Getting around Fort Lauderdale without a car? (Miami, Hollywood: to rent, condos)

[Redlionjr]

My Wife and I are planning our anniversary trip and are thinking about visiting Fort Lauderdale. We're planning on staying at an airbnb in a neighborhood close to Holiday Park/Shuck N Dive/ The Fresh Market. We don't plan on renting a car and really don't want to do too much on this vacation but go to the beach and do a few sightseeing in the immediate area. How is public transportation in Fort Lauderdale? And would you recommend FLL for a romantic getaway? We've been to Miami already. Wasn't the biggest fan honestly but judging from a couple of youtube videos and research FLL seems more like my vibe but I would love to hear from the locals.

[Lincolnian]

You can take the RT 36 bus to get to the beach. It also goes to the Sawgrass and the Galleria malls. From the Beach or Galleria you can use the free Sun Trolley to travel from the beach up 17th street or you can grab the RT 40 bus and access Las Olas. Of course you can also walk to Las Olas from your location but it will be a mile or so to the popular area shops and restaurants. The Water Taxi is fun too and Thursday thru Sunday you can ride it down to Hollywood. There's also good Lyft and Uber coverage.

There is a lot to do in the Ft. Lauderdale area. There's plenty of great dining options on Las Olas and along the beach. The Riverwalk off Las Olas is a great place to take a stroll, grab something to eat or drink and sit and take in the beautiful sights and weather.

[blueherons]

You are nowhere near the beach and yes, you will need a car. Do you really want to go to the beach with a cooler, chairs, beach bag by bus? It will take you an hour to get to the beach when it is only a ten minute drive.

Shuck N Dive is really good but a little pricey. No Man's Land for drinks for sure (it looks closed because it is dark but it is not).

Blue Holly is a fantastic new restaurant.

[Alfiehurt]

Originally Posted by Lincolnian

You can take the RT 36 bus to get to the beach. It also goes to the Sawgrass and the Galleria malls. From the Beach or Galleria you can use the free Sun Trolley to travel from the beach up 17th street or you can grab the RT 40 bus and access Las Olas. Of course you can also walk to Las Olas from your location but it will be a mile or so to the popular area shops and restaurants. The Water Taxi is fun too and Thursday thru Sunday you can ride it down to Hollywood. There's also good Lyft and Uber coverage.

There is a lot to do in the Ft. Lauderdale area. There's plenty of great dining options on Las Olas and along the beach. The Riverwalk off Las Olas is a great place to take a stroll, grab something to eat or drink and sit and take in the beautiful sights and weather.

Very useful information for folks like me who don't drive! and planning to move to the area next year
I could not figure out though how the water taxi worked when I strolled down the Riverwalk area a few weeks ago. Looking forward to try them/use them later this year!

[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by Alfiehurt

Very useful information for folks like me who don't drive! and planning to move to the area next year
I could not figure out though how the water taxi worked when I strolled down the Riverwalk area a few weeks ago. Looking forward to try them/use them later this year!

The water taxi has 10 stops. They run between 10 am and 8 pm M - W and 10 am to 10 pm Th - Sun. The Th - Sun also goes to Hollywood. It is not an inexpensive ride option but they do offer monthly and yearly passes that can work out nicely for year round residents who would like to enjoy riding on the intracoastal way and visiting popular locations.

If you live along one of the Beach Connection (old Sun Trolley) routes it is a convenient free service that picks up about every 45 minutes. The Beach Connection generally only runs during the day 10:30 to 5:00 pm on the beach route. If you are located near the main bus routes they run regularly from about 5:30 am to 11:00 pm. There is also a growing number of bicycle lanes throughout the city with plans for expansion.

Locating along 17th street, near Sunrise or Las Olas gives one excellent access to shopping, downtown and the beaches without a car. Larger grocery/supply trips to Walmart, Target and other areas further from those locations are a little more challenging without a car. However, there is regular bus service to the Sawgrass and Galleria malls for speciality shopping.

[Redlionjr]

Thanks for all the information. I think we'll rent a car for a day just in case if we want to drive to Miami on one of those days. Thought about using the brightline train but because my Wife is pregnant it's best to just have a car so she'll feel more comfortable going place to place. Would love to rent some bikes but can't because of the pregnancy.

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by Lincolnian

The water taxi has 10 stops. They run between 10 am and 8 pm M - W and 10 am to 10 pm Th - Sun. The Th - Sun also goes to Hollywood. It is not an inexpensive ride option but they do offer monthly and yearly passes that can work out nicely for year round residents who would like to enjoy riding on the intracoastal way and visiting popular locations.

If you live along one of the Beach Connection (old Sun Trolley) routes it is a convenient free service that picks up about every 45 minutes. The Beach Connection generally only runs during the day 10:30 to 5:00 pm on the beach route. If you are located near the main bus routes they run regularly from about 5:30 am to 11:00 pm. There is also a growing number of bicycle lanes throughout the city with plans for expansion.

Locating along 17th street, near Sunrise or Las Olas gives one excellent access to shopping, downtown and the beaches without a car. Larger grocery/supply trips to Walmart, Target and other areas further from those locations are a little more challenging without a car. However, there is regular bus service to the Sawgrass and Galleria malls for speciality shopping.

While the Water Taxi is a fantastic form of entertainment (my Godson is a captain) it is a horrible mode of transportation.

The best time to be on it is after dark.

[Alfiehurt]

Originally Posted by Lincolnian

The water taxi has 10 stops. They run between 10 am and 8 pm M - W and 10 am to 10 pm Th - Sun. The Th - Sun also goes to Hollywood. It is not an inexpensive ride option but they do offer monthly and yearly passes that can work out nicely for year round residents who would like to enjoy riding on the intracoastal way and visiting popular locations.

If you live along one of the Beach Connection (old Sun Trolley) routes it is a convenient free service that picks up about every 45 minutes. The Beach Connection generally only runs during the day 10:30 to 5:00 pm on the beach route. If you are located near the main bus routes they run regularly from about 5:30 am to 11:00 pm. There is also a growing number of bicycle lanes throughout the city with plans for expansion.

Locating along 17th street, near Sunrise or Las Olas gives one excellent access to shopping, downtown and the beaches without a car. Larger grocery/supply trips to Walmart, Target and other areas further from those locations are a little more challenging without a car. However, there is regular bus service to the Sawgrass and Galleria malls for speciality shopping.

Thank you for this valuable information
is South of Las Olas Ft Lauderdale much different than North of Las Olas Ft Lauderdale?
I like the downtown area because of the condo availability but cannot afford it

I noticed 17th St offers condo options and they seem more affordable than Flagler V or Victoria P, Las Olas, etc

[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by Alfiehurt

Thank you for this valuable information
is South of Las Olas Ft Lauderdale much different than North of Las Olas Ft Lauderdale?
I like the downtown area because of the condo availability but cannot afford it

I noticed 17th St offers condo options and they seem more affordable than Flagler V or Victoria P, Las Olas, etc

It depends what you like to do. 17th street is not walking distance to downtown. Parts of it are walking distance to A1A but that has a more touristy vibe and of course the beach.

I can't speak for the neighborhoods north or south of Las Olas in terms of living. South of Las Olas near Andrews Ave and the jail the new condos quickly disappear. The south side between the river and Las Olas has some very expensive high-rise condos. As you move east on Las Olas toward the beach, there are some very nice condos on both sides of Las Olas (north and south) near the intracoastal waterway. I've seen a few 2 bedrooms in the low to mid $200s in older buildings.

[Alfiehurt]

Other than downtown, e.g. Flagler V, Las Olas, what other areas of FLL offer that urban, semi urban lifestyle (walkable neighborhoods, shopping,)? I saw some of that vibe, partially, by the beach. Maybe some of Wilton Manors. Also along US 1. Maybe it was my perception.