Honestly, the "First Coast" of Florida is a bit of a trick. Most people fly into Jacksonville, look at a map, and realize they’re caught between two completely different worlds. To the north, you have the quiet, moss-draped luxury of Amelia Island. To the south, the chaotic, beautiful, cobblestoned history of St Augustine Florida.
They aren't the same. Not even close.
If you go to St. Augustine expecting a sleepy beach day, you’ll be frustrated by the crowds at the Castillo de San Marcos. If you head to Amelia Island looking for a wild nightlife scene and 450 years of Spanish architecture, you’re going to spend a lot of time staring at pine trees and quiet marshes. I’ve spent years driving A1A between these two spots. Here is the reality of how they stack up, what most travel blogs get wrong, and how to actually choose where to drop your luggage.
The Vibe Shift: Why St Augustine Florida Feels Like Europe (Sorta)
St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous United States. That’s a mouthful. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés showed up in 1565, and the city hasn't stopped moving since.
Walking down St. George Street is intense. It’s narrow. It’s loud. You’ve got the smell of waffle cones from Kilwins mixing with the salt air from the Matanzas River. It feels like a mix between a pirate movie set and a legitimate European village. The coquina walls of the Castillo de San Marcos—a 17th-century fortress—are literally made of ancient seashells. It’s the only reason the city didn't burn down a dozen times.
But here’s the thing: St. Augustine is a tourist town. It knows it. It leans into it. You will see people in pirate hats. You will see ghost tour groups carrying lanterns at 9:00 PM. If you hate crowds, the historic district on a Saturday afternoon will make you want to scream.
But then you cross the Bridge of Lions.
Suddenly, you're on Anastasia Island. The pace drops. The "old world" vibe disappears and you get the classic Florida surf culture. It's this weird, dual-personality city where you can tour a Gilded Age hotel (Flagler College) in the morning and be eating fish tacos at a dive bar by the pier in the afternoon.
Amelia Island is for the Low-Key Wealthy
Now, drive an hour north. Everything changes.
Amelia Island doesn't care about your pirate hats. This is where you go when you want to disappear. It’s home to Fernandina Beach, which has its own history—the "Isle of Eight Flags"—but it feels more Victorian than Spanish. Think wraparound porches, massive live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, and a downtown area that feels like a Hallmark movie set if the characters actually had money.
The beaches here are different too. While St. Augustine has those wide, white-sand stretches, Amelia Island is rugged. At the north end, near Fort Clinch State Park, you can find prehistoric shark teeth just sitting in the sand. I once found a three-inch Megalodon tooth just by walking the tide line after a storm. You won't find that in St. Augustine.
Amelia is where the Ritz-Carlton and the Omni are. It’s a golf destination. It’s a horseback-riding-on-the-beach destination. It’s much more "Old South" than "Old Florida." If St. Augustine is a shot of tequila at a crowded bar, Amelia Island is a glass of bourbon on a quiet porch.
The Logistics: Getting Between the Two
People always ask: "Can I do both in a weekend?"
Sure. You can. But you'll be driving. A lot.
The drive from Amelia Island to St Augustine Florida is about 60 to 75 minutes depending on how Jacksonville traffic treats you. If you take the I-95 route, it’s boring. It’s just asphalt and billboards for personal injury lawyers.
The real way to do it is the A1A.
You take the Mayport Ferry. It’s this tiny, legendary ferry that carries cars across the St. Johns River. It costs a few bucks and saves you from driving through the guts of Jacksonville. Plus, you get to see the shrimp boats. Once you’re off the ferry, you drive through the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. It’s one of the last places where Florida looks like it did before Disney showed up.
- St. Augustine Parking: A nightmare. Use the parking garage near the Visitor Center. Don't even try to find a street spot in the historic district. You will fail.
- Amelia Island Parking: Much easier. Fernandina Beach has plenty of lots, and the state parks have massive beach access points.
- The Weather Factor: Both spots get surprisingly cold in January. People think "Florida" means 80 degrees year-round. Nope. It can hit 40 degrees with a biting Atlantic wind. Pack a jacket.
Where the History Hits Different
Everyone knows about the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine. (Spoiler: the water tastes like sulfur and won't make you younger, but the peacocks on the grounds are cool).
But Amelia Island’s history is weirder. Fernandina Beach was basically a pirate's nest in the early 1800s because it was a "neutral" port. It changed flags eight times. There’s a spot called American Beach on the south end of the island that was founded by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Florida’s first Black millionaire, during the Jim Crow era so African Americans had a place to recreate safely. It’s home to "The Dune," the tallest sand dune in the state.
In St. Augustine, the history is institutional. It’s churches, forts, and colleges. In Amelia Island, the history feels personal. It’s in the Victorian houses and the old shrimp docks.
The Food Situation
If you’re a foodie, St. Augustine wins on volume. You have Llama Restaurant (Peruvian food that is mind-blowing) and The Floridian. The seafood is fresh, but the prices are high because, well, tourists.
📖 Related: Sleep Inn San Jose Costa Rica: Why This Spot Actually Makes Sense for Travelers
Amelia Island is smaller but punchy. The Salty Pelican is the go-to for oysters. If you want something fancy, you go to the resorts. But honestly, the best meal I’ve had on the island was a simple bowl of chowder at a hole-in-the-wall in Fernandina.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Trip
The biggest mistake is staying in Jacksonville and trying to "commute" to both. Jacksonville is huge. Like, the largest city by land area in the contiguous U.S. huge. If you stay in the middle, you end up spending your whole vacation in a rental car on a highway.
Pick a side.
If you have kids who get bored easily? Go to St. Augustine. There are more "things" to do. Alligators to feed at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm (which is actually a serious zoological facility, not just a roadside trap), pirate museums, and trolley tours.
If you are a couple looking to actually hear each other speak? Go to Amelia Island.
Actionable Steps for Your First Coast Trip
- Book the Ferry: If you're driving between the two, check the Mayport Ferry schedule. It runs every half hour. It transforms a boring commute into a scenic memory.
- Shark Tooth Hunting: If you go to Amelia, go to Fort Clinch at low tide. Look for the black, shiny bits in the shell shell piles. Those are fossilized teeth.
- Night Tours: In St. Augustine, the ghost tours are cheesy, but the "After Dark" lighthouse tour is actually pretty spooky and offers the best view of the city.
- Biking: Amelia Island has an incredible trail system called the Amelia Island Trail. You can bike almost the entire length of the island under a canopy of trees.
- Dining Reservations: In St. Augustine, if you don't have a reservation on a Friday night, you aren't eating until 9:00 PM. Use OpenTable or Resy at least three days out.
St. Augustine is the heart of Florida’s history, but Amelia Island is its soul. Both are worth it, but they serve very different masters. Decide if you want to be energized or if you want to be restored. Once you know that, the choice between Amelia Island and St Augustine Florida becomes easy.