Key West

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

$19.99

Shop Book

1325094569
caucasian appearance, cloud, florida - usa, outdoorcollection, water sport

Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in Key West

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

Key West is the far frontier, edgier and more eccentric than the other Keys, and also far more captivating. At its heart, this 7-sq-mile island feels like a beautiful tropical oasis, where the moonflowers bloom at night and the classical Caribbean homes are so sad and romantic it’s hard not to sigh at them.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Museum of Art & History at the Custom House

Key West

This excellent museum, set in a grand 1891 red-brick building that once served as the Customs House, covers Key West's history. Highlights are the…

Mallory Square

Key West

Take all those energies, subcultures and oddities of Keys life and focus them into one torchlit, family-friendly (but playfully edgy), sunset-enriched…

Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden

Key West

Nancy, an environmental artist and fixture of the Keys community, invites you into her backyard oasis where chatty rescued parrots and macaws await…

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park

Key West

‘America’s Southernmost State Park’ is home to an impressive fort, built in the mid-1800s that played roles in the American Civil War and in the Spanish…

Key West Cemetery

Key West

A darkly alluring Gothic labyrinth beckons at the center of this pastel town. Built in 1847, the cemetery crowns Solares Hill, the highest point on the…

Fort East Martello Museum & Gardens

Key West

This old fortress was built to resemble an old Italian Martello-style coastal watchtower (hence the name), a design that quickly became obsolete with the…

Hemingway House

Key West

Key West’s biggest darling, Ernest Hemingway, lived in this gorgeous Spanish Colonial house from 1931 to 1940. Papa moved here in his early 1930s with his…

Casa Antigua

Key West

This former hotel (known as the Trev-Mor), built in 1919, was where Hemingway and Pauline first stayed after returning from Paris in 1928.

View more attractions

Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Best Time to Visit

For those seeking a tropical island paradise and the warm vibes that comes with it, there isn’t a bad time to visit Key West.

Read article

Free Things to Do

From free beaches to wildly festive sunsets in Mallory Square, these are Key West's top 10 free things to do.

Read article

Money and Costs

Key West is many wonderful things but sadly cheap isn't one of them. Use these tips and tricks to make savings and stretch your budget when you visit.

Read article