If you only have one day in Fort Lauderdale, you can still see a lot without feeling rushed. Whether you’re stopping through before or after a cruise, waiting for a flight, or just passing through South Florida, this is a city that’s surprisingly easy to explore in a short amount of time.
Most of the best stops are close together, and you don’t need a complicated itinerary to enjoy them. The easiest place to focus your time is Las Olas Boulevard, where you’ll find restaurants, shops, murals, canals, and easy access to the beach all within a short distance.
Here’s exactly how I would spend one day in Fort Lauderdale if I only had a few hours or a short day.
If you're planning the stop as part of a larger South Florida trip, you can also check out my guide to one day in Miami: the perfect 24-hour Miami itinerary to see how I plan a quick visit there too.
Start your morning at Pan’E Dolci Bakery.
This authentic Italian bakery is one of those places where you walk in planning to grab a coffee and immediately start reconsidering your entire plan because the display case is packed with delicious looking pastries.
The Nutella donut and a coffee is how I'd start my morning. It’s the kind of breakfast that feels slightly indulgent but also completely justified because you’re on vacation.
Of course, if something else catches your eye in the pastry case, go for it. Between the cannolis, cookies, breads, and pastries, it’s very easy to walk out with more than you planned.
If you want the full breakdown of what to order, see my full review of Pan’E Dolci Bakery Fort Lauderdale.
After breakfast, take a few minutes to walk around the area and look for the murals nearby.
One fun photo spot is on the side of Hoffman’s Chocolates. While you’re there, it’s honestly very hard not to step inside and grab a chocolate. I tried to show restraint. I did not succeed.
Another mural can be found near Red Door Asian Bistro & Hibachi, which adds another colorful stop along the way.
Las Olas has several murals and pieces of street art scattered throughout the area, so it’s worth keeping your eyes open as you walk. Some are big and obvious, others are tucked between buildings, which makes it a fun little scavenger hunt as you explore.
One of the more unique stops along Las Olas is Kollective.
This shop features more than 60 different vendors, selling everything from local artwork and jewelry to clothing and handmade gifts.
It’s a great place to browse for a bit, especially if you like finding something a little different than the typical souvenir shop. Plus it’s all local artists and small businesses, which makes it feel more personal than buying a magnet at the airport gift shop.
Fort Lauderdale is often called the “Venice of America” because of its network of canals.
If you enjoy walking and have the time, consider strolling through some of the canal neighborhoods on your way toward Fort Lauderdale Beach.
The walk is beautiful and gives you a chance to see some of the waterfront homes and boats that Fort Lauderdale is known for. You’ll pass docks, yachts, and quiet residential streets that feel completely different from the busier areas around Las Olas.
It’s an easy way to see another side of the city without needing to plan anything complicated.
If walking isn’t your thing, another great option is taking a boat tour through the canals.
Seeing the city from the water gives you a completely different perspective of Fort Lauderdale. You’ll pass luxury homes, yachts, and waterfront restaurants while cruising through the waterways.
It’s also one of the most relaxing ways to see the area. Sitting on a boat while someone else navigates the canals is significantly less work than trying to map everything out yourself. If you want to experience the waterways this way, you can book a canal sightseeing tour here to see several neighborhoods and waterfront homes in one trip.
If you still have time, make your way to Las Olas Beach.
You can walk the beachfront promenade, relax on the sand, or grab a drink at one of the nearby restaurants. The beach area is lively but easy to navigate, with plenty of places to stop if you want a quick snack or drink.
If you don’t feel like walking all the way there, you can always grab an Uber or use the Ride Circuit app, which offers free shuttle rides around parts of the city.
Before heading back toward Las Olas, stop at Gelato & Co.
Their gelato is excellent and makes the perfect afternoon treat after walking around all day.
At this point you’ve probably already had a donut, possibly chocolate, and maybe a pastry, but gelato somehow still feels completely reasonable. Travel math works differently.
If you’re ready for something more filling, head back to Pan’E Dolci Bakery for lunch.
Their Italian sandwich is a must.
It’s stacked with fresh sliced salami, provolone cheese, ham, tomatoes, eggplant, and fresh basil on focaccia bread.
The sandwich is huge. I ate half for lunch and saved the other half for the next day, which honestly felt like a small gift from past me.
If you're staying in Fort Lauderdale through the evening, Big City Tavern is a great dinner option right on Las Olas Boulevard.
It’s a classic Fort Lauderdale restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and a solid menu. Nothing overly complicated — just a dependable place to sit down, order a good meal, and end the day.
If you are planning to stay overnight, it’s worth browsing hotels near Las Olas Boulevard here so you’re within walking distance of most of these stops.
Before ending the day, stop by Hollywood Donut Factory and grab a donut to bring back with you.
Future you will be very happy you did.
There’s something very satisfying about opening the hotel box the next morning and remembering you planned ahead.
You can see a lot of Fort Lauderdale in just a few hours, especially if you focus your time around Las Olas Boulevard.
If you have more time, spending half a day or a full day gives you the chance to explore the canals, enjoy the beach, and try a few more restaurants but you could spend much longer here if you have the time.
If you're flying out afterward, my Fort Lauderdale Airport guide: what to know about FLL before you fly covers things like security timing, food options, and airport logistics.
And if you’re flying into South Florida for this trip, I usually compare flights on Skyscanner first so I can see different airlines and arrival times in one place. Getting into town early makes it much easier to actually enjoy your day instead of losing it to travel or staying late after a cruise lets you have time to explore fun places like this!
Yes. Between the bakeries, murals, shops, canals, and beach access, one day in Fort Lauderdale is plenty of time to see a lot — especially if you focus your time around Las Olas Boulevard.
You can start the morning with coffee and pastries, walk past murals and shops, see the canals, spend time at the beach, and still have room for gelato and a giant Italian sandwich.
Which is honestly a pretty solid day of sightseeing.
Four hours on a train through a canyon you can’t reach by car — such a fun experience! We picked the indoor seats with unlimited access to the open-air viewing car, which honestly felt like the only right call. You’re not stuck in an assigned seat the whole time we bounced between the two, snacks in hand, chasing the best light.
The scenery is the whole point. Red rock cliffs, the Verde River, a 734-foot tunnel, historic trestle bridges views most people visiting Sedona never see, because you literally can’t drive to them.
The charcuterie box that comes with your ticket is shockingly filling ✨ so skip lunch at the Copper Spike Café beforehand, save your appetite for dinner back in Sedona.
Four hours with no stops did start to feel long by the end, but the trade-off for scenery like this? Worth it.
Would I ride it again? Yes. Would I buy lunch first again? No.
Link in bio for the full review cost breakdown, what to pack, and exactly how early to arrive 🚂
I ate chilaquiles while a Cessna taxied past the window, and that’s just a normal Tuesday breakfast in Sedona.
@mesa_grill_sedona sits right beside the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout, so along with your food you get red rock views stretching in every direction and a front-row seat to tiny planes lifting off. Chef Mercer Mohr runs the kitchen, serving up Southwestern comfort food from breakfast through dinner, chilaquiles, elevated diner classics, burgers, steaks, seafood, all of it.
The view is what pulls people in the door, but the food actually holds its own. Good enough that this place stays packed with locals, not just tourists passing through on their way to the lookout. It also picked up the 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice and OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards, so it’s not just me saying it.
Indoor seating if you want the AC, a pet-friendly patio if your dog’s along for the trip. Either way, get there before plane-spotting turns into a wait for a table.
Link in bio for the full Sedona breakfast roundup ✈️🌵
Confession: my newsletter is where the good stuff lives. Not the polished, edited-for-the-grid stuff, the “here’s the hole-in-the-wall I almost skipped” stuff, the packing lists I actually use, the “don’t book this hotel” warnings before you waste your money on them.
The newsletter is basically me texting you before a trip instead of after one. Sign up and you’ll be the first to know where I’m headed next, plus a few things I’ll never post here.
Link in bio if you want in. ✈️
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
There are two kinds of travelers: people who plan a trip and then figure out where to eat, and people who book a restaurant and then build the rest of the itinerary around it.I am the second kind. I will not apologize for this.
The reservation gets locked in first. The hotel search happens within the same 24 hours. The flights get compared around the restaurant’s hours of operation. The rest of the trip exists to fill the days before and after the table I actually came for.
If this sounds unhinged, I completely understand. It has also resulted in some of the best meals of my life, so I’m going to keep doing it.
Drop a 🍽️ if you plan your trips around food too.
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
