Getting in
- Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport: For downtown/Las Olas, take Broward County Transit Route 1 from the airport: roughly 25–35 minutes and about $2. It is the sensible cheap transfer, though luggage and late arrivals make a rideshare/taxi more practical (about 15–20 minutes in light traffic; expect roughly $20–35 before surge/tip). Do not take a pricey shared shuttle simply because it is marketed at tourists. Tri-Rail requires the FLA-1 airport shuttle to Dania Beach station and is better for Miami/West Palm Beach than central Fort Lauderdale.
- Miami International Airport: Use the MIA Mover to Miami Intermodal Center, then Tri-Rail north to Fort Lauderdale/Broward station; budget about 75–100 minutes door to door and roughly $4–6 for the train, plus a local connection or rideshare for the final mile. It is far better value than a $50–70-per-person shuttle. A car can take about 40 minutes only when I-95 is behaving; at rush hour it may be much slower.
- Palm Beach International Airport: Only use PBI if the airfare is notably better or your trip includes Palm Beach. Take a short rideshare or Palm Tran connection to Tri-Rail, then ride south to Fort Lauderdale; allow about 1.5–2 hours door to door. It is the least convenient of South Florida’s three commercial airports for a Fort Lauderdale stay.
- Brightline Fort Lauderdale Station: This is the useful intercity station: it is downtown, a short rideshare or walk from the Riverwalk/Las Olas area. Brightline is the good choice from Miami, West Palm Beach or Orlando when its schedule and fare work; reserve a specific train rather than treating it like a metro.
- Tri-Rail/Amtrak Fort Lauderdale station (Broward Boulevard): Tri-Rail and Amtrak stop west of the core, near I-95—not on Las Olas. Use the LauderGO/community shuttle when operating or take a short rideshare downtown. Tri-Rail is cheap but infrequent on weekends and delays of 30–60 minutes are possible, so do not build a tight airport or cruise connection around it.