Sarasota travel guide
Sarasota Tourism | Sarasota Guide
You're Going to Love Sarasota
With a population of 51,917, Sarasota is a must-see destination in Florida, United States. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. We recommend you stay at least 3 days in order to fully appreciate everything Sarasota has to offer.
Where to Eat in Sarasota
Downtown is the neighborhood with the most restaurants in Sarasota. These include popular favorites such as Bijou Garden Cafe (1287 First St), Flavio Downtown Sarasota (1766 Main St.) and Melange (1568 Main St). If you’re looking for affordable options, Shore St. Armands (465 John Ringling Blvd) and Cafe Baci (4001 S. Tamiami Trail) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Fiorella Italian Bistro (3809 S Tuttle Ave) and Pazzo Southside (1936 Hillview St) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Sarasota.
When to visit Sarasota
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Sarasota in July, when the average temperature is 82.4 °F, and the highest can go up to 91.4 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 48.2 °F, with an average temperature of 60.8 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in June, when precipitation is around 9.7″. In contrast, November is usually the driest month of the year in Sarasota, with an average rainfall of 2.2″.
How to Get to Sarasota
Plane
When flying to Sarasota, you’ll arrive at Sarasota Bradenton Intl (SRQ), which is located 4 miles from the city center. Airlines that fly from the United States to Sarasota include Air Canada, United Airlines and American Airlines. The shortest domestic flight to Sarasota departs from Washington, D.C. and takes around 2h 21m.
Train
The train station in Sarasota is called Sarasota, and is located 0.1 miles from the city center.
Car
Another option to get to Sarasota is to pick up a car rental from Orlando, which is about 109 miles from Sarasota. You’ll find branches of Routes Car & Truck Rentals and Hertz, among others, in Orlando.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Sarasota, including RedCoach, FlixBus and Greyhound. From Tampa, the bus ride to Sarasota takes 70 miles and will cost you around $29. From Fort Lauderdale, the ticket costs about $50 for a journey of 205 miles. The most popular bus station is Sarasota 5600 Fruitville Rd, located 5 miles from downtown Sarasota. Sarasota Cattleman Transfer Ctr - 5951 Porter Way is also a commonly used station, and is 5 miles from the city center.
Airlines serving Sarasota
Where to stay in Sarasota
Average rates range from around $211 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to $430 and up for a 5-star experience. There are also lots of vacation rental options in Sarasota, with prices from $53 to $1,528 per night. Downtown is the neighborhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, vacation rentals in Sarasota are about 3% cheaper than a hotel room in the city.
Where to stay in popular areas of Sarasota
Most booked hotels in Sarasota
Renting a car in Sarasota
Renting a car in Sarasota costs $50 per day, on average, or $150 if you want to rent if for 3 days. Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Thrifty are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Sarasota is the Dollar branch at 6000 Airport Circle, which is 4 miles from the city center.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 1% cheaper than airport locations in Sarasota.
Expect to pay $3.90 per gallon in Sarasota (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $46.79 and $62.38. The most frequently booked car type in Sarasota is Compact (Nissan Rogue or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Intermediate rental cars (Honda Civic or similar) are, on average, 62% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.