Itinerary: a 2-week road trip in Florida

Thanks to its international airport, Miami is a logical gateway to Florida. It's also a city you can't afford to miss, and one of a kind.

Make the most of this first day to explore some of Miami's most emblematic neighbourhoods. A change of scenery is guaranteed in Little Havana, with its deeply Cuban accents, and in Wynwood, a trendy district where street art takes pride of place.

A night out in Coconut Grove, the bohemian district par excellence, where there is no shortage of good places to eat... unless you'd prefer to attend a Miami Heat match, the city's iconic NBA basketball team.

Miami's most iconic setting can be found on the other side of Biscayne Bay, in Miami Beach. The day passes easily in the Art Deco district adjoining South Beach, one of the most famous and popular beaches in the United States.

The day's programme includes swimming and sunbathing on the beach, shopping in the trendy boutiques of South Beach, and a tour of the most emblematic Art Deco buildings for which Miami is famous.

In the evening, the bars and restaurants on Ocean Drive fill up quickly, and you can party all night long in South Beach.

This is the first real road trip day of our itinerary. From Miami, we head north to the A1A Highway, which winds its way through the seaside resorts of the Gold Coast.

Plan to make a few stops along the way, if only for a break on the beach or a bite to eat, in view of the giant cruise ships of Fort Lauderdale, or the billionaires' properties of Palm Beach...

Then there's another 2 hours of coastal driving before a stopover in the seaside resort of Cocoa Beach, for a final swim and an evening by the sea.

Cocoa Beach, next door to Cape Canaveral, is a 30-minute drive from the Kennedy Space Center, a must-see for space enthusiasts and curious visitors of all kinds.

The visit to the complex is dense, and takes most of the day if you linger over each of the thematic zones that make it up. Don't miss the guided bus tour of the launch pads, the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibition, or the Rocket Garden with its life-size spacecraft.

At the end of the day, we're back on the road to spend the evening in Downtown Orlando, 1 hour's drive from here.

Florida is famous for its large theme parks, concentrated around Orlando. Today, the day is devoted to Universal Orlando Resort, divided into two entities: Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Depending on your preferences, it's up to you whether you opt for the One Park per Day or Park-to-Park ticket, to concentrate on a single park, or move from one to the other as the attractions change. Fans of the Harry Potter films will certainly be won over by the second option!

There's everything you need to stay right inside Universal Orlando Resort, with shops, restaurants, fast food outlets and bars on the CityWalk, and several hotels for overnight stays.

From Universal Orlando Resort, all you have to do is drive down International Drive, Orlando's main tourist thoroughfare, to reach another fictional world, Walt Disney World.

The theme park of superlatives, it is made up of four universes, each corresponding to a theme park in its own right. Real fans can easily spend several days here in a row...

In a single day, you'll have to make some choices, starting with your ticket: 1 Park per day if you're limiting yourself to one world, Park Hopper for unlimited access. Then make the most of the attractions at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios or Disney's Animal Kingdom, depending on your preferences.

Once again, treat yourself to a night on site to prolong the pleasure.

Today, we take to the road to cross Florida inland towards the south-west, through large stretches of farmland away from the tourist areas.

After 4 hours of driving, we're approaching the coast again, this time looking west towards the Gulf of Mexico. The signs we follow indicate Naples, not in Italy but in its Floridian version.

This prosperous, elegant, family-friendly resort is used to welcoming a wealthy population, and it shows: everything here is neat and well-organised, like the rows of upmarket boutiques and restaurants in Downtown.

A stroll along the great beach of Naples at sunset is a must.

Ideally, you should set off early in the morning to reach Everglades City, a 50-minute drive away. This tiny town of 500 inhabitants is the perfect starting point for a great kayaking trip in the Ten Thousand Islands archipelago, either on your own or on a guided tour.

After this introduction to the unique landscapes of the Everglades, we'll get down to the heart of the matter by following Highway 41 towards Miami.

Be sure to turn right to follow the Loop Road Scenic Drive through Everglades National Park. Take a break to venture out on a trail that intersects the route, but be careful: the area is teeming with strange inhabitants, including alligators!

You'll find the same thing a little further along the road in Shark Valley, which is well laid out for walking and has a small tourist train that takes you around in 2 hours.

The day ends in Homestead, in the greater Miami area, a convenient starting point for the next day.

Pine forest, swampy plains and thick mangroves follow one another along the Main Park Road, which winds its way south through Everglades National Park. Your destination: Flamingo, on the seafront.

On the way, take a leisurely hike along the Mahogany Hammock Trail or the Pa-Hay-Okee Lookout Tower, interspersed with boardwalks, to soak up the unique Everglades environment.

In Flamingo, weather permitting, you can once again hire a kayak for a short trip on the water in the company of some alligators, American crocodiles and peaceful manatees.

At the end of the day, you're back on the road, heading for the Keys archipelago, for an overnight stay in Key Largo.

A mythical route awaits us this morning: the Overseas Highways, the incredible road that links the islands of the Keys to each other by means of some impressive engineering structures. Special mention must go to the Seven Miles Bridge, one of the longest in the world!

In Key West, you can spend the rest of the day on the paradisiacal beaches or in the lively streets of the centre of the Keys capital. The colonial architecture, with its wooden houses, makes a dramatic change from the scenery seen so far on the Florida coast.

A charming stopover, from which it will undoubtedly be difficult to leave.

However, we already had to turn back and get closer to Miami, in preparation for our departure. But this day must be devoted entirely to the beauty of the Keys archipelago, and there are plenty of options.

On the way, you can always stop off at a pretty white sandy beach, at Marathon Island, Islamorada or Tavernier, but the day's objective is a little further on, at Key Largo.

The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, essentially marine, is a snorkelling enthusiast's dream playground. Enjoy the translucent waters and the rich underwater fauna, and finish off this beautiful day on the island.

It's time to head back to Miami, in preparation for the next day's flight. To split the difference between the island atmosphere and the big city, we recommend a detour to Key Biscayne, a calmer version of South Beach.

Here you'll find beautiful beaches and seaside promenades, but don't miss the view of the Miami skyline, a fitting farewell to Florida!