Cheap flights to Tampa

Tampa combines beautiful beaches with thrills-and-spills theme parks and endless golf courses, little wonder that millions of visitors take cheap flights to Tampa each year. 

A natural playground, the city has lots to offer by way of recreation. Apart from beach bathing, visitors will discover that the lakes and Hillsborough River offer opportunities for diving, sailing, snorkelling, fresh or saltwater fishing and kayaking. 

One of Florida’s largest estuaries surrounds Tampa. Some of the wild fowl that congregate here every day are threatened species. The area is also a wildlife haven and has nature parks and refuges including the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, set up for the protection of the West Indian Manatee. Busch Gardens is home to more than 35 endangered species and is renowned for its breeding programmes. 

Ybor City in downtown Tampa is a buzzy shopping, dining and nightlife venue. The city was established in 1886 as a centre for cigar factories, today the area is preserved as Ybor City State Museum where visitors can savour the flavour of old Tampa. 

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Tampa climate

The climate is sub-tropical with high levels of humidity. The weather is fantastic year-round. Temperatures range between 18 and 35 degrees Celsius (64-95 degrees Fahrenheit) year round. Winter temperatures very rarely drop below freezing.

Getting around Tampa

There are many ways to get around downtown Tampa and Ybor City. You can walk, but the rest of the city has a network of buses, trolleys and historic electric streetcars to get you around. To get to the airport, Ybor City, Busch Gardens or the Museum of Science and Industry, hop on one of the HART line buses. If you’re travelling at the end or beginning of winter months, you’ll notice extra traffic on the weekends. Many northerners come to Florida to escape the snow, and north-south routes can quickly become clogged.    

What is good to know if travelling to Tampa?

• If you are taking cheap flights to Tampa between November 1 and April 15, make sure you visit the manatees at the Tampa Electric Company. Located in the warm water discharge canal of the Big Bend Power Station, the Manatee Viewing Center has a tidal walkway with plants, birds, butterfly gardens, an educational building and, when the temperature of Tampa Bay dips below 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), the fascinating manatees. 
• Seeing a movie at the restored, classic Tampa Theatre, is a must. The theatre dates from 1926 and is an opulent space with a star-studded ceiling, a richly tiled lobby floor and a Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. 
• The Museum of Science and Industry, beside Busch Gardens, has lots of interactive attractions and exhibits. There are giant games of pinball, miniature hot air balloons, and you can watch the latest IMAX movies on the giant screen. 
• Eden Vineyards and Winery is the southernmost vineyards and winery in the U.S. It’s near Fort Myers, little more than an hour’s drive south. Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards is Florida’s largest winery, about a 90-minute drive of Tampa. 
• The neighbourhood of Ybor City was founded by cigar manufacturers in the 1880s and populated by Spanish, Cuban and Italian immigrants. For half a century, millions of cigars were produced by the workers there. Ybor City today is a National Historic Landmark District and a great way to get there is by TECO Streetcar. Once you get there, you can pick up a walking tour brochure at The Centro Ybor Museum and Visitor Information Center.

Tampa airport overview

Tampa International (TPA) is a relatively small airport located in Hillsborough County, Florida, just 7 miles (11km) from Tampa’s city centre. It’s a friendly and attractively designed airport with a great selection of amenities.

The airport has a unique design featuring one landside terminal where all the ticketing, check-ins, customs and security checks take place and then four airside satellite buildings that are connected to the main terminal via automated people movers. The landside building has a great range of food and drink options and each of the satellite terminals has a couple of shopping and eating options as well. There is also duty free, but only in the satellite terminals that handle international flights.

Tampa International Airport is a hub for Gulfstream International Airways. However, Southwest Airlines offers the most flights to Tampa International. There are also a number of non-stop services to various destinations across the United States as well as the UK, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

With its innovative design and friendly service, Tampa is a great airport to use when flying to Florida. From the air the airport almost resembles a wheel with four spokes, and on the ground it’s an easy airport to navigate.