Orlando to Vero Beach road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Planning an Orlando to Vero Beach road trip itinerary

The Orlando to Vero Beach drive takes you from Florida’s theme park hub to the Atlantic coast.

Orlando is known worldwide as the home of Disney World, but there’s far more to it than Mickey and Co. You can get crazy selfies at the Museum of Illusions or WonderWorks, learn how chocolate is made at Chocolate Kingdom and ride the Wheel at ICON Park or Orlando StarFlyer. Alternatively, visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, play adventure golf at Pirates’ Cove and say hi to the stingrays at Sea Life.

In the evenings, there’s the Polynesian Fire Luau and Dinner Show, Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn To Life and the Outta Control magic comedy show.

Other Orlando experiences include glow-in-the-dark kayaking, foodie walking tours and kayaking through Cypress forest.

The secret to getting Orlando accommodation deals is flexibility. There are hundreds of hotels, and you’ll likely be driving everywhere anyway. So hunt down the cheapest rates, and don’t get too hung up on exact location.

With beaches on the Atlantic side of the Indian River Lagoon, Vero Beach can be used as a sun and sand destination. But there’s more to it than that. The Vero Beach Museum of Art provides a culture fix and the McKee Botanical Garden showcases incredible floral diversity.

Fun Vero Beach activities include tiki cabana boat cruises and fat tire electric bike tours.

For Vero Beach accommodation picks, try the Prestige Hotel by the beach or the Hampton Inn downtown.

Orlando to Vero Beach distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Orlando to Vero Beach is 107 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 38 minutes. The quickest route is usually via the I-95.

The best stops to add to an Orlando to Vero Beach road trip itinerary are Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Melbourne FL.

Orlando to Vero Beach road trip attractions: Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral has wetlands and beautiful beaches, but that’s not why people come here. This Florida outpost has played a massively outsized part in space exploration, and the Kennedy Space Center is one of the very best attractions in the US.

Here, you can see a space shuttle and Saturn V rocket up close, get absorbed in video presentations about mission launches and learn about NASA’s future plans. The Behind The Gates bus tour, meanwhile, heads out towards the launch complexes and the gargantuan Vehicle Assembly Building.

An admission ticket is pricy, but well worth it.

For Cape Canaveral accommodation picks, take a look at the Shorewood and the Cape Canaveral Beach Resort.

Orlando to Vero Beach drive: Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach is an attractive beach town on Florida’s Space Coast. It’s a great base for visiting the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, or for enjoying the long barrier island beaches.

It is also one of the best places in the US to go kayaking. For a kayak tour, choose between seeing dolphins and manatees in the mangroves and paddling through bioluminescent waters at night. There are also sunset tours.

Other great Cocoa Beach experiences include dolphin tours on the Banana River, happy hour bar crawls, multi-stop food tours and tiki boat cruises.

For Cocoa Beach accommodation options, plump for the beachfront Hilton Garden Inn or the well-located Hampton Inn.

Best stops between Orlando and Vero Beach: Melbourne, Florida

Melbourne is a relatively low key city on Florida’s Space Coast. It’s on the Indian River Lagoon, which is a great spot for seeing dolphins. You can take a two hour dolphin-watching boat cruise to make the most of it.

Otherwise, there’s a string of beaches to enjoy on the barrier island on the other side of the lagoon.

Top accommodation options in Melbourne FL include the beachside Bleu Beach Resort and the Hotel Melby downtown.

Vero Beach, Florida.
Vero Beach, Florida. Photo by Kyle DeSantis/ Unsplash.

More Orlando road trips

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