Fort Lauderdale airport and Port Everglades transfers

Why some Miami trips start at a different airport

Most visitors booking a trip to South Florida assume they will land at Miami International (MIA). A good number end up at a different airport instead: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, known by its code, FLL. It sits about 30 miles (48 km) north of Downtown Miami, and on many routes its fares run cheaper than the equivalent flight into MIA. That price gap is real, but it only pays off once you have accounted for the extra ground transfer south. This page stays on that logistics question: which airport to pick, how to get from FLL (or from Port Everglades, its neighbouring cruise port) to Miami, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale itself, Hollywood or Palm Beach, and where Brightline fits in. It does not cover things to do around Fort Lauderdale once you arrive; canals, beaches and aerial views of the coastline are handled on the separate helicopter flights guide.

FLL vs MIA: which airport actually suits your trip

The honest answer depends on where you are staying, not on which airport has the lower fare in isolation.

	Miami International (MIA)	Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL)
Distance to Downtown Miami	A few miles west of Downtown	About 30 miles (48 km) north
Typical fares	Often higher on comparable routes	Often lower on comparable routes
Best suited to	Staying in Miami or Miami Beach	Staying in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, or a longer South Florida loop
Transit link	Metrorail Orange Line direct from the terminal	No rail station inside the terminal; Brightline stop is in downtown Fort Lauderdale
Cruise port next door	Port of Miami	Port Everglades

If your whole itinerary sits inside Miami and Miami Beach, MIA usually saves you the extra transfer time even when its ticket costs a little more; the Miami airport and cruise port transfers guide covers that side in detail. If your trip already includes Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, or Palm Beach, or if you are cruising out of Port Everglades, FLL removes a leg rather than adding one. A trip built around a Fort Lauderdale-to-Palm-Beach loop, such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale in five days, is a natural fit for flying into FLL directly.

Getting from FLL to Miami and Miami Beach

Once you have decided FLL works for your itinerary, three practical options cover the run down to Miami or across the causeways to Miami Beach.

Rental car. This is the most flexible option and the one most travellers pick when their trip also touches the Florida Keys or the Everglades, where a car becomes necessary anyway. Roads run south on I-95 or the Florida Turnpike; travel time depends heavily on the hour, from under an hour in light traffic to well over ninety minutes at rush hour. Several Florida highways use cashless tolling with no booths to stop at; a rental company will typically bill any tolls to your card afterward, usually with an added administrative fee, so read the rental agreement’s toll policy before you drive. Details on that side of driving are in renting a car in Miami: tolls and parking.

Rideshare or taxi. The straightforward door-to-door option, especially useful if you are heading straight to a hotel in Downtown, Brickell or on South Beach rather than picking up a car for the whole stay. It costs more than driving yourself but removes any need to deal with parking once you are in Miami, where garages and street parking near the beach are both limited and expensive.

Brightline, with a short first leg. Brightline connects Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach by rail, but its Fort Lauderdale station sits in the city’s downtown, not inside FLL’s terminals. That means the trip from the airport to Miami by train is really two legs: a short rideshare or taxi ride from FLL to the Brightline station, then the rail journey itself into Miami. For travellers without much luggage and no urgency, it is a comfortable way to skip the highway traffic that a straight-through car transfer would sit in; for a family with bags heading directly to a beachfront hotel, a single direct transfer is usually simpler. More on the rail option itself in Brightline from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.

Whichever option you pick, remember that Miami Beach is a separate city from Miami, on a barrier island reached only by the causeways. A transfer that ends in Downtown Miami is not the same trip as one that continues on to South Beach; build the causeway crossing into your time estimate rather than treating “Miami” as one single stop. The from Miami airport to Miami Beach guide walks through that last stretch in more detail, and applies whether your first leg started at MIA or at FLL.

Getting from FLL to Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Palm Beach

If your trip stays north, closer to FLL itself, the ground transfer is shorter and the calculus changes.

Fort Lauderdale. The airport sits close to the city, so a taxi or rideshare into downtown Fort Lauderdale or the beach strip is typically a short ride. This guide does not cover what to do once you are there; the Fort Lauderdale helicopter flights guide and the things to do in Fort Lauderdale hub handle the sightseeing side.

Hollywood. A separate city just south of Fort Lauderdale (Hollywood, Florida, not the one in California), also a short drive from FLL, generally quicker to reach than any transfer into central Miami.

Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. These sit further north again, beyond Fort Lauderdale. Driving is the most direct option; Brightline also serves West Palm Beach from its Fort Lauderdale station, making the train a reasonable choice if you are continuing north rather than heading toward Miami. There is no single transit line linking FLL, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Palm Beach directly to each other in one hop, which is why a car remains the most flexible choice for a trip that moves between more than one of these towns in the same visit.

Port Everglades: the cruise-terminal side of FLL

Port Everglades is Fort Lauderdale’s cruise port, a short distance from FLL’s terminals but a separate facility, not a satellite building of the airport itself. Travellers flying in to join a cruise, or flying out right after disembarking, need to plan that connection specifically:

• On an embarkation day, cruise lines and many hotels run scheduled transfers between FLL and Port Everglades; taxis and rideshare also make the trip in a few minutes when traffic is light, though congestion builds sharply on the port’s own access roads on peak sailing days.
• On a disembarkation day, allow extra time before your flight. Port Everglades handles a high volume of passengers leaving ships within the same few hours, and that surge affects both the port’s exit roads and FLL’s curbside drop-off.
• If your cruise itinerary bookends a longer South Florida stay, treat the port transfer and the Miami/Fort Lauderdale transfer as two separate legs rather than assuming one ride covers both; they rarely do in a single booking.

None of this guide’s tour options are cruise excursions; it stays on the transfer itself. For pre- or post-cruise time in Fort Lauderdale, the destination and things-to-do pages linked above are the better starting point.

Renting a car at FLL: what to expect

Car rental counters and lots at FLL work the same way as at most major Florida airports: a shuttle or short walk from the terminal to a consolidated rental facility, then out onto the highway system described above. A few points worth knowing before you sign:

• Florida drives on the right, standard for most international visitors but worth confirming if you are used to driving on the left.
• Tolls on routes toward Miami are cashless; ask the rental desk how they bill tolls and whether a transponder is included or charged separately.
• If your trip also includes a long day out to Key West or the Everglades, it is often simpler to keep the same rental for the whole stay rather than renting again once you reach Miami.
• Returning a car late at FLL before a flight leaves little margin if traffic runs long; build in buffer time, especially during the hurricane season months when afternoon storms can slow the highway abruptly.

Palm Beach International (PBI): the other alternative

A third airport, Palm Beach International (PBI), sits further north still, beyond both MIA and FLL. It only makes sense as an entry point if Palm Beach or West Palm Beach is your actual base, since it adds a longer drive on top of the FLL-to-Miami distance if your trip is really centred on Miami or Miami Beach. Travellers using PBI as a gateway to a slower-paced Palm Beach stay, rather than a Miami-focused trip, sometimes use its lounge access to break up a long connection:

a lounge pass at Palm Beach International for a quieter wait between flights.

If you have time before your flight

Not every transfer is a straight run from curb to curb. A long layover, an early arrival ahead of a hotel check-in, or a late flight home after checkout can leave a few spare hours around FLL itself. A handful of options fit that window without turning this into a sightseeing detour:

• a lounge pass at FLL is the simplest way to wait out a delay or an early arrival away from the gate area, with a shower and food options that beat standing in a jammed terminal.
• Travellers with a free half-day and a rental car already in hand sometimes fit in a day trip covering Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton between checkout and a late flight, since Boca Raton sits a short drive further north along the same corridor.
• For travellers whose flight isn’t until evening, a shared sport fishing charter out of Fort Lauderdale fills a morning without needing to check into anywhere.

None of these turn this page into a Fort Lauderdale sightseeing guide; they are simply options for the gap between flight and hotel, and for the reverse gap on your way home. Fort Lauderdale’s own beaches, canals and skyline views are covered on the helicopter flights guide and the things to do in Fort Lauderdale hub, not here.

Planning the rest of the trip

If FLL is only the entry point and your actual stay is in Miami, the getting around Miami: Metromover, Metrorail and trolleys guide picks up once you have made the transfer south, and ESTA and entry rules for Miami is worth checking before you fly if you are travelling from a Visa Waiver Program country. If unexpected costs are on your mind after budgeting airfare and a rental car, Miami sales tax and resort fees, explained covers what typically gets added on top of a quoted hotel rate.

FLL and Port Everglades transfers: frequently asked questions

How far is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Miami?

FLL sits roughly 30 miles (48 km) north of Downtown Miami. Depending on traffic on I-95 or the Florida Turnpike, the drive commonly runs from under an hour to well over ninety minutes, especially at rush hour or when a cruise is arriving at Port Everglades.

Is FLL cheaper than Miami International (MIA)?

Airfares to FLL are frequently lower than to MIA on the same routes, which is why some travellers choose it even though their trip is centred on Miami or Miami Beach. Compare the total cost including your ground transfer before assuming FLL is the better deal.

Can I take a train from FLL to Miami?

Brightline, the passenger rail line connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, has a station in downtown Fort Lauderdale, not inside the airport terminal. You still need a short taxi, rideshare or shuttle from FLL to reach the Brightline station before boarding toward Miami.

Is Port Everglades at the same airport as FLL?

Port Everglades is a separate cruise terminal a short distance from FLL, not inside the airport itself. Many cruise lines and hotels run dedicated transfers between the two, which is worth arranging in advance on an embarkation or disembarkation day.

Do I need a car to get from FLL to Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood or Palm Beach?

A car is the most flexible option for reaching Fort Lauderdale’s own neighbourhoods, Hollywood, or Palm Beach, since these are spread along the coast with no single rail or transit line connecting them all. Rideshare and taxis cover the same ground without the hassle of parking.

Are there tolls between FLL and Miami?

Yes. Several Florida highways, including stretches of the Turnpike, use cashless tolling with no toll booths to pay at directly. A rental car will usually bill any tolls to your card afterward, often with an added service fee, so check the rental agreement before you drive.

Should I fly into Palm Beach International (PBI) instead?

PBI sits further north again, beyond Fort Lauderdale, and only makes sense if Palm Beach or West Palm Beach is your actual base. For a Miami or Miami Beach trip, FLL is the nearer alternative to MIA; PBI adds a longer drive on top.

What is the fastest way from FLL to Miami Beach?

A direct car or rideshare from FLL to Miami Beach is generally quicker than combining Brightline with a second transfer, since Brightline’s Miami station is on the mainland and still requires a further ride across the causeways to reach the barrier island.