Florida's Gold Coast Road Trip, USA Self-Drive Holiday

Florida’s Gold Coast

With its rich history and cultural treasures the Gold Coast of Florida has a lot more to offer than beautiful beaches. This multi-centre USA itinerary will take you on a road trip around modern big cities and quaint little towns, giving you just the right amount of variety for an entertaining holiday.

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With its rich history, historical towns and cultural treasures the Gold Coast of Florida has a lot more to offer than beautiful beaches.

2 Nights: Fort Lauderdale
3 Nights: Palm Beach
2 Nights: Cocoa Beach
1 Nights: Daytona
2 Nights: St Augustine
2 Nights: Amelia Island
2 Nights: Miami

UK – Fort Lauderdale (2 nights): After touching down at Miami International airport, you’ll pick up a rental car and drive for an hour to Fort Lauderdale where you’ll have a couple of days to explore the boutiques, bars and beaches along the Strip. The best way to see the city, however, is by hopping on a boat cruise that goes around its vast network of waterways. If culture is your thing, visit the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District where you can see opera, theatre, music and fine arts shows.

Fort Lauderdale – Palm Beach (3 nights): Less than an hour’s drive north will take you to Palm Beach, which delivers all the shopping, dining and nightlife of bigger Floridian cities but at a far more relaxed and laid-back pace. You’ll have time to explore quaint stores, fine-dining restaurants, museums and historic Gilded Age mansions. With numerous golf courses and miles of sandy beaches, you’ll also be able to enjoy lots of recreational activities.

Palm Beach – Cocoa Beach (2 nights): The next leg of your self-drive holiday will take you to Cocoa Beach, which is a surfer’s haunt. You can watch the surfing competitions held off the pier or you can explore Cocoa Village, a historic neighbourhood packed with cozy cafes, quaint shops, galleries and artist studios. The Kennedy Space Center is a quick and easy drive away from here, and it’s worth checking it out if only to see the NASA launch pads or try out a flight simulator.

Cocoa Beach – Daytona (1 night): Best known for its International Speedway, which hosts races year-round, Daytona is also home to more than 400 restaurants and dozens of shopping centres. The biggest attraction, however, remains the 23-mile beach. Its hard-packed sand is just the right thickness for jogging, cycling and even driving.

Daytona – St Augustine (2 nights): After an hour’s drive north you’ll spend two days in the oldest city in the USA. Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is a time capsule of cobbled lanes, elegant historic residences and old-time workshops turned into museums. We’d recommend a visit to Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century Spanish fortress, and St. George Street, which is a hub of charming period buildings, antique shops and art galleries.

St Augustine – Amelia Island (2 nights): The next stop on your trip, Amelia Island will allow you to catch your breath and relax. With its uncrowded beaches, golf courses and stylish resorts, this barrier island is just the right place to unwind and enjoy simple pleasures like fishing, boating, strolling the boardwalk and lazing in the sun.

Amelia Island – Miami (2 nights): From Amelia Island you’ll drive for half an hour to Jacksonville Airport where you’ll drop off your car and catch a flight to Miami. You’ll wrap up your multi-centre holiday with two nights in the glitziest city on the Gold Coast. You can let your hair down and enjoy the nightlife, shopping, ethnic dining and endless beaches of Miami’s diverse neighbourhoods before catching your final flight back home.

Miami – UK: On your final day you will return to Miami airport for your flight back to the UK.