Traveling to St. Petersburg
Unless you’re saddling the grandparents with your kids at Disney World to sneak over for a game, or you’re trying to see how many Waffle Houses you can order double hash browns chunked and covered, you’re probably not driving to Tampa from anywhere too far away. Instead, you’re almost certainly coming via air, and you’re almost sure to love Tampa International Airport as much as most travelers do, or the airfares at the smaller St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport if your point of origin is on Allegiant Air’s map. But if you’re trying to pull off a Miami Marlins-Tampa Bay Rays doubleheader, we have you covered on other options, like Amtrak or buses.
In this chapter, we’ll cover:
Flying to Tampa Bay
Plane flying out of TPA airport
Tampa International Airport (TPA) routinely makes the list of the best airports in the United States, and with non-stop flights to more than 90 cities, there’s a good chance you’ll find a convenient flight to the Sunshine State. As much as anyone can “love” the hustle and bustle of flying, you’ll enjoy TPA, which features a hub-and-spoke design, so you’re only fighting your way through security at your specific terminal rather than with the entire airport population.
While TPA is almost always your best option to fly into the region, don’t immediately dismiss the much smaller St. Pete-Clearwater Airport (PIE). It’s a hub for Allegiant Air, with non-stop flights from 62 cities, many of them smaller, which might be more convenient for you depending on where you live. Sun Country also flies to PIE from Minneapolis, and there are often seasonal flights to the airport from Canada. It’s a 20-mile trip from PIE to downtown Tampa, and should take about 30-40 minutes, depending on traffic.
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is about 60 miles from downtown Tampa, and it has more limited service than TPA, so we doubt this will be a preferable option for you, as you would need a rental car, which would likely wipe out any savings that you might gain from flying there.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is a good 90-mile drive from Tampa. While it doesn’t make sense for a baseball-only visit, if you’re looking for a combo baseball/theme parks vacation, it is much larger than TPA, so you might find more convenient or cheaper flights into Orlando.
Transportation from airports to hotels
From Tampa International Airport: Realistically, your two best options for getting from TPA to the ballpark or downtown are renting a car or using a taxi or rideshare service.
TPA has a modern on-site rental car center that can be easily and quickly accessed via a short light-rail tram ride from the terminal, with all major rental car companies available. Some cheaper rental car options are available off-site with courtesy shuttle buses. Just be careful of the extra time required to add that off-site transit into your schedule, especially if you’re trying to make an early evening flight out of TPA following an afternoon Rays game.
Depending on the time of day, expect to pay $40-$50 pre-tip for a rideshare from TPA to downtown. Yellow Taxi charges a flat rate of $35 pre-tip to downtown Tampa, so that’s a good number to keep in your head when deciding between modes of transit. Check the apps when you’re ready, but if they cost much more than $35, head to the taxi stand.
TSI TIP: The #30 HART bus (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority) will get you from the Rental Car Center at TPA to downtown in about 45 minutes and is just $2.
Honestly, we haven’t taken this bus, because the bus just isn’t a standard way of getting around for people who have cars here. We just wanted to let you know that the option exists.
From St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport: Rideshares can be a bit all over the place from PIE to downtown Tampa – we’ve seen rates as low as $20 and as high as $80, so it’s hard to tell you what to expect. A rental car will at least be a fixed/known cost, so you’ll need to factor that into your decision-making. The rental car counters are conveniently located at baggage claim, but only five companies are represented, so there’s less choice than you’d have at TPA.
From Sarasota or Orlando Airports: If you’re flying into Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport or Orlando International Airport, rental cars are your only reasonable option for getting to the ballpark.
Do you need to rent a car for a baseball visit to Tampa?
If you’re staying downtown, there’s no doubt that a roundtrip rideshare will cost more than the parking fee at Steinbrenner Field. But when you factor in the cost of a rental car, as well as the cost of parking it downtown, the numbers change, and rideshares start to look a lot more cost-effective, especially if you’re just staying in the downtown area for your non-baseball activities.
If you’re planning on staying on Clearwater Beach, or even just traveling to the beaches for the day, a rental car, in our opinion, is a must. The cost of a rideshare can be pretty high, so we would suggest getting the rental car and adding a lot more convenience and control to your visit.
Another thing to consider when it comes to renting a car is if you will try to go from the ballpark directly to the airport or vice versa. Unfortunately, there’s no baggage check at Steinbrenner Field, so if you have bags, there won’t be anywhere to store them. That means you’ll need to return to your hotel after a game to grab your bags before heading to the airport. That could be really inconvenient and may add an hour to your transit time when all is said and done. So consider that when figuring out your game and flight schedules … and transit plans. A rental car does make for a convenient luggage storage location.
Trains and Buses
Union Station Tampa
Unless you want to enjoy taking a week to get somewhere that a plane will get you in two hours, trains and buses are only options for getting to Tampa if you’re doing that Miami Marlins-Tampa Bay Rays doubleheader, or perhaps if you’re coming from Orlando.
Before we tell you how to make this trip happen in other ways, take a minute to look into flights. Most days, you should be able to find quick flights from South Florida to Tampa in the $50-$70 range if you book in advance, which should make you pause at least a little before hopping on a train or a bus.
But if you insist, Amtrak will take about 5.5 hours from Miami to Tampa. The train station is in an area of downtown Tampa that we don’t consider as safe as other areas, so you won’t want to linger there. Rideshares from the train station to downtown or Steinbrenner Field will cost $10-$20. Alamo has a rental car counter at the train station, so that’s an alternative you can consider.
Red Coach (bus) will cost you around $25, will take you more than 5 hours, and will drop you off at the University of South Florida, about 10 miles north of downtown. Which means your rideshare to your hotel will likely cost more than what you paid for your bus ticket. Flix Bus and Greyhound, however, will cost you about the same, take about an hour longer, but will drop you at the much closer Tampa Bus Station, where you’ll find rideshare costs to your hotel will be much cheaper than from USF.
If you’re coming from Orlando, Amtrak takes about two hours and is pretty cheap (sometimes as little as $11). In addition, both FlixBus and Grayhound run the route as well.
Our advice: Consider trains and buses only as last resorts. If even then.
Driving to Tampa
Highways to St. Pete
Everyone loves a good road trip, no? If you’re looking to do that Miami Marlins-Tampa Bay Rays doubleheader, or even the Miami Marlins-Tampa Bay Rays-Atlanta Braves tripleheader, a car would be a good option. LoanDepot Park to Steinbrenner Field is about a 4-hour drive (without traffic), and Truist Park to Steinbrenner Field is about a 7-hour drive on I-75/I-275, which dumps you right near the ballpark or downtown.
If you’re trying to make the Orlando theme parks a part of your trip, you can probably make it from Disney to Tampa in about 90 minutes, but during rush hour and theme park opening and closing times, I-4 becomes a parking lot, and you’ll need to add at least another 30-45 minutes to that drive.
Our advice: Florida is a BIG state. Fun fact – you can almost drive from Pensacola to Cincinnati faster than from Pensacola to Miami. There aren’t many scenarios where driving to Tampa makes sense.
Bottom Line
- Flying into TPA is the likely and obvious choice, but PIE is a good option if available to you and if it will save a lot of money.
- Trains and buses are an option, but be sure to price airfare first, as you might be pleasantly surprised at what you can find.
- Renting a car is a good option if you aren’t staying downtown or if you plan on exploring the Tampa area, like heading to the beaches.
