount does not apply to it (City of Key West bus fares, effective 7 Jul 2025, read 4 Nov 2026)

On paper, the 5:00 a.m. Route 301 bus reaches Marathon at 7:10 a.m. A Lower Keys Shuttle leaves Marathon 68th St. at 7:36 a.m. and reaches Whitehead and Eaton at 9:23 a.m. We did not confirm which stop to wait at for the southbound change, so ask the driver. You also need your own way to Florida City, the start of Route 301.

So, Greyhound is the simplest bus, and the two county buses are the cheapest way, at the $2.65 Miami-Dade fare plus the $4 Key West Transit fare.

Can you fly from Miami to Key West?

Getting there: Key West International Airport (EYW), 3491 S Roosevelt Blvd, says American Airlines flies nonstop to Miami (MIA). No airline on its page lists Fort Lauderdale. The airport's page also lists Delta, United, JetBlue, Allegiant, Breeze and Avelo, to other cities (Key West airport airlines page, read 4 Nov 2026)

The tourism board lists Miami International (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) as gateways to the Keys and says Marathon airport has no commercial service. We did not read an airline timetable, so we do not give a flight time, and we did not confirm any fare. Add time for the airport on both ends.

So, American is the one nonstop from Miami, and you should check its fare against the bus.

Once you are there: Key West without a car

No. The tourism board says Old Town is walkable and bikeable, and pedicabs, taxis and rideshare are popular. It also names Key West Rides On Demand, which connects with the Lower Keys Shuttle.

The city bus fares, from the City of Key West's fare table effective 7 July 2025 and read on 4 November 2026:

• Duval Loop: $1 a single ride, $4 for an all-day pass, $8 for 7 days.

• City routes: $2 a single ride, $4 for a day pass, $25 for 31 days.

• "Keys" routes: $4 a single ride, $8 for a day pass, $75 for 31 days.

• One day on city and Lower Keys routes together: $12.

• Children under 5 ride free with a paying adult (fare table read 13 October 2026, not re-confirmed on 4 November).

Getting there: Key West Transit's service area covers Key West, Stock Island, the Lower Keys and Marathon. Its earliest route starts at 5:40 a.m. and the last runs at 10:00 p.m., seven days a week except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day (City of Key West, public transportation, updated 9 Jan 2025, read 4 Nov 2026)

We found no Duval Loop hours on an official page we could read, so we do not give them. Check the city's live bus map before you plan a late night.

So, in Key West itself, walk Old Town and use the $1 Duval Loop for the longer hops.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 4 November 2026:

• Greyhound's Miami to Key West route page: buses, times, miles, fare, stops.

• Keys Shuttle's schedule, home page and FAQ: times, MIA pickup, booking rules.

• Miami-Dade's Route 301 timetable and transit fares page.

• The City of Key West's Lower Keys Shuttle schedule, bus fares and public transportation page.

• Key West Express home page and fares page, re-read on 5 November 2026: ports, times, trip length and fares unchanged.

• The Florida Keys tourism board's how to get here page and its Seven Mile Bridge article.

• Key West International Airport's airlines page.

Read on 14 October 2026: the tourism board's history articles (Flagler's railroad). Our own check: the 161-mile, 4-hour drive figure comes from a free routing service on OpenStreetMap data, run on 4 November 2026. It does not include traffic, stops or holiday delays.

Not confirmed: the Keys Shuttle fare, FlixBus's page (it showed no schedule on 4 November 2026), the stop for the southbound change from Route 301 to the Lower Keys Shuttle, the Duval Loop's hours, how to reach Fort Myers Beach or Florida City without a car, toll amounts, one-way rental fees, fuel cost, any airline's flight time or fare, and whether the Key West Express runs on your date. Bus and ferry schedules and fares can change, and the ferry page says so. We did not make this trip for this page.