A great way to get around Key West, Florida, and get an overall sense of the island, is to explore it by both jet ski and bicycle.

The Florida island of Key West has many different places to explore. The island is big enough that it is difficult to just walk around and see everything, but also small enough with tight streets that renting a car to get around can also be impractical. Two ways to explore the island with relative ease, while also getting a sense of the entire place, are by renting a bike or taking a jet-ski tour.

Barefoot Billy’s Jet Ski Tours

Key West is unique in that the island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Visitors can ride a jet ski in both within the space of two hours by taking a 27-mile tour offered through Barefoot Billy’s.

The tour leaves from the beachfront of the Reach Resort on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island. Riders are given a chance before the tour starts to get used to their machines before heading southward around the lower tip of the island while riding about 100 yards off the beach through waves. The water gets calmer once the tour gets around to the Gulf, and there is one particularly calm and shallow spot, known as “The Flats,” where riders are given time to either take a rest or see just how fast their machine can go on the flat water. The tour continues through local waterways before emerging back in the Atlantic Ocean and finishing back at Reach Resort. Along the way, the guide will point out various spots and landmarks and explain their significance.

Barefoot Billy’s also rents jet skis and other watercraft on an hourly basis.

Barefoot Billy’s
1435 Simonton St.
Key West
305-849-0815

Bike Rental Key West

Key West has small streets that can easily be accessed by bicycle, and the overall geography of the island is such that riding a bike is both a quick and easy way to get to various landmarks around the area. For those arriving in Key West via a cruise ship, Paradise Rentals has a location renting both bikes and scooters within easy walking distance of the port. Locks are included with bike rentals so they can be locked up on the street while visiting various landmarks around the island. Paradise Rentals also has a second location on the island that rents scooters.