St. Augustine Weekend Itinerary

Two days done right: the best of St. Augustine without wasting a minute.

St. Augustine Weekend Itinerary: Two Days Done Right

Two days, one of America's most fascinating cities, zero filler, here's exactly how to spend it.

A weekend in St. Augustine is long enough to cover the essentials and get a feel for the city, if you plan it correctly. Most visitors waste a quarter of their time on things that do not warrant it. This itinerary does not.

Day One: History and the City

Morning, Castillo de San Marcos

Start at the Castillo when it opens at 9am. A full exploration of the fort takes 60 to 90 minutes. The cannon firing demonstrations (weekends, check schedule) are worth staying for. The views of Matanzas Bay from the cannon deck are the best views of the water in the city.

Duration: 60-90 minutes

Mid-Morning, St. George Street and the Colonial Quarter

Walk south from the Castillo. Spend 45 minutes in the Colonial Quarter if living history interests anyone in your group. Walk the full length of St. George Street to the Plaza. Stop at the Cathedral Basilica, which has been on this site since 1565.

Afternoon, Flagler College and Lightner Museum

Book the Flagler College interior tour in advance for the early afternoon. After the tour, walk two blocks to the Lightner Museum. Budget 60 to 90 minutes for the Lightner. This is the most architecturally concentrated afternoon you can have in Florida outside of Miami's Art Deco district.

Evening, Dinner and Ghost Tour

Dinner at Preserved Restaurant or Columbia Restaurant for a proper sit-down experience. After dinner, join a walking ghost tour. The combination of a good meal and a good ghost tour is the correct way to spend a St. Augustine evening.

Day Two: Water, Wildlife, and Wider Horizons

Morning, Fountain of Youth and Fort Mose

Start the second day with the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, budget 90 minutes. Then drive five minutes north to Fort Mose Historic State Park, the site of the first free Black settlement in the United States (1738). The combination of these two sites covers 1565 to 1738 in a morning.

Midday, Boat Tour on the Matanzas River

A dolphin or wildlife boat tour on the Intracoastal Waterway runs approximately 90 minutes and almost always delivers dolphin sightings. Book the noon or early afternoon departure. The St. Augustine waterfront seen from the water is a different and very worthwhile perspective.

Afternoon, Anastasia State Park Beach

Spend the afternoon at Anastasia State Park beach, four miles of undeveloped Atlantic coastline. This is one of the best beaches on the northeast Florida coast. Arrive by 2pm and stay until 5pm. This is how a St. Augustine weekend ends: sunburned, salt-dried, and entirely satisfied.

Evening, Farewell Dinner

End the weekend at Caps on the Water for a waterfront fish dinner on the Tolomato River. The setting is exceptional, the food is reliably good, and it is a worthy conclusion to two days in America's oldest city.

Local Tip: Book everything before you arrive. Ghost tours, Flagler College tours, and boat tours all sell out on busy weekends, particularly from March through October. The visitors who have the best weekends are the ones who planned three weeks in advance.

Book your St. Augustine weekend experiences:

More St. Augustine planning guides:

One-Day Itinerary
Best Beaches
Best Ghost Tours
Best Historical Attractions
Best Restaurants
Best Sunset Cruises