Daytona Beach is Florida’s classic Atlantic beach town, famous for two things: motor racing and a wide, hard-packed beach where you can still drive and park your car on the sand. It is the home of Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500, and every March and October tens of thousands of riders arrive for Bike Week and Biketoberfest. Between the big events it is a relaxed, good-value seaside resort with a boardwalk and pier, miles of sand running north to Ormond Beach and south to Ponce Inlet’s red-brick lighthouse, and nesting sea turtles in summer. Orlando’s theme parks and historic St. Augustine are each about an hour away. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons.
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Daytona Beach at a glance
- Best for: wide beaches you can drive on, motor racing, motorcycle events, a lighthouse climb, and an easy beach base between Orlando and St. Augustine.
- How long: 2–3 days for the beach, the speedway and Ponce Inlet; 4–5 days with day trips to St. Augustine, Blue Spring or the Space Coast.
- Best time: March to May and October to November, with average highs of 76–85 °F (24–29 °C). Summer is hot, with afternoon storms on about 9–10 days a month, and it is hurricane season.
- Getting there: fly to Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB), on the mainland close to the speedway, or to Orlando and drive about an hour; I-95 and I-4 meet just west of the city.
- Getting around: a car is easiest; Votran, the county’s bus service, covers the beachside and the mainland.
- Before you go: entry rules, money, driving and general safety are on our United States travel guide.
Daytona Beach’s areas and who each one suits
The resort sits on a long barrier island separated from the mainland by the Halifax River, part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Bridges link the “beachside” with the mainland, where the speedway, the airport and the old downtown are. Volusia County manages about 36 miles (58 km) of beach here, from Ormond-by-the-Sea to New Smyrna Beach.
Main Street, the Boardwalk and the pier
The heart of the resort, with the Daytona Beach Boardwalk, the Main Street Pier, the bandshell, arcades, big beachfront hotels and the bars that fill up during Bike Week. Lively and central; light sleepers should ask for a room away from Main Street during events.
Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet
South of the center, Daytona Beach Shores is a quieter strip of condo towers and family hotels, popular with longer-stay visitors. At the southern tip, the small town of Ponce Inlet has the lighthouse, seafood restaurants on the water and a beach park by the inlet jetty. Good for families and couples who want calm evenings.
Ormond Beach
North of Daytona, Ormond Beach is residential and relaxed, with low-rise hotels, the oak-shaded Ormond Scenic Loop drive along the river and beaches that are less crowded. Racing was born on this sand in the early 1900s, before the speedway existed.
Mainland Daytona and Beach Street
Across the river, Beach Street is the historic downtown, with Riverfront Park, cafés and the Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Speedway visitors and business travelers stay in the chain hotels along International Speedway Boulevard near the track and the airport.
Top things to see in Daytona Beach
Prices, hours and rules below were checked on official sites in October 2026, unless we say otherwise; check again before you go.
Driving on the beach
Driving onto the sand through one of the county’s beach ramps and parking by the water is the quintessential Daytona experience. As of October 2026 Volusia County charges visitors $30 per vehicle per day (plus sales tax and any card fee) for beach driving, or $150 for a non-resident annual pass; county off-beach parking lots cost $20 a day. According to the county, vehicles may drive on the beach from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or sundown, whichever is earlier, from 1 May to 31 October, and from sunrise to sunset from 1 November to 30 April, tides and weather permitting. The 10 mph speed limit is strictly enforced, with fines from $116; drive with your headlights on and at least one front window fully open, and do not text. Park only where marked, seaward of the posts that protect the dunes, and watch out for children and pedestrians: driving zones are clearly signed and some stretches are car-free.
Daytona International Speedway
The “World Center of Racing”, opened in 1959, is a huge banked superspeedway of 2.5 miles (4 km) on International Speedway Boulevard. Its biggest event is the Daytona 500, the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series season, which is scheduled for Sunday 21 February 2027, with other races in the days before it. The Rolex 24 sports-car endurance race usually opens the year in late January, and NASCAR returns in late summer. On most non-race days the speedway offers guided tours that take you to the grandstands, garages and Victory Lane; check the speedway’s own site for tour times and prices, which we could not read.
Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse
Florida’s tallest lighthouse, finished in 1887, stands at the inlet south of Daytona Beach Shores, and you can climb its 203 steps for views over the ocean, the inlet and the river. The keepers’ houses around it are now museums, with a fine collection of lighthouse lenses. As of October 2026 admission costs $6.95 for adults (12 and over) and $1.95 for children aged 3–11, or $11.95 and $2.95 for a combined ticket with the nearby historic Pacetti Hotel Museum; tickets are sold on arrival and no reservation is needed. From 8 September 2026 to 30 May 2027 the lighthouse museum opens daily 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (last tickets at 5:00 p.m.), longer in summer; it closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. In October 2026 part of the gallery deck was closed for a few weeks during tower restoration.
The Boardwalk and Main Street Pier
The old-fashioned seafront of rides, arcades, ice-cream stands and the coquina-stone bandshell, which hosts free concerts in summer. The long Main Street Pier reaches out over the surf, with fishing and a restaurant. Come early in the morning to see the beach at its emptiest, or at sunset when the cars have left the sand.
More to see
- Museum of Arts and Sciences: a broad museum on the mainland, with Cuban art, a giant ground sloth skeleton, a planetarium and the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Florida art next door.
- Marine Science Center: the county’s sea-turtle and seabird rehabilitation center in Ponce Inlet, with viewing areas and a nature trail.
- Riverfront Park and Beach Street: gardens and walking paths along the Halifax River downtown.
- Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail: a drive or bike ride under live oaks and through coastal hammock north of Ormond Beach.
Other sights
- Daytona Beach Boardwalk
Museums
- Marine Science Center
- Museum of Arts and Sciences
Fun and family
- Daytona International Speedway
Monuments
- Ponce de Leon Inlet Light
Beaches and other things to do
Beach rules and safety
Volusia County’s beach rules are strict and enforced. Alcohol and glass containers are not allowed on the beach; music that can be heard more than 50 feet (15 m) away is illegal; pets are allowed only on designated dog-friendly stretches, apart from service animals; grilling is allowed if you take your charcoal away. Swim near a lifeguard tower and check the flags: green means low hazard, yellow medium hazard, red high hazard with strong surf or currents, double red means the water is closed, and purple warns of dangerous marine life such as jellyfish. The county adds that the absence of flags does not mean the water is safe. Rip currents are the main danger on this coast: the National Weather Service advises swimming only at beaches with lifeguards and checking the local beach forecast first. If a current carries you out, stay calm, float and swim parallel to the shore before heading in.
Sea turtles and dark beaches
Loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles nest on Volusia’s beaches. According to the county, nesting season runs from 1 May to 31 October, when beachfront lighting must not be visible from the beach. At night avoid shining torches or phone lights on the sand; if you need light, the county recommends a red, low-power flashlight. Fill in holes, flatten sandcastles and take your gear home so hatchlings can reach the sea.
Surfing, fishing and the water
New Smyrna Beach, just south of Ponce Inlet, is the area’s surf town, with consistent small waves by the inlet jetty. Anglers fish from the Main Street Pier, the jetties and the beach, and river cruises on the Halifax look for dolphins and manatees. Seaweed (sargassum) sometimes washes up on Florida’s Atlantic beaches in spring and summer, and red tide can occasionally reach this coast; check the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s red tide status and the Florida Department of Health’s Healthy Beaches water-quality advisories before you swim.
Day trips and onward travel
Blue Spring and the St. Johns River
About 40 minutes west near Orange City, Blue Spring State Park is a winter refuge for manatees, which gather in the warm spring run from about November to March; you watch them from a boardwalk. In warmer months you can swim and snorkel in the spring. The nearby university town of DeLand has a pretty historic main street.
St. Augustine, the Space Coast and Orlando
St. Augustine, the oldest European-founded city in the United States, is about an hour north along I-95 or the slower coastal A1A. To the south, Canaveral National Seashore protects undeveloped dunes and lagoons, and Kennedy Space Center is about 1¼ hours away. Orlando’s theme parks are roughly an hour’s drive west on I-4.
Nearby destinations
- St. Augustine81 km
- Orlando83 km
- Tampa199 km
- Clearwater222 km
- St. Petersburg225 km
- Sarasota256 km
Getting there and getting around
By air
Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) is small and easy, a short drive from the beachside. According to the airport, it is served by American Airlines, Avelo, Breeze and Delta, with most connections via airline hubs; it has rental cars, taxis and Votran buses. Many visitors fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO), which has far more routes, including from Europe, and drive about an hour north-east.
Driving and tolls
I-95 runs north–south just inland and I-4 heads to Orlando and Tampa; neither is a toll road around Daytona, but some routes to Orlando and the airport use toll roads. Florida’s toll roads are electronic and cash is not accepted. Use SunPass or a compatible transponder; otherwise an invoice is mailed to the owner with a $2.50 TOLL-BY-PLATE fee. In a rental car, the company’s toll program applies, with its own fees, unless you add the plate to your own SunPass account for the rental dates.
Buses and getting around
Votran, Volusia County’s public transport, runs buses along the beachside and across the river. For the speedway, Ponce Inlet and day trips, a car or rideshare is far more practical. The SunRail commuter train from Orlando ends at DeLand, about 25 miles (40 km) inland, and runs on weekdays only.
When to go and how long to stay
Daytona has a humid subtropical climate, a little cooler than South Florida in winter. The table uses NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the Daytona Beach International Airport weather station: average daily highs and lows, and days with at least 0.10 in (2.5 mm) of rain. The sea is warmest from June to October. Hotel prices jump during Speedweeks in February, Bike Week in March and Biketoberfest in October, and the beach is busiest at spring break and in summer.
| Season | Average high / low | Rainy days per month | What it’s like | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 69–72 °F (21–22 °C) / 48–52 °F (9–11 °C) | 4 | Mild and mostly sunny, with cool nights; sea too cold for most swimmers | Beach walks, racing, the lighthouse, manatees at Blue Spring |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 76–85 °F (24–29 °C) / 55–66 °F (13–19 °C) | 4–5 | Warm and fairly dry; busy at Bike Week and spring break | Beach days, driving on the sand, events |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 89–90 °F (31–32 °C) / 72–74 °F (22–23 °C) | 9–10 | Hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms; turtle nesting season | Swimming, surfing, early-morning beach time |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | 87 °F (31 °C) falling to 76 °F (24 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C) falling to 58 °F (14 °C) | 9 in September, 4 in November | Stormy in September, pleasant and quieter by November | Biketoberfest, fishing, good-value stays |
The airport averages about 51.2 in (1,302 mm) of rain a year. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October, according to NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. This coast has been hit hard by recent storms, including Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022, which damaged beachfront properties. In the season, follow the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service, know your evacuation zone on Volusia County’s emergency-management site, obey evacuation orders and consider travel insurance.
Events worth planning around
- Late January to February: the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Speedweeks, ending with the Daytona 500, scheduled for 21 February 2027.
- March: Bike Week, 5–14 March 2027, one of the world’s biggest motorcycle rallies.
- October: Biketoberfest, 15–18 October 2026, a smaller autumn motorcycle festival.
How long to stay: 2, 3 and 5 days
2 days: day one, drive on the beach in the morning, then the Boardwalk and pier; day two, the speedway and an afternoon at Ponce Inlet with the lighthouse and seafood by the water.
3 days: add Ormond Beach and the Scenic Loop, or a surf lesson in New Smyrna Beach. 5 days: add a day in St. Augustine and a day at Blue Spring in winter or Kennedy Space Center.
Weather month by month
Where to stay in Daytona Beach and the hotel taxes
- Around Main Street and the Boardwalk: central, lively and close to the pier; noisy during Bike Week.
- Daytona Beach Shores: oceanfront condos and family hotels, quieter, with kitchens for longer stays.
- Ormond Beach: relaxed and low-rise, good for couples and families.
- Near the speedway: practical chain hotels for race fans, a drive from the sand.
Daytona Beach is in Volusia County. On a hotel or vacation-rental stay of six months or less you pay 12.5% tax: 6.5% sales tax (the 6% state rate plus a 0.5% county surtax) and Volusia County’s 6% tourist development tax, as the county confirms. Oceanfront hotels often add a daily resort fee and charge for parking. Under a US Federal Trade Commission rule in force since 12 May 2025, mandatory fees such as resort fees must be included in the advertised total price (taxes may be shown separately), so compare total prices. Book months ahead for race weeks and the motorcycle events, when minimum stays and much higher rates are common.
Practical tips for Daytona Beach
- Check the tide before driving: beach ramps close at high tide or in rough weather, and cars parked too close to the water can be caught.
- Leave the glass and alcohol at home: both are banned on Volusia’s beaches.
- Swim by a lifeguard: and never enter the water under double red flags.
- Plan around events: during Bike Week and race weeks, traffic and prices rise sharply; outside them, Daytona is good value.
- Lightning: summer storms build quickly in the afternoon; leave the beach at the first thunder.
- Emergencies: call 911.
What to pack for Daytona Beach
Bring swimwear, a beach towel, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen, as the reflection off the sand is strong. A beach umbrella or sun shelter helps if you park on the sand for the day; secure it well, as the sea breeze can be stiff. Pack plastic or metal drinks bottles rather than glass, a light rain jacket for summer storms, and a sweater or light jacket for winter evenings and race days in the grandstands, which can be cool and windy in February. Ear protection is worth having at the speedway, and a small red flashlight is useful for turtle-friendly walks at night.
Daytona Beach travel FAQ
Can you still drive on Daytona Beach?
Yes, on designated stretches reached by county ramps. As of October 2026 visitors pay $30 per vehicle per day plus tax, with a 10 mph speed limit and set hours: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or sundown from May to October, and sunrise to sunset from November to April.
Is alcohol allowed on Daytona Beach?
No. Volusia County does not allow alcohol or glass containers on the beach, and loud music that carries more than 50 feet is also illegal.
When is the 2027 Daytona 500?
It is scheduled for Sunday 21 February 2027 at Daytona International Speedway, at the end of the Speedweeks racing period. Check the speedway’s official site for tickets and confirmed times.
When is Bike Week 2027?
Bike Week runs from 5 to 14 March 2027, and Biketoberfest from 15 to 18 October 2026, according to the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Book accommodation early for both.
How much does it cost to climb the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse?
As of October 2026, $6.95 for adults and $1.95 for children aged 3–11, with tickets sold on arrival. It is open daily from 10:00 a.m., until 6:00 p.m. from September to late May.
Are dogs allowed on Daytona Beach?
Only on designated dog-friendly stretches of beach; elsewhere only service animals are allowed. Check Volusia County’s list of dog beaches before you go.
What do the beach flags mean in Daytona Beach?
Green is low hazard, yellow medium hazard, red high hazard with strong surf or currents, and double red means the water is closed. Purple warns of dangerous marine life. No flag does not mean the water is safe.
What is the hotel tax in Daytona Beach?
12.5% on stays of six months or less: 6.5% sales tax plus Volusia County’s 6% tourist development tax. Resort fees and parking are extra unless included in the total price.
How far is Daytona Beach from Orlando?
About an hour’s drive north-east on I-4, depending on traffic. Many visitors fly into Orlando International Airport and drive, or combine a few beach days with the theme parks.
When is sea turtle nesting season in Daytona Beach?
From 1 May to 31 October. Keep lights off the beach at night, use a red flashlight if you need one, and fill in holes and take your gear home.
Plan your trip
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Sources · last reviewed 4 October 2026
Researched and last reviewed on 4 October 2026. Beach driving fees and hours: Volusia County (ParkVolusia); beach rules, speed limit and warning flags: Volusia County Beach Safety; sea turtle season and lighting: Volusia County; lighthouse prices and hours: Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association; Bike Week and Biketoberfest dates: the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; airlines: Daytona Beach International Airport; sales tax and tourist tax: the Florida Department of Revenue and Volusia County; tolls: Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise; resort-fee rule: the US Federal Trade Commission; hurricane season: NOAA’s National Hurricane Center; climate: NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Daytona Beach International Airport. The 2027 Daytona 500 date, speedway tours, drive times and manatee season are general references and flagged for checking. Prices, hours and rules change, so check the official sites before you go. For entry rules, money and general safety, see our United States travel guide.
Also: NOAA NCEI normals 1991–2020, Daytona Beach International Airport (climate)
Data: Weather: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · Sea temperature: NOAA CoastWatch · Air quality: OpenAQ · Rates: ECB · Holidays: Nager.Date · Costs: World Bank ICP and price levels · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODBL) · Wikidata (CC0)