Florida

Which are the destinations Germans prefer most in the USA? The names are always the same: New York, California, Las Vegas – and Florida. The “Sunshine State“, as Florida is officially called, attracts tourists especially in the winter months. Day temperatures will be above 20 degrees celcius then. Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa are major international airports; together with Fort Myers and West Palm Beach, this is more than any other state can offer.

If you love the loneliness of the Rocky Mountains or the vastness of California (certainly except Greater Los Angeles), Florida is definitely the wrong destination. Florida is really crowded – 21 million inhabitants welcomed 126 million tourists in 2018, and the numbers are rising. First of all, it’s the sun that attracts so many visitors, accompanied by the mega amusement parks Walt Disney World (with over 50 million visitors annually) and Seaworld in Orlando or the Busch Gardens in Tampa. You will miss the amusement parks on our round trip – too loud, too expensive, too crowded. And to be honest, we already get sick on a simple merry-go-round.

However, we invite you to a great Florida tour starting at Miami International Airport. After one night in Homestead we head down to Key West, the southernmost point of the US American mainland. The town is shrill, colorful and most attractive – three hours driving on the Overseas Highway are really worth it.

Next day’s top highlight is the Everglades National Park. In the southern part of the park, we meet our first alligator before it’s getting really exciting in the Shark Valley on the Tamiami Highway. With rental bikes we ride on a trail of approximately 24 kilometers which allows us to take pictures of the alligators from short distance. Sometimes the animals even lie in the middle of the path – scary, but great.