St. Pete Beach Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience St. Pete Beach. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Clear Kayak Tour of Shell Key Preserve and Tampa Bay Area

• Small Group 2 Hour Dolphin Cruise with Snorkeling to Shell Key

• Shell Key Clear Kayak Sunset & Glow Tours

• Small Group Kayak Tour of the Shell Key Preserve

• Dolphin Tour in St. Pete Beach

It’s free to visit the resort city of St. Pete Beach, but many travelers opt to explore the barrier island on a boat cruise from St Petersburg. Boat tours, which include party cruises, dolphin-watching cruises, and dinner cruises, start at US$32, while private cruises start at about US$360 per group.

Yes. If you want a change of pace from city life, St. Pete Beach—located on a barrier island just off the shore of St. Petersburg—is the perfect spot. Head there to relax on white-sand beaches, party into the early hours, or take part in any number of water sports. St. Pete Beach is also a popular place to get on the water, whether you take a romantic dinner cruise, go kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding around Shell Key, or pass by on a dolphin-watching excursion.

Per one customer who booked the Dolphin Tour in St. Pete Beach, "I was looking for something special to do with my granddaughter on my last day here, and we booked the tour and had an awesome time seeing the dolphins and then going over to the island with the birds. The captains were awesome. We really enjoyed the tour. I would highly recommend going with them."

March or April and September or October are great months to visit St. Pete Beach for warm weather and the lightest crowds. Summer months are the hottest and have the most sunlight, though daily rainstorms are common. Winter months are cooler and have fewer tourists, but more seasonal residents are present.

One perk of visiting St. Pete Beach is that you can use the Freebee Shuttle, a free transportation service. The Freebee Shuttle is on-demand, so visitors can request pickup and drop-off services, including accommodations for children, pets, and older adults. Riders can also hail an available Freebee Shuttle if needed.

No, St. Pete Beach in Florida doesn’t have a boardwalk. There’s a boardwalk near St. Petersburg’s Maximo Beach, which is about a 17-minute car ride away. The closest boardwalk to St. Pete Beach is John’s Pass Village and Boardwalk in Madeira Beach, four miles (6.4 kilometers) from the city center.

Despite the similar name, St. Pete Beach and St. Petersburg are both separate cities. St. Pete Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico’s barrier islands, while St. Petersburg is located east of St. Pete Beach on the shores of Tampa Bay. St. Petersburg’s beaches are Spa Beach and Gandy Beach.

No, the public cannot drink alcohol on the beaches of St. Pete Beach. If you see any beachgoers imbibing, there’s a reason—only guests of the beachfront hotels are allowed to drink alcohol on St. Pete Beach public beaches. Feel free to sit and drink at the beachfront restaurants instead.

St. Pete Beach and Clearwater are popular for the same reasons—dazzling sunsets, white sand, turquoise water, and a laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere. Both have been ranked top beaches by various publications, so even though the answer is subjective, you can still expect a scenic, clean, and carefree experience at St. Pete Beach.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting St. Pete Beach. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in and around St Petersburg:

• Salvador Dalí Museum

• St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts

• Egmont Key

• North Straub Park

• Sunken Gardens

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in St Petersburg.