Where to stay in Tampa
The choice around Tampa Bay is between the city, St Petersburg across the bay, and the Gulf beaches of Pinellas County, 33 to 43 km from the airport by road. Each has its own parking rules, and the county line changes the tax.
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How the areas differ
Downtown Tampa, the chief financial district of the bay area, lines the Hillsborough River, where the 2.6-mile Riverwalk links parks, museums and hotels from the Channel District to Tampa Heights. The Channel District, just east of downtown, is a residential neighbourhood with streetcar stops. Ybor City, about 2 km (1 mile) north-east, was founded in the 1880s by cigar makers and is a National Historic Landmark District, with a nightclub and entertainment strip on 7th Avenue. Westshore, next to the airport, is Tampa's other business district, with 32 hotels and two malls.
St Petersburg lies across the bay on the Pinellas peninsula, between Tampa Bay and the Gulf, about 38 km (23 miles) from Downtown Tampa by road. On the Gulf, Clearwater Beach is a barrier island with 2.5 miles of white sand, reached over the Clearwater Memorial Causeway, and St Pete Beach, further south, has its downtown on Corey Avenue and the Pass-a-Grille Historic District at its southern end.
By road from the airport, Westshore is about 5 km (3 miles), Downtown Tampa about 14 km (9 miles), Ybor City about 15 km (9 miles), Clearwater Beach about 33 km (21 miles), downtown St Petersburg about 34 km (21 miles) and St Pete Beach about 43 km (27 miles).
Staying with a rental car
Tampa's city garages cost USD 2 or USD 3 an hour, capped at USD 14 or USD 18 a day, and the next day's charges start at 6 a.m. Downtown street parking costs USD 4 for the first hour and USD 3 after, from 8 a.m. to midnight every day. In Ybor City the city lots are free for two hours, then USD 2 an hour up to USD 14, with a USD 10 flat rate on Friday and Saturday nights. Drivers pay by plate with Passport, PayByPhone, ParkMobile or Flowbird, and a ticket can be paid online only with a card issued in the United States; visitors from abroad mail a money order in US dollars.
At Clearwater Beach the 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 at other times. Street parking costs USD 4 an hour for up to 5 hours, and nothing public is allowed north of the Acacia roundabout, so a hotel with its own parking matters there. St Pete Beach treats backing into a metered space as illegal, because its enforcement reads the plate from the drive lane. In St Petersburg, meters cost USD 1 to USD 1.50 an hour (via GetCar).
Rental companies bill tolls through their own programmes, with their own fees. GetCar's guide Driving in Tampa: the Rental Car Center by SkyConnect, the First Free Hour, the Selmon Tolls of July 2026 and the Reversible Lanes, the Skyway, Parking Downtown, in Ybor and at Clearwater Beach covers the roads and the tolls in full.
Room taxes and rental rules for a guest
Florida's 6% sales tax applies to stays of six months or less and is added to the rent. In Tampa, Hillsborough County adds a 1.5% surtax and a 6% tourist development tax, so a room pays 13.5%. In St Petersburg, Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach, Pinellas County adds a 1% surtax and 6%, so a room pays 13%.
Florida licenses a vacation rental, a home or condo rented more than three times a year for less than 30 consecutive days. The 2026 statutes require the licence, and no rule putting its number on listings was found. The local rules of Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater and St Pete Beach could not be verified as of September 2026, so ask the host which licence and permits the rental holds.
When to book what
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with its peak around 10 September. Florida publishes evacuation zones by address, so the address of a stay can be checked before booking in those months. Once the Governor declares a state of emergency, Florida law bars unconscionable prices, in the declared area, for a dwelling needed as a direct result of the emergency, for up to 60 days unless extended.
Apply for the ESTA before buying flights. Then compare and book the stay with the county's tax in the total, and on the beaches confirm the parking in writing.
Which area for which trip
A city stay on the river: Downtown Tampa and the Channel District.
Old brick streets and nightlife: Ybor City.
Early flights or business: Westshore.
A city on the water with the beaches nearby: Downtown St. Petersburg.
A beach holiday at a hotel: Clearwater Beach.
A quieter beach town: St. Pete Beach.
Questions
How far are the Gulf beaches from Tampa airport?
Clearwater Beach is about 33 km by road and St Pete Beach about 43 km. Downtown Tampa is about 14 km.
Is the room tax lower in St Petersburg than in Tampa?
Yes, by half a point: 13% in Pinellas County, which includes St Petersburg and the Gulf beaches, against 13.5% in Tampa, in Hillsborough County.
Where is parking free in Tampa?
The city's Ybor City lots give the first two hours free, then charge USD 2 an hour up to USD 14.
Can a car be parked overnight at Clearwater Beach?
Not in Pier 60 and several other city lots, which allow parking only from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Choose a hotel with its own parking; the city also issues permits to motels without guest parking.