Which Tampa Airport is best to fly or closest to City?

Tampa Airport is the closest to the city centre located 12.4 miles (19.9 km) away and it benefits from fast public transport links like Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) 30, 60, & 275 lines which takes 36 minutes to Marion Transit Centre in central Tampa. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International airport is 21.8 miles (35 km) and there is not public transport at the airport, the closest is the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) bus line 300 outside the airport which is not so convenient, this means you have to take a taxi which will get you to the centre in 21 minutes. Sarasota-Bradenton International airport is furthest at 57.6 miles (92 km), it is also not served by direct bus lines from the airport, so passengers have to connect to the nearest Florida Express Bus 301 & 304 lines from the airport to the city centre and it takes 90 minutes for the journey. Taxi is still a better option from this airport and it takes the same transfer journey time.

Compare airport distances and transfer times to the center of Tampa by public transport below.

Distance to Central Tampa:

Tampa Airport: 12.4 miles / 19.9 km

St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport: 21.8 miles / 35 km

Sarasota-Bradenton Airport:57.6 miles / 92 km

Tampa Airport to the Central TampaJourney Times:

By Bus (HART 30, 60, & 275 lines): 36 minutes

By Taxi: 25 minutes

St. Petersburg-Clearwaterto Central TampaJourney Times:

By Taxi: 30-45 minutes

Sarasota-BradentonAirport to Central TampaJourney Times:

By Taxi: 90 minutes

Deciding which airport is best to fly greatly depends on the destination you are departing from, airport and airline also determines which airport you will arrive into in Tampa.

Tampa airport is the best airport to fly into Tampa, Florida. It is the closest to the city (19.9 km) and is well connected to the city centre by HART bus routes 30, 60 & 275 and it will get you to the city in 36 minutes. The airport serves major airlines like Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Icelandair, Jetblue, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United, Virgin America and many others handling domestic and international flights to other cities worldwide. It is the main airport and handles more passengers meaning you will experience some flight delays, and long queues at security/immigration. From this airport, you can get to the top attractions without stress easily. Most business travellers will likely use this airport to fly into Tampa, Florida.

St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airportis 35 km away from the city, it is also an international airport serving Tampa. The handles mostly domestic flights and some international flights to destinations in Canada. Airlines at the airport include Allegiant Air, Sun Country Airlines, and Sun Wing Airlines. The fastest means of transportation to the city centre is by taxi which takes 30 - 45 minutes, buses require taxi transfers to the nearest bus station or you can book a private bus ahead which can be inconveniencing for travellers.

Sarasota-Bradenton is the furthest located 92 km. Transfer from this airport to the city also requires taxi transfer to the nearest bus station which takes 90 minutes, the same amount of time it takes to get to central Tampa by taxi. This airport serves Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American, Delta, Elite Airways, JetBlue, and United Airlines which all handle short haul and long haul flights within US and to Canada.

Tampa international airport is better to fly into Tampa, Florida because it is served by fast public HART buses that take 36 minutes and it is also closer to the central Tampa. Although it is the closest and faster for passenger transfers, it is also the main airport handling more passengers than the other two airports meaning more crowd at the airport, long queues and some flight delays. The journey to the city centre by bus is cost $2 while taxi charges $15 and Uber $10 - $19 for the 25 minutes trip to central Tampa. But you should expect long queues at security/immigration, more crowd and flights delays because this airport handles more passengers and is the main hub in Tampa.

Tampa international airport is closest to the Busch Gardens Tampa a top tourist attraction in the city. The garden is is a theme park with different animals, live entertainment, attractions for kids, thrill rides and many more. It will take you 1h 44 min by bus lines 30, 60 & 275 connections to line 9 which will get you there for a total of $5. Taxi and Uber are better to use for the journey taking just 25 minutes from $40 - $55 for and $21-$28 for Uber. Other places to see include The Florida Aquarium, Ybor City, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Adventure Island, Museum Of Science & Industry, Downtown Tampa, Tampa Riverwalk, Glazer Children's Museum, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, Tampa Bay History Center, Dinosaur World, Cobra's Curse, Tampa Theatre, Walt Disney World Resort, Magic Kingdom Park, Universal Orlando Resort, South Beach, Universal Studios Florida, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Anna Maria Island, LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and many others.

From Tampa Airport by:

By Bus (HART 30, 60, & 275 lines): $2 - http://www.gohart.org/ Bus runs every 20 minutes from 5:07AM - 12:00AM.

Taxi: $15-http://www.yellowcaboftampa.com/Available 24/7.

Uber:$10 - $19 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate//Available on demand.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at

From St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport by:

Bus (Taxi + PSTA line 300): $3-$13 - http://www.psta.net/ Bus runs every 4 hours daily.

Taxi: $30 -http://www.gounitedtaxi.com/Available 24/7.

Uber:$26 - $35 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate// Available on demand.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at

From Sarasota-Bradenton Airport by:

Bus (Taxi + line 99): $64-$104http://srq-airport.com/ground-transportationBus runs twice daily.

Taxi: $130-$170 -http://www.yellowcabofsarasota.com/ Available 24/7 at the airport.

Uber:$64-$86 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate//Available on demand.

Hotel prices can vary greatly depending on how far in advance you book, the demand for rooms, and which hotel you book but the prices below will give you a rough idea and you can do further research and hotel booking at https://www.tripindicator.com/hotel.html

Tampa Airport Hotels:From $99 per night.

St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport Hotels: From $138 per night

Sarasota-Bradenton Airport Hotels: From $138 per night

All of the airports mentioned offer competitive prices and a range of cars to suit your needs. Prices are based on the type of car, driver age, length of hire, and demand but you can get a rough idea for each airport below.

Tampa Airport Car Rental:

Economy Cars - Ford Fiesta -starting from $320 per week

Full Size Cars - Chevrolet Malibu -starting from $324 per week

Compact Cars - Ford Focus - starting from $354 per week

SUV Cars-Chevrolet Tahoe- starting from $378 per week

Compare prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/car-hire/Tampa-airport.html

St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport Car Rental:

Economy Cars - Ford Fiesta -starting from $239.19 per week

Full Size Cars - Chevrolet Malibu -starting from $248.79 per week

Compact Cars - Ford Focus - starting from $276.79 per week

SUV Cars-Chevrolet Tahoe- starting from $492.14 per week

Compare Prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/car-rental.html

Sarasota-Bradenton Airport Car Rental:

Economy Cars - Ford Fiesta -starting from $315 per week

Full Size Cars - Chevrolet Malibu -starting from $324 per week

Compact Cars - Ford Focus - starting from $350.10 per week

SUV Cars-Chevrolet Tahoe- starting from $464.94 per week

Compare Prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/car-hire/tampa.html