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Founded by Spain in 1565, St. Augustine on Florida's northeast coast is the oldest continuously occupied European-founded settlement in the continental United States. Spanish, British and American rule left layers in its narrow streets, coquina stone walls and Mediterranean Revival hotels, while the Matanzas River and barrier islands separate it from the open Atlantic.
The Castillo de San Marcos, a star-shaped coquina fort completed in the late 1600s, guards the bayfront. Past the old city gate, pedestrian St. George Street runs through the Colonial Quarter, lined with shops and reconstructed buildings, to the Plaza de la Constitución and the Cathedral Basilica. The Oldest House shows colonial domestic life. Henry Flagler's Gilded Age resort hotels still shape the skyline: one is now Flagler College, with Tiffany windows, and another houses the Lightner Museum. Villa Zorayda imitates the Alhambra, and Flagler built the domed Memorial Presbyterian Church nearby. On Anastasia Island, the striped St. Augustine Lighthouse can be climbed and has a maritime museum, while Anastasia State Park and St. Augustine Beach offer dunes and surf. To the south, a free ferry crosses to Fort Matanzas, a small Spanish outpost.
St. Augustine suits history lovers, couples and families wanting a walkable town near the beach. Summers are hot and humid, and the Nights of Lights display brightens the winter holidays.
WiserMap travel guideSt Augustine Florida Castillo de San Marcos and BeachesExplore St. Augustine: Castillo de San Marcos, St. George Street, Flagler College, the lighthouse, Anastasia beaches, local food, where to stay and when to go.Read the guide
The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, built by Spain from coquina stone between 1672 and 1695. Walk the gun deck, the vaulted casemates and the moat, and catch a cannon firing demonstration on weekends. Go early in the day to beat the heat and the tour groups.
The Gonzalez-Alvarez House is a coquina and timber home whose site has been occupied since the early 1700s. Guided tours cover the Spanish, British and American periods, and the grounds include a museum and an ornamental garden. Allow about an hour and buy one ticket for the whole complex.
A small Spanish watchtower fort from 1742 that guarded the southern inlet to St. Augustine. A free ferry crosses the Matanzas River to the fort, where rangers explain its history. There is also a short boardwalk nature trail. Pick up ferry boarding passes at the visitor center on arrival.
Mission Nombre de Dios marks the 1565 Spanish landing site, with a tall stainless steel cross and a quiet shrine chapel by the water. Nearby Fort Mose Historic State Park preserves the site of the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in North America. Both are short drives north of downtown.
St. George Street is the pedestrian spine of the old town, lined with shops, cafes and restored colonial buildings. The Colonial Quarter living history museum shows blacksmithing, musket firing and a watchtower view. Walk it in the morning or evening, since midday crowds and heat can be heavy.
The town's central plaza has been a public square since the 1570s and holds a market house and monuments under live oaks. On its north side the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine has a painted interior and a museum of the parish's history. Check the cathedral's mass times before visiting inside.
The former Hotel Ponce de Leon, opened by Henry Flagler in 1888, is now a college with a lavish Spanish Renaissance Revival courtyard and Tiffany stained glass in the dining hall. Student-led historic tours run daily and are the only way to see the interiors. Book tours ahead in busy seasons.
An 1883 house built as a one-tenth scale copy of part of the Alhambra in Spain, made from poured concrete mixed with coquina. Inside are Moorish style rooms and a collection of antiques and curiosities, with an audio tour. It sits on King Street across from Flagler College, so pair the two.
Housed in Flagler's former Hotel Alcazar, this museum holds Gilded Age decorative arts, cut glass, mechanical music instruments and Victorian curiosities across three floors. The old indoor swimming pool area now holds a cafe. Plan around an hour and a half and look for the music machine demonstrations.
A black and white striped lighthouse from 1874 on Anastasia Island, with 219 steps to a gallery that looks over the old town, the inlet and the beaches. The grounds include the keepers house, a maritime archaeology lab and boatbuilding exhibits. Children must be at least 44 inches tall to climb.
Anastasia State Park protects miles of beach, dunes and a tidal salt marsh just east of town, with camping, kayak and paddleboard rentals and a nature trail. St. Augustine Beach next door has a fishing pier and casual restaurants. Arrive early on summer weekends because park parking fills up.
Open since 1893, this zoo on Anastasia Island displays every living species of crocodilian, including albino alligators. A boardwalk crosses a native wading bird rookery that is busy with nesting egrets and herons in spring. There is also a zipline course over the alligator enclosures.
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