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 5 days in order to fully appreciate everything Sarasota has to offer.
Where to Eat in Sarasota
Downtown is the neighbourhood with the most restaurants in Sarasota. These include popular favourites such as Bijou Garden Cafe (1287 First St), Duval's Fresh. Local. Seafood. (1435 Main Street) and Mediterraneo Ristorante Italiano (1970 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, Melange (1568 Main St) and Fiorella Italian Bistro (3809 S Tuttle Ave) 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 28 °C, and the highest can go up to 33 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 9 °C, with an average temperature of 16 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in June, when precipitation is around 246 mm. In contrast, November is usually the driest month of the year in Sarasota, with an average rainfall of 56 mm.
How to Get to Sarasota
Plane
When flying to Sarasota, you’ll arrive at Sarasota Bradenton Intl (SRQ), which is located 7 km from the city centre. The shortest flight to Sarasota from the United Kingdom departs from London and takes around 14h 03m.
Train
The train station in Sarasota is called Sarasota, and is located 0.1 km from the city centre.
Car
Another option to get to Sarasota is to pick up a car hire from Orlando, which is about 175 km from Sarasota. You’ll find branches of Dollar and Thrifty, among others, in Orlando.
Bus
You can travel by bus to Sarasota using RedCoach or FlixBus. From Tampa, the bus ride to Sarasota takes 113 km and will cost you around £17. From Fort Lauderdale, the ticket costs about £17 for a journey of 330 km. The most popular bus station is Sarasota 5600 Fruitville Rd, located 7 km from the city centre of Sarasota. Sarasota Cattleman Transfer Ctr - 5951 Porter Way is also a commonly used station, and is 8 km from the city centre.
Airlines serving Sarasota
Where to stay in Sarasota
Average rates range from around £149 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to £350 and up for a 5-star experience. If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Magnolia Pointe, BW Signature Collection and Hampton Inn & Suites Sarasota/Bradenton-Airport. There are also lots of holiday rental options in Sarasota, with prices from £42 to £1,209 per night. Downtown is the neighbourhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, holiday rentals in Sarasota are about 10% cheaper than a hotel room in the city.
Where to stay in popular areas of Sarasota
Most booked hotels in Sarasota
Hiring a car in Sarasota
Hiring a car in Sarasota costs £42 per day, on average, or £211 if you want to hire it for 5 days. Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Thrifty are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to hire a car in Sarasota is the Dollar branch at 6000 Airport Circle, which is 7 km from the city centre.
It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 4% cheaper than airport locations in Sarasota.
Expect to pay £0.83 per litre in Sarasota (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between £9.88 and £13.18. The most frequently booked car type in Sarasota is Full-size (Ford Mustang Convertible or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Intermediate car hire (Chevrolet Cruze or similar) is, on average, 43% cheaper than other car hire types in the city.