Things to do in St. Petersburg and the Gulf beaches

St. Petersburg sits on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and the two sides work differently. The downtown waterfront, with the Dali Museum and the pier, faces the bay to the east; the beaches are on barrier islands to the west, reached by bridges in about 20 minutes from downtown, from St.

Pete Beach to Treasure Island and Madeira Beach. It is roughly two hours west of Orlando via I-4 and I-275, and the drive runs closer to two and a half hours with afternoon traffic.

Plan on one full day for the city alone, or two nights to cover both the museums and the sand without rushing the bridges at rush hour.