How to Get From Miami to Orlando (Complete Guide)

There are four ways you can travel from Miami to Orlando or vice-versa.

1. Rental Car
2. Train
3. Plane
4. Private Transfer / Taxi

Flying is the quickest way of travelling from Miami to Orlando. However, I find a rental car more convenient as the drive is often the same when you factor in the time and effort of getting to and waiting at the airport.

I flew from the UK to Miami and then home from Orlando. As such, when travelling from Miami to Orlando, I needed something suitable for one-way travel.

I was initially put off looking at rental cars since I wanted a different drop-off and pick-up location. However, there were no added fees for picking up my rental car in Miami and dropping it off in Orlando.

I opted for a one-day rental since I didn’t need the car while in Orlando. I picked the rental car up from Miami Airport at 9:00 am and dropped the car off at Orlando Airport (MCO) at 8:00 pm that evening.

You can pick up a rental car and drop it off at other locations in the city. However, you’ll often find it’s significantly cheaper to do so at the airport.

The cost of car rental, including insurance, was $50. However, car rental is one of many costs you’ll incur when driving from Miami to Orlando, as you’ll also need to pay for gas and tolls.

Plenty of roads between Miami and Orlando don’t have tolls. However, the 3.5-hour journey was more than enough, so I was happy to pay the price.

I hired my rental car from Enterprise, and since I was only using the vehicle for the day, I opted for Toll by Plate. Toll by Plate means that you don’t pay for a toll pass. Instead, you pay for the tolls you go through, plus a $4.95 admin charge.

In this case, the total cost I paid for all toll roads from Miami to Orlando was $27.20, including the $4.95 admin charge. Yes, there are cheaper ways to do this. However, the hassle vs. money trade-off was worth it for me in this case.

I chose to refuel the rental car myself before dropping it off. Refuelling a rental car yourself is always the cheaper option. Enterprise wanted to charge $3.49 per gallon plus a $9.99 refuelling charge. However, I only paid $3.149 per gallon at the nearby 7/11.

Refilling the car with gas after my drive from Miami to Orlando was $37.47. As such, the total cost of driving from Miami to Orlando was $114.67.

The Brightline train station in Orlando opened in September 2023. This new route means you can take the train from Miami to Orlando. The train journey from Miami to Orlando takes 3.5 hours and stops at the following stations:

• West Palm Beach
• Boca Raton
• Fort Lauderdale
• Aventura

One-way tickets for the Brightline from Miami to Orlando currently start at $49. Meanwhile, trains run every hour between 6:50 am and 11:00 pm.

Flying is the quickest way to travel between Miami and Orlando. However, there are several factors when flying that increase the time of your journey:

• The journey to the airport
• Security
• Boarding
• The journey from the airport

These added factors make the total journey time as long if not longer than that of a car or train.

Miami International Airport (MIA) is the only airport in Miami. However, you can also fly from Fort Lauderdale Airport, a few miles north of the city. Meanwhile, in Orlando, you have Orlando International Airport (MCO). There’s also Orlando Sanford Airport, located a couple of miles from the city.

Flights from Miami to Orlando cost between $50 and $120, depending on when you book. However, extras such as luggage could increase this price to $100 – $200.

As a family of three with a lot of luggage, we were quoted $500 for our flights from Miami to Orlando, which was 4x that of renting a car and driving ourselves.

You can take a private transfer from Miami to Orlando. However, this is still likely the most expensive travel method between the two cities, even for large families or groups.

A private transfer from Miami to Orlando is available to be booked in two different ways:

1. Rideshare App: Uber or Lyft
2. Private Transfer Company: Hoppa

Since the journey is so long and the driver is unlikely to get a fare on the return, I recommend reserving a private transfer in advance. Reservations can be made via all three companies.