The heart of the district is St. George Street, a pedestrian-only promenade lined with historic architecture and specialty shops, galleries, and restaurants. Parts of St. Augustine’s downtown have been preserved as living museums, some with artifacts dating back to the 1500s. Check out the Fountain of Youth, a monument dedicated to Juan Ponce de León (who claimed Florida for Spain in 1513).
For a fun and funky peek into the city’s history, join an evening ghost tour, and explore downtown St. Augustine through the stories of its dearly departed.
Wear shoes suitable for walking over uneven surfaces.
Don’t forget a hat and sunscreen, as the sun can be intense in St. Augustine year-round.
Downtown is serviced by two wheelchair-accessible trolleys.
Downtown St. Augustine is pedestrian-friendly, and most of the historic sights can be seen on foot. As many of the streets are narrow and designed for foot traffic, parking in the historic district can be challenging—though you’ll find some public lots.
The best time to visit St. Augustine is between March and May, when temperatures are a bit cooler and tourists are fewer. If you’re there in summer or on a weekend, do your sightseeing early in the day to beat the crowds.
St. Augustine is a study in 450 years of architectural history. Take a stroll through downtown, and you’ll see colonial and Renaissance revival facades, Florida-bungalow-style homes, Gilded Age mansions, Italian-inspired bridges, and Greek Renaissance fountains. Major architecture buffs shouldn’t miss the works commissioned by Henry Flagler, including Hotel Ponce de León and the Lightner Museum.
