Essential Florida

Orlando, in the heart of central Florida, is the world capital of theme-park entertainment, a garden city dotted with lakes that has transformed its marshy lowlands into a universe of parks and attractions beloved by families from every continent. It is here that the Walt Disney World Resort spreads out, the complex that made the city famous, with its four theme parks — from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT, from Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom — joined by Universal Studios and the magical world of Harry Potter, from the Wizarding World to the thrills of Islands of Adventure. For those seeking nature and wildlife, SeaWorld tells the story of the marine world, while numerous water parks offer cool relief under the subtropical sun. But Orlando is more than its parks: the historic downtown, gathered around Lake Eola with its iconic fountain and the swans that glide across its waters, holds a more intimate soul, made of neighbourhoods such as Thornton Park and Winter Park, where art galleries, cafés and tree-lined avenues invite a slower pace. Its cuisine ranges from the international kitchens of International Drive to the flavours of the American South, while Florida's eternal spring makes every season ideal for a visit. All around, wild nature reasserts itself: a short distance away lie the reserves of the Everglades, the crystalline springs where manatees swim, and the beaches of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, with Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center just down the road toward the coast. A city of dreams and imagination, Orlando promises intense days and shared wonder, in the gentle, sunlit climate that Florida offers all year round.

you leave Orlando heading for the Kennedy Space Center, NASA's most famous rocket launch station in the world, which gives its name to this whole stretch of the Atlantic coast, known as the Space Coast. Before reaching Miami, you pass resorts famous for their beaches such as West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. Cape Canaveral is home to the Kennedy Space Center, the main NASA center, with fascinating exhibits, missiles, spacecraft, and exciting virtual reality experiences. The center is located on Merritt Island, an island that houses a national wildlife refuge, bordering to the north with the Canaveral National Seashore. To discover untouched Florida, explore the park on foot or by boat, coming into contact with the rich wildlife. Miami stretches along the south-eastern coast of Florida, overlooking turquoise waters and blessed by a subtropical climate that makes it one of the most beloved seaside destinations in the United States. A glamorous and deeply Latin city, it blends the energy of its beaches with an effervescent cultural and nightlife scene. Its emblem is Miami Beach, the barrier island linked to the mainland by scenic causeways, home to the historic district of South Beach. Here, along Ocean Drive, the famous pastel-coloured Art Déco buildings line up beside open-air restaurants and white-sand beaches dotted with brightly painted lifeguard cabins. The neighbourhood of Little Havana, heart of the Cuban community, offers the city's most authentic flavour: along Calle Ocho the air fills with salsa music, the scent of coffee and cigars, while the cafés serve traditional Caribbean dishes. Further north, the Design District and Wynwood reign as the realm of contemporary art and street art, with spectacular murals and avant-garde galleries. Modern Downtown, with its mirror-clad skyscrapers, looks out over Biscayne Bay, from where boat excursions set off towards exclusive islands and floating residential enclaves. Miami is also a gateway to extraordinary natural wonders: a short distance away lie the Everglades, a boundless park of marshes and mangroves teeming with alligators, and the Florida Keys, the coral archipelago reaching south along a scenic overseas highway. Between beaches, luxury shopping, fusion cuisine and an atmosphere that pulses day and night, Miami invites you to live the very best of the American tropical lifestyle.

Only one road, the Overseas Highway, with an endless series of bridges, connects these long and narrow islets from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico. Key West closes the Florida Keys archipelago to the south, the southernmost point of the continental United States only 90 miles from Cuba, where the Atlantic meets the Gulf of Mexico. Linked to the mainland by the scenic Overseas Highway, which glides over the sea for more than 160 kilometres, it is an island with a Caribbean soul and a free spirit. The streets of Old Town are lined with colonial wooden houses, including the Hemingway Home where the writer lived with his six-toed cats. Each evening Mallory Square celebrates the sunset with street performers and music. Crystal-clear waters invite snorkelling along the only living coral reef in North America, while local cuisine offers conch fritters and the inevitable key lime pie. Amid pastel colours and a bohemian atmosphere, Key West is an invitation to the tropical dolce vita.

shortly before reaching Key Largo you pass through Islamorada, a paradise island with sparkling blue waters, wonderful restaurants with sea views and seafood of unrivalled freshness. The first and northernmost of the Florida Keys, Key Largo is the gateway to this tropical archipelago, linked to the mainland by the scenic Overseas Highway. Known as the “diving capital of the world,” it owes its fame to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first underwater park in the United States, which protects a vibrant coral reef teeming with colourful fish, turtles and shipwrecks. The crystal-clear waters invite snorkelling, diving and boat trips, while the sunsets over the bay offer unforgettable colours. Among mangroves, lagoons and a cinematic atmosphere — the famous “Key Largo” with Humphrey Bogart was partly filmed here — the island is a paradise for lovers of the sea and the outdoors.

The Everglades extend into the far south of Florida, in a vast and unique ecosystem of marshes, mangroves and freshwater prairies protected as a national park. Nicknamed the river of grass, they are the realm of alligators, manatees, herons and an extraordinary tropical biodiversity. Among airboat tours, raised boardwalks and silent canals, they offer total immersion in subtropical wild nature. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You travel along Alligator Alley, the only road that connects Miami to the western coast, passing through the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve.