Pensacola to Miami drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Pensacola to Miami drive are Tallahassee, Orlando and West Palm Beach. The distance from Pensacola to Miami by car is 674 miles, with a 9h52m driving time.
Planning a Pensacola to Miami road trip itinerary
The Pensacola to Miami drive takes you from the far west of Florida to the biggest city in the southeastern corner.
The westernmost city on the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola is home to a major US Naval Station. But for most visitors, interest will lie in the white sand beaches and barrier islands.
Top Pensacola activities include nighttime kayaking with colourful LEDs lighting up the kayaks, and dolphin-watching cruises around the bay.
Other ways of exploring include downtown food tours, ghost and graveyard tours, guided pub crawls, Segway tours and sunset cruises.
For beachside Pensacola accommodation with great guest reviews, take a look at the Pensacola Beach Resort and the SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach.
Miami is a city with several sides to it. The art deco and showiness of South Beach contrasts heavily with the landscaped garden grandeur of Coral Gables, for example.
Top Miami experiences include food tours of Little Havana, sightseeing by speedboat and South Beach cruises that take in the homes of millionaires. Alternatively, try a sunset cocktail cruise, a half day Everglades tour or a scenic helicopter flight.
Attractions worth getting advance tickets for include the Frost Science Museum, the Museum of Graffiti and the Paradox Museum.
The most memorable Miami accommodation is in one of South Beach’s art deco hotels. The Essex House Hotel is an architectural classic. The National has an amazing pool.
Pensacola to Miami distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Pensacola to Miami is 674 miles. This makes for a driving time of around nine hours and 52 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-10, I-75 and Florida’s Turnpike.
The best stops to add to a Pensacola to Miami road trip itinerary are Tallahassee, Orlando and West Palm Beach.
For more suggestions, see the guides to the individual legs of the journey.
- Pensacola to Tallahassee drive.
- Tallahassee to Gainesville drive.
- Gainesville to Orlando drive.
- Orlando to West Palm Beach drive.
- West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale drive.
- Fort Lauderdale to Miami drive.
Pensacola to Miami drive: Tallahassee
Top Tallahassee experiences include the Museum of Florida History, which tells the tale of the Sunshine State. That covers everything from prehistoric mastodons to the Spanish conquest and Disney.
The Tallahassee Museum, meanwhile, flits all over the place, from sculpture to birds of prey. For natural beauty, head to the Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park.
Good Tallahassee accommodation options include the hip Aloft Tallahassee Downtown and the often great value Four Points by Sheraton.
Best stops between Pensacola and Miami: Orlando
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.
There are hundreds of hotels to choose from in Orlando. Flexibility is key (precise location is not critical here) – and compare prices online before booking.
Pensacola to Miami road trip attractions: West Palm Beach
Notoriously wealthy West Palm Beach goes big on art. The Norton Museum of Art and Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens are the big hitters, but there are plenty of smaller galleries. Arguably the top attraction is in Palm Beach, however. Here, the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum marries Gilded Age grandeur with Florida history.
Bookable West Palm Beach experiences include snorkelling tours, sunset cruises and photoshoots on Worth Avenue. You can also try jet snorkelling, parasailing and food-tasting market tours.
For West Palm Beach accommodation with superb guest ratings, the Pioneer Inn is excellent value and the Ben brings five star opulence.
More Pensacola road trips
Atlanta to Pensacola | Biloxi to Pensacola | Birmingham AL to Pensacola | Dallas to Pensacola | Pensacola to Destin | Pensacola to Fort Lauderdale | Pensacola to Fort Walton Beach | Pensacola to Gulf Shores | Houston to Pensacola | Jacksonville to Pensacola | Memphis to Pensacola | Mobile to Pensacola | Nashville to Pensacola | Pensacola to New Orleans | Pensacola to Orange Beach | Pensacola to Panama City | Pensacola to Orlando | Tallahassee to Pensacola.
More Miami road trips
Miami to Boca Raton | Miami to Boynton Beach | Miami to Deerfield Beach | Miami to Delray Beach | Miami to Fort Lauderdale | Miami to Fort Myers | Miami to Fort Pierce FL | Miami to Hollywood FL | Miami to Jupiter FL | Miami to Lake Worth Beach | Miami to Melbourne FL | Miami to Naples | Miami to Pompano Beach | Miami to Port St Lucie | Miami to Stuart FL | Miami to Vero Beach.