Key West walking tour & city guide

Old Town and Duval Street

Old Town Key West is best explored on foot or by bicycle. Duval Street runs across the island from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic, lined with bars, galleries and shops. The side streets are quieter, with gingerbread-trimmed wooden houses hidden behind palms and bougainvillea.

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, where the writer lived in the 1930s, is famous for its dozens of six-toed cats. Harry Truman's Little White House, his winter retreat, is also open for tours.

Mallory Square sunset

Every evening, crowds gather at Mallory Square on the waterfront for the Sunset Celebration, with street performers, musicians and food carts, and a round of applause when the sun disappears into the sea.

A classic walk across the island

Start at Mallory Square and walk along the waterfront to the Historic Seaport, with its boardwalk, fishing boats and bars. Head up Duval Street, detouring along Whitehead Street to the Hemingway Home and the Key West Lighthouse across the road.

Continue to the Southernmost Point Buoy, the striped marker that claims to be 90 miles from Cuba, then walk along the Atlantic side to the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, the best on the island. The loop is about 4 kilometers.

Visiting tips

December to May is the dry and most popular season. Summers are hot and the hurricane season runs from June to November. The drive from Miami along the Overseas Highway takes about four hours and is a highlight in itself. Snorkeling trips go out to the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States.