Fort Lauderdale
A city of canals where yachts are parked in front of the houses the way cars are elsewhere, best explored by water taxi, from one waterside restaurant to the next. On the ocean side, a long beach lined with a wavy white wall, an artists' villa hidden in the dunes and reefs you can swim out to from the sand.
By PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ views on Google MapsBy PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ Maps views
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Fort Lauderdale · Photo William Jacobs / Pexels
Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in 4 days
Day 1
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Several kilometres of pale sand behind a wavy white wall and palm-lined promenade, lively at Las Olas and calmer towards Birch park, where sea turtles nest from May to October.
💡 Park in the municipal car parks along the A1A, paid by app, or walk from your hotel. Early in the morning, the light is beautiful and the beach almost empty; stay in front of a lifeguard station and check the flags. Price: free.
EgorovaSvetlana / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 2
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A hop-on, hop-off water bus through the "Venice of America" and its 250 km of canals, linking downtown, Las Olas, the beach and waterside restaurants, with the captain's commentary on villas and superyachts.
💡 Buy the day pass and do a complete loop first, then get off for lunch on a waterfront and finish at sunset on the water. Boats run from about 10am to 10pm, every 35 to 45 minutes. Price: day pass about $38, about €33, for an adult.
Tamanoeconomico / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)Learn moreMore
An artists' villa built from 1920 on 14 hectares of dune and mangrove, with trompe-l'oeil walls and carved animals, orchid collections and squirrel monkeys living freely in the trees.
💡 The self-guided visit is done with an audio guide on your phone. The estate opens Tuesday to Sunday from 11am, with last entry at 4pm, and is closed on Mondays. Allow 1 h 30. Price: $30, about €26, for an adult; $8, about €7, ages 6 to 17; gardens only $15, about €13.
Marine 69-71 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 3
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A coastal forest park between the beach and the Intracoastal, with a freshwater lagoon to follow on foot, by bike or by kayak among mangroves, turtles and iguanas, and a tunnel to the sand.
💡 Come early in the morning for the wildlife and the cool, and hire a bike or kayak from the concessionaire at the entrance, open from 9am to 6pm. The park opens from 8am to sunset. Price: $6, about €5, per vehicle; $2, about €2, on foot or by bike.
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A brick promenade along both banks of the New River downtown, ending at the 1901 Stranahan House, Broward County's oldest building, once a trading post visited by the Seminoles.
💡 Stranahan House is visited at your own pace, with guides on hand to answer questions, five or six days a week depending on the week, last visit at 3.15pm: book online. Then walk the Riverwalk west to the restaurants of Las Olas Riverfront. Price: visit from $13, about €11; promenade free.
User:Kolossos / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)Learn moreMore
The boulevard linking downtown to the beach, lined with shops, galleries and shaded terraces, then crossing the 1920s Las Olas Isles where every house has its dock and often a yacht.
💡 Walk up the boulevard in the late afternoon from SE 6th Avenue heading east, then dine on a terrace. To see the island houses, take the footbridge over the Intracoastal or, better still, board the Water Taxi. Price: free.
Tamanoeconomico / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 4
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A 1927 botanical garden on the edge of the Everglades with over 3,000 tropical plant species, a sanctuary for injured Florida wildlife and a walk-through aviary of more than 250 wading birds.
💡 Open every day from 9.30am to 5pm, last entry at 4pm, as is the last narrated tram ride. Come in the morning, when the animals are active, and bring mosquito repellent in summer. Price: $24, about €21, aged 12 and over; $17, about €15, ages 3 to 11.
Dtobias / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)Learn moreMore
Three lines of coral reef starting about a hundred metres from the sand at the end of Datura Avenue, with a snorkel trail of cannons and an anchor, and the SS Copenhagen wreck offshore.
💡 Go when the sea is calm and the wind light, in the morning, with a mask, a snorkel and a marker buoy with a dive flag, which is compulsory, and keep your distance from the fishing pier. The town's dive shops rent equipment and run trips to the Copenhagen. Price: free from the beach.
"Book" (hotels) and "via GetYourGuide" (activities) are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide). Prices, times and distances are approximate.
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Good to know before you go
🍽️ Must-try food
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.
Dishes to look for in the good places: Fort Lauderdale.
⚠️ 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.
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The little details that make all the difference once you're there.
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