has a few toll highways, which will help reduce the time you spend in the Sunshine State’s heavier traffic. But whether you’re roasting on a Florida interstate or enjoying the ocean breeze whipping through your hair on a coastal roadway, there are plenty of road trips to Florida and within this great state to make any traffic worth it.

Spend some time on Google Maps planning your route. Factor in rest stops and attractions you want to visit.
Follow the speed limit in Florida, and avoid wearing headphones or earbuds when you drive.
Check up on your insurance policy before you hit the road, and
buy additional coverage
if you’re underinsured.

The best routes for driving to Florida

Whether you’re looking for a respite from cold Northern climes, exchanging one coast for another, or just making a quick trip to Disney World, we’re here to map out some great trips to Florida. Here are a few popular ones:

Boston

Miami

(21 hours, 30 minutes): Your barnstorming tour south from Boston will take you through the insurance capital,

Hartford, CT

—what, you didn’t know?—before hitting a who’s who of Northeastern urbanity. Drive through

New York City

Philadelphia

Baltimore

, and Washington D.C. before motoring through the Old Dominion of

Virginia

and hopscotching over the Carolinas. Make a stop in spooky historic

Savannah, Georgia

, before you hit

Jacksonville

and sling yourself down Florida’s Atlantic coast, hopefully arriving in Miami in time for the early-bird special.

Chicago

Tampa

(16 hours, 45 minutes): Hit the road in the Windy City and make your way south through

Indianapolis

before reaching

Louisville

and all that’s cool in

Nashville

. Before you know it, you’ll be blazing through Hot’lanta on your way to the Sunshine State. Stretch your legs in

Gainesville

with a walk through the University of Florida’s gorgeous campus before heading south through Central Florida, bypassing the Ocala National Forest. Soon you’ll be planning your next shuffleboard game in Tampa.

San Diego

Key West

(41 hours): If you like coasts, but are sick and tired of the Pacific (or just want a change of scenery), leave

La Jolla

in the dust and head for Ernest Hemingway’s old stomping grounds of

Key West, Florida

. This sun-drenched, cross-country journey will take you skimming along the

Arizona

-Mexico border before you dart across

New Mexico

’s mercurial desert expanses. Take the scenic route through the West

Texas

badlands and make stops in

San Antonio

(for the Riverwalk) and

Houston

before heading east through

Louisiana

swampland. Hug the Gulf Coast through

Biloxi, Mississippi

, and

Mobile, Alabama

, and head south through Florida, cutting through

Orlando

and Miami. Before you know it, you’ll be kicking up your heels in the Florida Keys.

Atlanta

to Orlando (6 hours): When the kids are tearing your hair out demanding to go to Walt Disney World—take them. It’s just a six-hour jaunt from Atlanta to Orlando. Pass by Cypress Creek Wildlife Area and Ocala National Forest before landing in Orlando, no doubt welcomed by Mickey and Minnie. Treat yourself to one of those giant turkey thighs as a reward.

MORE:

10 best road trip cars to rent

How good are Florida’s roads?

According to the Reason Foundation’s

Annual Highway Report

, the Sunshine State’s roads are ranked in the bottom 10 in America overall, ranking 41st in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness, and 37th in traffic congestion.

Florida’s road surfaces and bridges do get high marks, though.

As a rule of thumb, the busier the city, the worse the roads are. Miami,

Fort Lauderdale

, Tampa,

Orlando

, and

Jacksonville

are known to have bad roads and heavy traffic.

Does Florida have toll roads?

Florida does have some toll roads

, which are priced by the mile and the number of axles on your vehicle. Here are the most used toll roads in the Sunshine State:

The Florida Turnpike (Ocala to Homestead)

Alligator Alley (I-75 between Miami and Naples)

Bee Line Expressway (Orlando to Cape Canaveral)

Some coastal islands with bridges have tolls

You can pay cash at some tolls, but you’ll need exact change at unmanned toll booths. Where electronic tolling is in effect, Toll By Plate can be used. The system takes a photo of your license plate and mails you a bill, plus a $2.50 service charge.

If you’re a Florida resident, you might want to get

SunPass

, where your car will be scanned and the toll fee will be debited from a prepaid account.

How bad is Florida traffic?

Overall, Florida’s traffic ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of traffic across the U.S. However, Florida’s rush-hour traffic is ranked the 5th worst in the country. The busiest cities for traffic in Florida are the following:

Miami

Fort Lauderdale

Jacksonville

Orlando

St. Petersburg

Tampa

Tallahassee

A good thing to remember when road-tripping through Florida is to try and avoid rush hour traffic, especially in bigger cities. If you can, hit the road before 6am, or start your drive after the evening rush hour has died down.

MORE: How to check for Florida road closures

What are Florida’s speeding laws?

Florida has two kinds of speeding laws—basic speeding laws and absolute speeding laws. We’ll break them both down for you.

Basic speeding laws: basic speeding laws prevent you from speeding beyond what is reasonable and prudent for the existing conditions and potential hazards existing at the time. If you’re driving 60 mph on the highway on a beautiful day, that’s ok. But driving the same speed in the midst of hurricane-force winds can get you cited for

reckless driving

Absolute speeding laws: these laws are what’s posted on signs—if you’re driving faster than the posted speed, you’re breaking the law. In Florida, the absolute speed limit for highways is 70 miles per hour and lower. For residential and business districts, it is usually 30 miles per hour.

If you are cited for a speeding violation in Florida, you can get three demerit points on your driving record. The more demerit points you get lead to increasingly severe penalties, including steeper fines, license suspensions, and even reckless driving charges, which can lead to jail time.

Fines for speeding in Florida

Fines for speeding in Florida can be up to $370. If you're caught speeding in either school or construction zones, you can face a fine of up to $555. In lieu of a fine, you can elect to take a driver improvement course instead.

MORE:

The traffic tickets that have the greatest effect on your car insurance rates

What are Florida’s alcohol laws?

Florida’s alcohol laws are straightforward—the blood alcohol content (BAC) limits are 0.08% (adults), 0.04% (commercial drivers), and 0.02% (drivers under 21).

Also, it is illegal to have open alcohol containers in a vehicle in Florida. And, of course, remember—never drink and drive.

Alcohol-related violations, such as

DUIs

, can have serious repercussions for your driving privileges. You can face fines, the suspension of your driver’s license, or even imprisonment. If you’re driving or road-tripping through Florida (or anywhere), stay dry—don’t drink and drive!

Can you use headphones while driving in Florida?

In the state of Florida, it is illegal to wear headphones or earbuds while driving.

MORE:

Car loan in Florida 2022

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