Florida Flights and Travel Guide

The Sunshine State is a firm favourite with travellers, drawn by the beaches, cities, theme parks, sports, and of course, perfect climate. Long summers are followed by warm winters, the reason why so many Canadians quit the cold and take cheap flights to Florida.

Florida has 1,600km of shoreline. The western side of the peninsula - Gulf Coast - has warm seas and soft white sands, the Atlantic Coast has bigger, rougher waves and broader beaches. And what beaches ... some of the world's most beautiful  are here - Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin, Sanibel Island, and Anna Maria Beach off Bradenton.

The central part of the state has all the do-not-miss attractions. Orlando is amusement park heaven with Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Centre, Cypress Gardens, Bok Tower Gardens, Daytona Speedway and Gatorland.

For unrivalled nightlife, Miami's South Beach lays claim to being "the coolest place on the planet" but the rest of Florida is no slouch when it comes to partying. Greater Fort Lauderdale, made up of six seaside communities, has plenty of bars and clubs, and Orlando, once the kids have gone to bed, gets up to party.

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Florida Climate

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When to Fly to Florida

Peak Season:
The peak tourist season for cheap flights to Florida (the southern part of the state) is October through April. Orlando’s theme parks are busy year-round, with the highest peaks coinciding with school vacations, including spring and summer breaks. Summer is the busy season in northern Florida. Florida remains a popular destination for spring-break vacations, and those weeks are busy as are long holiday weekends.

Off Season:
Winter is the off season in northern Florida. If you don’t mind the heat in Southern Florida, you can usually find cheap flights and discounted hotel rates in the summer.

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Getting Around Florida

Although some cities have public transportation, you need to check that it goes where you want to go and at convenient times. Driving is generally the best way to go from town to town and across the state. Depending on the distance, booking cheap domestic Florida flights may be a better option.

Florida is great for bicycling. Although biking in the cities isn’t recommended, there are bike paths along the coasts and long-distance trails in central Florida. Plus, Florida is flat: its highest point is 105 metres above sea level.

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Florida Insider Information

• Miami goes cultural in early December. About 20 art fairs and other independent exhibits and performances lure serious collectors to mingle for a week with the locals in the city's parks, trendy hotels, giant air-conditioned tents and private galleries
• Snorkelling with manatees in Florida's Crystal River, 120km north of Tampa, is like taking a bath with elephants, the closest land relative to these aquatic giants.
• You can swim with the manatees in the Homosassa River and Blue Springs on the Nature Coast of Florida (the inside curve of the western coast of the state). This area, along with the Crystal River, is home to the largest concentration of manatees in the world.
• New Smyrna Beach, near Daytona, is quieter and has a 21km beach front. World-renowned as the “safest bathing beach” due to its offshore rock ledges that counteract dangerous undercurrents, it offers year-round deep sea fishing. South of New Smyrna lies the Canaveral National Seashore, which offers excellent swimming, bird watching and hiking.
• There are several major-league fantasy camps in Florida. Each year fans take cheap flights to Florida to play for their favourite team and mix with their heroes at spring-training facilities. Toronto Blue Jays' spring training home is in Dunedin, 32km outside Tampa-St. Petersburg and about 8km from Clearwater.

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Florida Airports

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