Miami to Key West: driving the Overseas Highway, the bus, shuttles and the flight
How to get from Miami to Key West: the Overseas Highway drive, Greyhound, the two-bus public route, door-to-door shuttles and the nonstop flight.
Kurz gesagt
- Distance: About 158 miles by road, per Greyhound.
- Drive: Turnpike to Florida City, then the 113-mile Overseas Highway.
- Cheapest: Miami-Dade bus 301 to Marathon, $2.65, then the Lower Keys Shuttle, $4.
- Simplest bus: Greyhound, 3 departures a day, from $23.98, about 4 hours 30 minutes.
- Fastest: American's nonstop from MIA to Key West.
Drive if you want the bridges and the stops, take Greyhound if you want someone else to drive for under $25, and fly only if you are short on days, because the road is half the reason to go.
Pick by what you care about
| You want the views and stops on the way | Drive yourself and leave early |
| You do not want to drive or rent a car | Greyhound from the Miami Intermodal Center |
| You have more time than money | Metrobus 301 to Marathon, then the Lower Keys Shuttle |
| You are landing at MIA or FLL with bags | A door-to-door Keys shuttle, booked ahead |
| You have one or two days in total | Fly MIA to Key West on American |
Driving the Overseas Highway
The Florida Keys tourism office routes drivers down Florida's Turnpike to U.S. 1 in Florida City, then about 22 miles to Key Largo. From there the Overseas Highway runs 113 miles to Key West over 42 bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon. Mile markers count down from 127 near Florida City to 0 in Key West, so addresses in the Keys are given as "MM 50" and the like.
Greyhound puts Miami to Key West at about 158 miles. It is one road for most of the way, so a crash or a holiday weekend slows everybody; the tourism office's own advice is to allow extra time at peak periods.
Tolls on the Turnpike Extension and on Card Sound Road, the back way onto Key Largo, are cashless. Use a SunPass or another accepted transponder; otherwise TOLL-BY-PLATE bills the plate at a higher rate. In a rental, settle the toll program at the counter.
Every way down, compared
| Option | Price | Time | Leaves from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own car | Fuel and Turnpike tolls | Depends on traffic | Anywhere |
| Greyhound | From $23.98 | As short as 4 h 30 min | Miami Intermodal Center, Golden Glades or 4101 Collins Ave |
| Metrobus 301 + Lower Keys Shuttle | $2.65 plus $4 | Most of a day with the transfer | SW 344 St park and ride, Florida City |
| Keys Shuttle (door to door) | Not published; ask when booking | Check with the company | MIA baggage claim Door 11, or FLL |
| Flight | Check American's fare | Short flight plus airport time | MIA |
Greyhound lists three daily departures, the first at 5:00 am and the last at 11:00 am, arriving at Key West Airport, 3439 S Roosevelt Blvd. Keys Shuttle publishes no rate on its site; call (305) 289-9997 for the current price.
greyhound.com, miamidade.gov, cityofkeywest-fl.gov, keysshuttle.com and eyw.com, checked October 2026
The two-bus public route
Miami-Dade's Route 301 Dade-Monroe Express runs seven days a week from the park and ride at the SW 344 Street TransitWay station in Florida City to Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada and Marathon. It is an inter-county express, so the fare is $2.65 rather than the usual $2.25.
In Marathon you change to the Lower Keys Shuttle, run by Key West Transit, which goes on to Key West. The City of Key West's fare table for its Keys routes lists $4 one way, $2 reduced, and an $8 one-day pass.
It is the cheapest way down by far, but you first have to reach Florida City, and the two timetables are not coordinated. Download both current schedules from miamidade.gov and cityofkeywest-fl.gov the day before.
Shuttles and the flight
Keys Shuttle runs door-to-door trips between Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports and the Keys, including Key West. At MIA it picks up at ground-level baggage claim, Door 11. It lists no prices online, so book by phone or through its site.
Key West International Airport lists American Airlines nonstop to Miami. The Keys tourism office lists one passenger ferry to Key West, the Key West Express, and it sails from Southwest Florida, not from Miami.
Bevor du gehst
- Fill the tank and settle tolls before Florida City
- Check a live traffic map; it is one road
- Book Greyhound ahead; there are only three departures a day
- On the public route, carry both timetables and small change
- Call Keys Shuttle for the price before you land
- Leave the return drive for daylight if you can
Häufige Fragen
How long is the drive from Miami to Key West?
It is about 158 miles. Traffic decides the time: allow extra on weekends and holidays, because the Overseas Highway is the only road through the Keys.
Is there a bus from Miami to Key West?
Yes. Greyhound runs three departures a day from $23.98, from the Miami Intermodal Center, Golden Glades and 4101 Collins Ave to Key West Airport, as short as four hours 30 minutes.
What is the cheapest way from Miami to Key West?
Metrobus 301 from Florida City to Marathon for $2.65, then the Lower Keys Shuttle to Key West for $4. It takes most of a day.
Can you take a ferry from Miami to Key West?
Not that we could find. The ferry the Keys tourism office lists, the Key West Express, sails from Southwest Florida, not from Miami.
How do I get from Key West back to Miami?
The same options in reverse: Greyhound from Key West Airport, the Lower Keys Shuttle and Route 301, a Keys Shuttle booking, or American's nonstop flight to MIA.
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