Travel DayTrip Ideas
#9 AU/NZ
Key West Cruise Port Travel Guide – Walk, Trolley or Golf Cart?
👉 Recommended local Key West tours → https://shoretripfinder.com/KeyWest Key West cruise port guide — you step off the ship straight into Old Town, but the heat, the distances and the famous sunset your ship usually misses can waste the day. This guide covers walking, the trolley and golf carts, and what to put first. Big ships dock at Pier B on the edge of Old Town, smaller ones at Mallory Square. Settle three things: walk, trolley or golf cart; land or water, since a reef trip takes three or four hours; and what to see before the midday heat. 🚢 Getting Around From Pier B, Duval Street is a few minutes on foot, the Hemingway Home about fifteen and the Southernmost Point about twenty-five. The Old Town Trolley is hop on hop off, with a full loop of about ninety minutes. Golf carts suit groups who want the beach and the far end of Duval, but parking is tight and many spaces are residents only. The free Duval Loop bus has been suspended, so do not count on it. 🏙️ Top Highlights The Ernest Hemingway Home, with around sixty cats, about half with extra toes, some said to descend from Snow White, a six-toed cat given to Hemingway by a ship's captain. The lighthouse across the street has 88 steps. The striped buoy is not actually the southernmost point of the continental US, and Key West is closer to Havana than to Miami. See treasure from the 1622 galleon Atocha at the Mel Fisher museum, Truman's Little White House, and Captain Tony's, the original Sloppy Joe's where Hemingway drank. 🍴 Local Food & Culture Cuban coffee from a street window, conch fritters, a pressed Cuban sandwich and key lime pie, which should be pale yellow and tart. The conch is imported because Florida stopped the harvest decades ago. Look for the flag of the Conch Republic, from the day in 1982 Key West declared war on the United States. 🎯 Smart Cruise Tips Do the Southernmost Point first thing or late in the day to skip the queue. The sun is strong all year, so carry water. The Mallory Square Sunset Celebration starts about two hours before sunset, so you may catch the start in winter, but most ships sail before the show. Keep your ship card and photo ID with you for the pier. ❓ COMMON QUESTIONS Can you walk around Key West from the cruise port? Yes. From Pier B, Duval Street is a few minutes away, the Hemingway Home about fifteen minutes and the Southernmost Point about twenty-five minutes on foot. Can you see the Key West sunset from a cruise? Usually not from Mallory Square, because most ships sail before sunset. The celebration starts about two hours before, so in winter you may catch the beginning. Is the Southernmost Point buoy really the southernmost point? No. The true southernmost point of Key West is on a nearby Navy base, and Cuba is a little more than the ninety miles on the sign. Can you visit the Dry Tortugas from a Key West cruise? Not by ferry, which takes the whole day. A half-day seaplane trip of close to four hours can work on a longer call if booked ahead. Key West is one of those places where timing, distance, and layout can make the day feel rushed. That's why so many visitors choose local tours — they're good value, smaller groups, and they simplify the timing so you get more done with less stress. Our recommended options are linked at the top. 🎬 MORE CRUISE PORT GUIDES Nassau Bahamas Cruise Port Guide → https://youtu.be/cmYyWpA6Rvk Miami Cruise Port Travel Guide → https://youtu.be/14QTIjW7lMU Walk, trolley or golf cart — how would you get around Key West? Tell us below. #KeyWest #Florida #HemingwayHome #CruisePort #CruiseTips #Caribbean ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 The Easiest Port To Waste 0:31 Walk, Trolley Or Golf Cart 2:25 The Hemingway Home And Its Cats 3:23 The Southernmost Point Trap 4:15 Cuban Coffee And Key Lime Pie 5:14 The Day Key West Declared War 5:48 Beach, Treasure And Hemingway's Bar 6:51 Premium, Middle And Budget 7:44 The Sunset Trap