The experience
Live inside the story of the nation's oldest city.
Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established city in the United States — and that history is the whole texture of the place. You walk cobblestone streets past Spanish colonial architecture, stumble into hidden courtyards and find a centuries-old fortress at the edge of the Atlantic.
The way to see it is on foot: stay close enough to park the car and forget it. Several of the stays here are historic themselves — Casa Amarillo is an 1890s home a walk from the historic district, and Twin Palms is a restored 1930 craftsman cottage on the historic Freedom Trail.
How to spend your days
- Reach the Castillo de San Marcos at opening, before the crowds — thirty minutes at dawn is worth more than two hours at noon.
- Climb the 219 steps of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, a half-mile from the fort.
- Book dinner ahead — our St. Augustine restaurant guide covers The Floridian, Catch 27 and 97 Cordova at Casa Monica.
- Take a day trip to Amelia Island for Fernandina Beach's Victorian downtown and Fort Clinch.
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Stays with History: Our picks include an 1890s home, a restored 1930 craftsman cottage, an early-1900s home in Uptown and a restored 1920s carriage-house apartment.
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Park Once, Walk Everywhere: Our St. Augustine picks are a walk from the historic district, its restaurants and its museums — no building your day around the car.
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Nights of Lights: From mid-November through January the historic district is strung with white lights — one of the most impressive seasonal events in Florida.
