Clearwater & St. Pete Beaches
When you want a real ocean beach — wide white sand, water the color of a swimming pool — point the car west. About two hours from Orlando, the Gulf side gives you Clearwater Beach, St. Pete Beach and a string of barrier islands made for a slow, sandy day.
Updated June 2026
Orlando is landlocked in the middle of the state, so the closest thing we have to a true beach day is a drive — and the Gulf coast around Clearwater and St. Petersburg is the one we make most. The sand here is famously soft and powder-white, the water is shallow, calm and bathtub-warm in summer, and the whole strip leans into easy, barefoot-and-flip-flops Florida. It's the antidote to a week of theme-park lines.
This one's for families who want a sandcastle day, couples chasing a sunset, and anyone craving salt water after the parks. It's an easy out-and-back, but it earns an overnight if you can swing it. From our day trips hub it's one of the longer drives, in the same direction as Tampa & Busch Gardens — many people pair the two. If you'd rather chase waves on the Atlantic side, Cocoa Beach is closer and due east.
What to see & do
A few beaches, a daily sunset party, a famous pink hotel and a couple of standout indoor stops for the inevitable afternoon storm.
A perfect beach day
Sand in the morning, a save for the storm, and a sunset to drive home on.
- Hit the road early and claim a patch of Clearwater Beach while the sand's still cool and the parking's still open.
- Swim, build a castle and walk the beachfront, then duck into the Clearwater Marine Aquarium if the afternoon clouds roll in.
- Drive south to St. Pete Beach and detour past the pink Don CeSar, ending up in low-key Pass-a-Grille.
- If art's your thing, slip into downtown St. Pete for the Dalí Museum and an early dinner on the waterfront.
- Circle back to Pier 60 for the nightly sunset festival, then make the easy drive back to Orlando — or check into a beach hotel and do it again tomorrow.
Where to go next
More good reasons to point the car beyond the parks.
Tampa & Busch Gardens
The same direction, an hour closer — pair the thrill park and downtown Tampa with your beach day.
Cocoa Beach
The closest beach to Orlando, due east — bigger waves, the Space Coast and a famous pier.
All Day Trips
Beaches, springs, small towns and coasts — every easy escape from Orlando in one place.
Where to Stay
Turn the beach run into an overnight, or find a home base back in Orlando.
Book Gulf-coast tours
Common questions
How far is Clearwater Beach from Orlando?
It's about 100 miles southwest of Orlando — roughly a two-hour drive, mostly down I-4 toward Tampa and then over to the coast. St. Pete Beach is a little farther south, around two to two-and-a-quarter hours. Leave early to beat both the traffic and the midday parking crunch in peak season.
Can you do Clearwater or St. Pete Beach as a day trip from Orlando?
Yes, plenty of people do. With an early start you can be on the sand by late morning, enjoy the beach and the Pier 60 sunset festival, and be home by night. That said, it's a long out-and-back for one day, so if you can spare it, an overnight at a beach hotel makes the trip far more relaxed.
Which is better, Clearwater Beach or St. Pete Beach?
Both have the same soft white sand and calm, shallow Gulf water. Clearwater Beach is busier and more built-up, with the lively nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 festival. St. Pete Beach is a bit quieter and more residential, with the historic Pass-a-Grille district and the landmark pink Don CeSar hotel. If you want a livelier scene, go Clearwater; for a mellower day, go St. Pete.
What is the Sunsets at Pier 60 festival?
It's a free craft and entertainment festival held every evening at Pier 60 Park on Clearwater Beach, running from about two hours before sunset to two hours after, weather permitting. Expect artisans, vendors and street performers — jugglers, musicians and the like — plus the sunset itself over the Gulf. It runs nightly, year-round; check current times on the official site.
How do you get to Caladesi Island?
Caladesi Island is a roadless, undeveloped state park reachable only by boat. The easiest way is the passenger ferry that runs from the dock at Honeymoon Island State Park, at the western end of the Dunedin Causeway north of Clearwater. There's a park entry fee plus the ferry fare, and the ferry doesn't run in bad weather, so check current schedules before you go.
When is the best time for an Orlando-area beach day?
Winter through spring (roughly November to April) is the mild, dry, peak season — sunny days and comfortable water, but busier beaches. Summer brings warm Gulf water and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms, so plan beach time for the morning and keep an indoor backup like the Clearwater Marine Aquarium or the Dalí Museum on hand. Florida's hurricane season runs June through November.