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Fort Lauderdale beach seen from directly above, with rows of blue umbrellas and sunbathers on the sand, palm trees along a white wavy wall and cars on the beachfront road above the turquoise sea

Where to stay in Fort Lauderdale

Photographed in 2016. Photo: Lance Asper, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Fort Lauderdale

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Fort Lauderdale

The beaches of Broward County are reached from the mainland over the Intracoastal Waterway, on drawbridges that open to boats on a set schedule. Every area here pays the same 13% room tax.

United States. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL), about 8 km by road from Las Olas and Downtown and about 10 km from the beach at the end of Las Olas Boulevard. Twelve rental companies share one building next to Terminal 1. Source
Sales tax on a room
Florida's 6% sales tax applies to rentals of six months or less and is added to the rent, plus Broward's 1% surtax in 2026. Source
Tourist development tax
Broward County adds 6% on stays of six months or less, so a room pays 13% in all anywhere in the county. Source
Vacation rental licence
Florida licenses a home or condo rented more than three times a year for under 30 consecutive days as a vacation rental. The 2026 statutes require the licence; no rule putting its number on listings was found. Source
Fort Lauderdale rentals
A registered vacation rental shows its certificate of compliance number in all advertising, sleeps two people per bedroom overnight (up to four children under 13 not counted) and keeps guest cars in its driveway. Source
Hollywood rentals
Vacation rentals need a city licence, and each must have a noise level detection device that alerts the owner and the guests. Source
Parking at the beach
Fort Lauderdale charges USD 4 an hour at the beach, with a 4-hour limit on most streets; the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park lot closes from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., with towing. Source
Drawbridges
East Las Olas opens on the quarter-hour and three-quarter hour, Sunrise Boulevard and Commercial Boulevard on the hour and half-hour, SE 17th Street once an hour in the weekday peaks. Source
Entry
Citizens of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries, among them the UK and 24 EU countries (not Bulgaria, Cyprus or Romania), can visit for up to 90 days with an ESTA. The stay cannot be extended. Source
ESTA
USD 40.27 per application (USD 10.27 if refused), valid for two years or until the passport expires. Source
Hurricane season
1 June to 30 November, with the peak around 10 September. Source
Emergency number
911 for ambulance, fire and police Source

Areas of Fort Lauderdale

A lifeguard stand painted with palm trees on the sand of Fort Lauderdale beach, with red and purple flags flying, beachgoers under umbrellas and the sea behind
Photo: MdeVicente, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fort Lauderdale Beach

The city's beach on A1A, where Las Olas Boulevard ends on the barrier island, with palms along a white wave wall between the road and the sand. It suits a beach-first stay in a hotel or apartment close to the water.

Fort Lauderdale airport
about 14 km
Las Olas and Downtown
about 6 km
The beach
under 1 km

Car and parking

Beach streets cost USD 4 an hour with a 4-hour limit, and the beach lots close at night: the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park lot from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., with towing. The Las Olas Garage charges USD 4 an hour for up to 10 hours. Registered vacation rentals keep guest cars in their own driveway.

The brick Riverwalk curving along the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, with moored boats, palm trees and residential towers under a blue sky
Photo: Blake Handley, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Las Olas and Downtown

The shopping stretch of Las Olas Boulevard, with low and mid-rise bars, shops, galleries and restaurants, and the downtown towers along the Riverwalk on the New River. It suits a city stay with the beach a short drive east.

Fort Lauderdale airport
about 8 km
The beach at Las Olas Boulevard
about 3 km

Car and parking

The Riverwalk Center garage charges USD 3 an hour and the City Hall garage USD 4, each with a maximum stay, paid with PayByPhone. The East Las Olas drawbridge on the way to the beach opens on the quarter-hour and three-quarter hour.

A sandy path between low dune plants leading to the beach at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, with the fishing pier and a painted beachfront building on the right and the Atlantic under a partly cloudy sky
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

A small town on a narrow barrier island north of Fort Lauderdale, with Anglin's Fishing Pier at the end of Commercial Boulevard, a coral reef about 100 yards offshore and older hotels in mid-century modern style. It suits a small-town beach stay and diving from the shore.

Fort Lauderdale airport
about 23 km
Las Olas and Downtown
about 12 km
The beach
under 1 km

Car and parking

Meters run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: USD 4 an hour in the beach district east of A1A and USD 1.75 in the business plazas, paid by plate at the pay stations or with the Pay-By-Phone app. Backing into angled spaces is cited.

The paved Hollywood Beach Broadwalk lined with palm trees and lamp posts, with a low white building and café tables on the left and the beach and sea on the right
Photographed in 2019. Photo: Tamanoeconomico, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hollywood Beach

The beach of Hollywood, Broward County's third-largest city, about 5 to 6 miles of Atlantic sand with the Broadwalk promenade along it. It suits a beach stay close to the airport.

Fort Lauderdale airport
about 10 km
Las Olas and Downtown
about 15 km

Car and parking

The Garfield Garage charges non-residents USD 3 an hour from Monday to Thursday and USD 4 from Friday to Sunday and on holidays, the Nebraska Garage USD 2 and USD 3; both are open 24 hours. The Hollywood Beach Boulevard drawbridge opens on the hour and half-hour.

Aerial view of Pompano Beach, with apartment towers behind a wide sandy beach, a long pier reaching into the turquoise sea and a lighthouse at the inlet in the far distance
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pompano Beach

A city on the ocean just north of Fort Lauderdale, with a pier and the Hillsboro Lighthouse, completed on the beach in 1906, at the Hillsboro Inlet. It suits a longer beach stay, with a monthly parking pass for non-residents.

Fort Lauderdale airport
about 29 km
Las Olas and Downtown
about 17 km
The beach
under 1 km

Car and parking

Beach parking is enforced around the clock and not allowed from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.; the pier garage charges by the hour on levels 2 to 4, paid with Pay by Phone or Passport. Non-residents can buy a USD 75 monthly hangtag, with overnight parking only in the Oceanside Lot.

Guides

Questions

Which area of Fort Lauderdale is best for a first visit?

Fort Lauderdale Beach, on A1A, for the sand, with Las Olas Boulevard running inland to downtown. Las Olas and Downtown, along the New River, suit a stay with restaurants and shops at the door, about 8 km from the airport by road.

What taxes are added to a hotel room in Fort Lauderdale?

13% anywhere in Broward County: Florida's 6% sales tax, the county's 1% surtax and a 6% tourist development tax, on stays of six months or less.

How can a guest tell a Fort Lauderdale vacation rental is registered?

The city's certificate of compliance number must appear in all advertising, and the certificate is posted inside the main entrance door with the responsible party's name and phone number and the maximum occupancy.

How much is parking at Fort Lauderdale Beach?

USD 4 an hour at the beach meters and in the Las Olas Garage, paid with PayByPhone. Most beach streets allow 4 hours, the garage 10, and the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park lot is closed from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., with towing.