Fort Lauderdale has around 300 miles of navigable canals, and the single best decision a visitor or a new resident can make is to stop treating the water as scenery and start treating it as transport. The city has two separate boat services running on it: the Water Taxi, a paid hop-on hop-off network that reaches the beach, the marinas, Las Olas and as far as Pompano Beach and Hollywood, and the LauderGO! Water Trolley, which the city runs on the New River and which is completely free. Most people have heard of the first and not the second, which is a shame, because the free one is the one that solves downtown.

This guide covers how both work, what they cost, where they stop, how long you will wait, and how to use them instead of parking. Fares and hours below were checked before publishing, but they do change – for today’s reality, including weather cancellations and route changes, ask the Fort Lauderdale neighbors who ride them.

The free option first: the LauderGO! Water Trolley

If you are downtown, start here. The LauderGO! Water Trolley runs on the New River with eight stops, operates daily from 10am to 10pm, and costs nothing. It is run by the City of Fort Lauderdale in partnership with the Water Taxi and Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale, and it exists to move people around the downtown core and across the river rather than to run a sightseeing route.

The eight access points include Esplanade Park, Riverfront Plaza, Huizenga Plaza, Riverwalk Laura Ward Park, Smoker Park, the Downtowner Saloon, the New River Yacht Club and Tarpon River. Expect a wait of about 20 to 30 minutes at any given stop, and note that the actual crossing of the New River takes under five minutes – so as a river crossing it is quick, and as a way of travelling along the river it is leisurely. Plan accordingly rather than treating it like a bus.

How to actually use it well: park once in a downtown garage, walk the Riverwalk along the river, and use the trolley for the legs you do not feel like walking – particularly to get between the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and Esplanade Park end and the Las Olas end without crossing back over on foot in the heat. It pairs naturally with a riverside meal; our waterfront restaurants guide covers the New River tables, and our free things to do guide lists what else costs nothing here.

The Water Taxi: what it is and what it costs

The Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi is a paid hop-on hop-off boat network, not a point-to-point ferry, and understanding that is the key to enjoying it. Boats run daily from 10am to 10pm and depart each stop roughly every 30 minutes. There are more than 30 stops across the region, broken down as 10 in Fort Lauderdale, 12 in Pompano Beach, 8 on the free Water Trolley and 1 in Hollywood.

Fares

All-route day pass, covering Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Pompano Beach: $38 for adults, $18 for children aged 5 to 11, and free for under-fives.

Evening all-route pass, for riding after 5pm: $25 for adults. This is the one most people should buy if the plan is dinner rather than a day of sightseeing, and it is the single most overlooked saving on the whole service.

30-day multi-day pass: $140. Worth doing the maths on if you are here for a month or hosting a run of visitors – it pays back in under four days of adult riding.

Annual pass: $349, which includes four individual guest tickets so you can bring someone along up to four times a year. ID is required. For residents who live near a stop, this reframes the water taxi from a tourist attraction into a genuine alternative to driving and parking on Las Olas.

The Fort Lauderdale stops, and what each one is for

The numbered Fort Lauderdale stops are the useful ones to memorise:

F1 – Riverside Hotel and Historic Stranahan House Museum. The history stop. The Riverside opened in 1936 as the Champ Carr Hotel; the Stranahan House at 335 SE 6th Ave was built in 1901 as a trading post and is the oldest surviving structure in Broward County, with guided tours at 1, 2 and 3pm most Tuesdays through Fridays.

F2 – Shops and Restaurants at Las Olas. The dinner stop, and the reason to buy the evening pass. It puts you in the middle of the boulevard’s restaurant stretch without touching the parking problem. Our Las Olas guide maps out what is within walking distance of it.

F3 – 15th Street Fisheries. A stop that is also a destination: an old-Florida Intracoastal restaurant at 1900 SE 15th St, open daily 11:30am to 9:30pm, where feeding the tarpon off the dock is a local ritual.

F4 – Hilton Marina and Convention Center. The practical stop for anyone here for a conference or staying on the 17th Street corridor.

F5 – Pier Sixty-Six. The landmark stop on the Intracoastal, and the one with the most recognisable silhouette on the waterfront.

F6 – Marina Village and Bahia Mar. The yachting heart of the city and the closest stop to the beach strip – get off here to walk to the sand.

How to plan a day on the Water Taxi

The mistake visitors make is treating it as a shuttle between two points, which makes the fare feel expensive. Treat it as the day itself and it is excellent value.

A good full day: board mid-morning at F1 and tour the Stranahan House. Ride to F6 for Marina Village and Bahia Mar, walk over to the beach for a couple of hours, and have lunch on the strip. Reboard and ride north up the Intracoastal for the residential waterfront – this is the stretch where the yachts and the canal-front houses do the work, and it is the single best sightseeing you can buy in Fort Lauderdale for $38. Come back to F2 in the late afternoon and finish with dinner on Las Olas.

A good evening: buy the $25 after-5pm pass, board near where you are staying, ride to F2 for dinner on Las Olas, and ride back. No parking, no valet, no driving after a bottle of wine. This is what the pass is for and it is materially cheaper than the day rate.

With children: the fare is $18 for ages 5 to 11 and free under 5, and the boats themselves are the entertainment – open-sided, slow, and full of things to point at. Pair it with F3 and the tarpon at 15th Street Fisheries. More in our guide to things to do with kids in Fort Lauderdale.

Gondolas, and the Venice of America nickname

Fort Lauderdale has been calling itself the Venice of America since a New York investor named J.C. Turner told the Fort Lauderdale Herald that Lauderdale ought to be called exactly that. The nickname earns itself on the canal network rather than on architecture, and the most literal expression of it is that gondola cruises genuinely operate on the canals, docking at Casa Sensei at 1200 E Las Olas Blvd, where you can eat dinner while being poled along the water. It is the most distinctive thing on the city’s waterfront and it is covered further in our date ideas guide.

Practical notes and honest limitations

It is not a commuter service. Thirty-minute headways and a 10am start mean the Water Taxi does not replace a car for work. The free trolley does not either. Treat both as leisure and errand transport.

Weather stops boats. Summer thunderstorms and high wind can suspend service with little notice, and it is the one failure mode that ruins plans. Have a land option in mind between June and October.

Bridges and boat traffic add time. The Intracoastal has drawbridges and the New River is busy; a leg can take noticeably longer than the schedule suggests. Build in slack before a dinner reservation or a show at the Broward Center.

Sun and wind are stronger on the water. Bring a hat, sunscreen and something for your hair, and be aware that the shaded seats fill first.

Buy the right pass for the trip. The most common waste of money here is buying a $38 day pass for an evening out when the $25 evening pass covers it. The second most common is a visiting family buying day passes three days running instead of pricing the 30-day pass.

Check before you rely on a specific stop. Stops are added, moved and suspended for construction and marina work, particularly downtown.

More Fort Lauderdale guides

Keep going with the Las Olas Boulevard guide, waterfront restaurants, things to do in Fort Lauderdale, free things to do, parks, events, restaurants, Italian restaurants, sushi, bars and breweries, the best neighborhoods and moving to Fort Lauderdale.

Frequently asked questions about the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi

How much does the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi cost?

An all-route day pass covering Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Pompano Beach is $38 for adults and $18 for children aged 5 to 11, with under-fives free. If you are only riding in the evening, the after-5pm all-route pass is $25 for adults, which is the option most people should buy for a dinner trip. A 30-day pass is $140 and an annual pass is $349, the latter including four guest tickets.

Is there a free water taxi in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes, and it is genuinely free. The LauderGO! Water Trolley is run by the City of Fort Lauderdale on the New River with eight stops, operating daily from 10am to 10pm at no charge. Stops include Esplanade Park, Riverfront Plaza, Huizenga Plaza, Riverwalk Laura Ward Park, Smoker Park, the Downtowner Saloon, the New River Yacht Club and Tarpon River. Expect to wait about 20 to 30 minutes, though the river crossing itself takes under five minutes.

What hours does the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi run?

Both the Water Taxi and the free LauderGO! Water Trolley run daily from 10am to 10pm. Water Taxi boats depart each stop roughly every 30 minutes. Neither service works as a commuter option because of the late start and the headways, and both can be suspended at short notice in summer thunderstorms or high wind.

How many Water Taxi stops are there in Fort Lauderdale?

There are more than 30 stops across the region: 10 in Fort Lauderdale, 12 in Pompano Beach, 8 on the free Water Trolley and 1 in Hollywood. The key Fort Lauderdale stops are F1 at the Riverside Hotel and Stranahan House, F2 at the Shops and Restaurants at Las Olas, F3 at 15th Street Fisheries, F4 at the Hilton Marina and Convention Center, F5 at Pier Sixty-Six and F6 at Marina Village and Bahia Mar.

Which Water Taxi stop is best for Las Olas?

Stop F2, the Shops and Restaurants at Las Olas, drops you in the middle of the boulevard’s restaurant stretch. This is the single best reason to use the Water Taxi rather than drive, because street parking on Las Olas is effectively full every weekend evening and the alternative is a paid garage or valet. Buy the $25 after-5pm pass if dinner is the whole plan.

Which Water Taxi stop is closest to the beach?

Stop F6 at Marina Village and Bahia Mar is the closest to the beach strip and an easy walk to the sand. It is also the yachting heart of the city, so it doubles as a sightseeing stop. F5 at Pier Sixty-Six is the other landmark stop on the Intracoastal.

Is the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi worth it?

It is, provided you use it as the activity rather than as a shuttle between two points. A $38 day pass buys several hours of slow sightseeing along the Intracoastal past the yachts and canal-front houses, which is the best-value sightseeing in the city. It is poor value if you buy a day pass just to cross town once. Match the pass to the trip: $25 after 5pm for dinner, $140 for a month, $349 annually if you live near a stop.

Are there really gondolas in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes. Gondola cruises operate on the canals and dock at Casa Sensei at 1200 E Las Olas Blvd, where you can dine on board while being poled along the water. It is the most literal expression of the city’s Venice of America nickname, which traces to a New York investor named J.C. Turner telling the Fort Lauderdale Herald that Lauderdale should be called exactly that. The nickname rests on roughly 300 miles of navigable canals.