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Downtown Tampa office towers above the Hillsborough River, with an elevated road bridge crossing the water and a small motorboat in the foreground under a blue sky

Where to stay in Tampa

Photographed in 2015. Photo: Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Tampa

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Tampa

St Petersburg lies across the bay from Tampa on the Pinellas peninsula, and the Gulf beaches are 33 to 43 km from Tampa airport by road. The two counties charge different room taxes.

United States. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Tampa International (TPA), about 14 km by road from Downtown Tampa and about 33 km from Clearwater Beach. The SkyConnect train runs from the main terminal to the Rental Car Center. 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 a county surtax of 1.5% in Hillsborough and 1% in Pinellas in 2026. Source
Tourist development tax
6% in Hillsborough and 6% in Pinellas on stays of six months or less, so a room pays 13.5% in all in Tampa and 13% in St Petersburg, Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach. 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
Parking in Tampa
City garages USD 2 or USD 3 an hour, USD 14 to USD 18 a day, with the next day's charges from 6 a.m.; downtown streets USD 4 for the first hour and USD 3 after, 8 a.m. to midnight. Source
Parking tickets
Tampa takes online payment only from credit cards issued in the United States; visitors from abroad mail a money order in US dollars. Source
Clearwater Beach parking
City lots USD 3.50 an hour from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with parking prohibited at other times in Pier 60 and several other lots; street parking USD 4 an hour for up to 5 hours; no public parking north of the Acacia roundabout. Source
St Pete Beach parking
Backing into or pulling through a metered space is illegal, because enforcement reads the licence plate from the drive lane. 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 Tampa

The Tampa Riverwalk with walkers beside the Hillsborough River below a round tower and other downtown buildings, with a thatched party boat on the river and a road bridge beyond
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Zeng8r, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Tampa and the Channel District

The business district on the Hillsborough River, with the convention centre and the 2.6-mile Riverwalk past parks, museums and hotels, and the Channel District just east, a residential neighbourhood with streetcar stops. It suits a city stay and events.

Tampa airport
about 14 km
Ybor City
about 2 km
Downtown St. Petersburg
about 38 km

Car and parking

City garages cost USD 2 or USD 3 an hour up to USD 14 or USD 18 a day, and the next day's charges start at 6 a.m. Street parking costs USD 4 for the first hour downtown and USD 3 in the Channel District, from 8 a.m. to midnight, paid by plate with Passport, PayByPhone, ParkMobile or Flowbird.

Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, lined with red brick buildings with iron balconies, globe street lamps and tall palm trees, with cars parked along the street
Photo: Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ybor City

A historic district just north-east of downtown, founded in the 1880s by cigar makers and now a National Historic Landmark District, with a nightclub and entertainment strip on 7th Avenue. It suits a lively stay in old brick buildings, less so an early night.

Tampa airport
about 15 km
Downtown Tampa
about 2 km

Car and parking

The city's Ybor lots are free for the first two hours, then USD 2 an hour up to USD 14, with a USD 10 flat rate on Friday and Saturday nights. Street meters run from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., and some residential blocks carry extra restrictions.

The white sand beach at Cypress Point Park in Tampa, with calm bay water, marker posts and a long low causeway on the horizon under a clear sky
Photo: MdeVicente, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Westshore

A principal business district of Tampa, next to the airport, with 32 hotels, the International Plaza and WestShore Plaza malls and more than 200 restaurants and bars, and a small bay beach at Cypress Point Park on its western edge. It suits early flights and business trips.

Tampa airport
about 5 km
Downtown Tampa
about 8 km

Car and parking

Parking is set by each hotel and mall, and no official source lists it, so ask the hotel. The airport is about 5 km away by road.

The downtown St. Petersburg skyline seen from the St. Pete Pier, with people walking along the pier, a marina with sailboats and a small sandy beach on the bay
Photo: Rishabh Tatiraju, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown St. Petersburg

The centre of St Petersburg, the Sunshine City, on the Pinellas peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf, with its waterfront and pier on the bay. It suits a city stay with the Gulf beaches about 15 km away by road.

Tampa airport
about 34 km
Downtown Tampa
about 38 km
St. Pete Beach
about 15 km

Car and parking

Meters cost USD 1 to USD 1.50 an hour, and a driver must cross an intersection before starting a new session; the SouthCore garage charges USD 2 an hour up to USD 16 a day (via GetCar).

Hotel towers along the wide sandy shore of Clearwater Beach in late afternoon light, with people walking at the water's edge and a pier in the distance
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Clearwater Beach

A barrier island on the Gulf, reached over the Clearwater Memorial Causeway, with 2.5 miles of white sand, hotel towers along the shore and a marina on the Intracoastal side. It suits a beach holiday built around the hotel.

Tampa airport
about 33 km
Downtown Tampa
about 40 km
The beach
under 1 km

Car and parking

City lots cost USD 3.50 an hour from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Pier 60 and several other lots forbid parking outside those hours. Street parking costs USD 4 an hour for up to 5 hours, and nothing public is allowed north of the Acacia roundabout. The city issues permits to motels without their own guest parking.

The beach at Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach seen from a rock jetty, with clear shallow water, beachgoers under umbrellas and low houses among the trees
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

St. Pete Beach

A small beach city on the Gulf, with its downtown on Corey Avenue and the Pass-a-Grille Historic District and the Don CeSar resort at its southern end. It suits a quieter beach stay on the Gulf side of St Petersburg.

Tampa airport
about 43 km
Downtown St. Petersburg
about 15 km
The beach
under 1 km

Car and parking

Backing into or pulling through a metered space is illegal, because enforcement reads the plate from the drive lane. Parking permits are only for residents who own property or hold a lease of 6 months or more.

Guides

Questions

Is it better to stay in Tampa or on the beach?

Tampa, Downtown or Ybor City, for the city and the Riverwalk, about 14 to 15 km from the airport by road. Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach, on the Gulf, suit a beach holiday but are 33 to 43 km from the airport.

What taxes are added to a hotel room in the Tampa Bay area?

13.5% in Tampa (Hillsborough County) and 13% in St Petersburg, Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach (Pinellas County): Florida's 6% sales tax, the county surtax and a 6% tourist development tax, on stays of six months or less.

Can a car be parked overnight at Clearwater Beach?

Not in the Pier 60 lot and several other city lots, where parking is allowed only from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Street parking has a 5-hour limit, so ask the hotel about its own parking before booking.

How does a foreign visitor pay a Tampa parking ticket?

Online only with a credit card issued in the United States. Other visitors mail a money order in US dollars.