Getting Here: Airport & Brightline

Fort Lauderdale is one of the easier corners of South Florida to reach, whether you fly in or take the train. Here is how to get to the nest, and how to move around the region afterward without fighting I-95 or paying for a rental car you may not need.

The short version

Most guests land at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), which is roughly 15 minutes from the door, and grab a rideshare straight to the house. That is the simplest arrival. If you are stitching together a few cities, say a night in Miami and a day up in Palm Beach, Brightline, the region's intercity train, is faster and a lot calmer than driving. And if the airfare works out better into Miami, that airport is about 45 minutes south. Everything below is the long version, so you can pick the arrival that fits your trip.

Flying into FLL

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International sits just a few miles south of downtown, near Dania Beach and the water. It is a convenient airport: compact, close in, and busy with nonstop service on the legacy carriers plus the low-cost airlines that use it as a hub. For a lot of travelers the fares in and out of FLL beat Miami, and the drive to the nest is shorter, so it is worth checking first.

The airport has several terminals set close together and walkable curb-to-curb, with more expansion underway, so if you have flown through before the layout may look a little different on your next trip. Plan on the usual South Florida crowds at security and baggage claim, especially in winter high season.

Getting from the gate to the nest is the easy part. Rideshare and taxi pickup zones sit on the lower level between the terminals; follow the signs to the designated rideshare area, match your car, and you are on your way. A ride to the Lakeridge area where the house sits is short and, outside of peak surge times, inexpensive. Because the nest has free parking and self check-in, you can arrive whenever your flight lands and let yourself in.

Renting a car at FLL

If you do want a car, FLL keeps all the major rental companies in one consolidated Rental Car Center rather than scattered lots, which makes comparing and returning simpler than at a lot of airports.

Reaching it is one short step: a free shuttle or a signed walkway from the terminals gets you there in a few minutes. Check the airport signage for the current route from your terminal, and give yourself a little buffer on the return leg so a slow shuttle or a long return line does not eat into your check-in time.

That said, think about whether you need a car for the whole stay. The nest is about a 10-minute drive to Fort Lauderdale Beach and minutes from Las Olas, and plenty of guests do beach days, dinners and a day trip or two entirely on rideshares, the water taxi and the train. A rental helps most if you are planning the Everglades or the Keys, and is often unnecessary if you are mostly staying in town. Our getting-around guide lays out the local options in detail.

Getting around by Brightline

Brightline has reshaped how people move up and down the southeast Florida coast. It is a modern intercity railway with five South Florida stations, Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, plus a long-distance run all the way to Orlando. The trains are quiet, comfortable and quick, with tray tables, Wi-Fi and a cafe car, and they skip the two things that make driving here miserable: I-95 traffic and parking.

The Fort Lauderdale station sits downtown on NW 2nd Avenue, next to the Broward County transit terminal, so it is well connected to local buses and a short rideshare from the nest. Trains run throughout the day. Rough timings from Fort Lauderdale: Miami is a short hop to the south, West Palm Beach is a bit under an hour north, and Orlando is a few hours away. Schedules and exact run times shift, so check the current timetable when you plan.

The train is an easy pick for a Miami day, since you avoid parking downtown entirely, and for a Palm Beach outing or a weekend up to Orlando's theme parks without renting a car for the drive. If your itinerary covers more than one city, build it around Brightline and you can skip a rental car for those legs.

Brightline and the airport connector

Here is where it gets useful for arrivals. Brightline runs a connector shuttle between its stations and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, which sits roughly five miles from the downtown station. That means you can fly into another Brightline city, ride the train, and connect, or fly into FLL and take the shuttle up to the train to head to Miami or Palm Beach without touching a rental car.

As of September 2026 it costs $12 per guest plus a $3 fuel surcharge and runs daily from 8 am to 7 pm; at FLL it stops at Ground Transportation Zone B (Terminals 1 and 4) and Zone F (Terminals 2 and 3). The exact terms, including whether it is bundled into your fare or carries a small separate charge, and the precise pickup point at the airport, have shifted over time, so confirm the current details on Brightline's site when you book rather than assuming. When it lines up with your plans it is a tidy, car-free way to move between the airport and the intercity network.

Which airport, and the Miami option

Miami International (MIA) is the region's bigger hub, about 45 minutes south of the nest depending on traffic. It has more international routes and, on some days, better fares, so it is worth a look when you are pricing tickets. The trade-offs are a longer, often heavier drive up I-95 or the turnpike, and a larger, busier airport to navigate.

A middle path: fly into Miami, then take Brightline from the MiamiCentral station up to Fort Lauderdale and a short rideshare to the house. You skip the highway drive and the rental car entirely. Here is a quick way to think about the two airports.

Factor	FLL (Fort Lauderdale)	MIA (Miami)
Drive to the nest	About 15 minutes	About 45 minutes
Size and feel	Compact, easy to move through	Large, more international
Fares	Often strong, low-cost carriers	Wide range, more overseas routes
Car-free option	Rideshare, or shuttle to Brightline	Brightline from MiamiCentral
Best when	You want the shortest arrival	The airfare or your route favors it

Public transit and budget options

If you would rather not rideshare, there are cheaper ways in. Broward County Transit runs bus service between FLL and downtown Fort Lauderdale; you reach the airport stop after a short shuttle or walk from your terminal. It is inexpensive and reliable, though slower than a direct car and better suited to light luggage. Check the current route and schedule before you rely on it.

There is also Tri-Rail, the regional commuter railway that runs along the western edge of the county between Miami and Mangonia Park up in Palm Beach County. It has a station near FLL served by a free shuttle, and it is a cheap way to cover long north-south distances if you are watching the budget and not in a hurry. Tri-Rail and Brightline are different services: Tri-Rail is the slower, cheaper commuter line with many stops, while Brightline is the faster intercity train with a handful.

A car-free plan

Plenty of guests never rent a car and never miss it. Here is how a car-free week can flow from the nest:

1. Land at FLL, rideshare to the house, self check-in, settle by the pool.
2. Beach and Las Olas days on short rideshares, the beach about 10 minutes and Las Olas even less, plus the water taxi for a lazy afternoon on the water.
3. A Miami day: rideshare to the downtown Brightline station, train down and back, no parking headaches. See our Miami day trip guide.
4. A Palm Beach day the same way, north on Brightline for a change of pace.
5. Fly home the way you came, rideshare to FLL, or the connector shuttle if you are training out.

The one thing a car-free plan does not cover well is the wilder day trips, the Everglades or a run down to the Florida Keys. For those, rent a car for the day or two you actually need it and return it when you are done.

Timing your arrival

South Florida traffic has a rhythm worth knowing. Weekday rush hours clog I-95 and the airport approaches morning and late afternoon, and winter high season adds visitors to the mix. Summer brings its own wrinkle: quick, heavy afternoon thunderstorms that can slow the roads and the rideshare pickup for half an hour, then pass. None of it is a dealbreaker, it just pays to build a little slack into a tight connection. If you are still deciding when to come, our best time to visit guide walks through the seasons.

• Aim to land mid-morning or early afternoon to dodge the worst airport crowds and rush-hour roads.
• In summer, an earlier flight often beats the afternoon storms.
• For the return, leave a bit more cushion than usual on Sunday afternoons and holiday weekends.

Back at the nest

However you get here, the arrival is meant to be painless: FLL about 15 minutes out, self check-in whenever your flight lands, free parking if you drove or rented, and Brightline downtown for the days you want to leave the car behind. Once you have dropped your bags, the beach is about 10 minutes away and Las Olas is just around the corner. Start with the Las Olas guide and the getting-around guide, and stock the kitchen using our groceries and markets guide. When your dates are set, check availability and book the nest.

Check Dates & Book