Explore Florida with a Rental Car from Your Vacation Rental

In the Sunshine State of Florida, it’s no different. All major car rental companies have branches at Florida’s airports and in smaller towns, and cars can be booked in every size. A small tip: If you want to strike up an easy conversation with Americans, book the smallest car possible. With a Fiat 500 as your road-trip vehicle, you’re guaranteed to be approached in every parking lot. Americans rarely ever get to see a car that small!
In the USA—especially in Florida—taking a road trip by rental car is easy. You’ll find a wide range of motels in every imaginable price and comfort category at nearly every highway exit; if you want to stay flexible, you don’t have to book in advance. Only on the Keys can there occasionally be shortages.
Otherwise, you just need to make sure you have a (valid) credit card and a driver’s license—then you’re ready to go.

Coming from Germany, you’ll most likely land in Orlando—ideal, because Orlando is right in the middle of the state. If you love theme parks, you’re in the right place anyway. You’ll find the legendary Disneyland here, as well as large shopping malls, water parks, and much more. By the way: Even though Orlando is a big city, you won’t find the typical hustle and bustle you’re used to from Germany’s big-city streets. There are also no parking problems—as mentioned, Florida is completely geared toward the needs of drivers.
Of course you’ll want to see beaches in Florida and swim in the ocean. Starting from Orlando, you have the option of driving either to the Atlantic or to the Gulf of Mexico. The more scenic beaches can be found on the Gulf of Mexico around St. Petersburg. From Orlando, simply follow the interstate west and settle in wherever you like best.

After a few relaxing days at the beach, continue south to Everglades National Park. Smaller than the national parks you may know from other USA trips, but still absolutely worth seeing. Vast wetlands, alligators sitting by the roadside soaking up the sun—perfect for a day in nature.
You can easily reach the Everglades with your rental car by following the interstate south. You’ll find plenty of free parking at the Visitor Center.

The island chain at the very southern tip of Florida is incredibly beautiful! The individual islands are easy to reach by rental car via bridges and roads that in some places are built right over the water. Whenever you see a beach you like—just pull over and jump into the cool water. At the very end of the Keys you’ll end up in Key West. A small, typically Florida town and at the same time the southernmost point of the USA.

On the way back from the Keys, a drive via Miami and Fort Lauderdale—both cities like many others in the USA—to Cape Canaveral is a great option. From there, NASA launches many of its space missions. Large parts of the NASA grounds and a great museum are waiting for you. On the huge site, you can experience the first moon landing of 1969 up close, have your photo taken with an astronaut, and admire a real rock from the moon.

If your vacation is over, you can return your rental car in Orlando. If you still have some time, we recommend a true highlight.
Not everyone who explores Florida by rental car thinks to seek out what is probably the most beautiful stretch of beach in the Sunshine State: the Panhandle.
The northern coastal section of Florida owes its name to its shape. From above, it looks as if Florida were a large frying pan with a big handle—the Panhandle.
On a coastal road with great views of the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll enjoy an amazing panorama. Many beach sections are private areas of the large hotels located right on the water. But time and again, some sections are open to day visitors without a hotel reservation. As everywhere in the USA, beach life is also designed around the needs of drivers. Near the beach you’ll find plenty of large parking lots, mostly free of charge.

In terms of area, Florida is about two and a half times the size of Bavaria and is therefore—unlike some other U.S. states—manageable.
Even so, we recommend planning at least 3 weeks for your road trip. There’s an incredible amount to discover in Florida, and you’ll also want plenty of time at the beach. So—3 weeks is almost a must.
Driving in the USA is very relaxed. The maximum speed limit is about 75 mph (miles per hour), which is roughly equivalent to 130 km/h. The huge pickups and sedans don’t drive any faster than that anyway. Roads in the USA are much wider and more “spacious,” even if they’re often in worse condition than back home. In general, Americans drive very cautiously and laid-back; tailgating, flashing headlights, or pushing—common in Germany—are just as rare in the USA as manual transmissions.
Driving is also relatively inexpensive in the USA. The big cars do guzzle quite a bit of gas—you have to set environmental concerns aside as a tourist—but a gallon costs less than two dollars.
Insurance is relatively expensive. In the USA, it’s not the car that’s insured, but the driver. So if more than one person will be driving your rental car in Florida, you’ll need an extra “insurance” for each driver.