offwegooo.com
Travel guide
St. Augustine
3 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: March to May and October to November
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
St. Augustine, in a few days
Founded by the Spanish on 8 September 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited city of European origin in the continental United States. Its coquina fort, its lanes of wooden balconies and the Spanish Revival palaces of tycoon Henry Flagler fit into a centre that can be done on foot, ten minutes from the Atlantic beaches.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 3 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Castillo de San Marcos · about 1 h 30The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, built of shell-based coquina from 1672 to 1695, which changed hands six times without ever being taken by force.
- Afternoon · St. George Street free · about 2 hThe pedestrian street of the colonial quarter, running from the 1808 city gate to the Plaza de la Constitución, past low houses with overhanging wooden balconies, courtyards and shops.
- Late afternoon · Flagler College · about 1 hHenry Flagler's former Hotel Ponce de Leon of 1888, a Spanish Renaissance Revival landmark whose frescoed rotunda and Tiffany-lit dining room are shown on student-led guided tours.
🛏️ Where to sleep · DoubleTree by Hilton St. Augustine Historic District ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€190 a night
D2
Day 2
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lightner Museum · about 1 h 30Flagler's former Hotel Alcazar, now home to Otto Lightner's collections of Tiffany glass, Victorian furniture and mechanical musical instruments, with a café in the old indoor pool.
- Afternoon · Mission Nombre de Dios free · about 45 minThe spot where Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed in 1565, marked by a 63-metre steel cross, with an oak-lined path leading to a small mission-style chapel.
- Late afternoon · St. Augustine Lighthouse · about 1 h 30A black and white spiral lighthouse of 1874 on Anastasia Island, whose 219 steps lead to a gallery with views over the city, the estuary and the Atlantic.
🛏️ Where to sleep · DoubleTree by Hilton St. Augustine Historic District ↗€190 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Anastasia State Park · half a dayA 650-hectare state park with 6 km of wild beach backed by high dunes, the calm Salt Run lagoon for kayaking and the old coquina quarries of the Castillo.
- Late afternoon · Fort Matanzas free · about 1 h 30A Spanish coquina watchtower from the 1740s guarding Matanzas Inlet, where the French Huguenots were executed in 1565, reached by a small free park ferry.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €160 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMarch to May and October to November
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/st-augustine
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.