Naples: Florida’s Gulf coast, the back story

About Naples: Florida’s Gulf coast, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Miami Editorial Team

Naples is a small, elegant city on Florida’s Gulf coast, known for white-sand beaches, warm water and famous sunsets, with walkable downtown streets and grand beach resorts. It is about 2½ hours from Miami straight across the state.

The Gulf coast

Naples faces west across the Gulf of Mexico, so the sunset is part of every evening: beachfront restaurants fill up about an hour before the sun goes down. The beaches are white sand with gentle water, and the coast is known for shelling.

Downtown

Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, in Old Naples, hold most of the city’s best-known restaurants, shops and galleries, a short walk from the beach and the pier. The Naples Pier is closed while it is rebuilt after Hurricane Ian; the beach beside it stays open.

In Naples, the most important reservation detail is not the time of dinner but the time of sunset.

Getting there from Miami

The quickest way is to drive straight across the state on I-75, Alligator Alley: about 2½ hours without stops, depending on traffic. The Tamiami Trail (US 41) is the slower, scenic alternative through the Everglades, past Shark Valley and Big Cypress National Preserve. Greyhound and FlixBus also run coaches.

Go deeper

This is a short selection. Our sister site, the ULTIMATE Naples City Guide (ultimatenaplescityguide.com), covers Naples in full, from restaurants and hotels to golf, the Everglades and Marco Island.

Our advice: go for at least one night so you can watch the sunset and walk Fifth Avenue after dark; drive one way on Alligator Alley and the other on the Tamiami Trail.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Naples: Florida’s Gulf coast, the back story before you go.