Last Updated on March 12, 2024
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If you are looking for a destination in Florida, that combines history, culture and white sand beaches, you have to visit St Augustine. Located on the Northeastern Atlantic Coast of Florida, the city is one of the most beautiful in the state. Even though many people visit as daytrip, there are plenty of things to do in St Augustine, that you can easily make it your primary destination.
St Augustine is known as the oldest city in America. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it’s the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States. So it doesn’t come as surprise, that a lot of St Augustine attractions center around the history. Also, the city has a strong Spanish influence, which can be seen everywhere, from beautiful colonial architecture to street names.
How to get to St Augustine, Florida
If you plan to get to St Augustine by plane, the most convenient airport to fly into is in Jacksonville ( JAX ). It’s about 55 miles north and it takes about 1 hour to get to St Augustine. Daytona Beach International Airport ( DAB ) is another option, but not as as many airlines fly there. So even though both airports are about the same distance from St Augustine, Jacksonville is a much better option.
If you are traveling by car, you can easily get to St Augustine from North or South via I-95, then either US 1, or the scenic A1A. St Augustine is not far from several other popular Florida destinations. The city is less than one hour away from Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, and Orlando is just 2 hours away.
How to get around St Augustine
St Augustine is very compact and it’s extremely easy to get around on foot. With the exception of a couple of attractions, you will be able to walk to pretty much everything. If you arrive in St Augustine by car and stay in the downtown area, you won’t need it once you are in the city. And if your hotel is a bit further away, your best bet is to park it in the city parking garage for the day. I used the Historic Downtown Parking Facility right by the Visitors Center and highly recommend it. You can park your car there for $15/day and you’re just steps away from most attractions.
You can also get around the city using the Hop on Hop Off Trolley Tour. These tours are one of the most popular things to do in St Augustine for sightseeing, but are also a great alternative to walking or driving. Once purchased, the ticket is valid all day and it includes free parking at the starting point ( Old Jail ).
Things to do in St Augustine, Florida
Take a Trolley Tour
Trolley Tours are very popular in many destinations, because they’re a great way to see as much as possible in a short time. They are also a great introduction to the city, giving you an idea where things are and what the best attractions are. You can then decide, what places you want to spend more time exploring and which ones to skip. These are the main reasons I recommend taking a trolley tour as one of the first things to do in St Augustine. Those tours are also narrated, so you learn about the history and places you are looking at. That of course can be a hit or miss, depending on your tour guide, but more often than not, they’re pretty informative.
There are two trolley tours in St Augustine to choose from and while they both go past pretty much the same attractions, there are some differences in what they offer. Which one is a better choice will depend on what you are looking for.
Old Town Trolley Tours
Old Town Trolley Tour is a 90 minute tour through St Augustine with over 20 stops, starting and ending at the Old Jail. If you arrive by car, you can park there for free. You can either do the entire loop or Hop On and Off wherever you like. Your ticket is valid all day, so you can use it as your way of getting around the city. Keep in mind though, that the Old Town Trolley ends its run quite early, with the last tour leaving at 4.30 pm. You can book your Old Town Trolley Tours here. Your ticket also grants you free access to the Florida Heritage Museum.
Red Train Tours
This is the original trolley tour in St Augustine and just like the Old Trolley Tour, it takes you on a tour of St Augustine, which includes all the city’s main attractions. The difference is, Red Train Tour doesn’t make any stops, so once you get on, you’re on board for the entire loop. The tour starts at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum and lasts about one hour. It runs every hour from 8.30 am – 5pm.
Red Train Tours is operated by the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum, so if that’s on your St Augustine itinerary too, you can get a combo ticket for both, which will save you $10.
Explore Castillo de San Marcos
Castillo de San Marcos is without a doubt the biggest attraction and one of the top things to do in St Augustine. Built by the Spanish in 1672 to defend Florida, it is the oldest and largest masonry fort in the United States.
Stepping inside of Castillo de San Marcos will sure take you back in time. You can walk through several rooms, that used to house soldiers and prisoners. As you explore the fort, chances are, you will run into real live reenactments and weapon demonstrations. There are also 36 different cannons scattered around the complex, and if you visit over the weekend, you can witness cannon firing demonstrations, which is always the crowd’s favorite. Also, make sure to head to the upper area of the fort. Castillo de San Marcos is directly on the water, so the views are beautiful, both of the Bay and the Old Town.
Plan at least one hour to explore Castillo de San Marcos. Being one of the most popular things to do in St Augustine, it can get pretty busy, especially on the weekends. I recommend visiting earlier in the day, ideally when it first opens, if you want to enjoy it without the crowds.
Castillo de San Marcos is open Wednesday through Sunday, it costs $15 to enter ( kids 15 and under are free ) and your ticket is valid for 7 consecutive days. There is parking around the fort ( $2.50/ hour ), but it fills up really quickly.
The grounds around Castillo de San Marcos are dog friendly, but they are not allowed inside the fort.
Take a tour of Flagler College
One of the places not to be missed in St Augustine is Flagler College, which I guarantee, will be one of the most beautiful schools you’ll ever see. Before becoming a liberal art college in 1968, the stunning building was a luxurious Ponce de Leon Hotel, built by Henry Flagler. The same who’s behind building the Florida Overseas Railroad connecting Miami and Florida Keys.
You can walk through the courtyard for free, but I do recommend paying for a guided tour of the campus. Legacy Tours, led by current students, will not only give you appreciation for the beauty of the building, but you’ll also learn a lot about its history. It’s definitely well worth the $13 admission price. The 60-minute tours are usually at 10 am and 2 pm, although schedules might vary depending on time of the year. Make sure to check the website for the most up to date information.
Due to renovations at Flagler College, Legacy Tours will be suspended from May 2024-August 2024.
Visit Lightner Museum
Right across the street from Flagler College is another hotel built by Flagler in 1888, Hotel Alcazar. Back in the day it was a popular recreational resort with spa, steam rooms, bowling alley and the world’s biggest indoor swimming pool. The pool area is now Café Alcazar and the upper floors are home to the Lightner Museum. When the hotel closed, it was purchased by Otto Lightner, who used it to hold his collections. And let me tell you, he was quite the collector.
The museum, that spans over 4 floors, holds large collections of 19th century art, from glass, paintings, furniture to musical instruments and stamps. You can visit Lightner Museum on a self guided tour. Each room has displays of pictures so you can see what it looked like when it was a hotel. The building itself is just as impressive as the collections, with the beautiful courtyard and even the grave of Otto Lightner himself.
Lightner Museum is open 9 am – 5 pm (last admission at 3.30 pm), and tickets cost $19.
Wander around the Old Town
Even though the Old Town is a bit touristy, it’s a great and fun place to wander around. It’s very picturesque, with brick paved streets and beautiful, colonial architecture. The main and most popular street is St George, lined with restaurants, souvenir stores and other shops. No matter where you go, there’s always that one, most touristy street and that’s the one in St Augustine. Don’t miss the Oldest Wooden School House, that you can take a tour of for $5.
Parallel to St George’s, you have Aviles Street, the oldest street in America. It’s much more quiet than St George St, with plenty of galleries, boutique shops, great restaurants and charming B&B’s. Not far from there is Treasury Street, which at less than 7 feet, is supposedly the most narrow street in the US.
Climb to the top of St Augustine Lighthouse
For some of the best views of St Augustine and surrounding area, climb 219 steps to the top of the St Augustine Lighthouse. At 165 feet, this is the second tallest lighthouse in Florida and on a clear and sunny day, those views stretch out for miles. If you enjoy photography, you’ll be able to take some great pictures from the observation deck. The views are definitely worth the climb.
St Augustine Lighthouse was built between 1871-1874 and it’s still an active, working lighthouse. It’s part of the museum, that also includes the keepers quarter and other buildings, where you can learn about the local maritime history.
If you have time to come back at night and want to experience the St Augustine Lighthouse after dark, you might enjoy the Dark of the Moon ghost tour offered by the Museum. The lighthouse happens to be one of the most haunted places in the city and a lot of tragic events took place over the years. With just one day in St Augustine, I didn’t get a chance to do it, but it definitely sounds like one of the top things to do in St Augustine, if you are into ghost stories and paranormal activity.
St Augustine Lighthouse is located about 3 miles from downtown. It’s open daily from 9 am – 6 pm and admission costs $14.95.
Take a Ghost Tour
Did you know that St Augustine is one of the most haunted places in the country? I admit, I didn’t before visiting, but given that the city is over 450 years old, it makes perfect sense. With so much history, it’s not surprising, that there are many haunted locations and plenty of ghost stories to be told.
So if you want to get to know the dark side of St Augustine and are looking for a night time activity, you can book one of the ghost tours. One of the most popular and best tours is Ghosts and Gravestones, a 60 minute trolley tour, that takes you to all the haunted spots like Old Jail, Castillo de San Marcos and many more. They are also very popular in other haunted cities like Savannah, Key West and Boston.
If you prefer a walking tour, there’s a great one that takes you to several haunted spots in the city, including a couple of cemeteries. You can book your Walking ghost Tour of St Augustine here.
Stop at Vilano Beach
The list of best things to do in St Augustine would not be complete without spending some time on the beach. There is a 42 mile stretch of beaches, where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city, but still be just minutes away from downtown. The closest one is Vilano Beach, just a short 3 mile drive down A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway.
Vilano Beach tends to be less crowded than the popular St Augustine Beach. Due to bigger waves and stronger current, it’s a favorite among surfers. If the water is too rough for swimming, it’s also a great beach for a walk and shell collecting. Not too mention the spectacular sunrises. Dogs are also welcome on Vilano Beach, as long as they’re leashed and picked up after.
More things to do in St Augustine, Florida
With just one day in St Augustine, I was not able to fit in any more attractions. Some I had no interest in, other were hard to visit with a dog, but here are a few more popular things to do in St Augustine:
- Ripley’s Believe It or Not! – this is a very popular museum of all things bizarre, that can be seen in many other cities. The one in St Augustine is the very first one, dating back to 1950, and it’s still in the original location. Personally, it’s not my thing, but if you are into that kind of attractions, it might be a fun place to visit. It’s open daily from 9 am – 8 pm and ticket costs $23.99. You can also get a Ripley’s and Red Train Tour combo ticket for $37.98.
- Fountain of Youth – 15 acre archeological park, located on St Augustine’s waterfront, where you can learn all about life in 1500s. Don’t be fooled by the name, there’s more to do than just take a sip from the Fountain of Youth. There are plenty of exhibits and demonstrations, as well as Planetarium and Discovery Globe. You can easily spend a couple of hours there. Open daily 9 am – 6pm and tickets cost $18.
- Old Jail – if you’d like to get a glimpse into what it was like to be a prisoner between 1891-1953, you might enjoy taking a tour of the Old Jail. The beautiful building, yet another one built by Henry Flagler, might not look like jail from the outside, but operated as one for 60 years. John’s County Jail is now a museum, that can be visited on a 30 minute guided tour. Tours depart every 20 minutes, from 9 am – 4.30 pm. Book your Old Jail Museum Tour here. The night tours are also available as part of the Ghosts and Gravestones Tour.
Where to stay in St Augustine, Florida
St George’s Inn – charming little hotel in the prime location, at the end of St George’s Street. The rooms are bright and spacious and from some you will get amazing views of Castillo de Dan Marcos.
Casa de Solana Bed and Breakfast – beautiful and elegant B&B, located on Aviles Street, the oldest in the country. The building itself is 250 years old and it’s the 7th oldest house in St Augustine.
Casa Monica Resort & Spa – beautiful and elegant hotel in a historic building, dating back to 1888. If you choose Casa Monica, you’ll be stay at one of the first luxurious hotels, that put St Augustine on the map. You will also be in the heart of St Augustine, right across the street from Flagler College and steps away from all of the other attractions.
Bayfront Marin House Historic Inn – beautiful hotel located right across from the Matanzas Bay, a couple of blocks away from Castillo de San Marcos. It’s close enough to everything, but far enough from all the action, that it’s quiet.
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