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Florida Airport Transfers: Orlando Airport to Disney World, Miami Airport to Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa

By The Travel Chronicle Team
Reference guide · kept up to date

FLORIDA · AIRPORT TRANSFERS · MCO · MIA · FLL · TPA

Landing in Florida comes with one small, happy decision before the first swim: how to cover the stretch from the gate to the hotel. Orlando International (MCO) is the door to the parks. Miami International (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) open onto the Atlantic beaches, and Tampa International (TPA) sits across the bay from the Gulf sand of Clearwater and St. Pete. Each airport runs its own mix of taxis, shared shuttles, ride apps and public transit, and each posts its own rules at the curb.

Some of those options beat their reputation. A public bus with luggage racks runs from MIA to the southern tip of Miami Beach, a train leaves from Orlando’s airport for Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and the shared shuttle to Walt Disney World resort hotels charges children less than adults. Once you have landed, our Florida getting-around guide takes over for the rest of the state.

Palm trees along an airport arrivals curb with taxis and a shuttle van waiting under a clear blue sky
The arrivals curb, where the vacation starts · Illustration

FOUR AIRPORTS AT A GLANCE · FLORIDA

Match the ride to your bed: a taxi or shared shuttle for Disney hotels, the $2.25 Route 150 bus for South Beach, Brightline when the week moves from Orlando to the Atlantic, and a rental car only when the trip leaves the city.

MCO · MIA · FLL · TPA · FARES CHECKED SEPT 24, 2026 · TAXI, SHUTTLE, BUS, TRAIN

MCO taxi to Disney$52–$68 (approx.)
Mears Connect, one way$16 · $13 ages 3–9
Brightline MCO to MiamiAbout 3h30
MIA to South BeachRoute 150 bus · $2.25
FLL taxi to South Beach$80 (estimated)
TPA to Clearwater Beach20 to 25 miles

Go for: the Route 150 bus and its luggage racks to Miami Beach, Mears Connect’s child fares for a Disney family, and Brightline straight from MCO to the Atlantic coast.

Think twice before: accepting a ride from anyone inside the MIA terminal, or counting on SunRail from MCO on a weekend: it runs Monday to Friday only.

Fares: MCO, MIA, FLL and TPA ground-transportation pages · Brightline · Mears Connect · Miami-Dade DTPW · full sources at the end

On this page

The right ride depends on where you are sleeping, how much luggage and how many people are coming, and what time the plane lands. A family with car seats and a late flight rarely lands on the same answer as a couple with two carry-ons at noon, so start from your hotel address and work back to the curb.

How to get from Orlando airport to Disney World

Orlando International Airport publishes approximate taxi fares of $52 to $68 to the Disney Resorts Area and $47 to $55 to Lake Buena Vista. The airport calls these approximate rates, so read them as a range. Unlike the shared-van prices further down, a taxi fare is a price for the whole cab.

Mears Connect, the shared shuttle between MCO and Walt Disney World resort hotels, lists one-way pricing of $16 for ages 10 and up and $13 for ages 3 to 9, with children under 3 riding free. A 3% fuel surcharge goes on every reservation. Two adults traveling with children aged 4 and 7 pay $58 one way before the surcharge and $59.74 after it, inside the taxi range. Mears also sells an express, direct round trip to all Walt Disney World resorts, and Mears Destination Services holds the airport’s ground-transportation concession.

The airport’s own shuttle vans charge per person: $23 one way or $37 round trip to the Disney Resorts Area, and the same to Lake Buena Vista. For children’s rates, the airport sends you to the attendant. Like any shared shuttle, the van stops at several hotels on the way. It costs less than a private car and takes longer, and the first guests off get the best of the ride.

Walt Disney World does not appear on the airport’s list of LYNX bus destinations. The local buses leave from Terminal A, Level 1 (Ground Transportation), Commercial Lane spaces A38 to A41, for $2.00 a ride or $4.50 for the day, and their listed stops include Destination Parkway, SeaWorld, the Florida Mall and Downtown Orlando. For a Disney hotel, choose a taxi, a ride app or Mears Connect.

Brightline has no station at Walt Disney World or Universal, since its Orlando stop is the airport itself. The train helps on the way to the coast and plays no part in the ride to the parks. Ride apps collect at the Uber and Lyft curbs at MCO, park logistics live in our Florida theme parks guide, and Orlando airport to the city covers the rest of town.

Orlando airport to International Drive

Hotels in the International Drive area share a fare band with Downtown Orlando: an approximate $38 to $45 by taxi from MCO. The shared shuttle van charges $21 one way or $33 round trip per person. Two travelers pay $42 by van, close to the cab. A group of three pays $63, above the top of the taxi range.

Traveling light, compare your hotel address with the airport’s LYNX destinations: the Orange County Convention Center, SeaWorld, Premium Outlets and Destination Parkway are all on it, at $2.00 a ride from Terminal A. The $4.50 day fare pays off from the third ride of the day.

SunRail does not stop at MCO. The airport connects to it with the LYNX link to the Sand Lake Road station, and the trains run Monday to Friday only, from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. A weekend arrival rules it out, and so does a weekday flight landing late in the evening.

Brightline from Orlando airport to Miami

Brightline’s Orlando station is at Orlando International Airport, next to Terminal C and Parking Garage C. Its trains run south to West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami. A few park days followed by an Atlantic beach week can link up without a car for the transfer.

Brightline gives the ride as approximately two hours to West Palm Beach and three hours thirty minutes to Miami. There are 16 daily round trips with hourly departures in each direction. The operator adds that the schedule is subject to change, so check the day’s timetable when you book.

For Orlando round trips booked at least 7 days ahead, Brightline’s current offer (as of September 2026) lists its lowest fares at $39 SMART Saver, $59 SMART and $89 PREMIUM. Fares move with the date and availability, and booking early is the way to reach those floors.

Drivers who leave a car at the airport should arrive at least 1.5 hours before the train, Brightline asks, because the MCO garages fill up. A ride app drops off at 10705 Jeff Fuqua Blvd, at the station entrance, and the station itself is on Level 5. At the far end of the line, our Miami guide picks up the trip.

Miami airport to Miami Beach

At MIA, the free MIA Mover leaves from the 3rd level, between the Dolphin and Flamingo garages, for the Miami Intermodal Center. From there, Metrorail’s Orange Line runs to Brickell, Government Center and on to Dadeland, and the Green Line heads toward Hialeah and the Tri-Rail station. A Metrorail or Metrobus ride costs $2.25, a 1-Day Pass $5.65, and bus-to-rail transfers are free. Two rides come to $4.50, so the pass pays off from the third.

Route 150, now named the Miami Beach Airport Flyer, leaves the MIA Metrorail station for Washington Avenue and South Pointe Drive, at the southern tip of Miami Beach, seven days a week. The timetable valid from July 20 to November 22, 2026 lists 37 trips a day toward the beach, the first around 5:20 a.m. and the last around 11:20 p.m., roughly every 30 minutes and about half an hour end to end. The fare is the standard $2.25, and the buses carry luggage racks.

Taxis wait on the arrivals level outside baggage claim. The meter starts at $2.95 for the first 1/6 mile, the airport adds a $2.00 origination fee, and the minimum fare from MIA is $15. SUVs and vans may add a 30 percent surcharge, so ask before a large family loads into one.

Inside the terminal, ignore anyone offering a ride. MIA says soliciting ground transportation there is illegal and that many solicitors are unlicensed and uninsured. Uniformed staff wearing MIA badges point travelers to the taxi rank, the ride-app doors and the transit link.

Ride apps pick up on the first level (arrivals) and the second level (departures), at the door the app names, so read the screen before walking out. Transfers to Brickell, Downtown and the other neighborhoods get their own notes in Miami airport to the city.

Fort Lauderdale airport to Miami

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International publishes estimated taxi fares of $72 to Miami International Airport, $80 to South Beach and $86 to the Port of Miami. Port Everglades, much closer, runs $18 to $21. Broward regulates taxi fares by law, and the airport notes that the estimates may vary with the current fuel surcharge.

Free shuttle buses run from the terminals to the Tri-Rail station at Dania Beach, a few miles away. Tri-Rail is the commuter train of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, and it runs daily. At the Miami end, Metrorail’s Green Line heads toward the Tri-Rail station, and closer to FLL, Broward County Transit Route 1 stops at the Rental Car Center, Stop G.

Brightline runs an airport connector shuttle between FLL and its Fort Lauderdale station for $12 per guest plus a $3 fuel surcharge. Brightline lists its hours as 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, and the airport’s page says 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Plan on a daytime service and confirm the hours the day before. Our Fort Lauderdale guide covers the city itself.

Tampa airport to Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach lies 20 to 25 miles from Tampa International Airport, by the airport’s approximate distances. Clearwater itself is 20 miles away, St. Petersburg 20 and St. Pete Beach 27, while downtown Tampa sits 9 miles out and the cruise port 9.5. Walt Disney World is 76 miles from TPA, so a Disney week starts better at MCO.

TPA taxis are Yellow Cab, at the curb outside baggage claim. The fare is $3.50 for the first 1/5 mile plus $2.85 a mile, with a $22 minimum from the airport and a flat $40 to downtown Tampa and to the cruise terminal. Applied to the 20 to 25 miles to Clearwater Beach, that meter lands around $60 to $75 (est.).

HART and PSTA public buses stop at the Rental Car Center, reached on the SkyConnect train. PSTA is the Pinellas County system, serving Clearwater and St. Petersburg, so check its timetable for the line nearest your hotel. The beach itself, from the sand to the sunset spots, is in our Clearwater guide, and the Tampa guide covers the city side of the bay.

Uber and Lyft pickup at Florida airports

At MCO, Uber, Lyft and other ride apps pick up at the Arrivals Curb (Level 2) of Terminals A and B around the clock, and at the Departures Curb (Level 3) between 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. Terminal C sends riders to its Arrivals Curb on Level 6.

FLL puts ride-share pickups curbside on the lower level (Arrivals) in designated areas, with drop-offs on the upper level (Departures). Tampa sends Uber, Lyft and Wridz to the Red Express Curbside, the Blue Express Curbside or the SkyCenter One remote curb, and the airport adds a $5.00 service fee to the fare. Miami’s pickup doors are listed with the MIA transfers.

A ride app shows its price before you accept, while a taxi runs on the meter. When a wave of flights lands at once, the app price climbs with demand. Compare the app quote with the taxi rank at the curb before you tap.

Do you need a rental car from a Florida airport?

A rental car picked up at the airport makes sense when the trip leaves the city: the Gulf beaches, the Keys, a road trip along the coast. For a stay spent inside Walt Disney World or on South Beach, the car mostly sits in a paid lot, and a one-time transfer covers the need.

Florida’s toll roads are electronic. A car without a SunPass or compatible transponder is photographed, and a Toll Enforcement Invoice goes to the registered owner, which for a rental is the rental company, covering 30 days of tolls plus a $2.50 administrative fee. Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise says SunPass customers save an average of 25% on tolls compared with TOLL-BY-PLATE. Ask at the rental desk how tolls reach your bill before you drive off, and compare the options in our Florida car rental guide.

Sources & data for this guide
  • MCO taxi and shuttle-van approximate rates, LYNX bus, ride-share curbs, SunRail link · Orlando International Airport (GOAA) · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • Mears Connect one-way pricing and 3% fuel surcharge · Mears Connect · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • Brightline Orlando station, schedule, advance round-trip fares, parking and rideshare drop-off, FLL connector shuttle · Brightline · checked Sep 24, 2026 · fares vary by date
  • MIA Mover, Metrorail lines, taxis, ride apps, solicitation warning · Miami International Airport · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • Transit fares · Miami-Dade County · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • Route 150 Miami Beach Airport Flyer trips and hours · Miami-Dade DTPW official GTFS feed, timetable Jul 20 to Nov 22, 2026 · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • FLL taxi estimates, Tri-Rail shuttle, BCT Route 1, ride-share levels, Brightline shuttle hours · Broward County, FLL (updated Jul 23, 2026) · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • TPA distances, Yellow Cab fares, ride-app curbs and fee, HART and PSTA stop · Tampa International Airport · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • Electronic tolls, Toll Enforcement Invoice, SunPass savings · Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise · checked Sep 24, 2026
  • The Clearwater Beach taxi range is our estimate from TPA’s published meter rate and distances, not an airport quote · ride-app prices move with demand, so check the app at the curb.

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