Is there a free shuttle from Key West airport to Old Town?

No. The Key West Transit Duval Loop bus is free, but the nearest stop to the airport requires a walk from the terminal. The Duval Loop runs daily and circles the historic district, but it is not an airport shuttle. The North Line Route 2 serves the airport area on a fixed schedule and costs a fare. Neither is reliable enough to plan your arrival around.

How much does a taxi from EYW to Old Town cost?

A taxi or ride share from Key West International Airport to the Old Town core runs roughly $15 to $25. The exact fare depends on your destination within Old Town. Fares to the Truman Annex or Bahama Village run to the higher end. Fares to the Duval Street end run lower. There is no flat rate; the meter runs.

Can I walk from Key West airport to my hotel?

The terminal is 2 miles from Duval Street. The walk takes 35 to 45 minutes on a flat, exposed route along South Roosevelt Boulevard. Without luggage and in mild weather, it is doable. With bags in the summer heat, it is not recommended. The sun is relentless and the walk has no shade.

Should I rent a car if I fly into Key West?

No. Parking in Old Town is scarce and aggressively enforced. Unless your accommodation includes a dedicated parking spot, a rental car is a costly liability. Walking, bicycles, and the Duval Loop bus cover the historic core easily. Ride share is available, though supply can be thin late at night.

What happens if my flight lands after midnight?

Ride share driver availability drops sharply after midnight. Cell service remains strong, but the number of drivers on the app declines. A taxi queue forms at the terminal, but wait times can be long. Budget for a taxi and confirm the fare before you get in. Offline maps downloaded to your phone help if the driver is unfamiliar with your guesthouse.

Flights to Key West: Routes, Airports & When to Book

Flying Into Key West and Getting Out of the Airport

You step off the plane at Key West International Airport and the first thing you notice is the open air. The terminal is small, single story, with no jet bridge. You walk down stairs onto the tarmac. The humidity hits, the light is sharp, and you are two miles from Duval Street. The question is not whether Key West airport transportation exists. It does. The question is which arrival path you pick, because the choice starts before you book the ticket.

Key West Airport Transportation: the Two Realistic Arrival Paths

Every visitor to Key West faces the same fork. Fly directly into EYW and take a short taxi or ride share to Old Town. Or fly into Miami International Airport and drive the Overseas Highway. Each route carries a different set of trade offs. The direct flight is faster and simpler. The Miami drive is cheaper in airfare but costs you half a day and demands a car you may not want once you arrive.

Flying Direct to EYW

Key West International Airport (IATA: EYW, ICAO: KEYW) is served by Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, and United Airlines. The runway is short. The schedule is thin. If you live in a hub city served by one of these carriers, a direct flight exists. If you do not, you connect through Miami or Fort Lauderdale anyway, and the direct advantage shrinks.

From the terminal to the Old Town core, the transfer time by taxi or ride share off peak is 8 to 12 minutes. Arrive on a Friday afternoon or a weekend during the dry season from January through March, and that same ride stretches to 15 to 25 minutes. The primary transfer corridor is South Roosevelt Boulevard, which becomes Truman Avenue. Traffic builds Friday afternoon, peaks around sunset, and eases after dark. Dry season winter weekends add 5 to 10 minutes compared to summer averages.

Book a taxi or ride share to Old Town. The fare runs roughly $15 to $25. No public bus serves the terminal directly. The Key West Transit Duval Loop free bus stops near the airport, but the walk from the terminal to the stop is not signposted and the route takes 15 to 25 minutes depending on traffic and stop sequence. The North Line Route 2 takes 20 to 30 minutes and runs on a schedule, not a loop. Do not plan your arrival around either one if you have a check in time at a guesthouse. Ride share supply can be thin, especially after midnight. Cell service is strong across the island, but driver availability drops sharply late at night. If your flight lands after 10 pm, budget for a taxi queue.

Flying Into Miami and Driving the Overseas Highway

The alternative is to fly into Miami International Airport and drive the 3.5 to 4 hour journey south on US 1. This is not a scenic detour. It is a straight highway through the Florida Keys, past strip malls and souvenir shacks, with one spectacular bridge crossing over the open water. The drive itself is straightforward. The problem is what you do with the car at the other end.

Parking in Old Town is scarce and aggressively enforced. A rental car is a costly liability unless your accommodation includes a dedicated parking spot. Most guesthouses do not. The high cost of accommodation in Old Town, where even modest rooms can run $300 to $500 per night in peak season, does not include parking. Park on the street, and you feed meters, move the car for street sweeping, and pay fines. Park in a lot, and you pay daily rates that rival the rental cost. Many visitors who drive down end up parking the car once and walking everywhere, which defeats the purpose of having it.

EYW Airport to Old Town: What Each Option Actually Costs You

The distance from Key West International Airport to Duval Street is roughly 2 miles. That is short enough to walk if you are packed light and the sun is not overhead. The walk takes 35 to 45 minutes. It is flat, hot, and exposed. Do not do it with luggage in August.

Bicycle or Ride Share

Rent a bicycle from the airport area and the ride takes 12 to 18 minutes depending on rider speed. There is a rental counter in the terminal for one company, but supply is limited. Book ahead.

A taxi or ride share remains the default for good reason. The 8 to 12 minute off peak transfer is the fastest way to get from the gate to a bar stool. The fare covers most trips to Old Town. Staying in Bahama Village or the Casa Marina zone puts you at the high end. The Truman Annex puts you at the low end. The trade off is reliability. During Fantasy Fest week in October, hotel rates can triple, road closures are common, and the 10 day costumed street party makes the airport road unpredictable. During the peak of hurricane season from mid August through September, heat and humidity are high and storm risk is real. In those windows, the short ride can feel longer than it is.

No Shuttle, No Fallback

No shuttle service runs from the airport to the historic core on a fixed schedule. Some hotels and guesthouses arrange private pickups. Confirm this before you arrive. The website eyw.com lists current carrier information, and kwtransit.com publishes bus schedules. Neither will help you if your flight lands late and the ride share app shows no cars. Download offline maps of Key West before you arrive as a backup. Some Old Town guesthouses have thick walls that degrade Wi Fi in rooms, and you may need the map to find your lodging if the driver drops you at the wrong corner.

Arrival Options Compared by Time and Trade Off

Route	Time Airport to Old Town	Key Trade Off
Direct flight to EYW, taxi or ride share	8 to 25 minutes depending on traffic	Fastest arrival. No car needed. Thin ride share supply late at night.
Direct flight to EYW, bicycle	12 to 18 minutes	Cheapest. Requires light luggage. Exposed to sun and rain.
Direct flight to EYW, walk	35 to 45 minutes	Free. Only realistic without luggage in mild weather.
Fly into Miami, drive Overseas Highway	3.5 to 4 hours driving plus airport time	Cheaper airfare. Adds half a day. Car is a liability without dedicated parking.

Flying Into Key West vs Miami: Which One for Your Trip

The choice between flying into Key West and flying into Miami comes down to how you value your time on the island. Three full days is the minimum for a proper trip. Losing half of one to a drive south is significant. One day is for Old Town landmarks, one for water activities, and one to explore beyond Duval Street without rushing. A four hour drive eats into that second day.

Why the Car Hurts You

Flying into Key West solves the getting around problem. Walking and bicycles dominate Old Town. The Duval Loop free bus circles the historic district daily. You do not need a car. A rental car is a costly liability unless your accommodation includes a dedicated parking spot, and most do not. The aggressive enforcement of parking rules in Key West means a single ticket can erase any savings from a cheaper flight.

The Direct Flight Trade Off

The downside of flying direct is the cost and the schedule. Flights to EYW are more expensive per mile than flights to Miami. The number of carriers is small, so competition is weak. You also lose the ability to make a day trip to the Dry Tortugas National Park easier. That trip requires advance booking, often weeks out, from a high speed catamaran or a seaplane departing from Key West itself. Drive to Miami, and you add a full day of travel each way while the car sits idle.

For most adult travelers coming for a long weekend, flying direct is the correct choice. The higher ticket price buys you time on the island and freedom from a car. If you are on a strict budget, or if you want to spend a night in the Florida Keys along the way, the Miami drive makes sense. Just know that you will park the car once and not touch it again, and you will pay for that privilege.

Miami International Airport terminal — U.S. Government Accountability Office from Washington, DC, United States , Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Getting Out of the Airport Without Regret

The honest caveat is this: Key West is not a lazy beach town. The high cost of accommodation, the relentless sun, the limited beach access, and the crowds on Duval Street when cruise ships dock from roughly 10 am to 4 pm wear down travelers who expected something softer. The arrival experience at EYW is fast and easy, but the island itself demands more from you than a direct flight can solve. Book the shortest transfer you can, leave the car behind, and accept that the friction you feel at the airport is the same friction you will feel at the hotel, the bar, and the beach. The airport is not the problem. The trade off is the whole point.