Travel Guide · June 13, 2026
Tucked along the Gulf Coast between Fort Myers and Sarasota, the small city of Venice is one of Southwest Florida's most rewarding day-trip destinations — and one of its most overlooked. Unlike the better-known stretches of beach to the south, Venice moves at a gentler pace. Its streets are lined with Mediterranean Revival architecture, its shores hide ancient fossilized shark teeth, and its sunsets rank among the prettiest on Florida's west coast. Whether you're a first-time visitor flying into RSW or PGD, a snowbird looking for a fresh adventure, or a new resident still discovering the region, Venice is well worth the roughly 60-to-75-minute drive north from the Cape Coral / Fort Myers area.
The best part? A comfortable, fuel-efficient rental car makes the whole trip effortless. We delivered a freshly detailed Hyundai Kona to a guest recently and it's the perfect companion for a day like this — easy to park on Venice's charming downtown streets and nimble enough to hop between beach access points without a second thought.
Venice proudly calls itself the Shark Tooth Capital of the World, and for good reason. Millions of fossilized shark teeth — some dating back 10 million years — wash ashore here regularly, eroded from ancient offshore deposits. The best hunting ground is Caspersen Beach, the southernmost and most natural of Venice's public beaches. Unlike the groomed, heavily trafficked shores you'll find elsewhere, Caspersen is wonderfully wild: a long, narrow strip backed by Australian pines, with dark shell-and-fossil-flecked sand that rewards patient eyes.
Even if you don't find a single tooth (though you almost certainly will), the beach itself is beautiful and blissfully uncrowded compared to its neighbors.
After the beach, head a few minutes north into Historic Downtown Venice — a genuinely walkable, postcard-pretty grid of streets centered on Venice Avenue and Tampa Avenue. The city was master-planned in the 1920s by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers with a distinctly Italian aesthetic, and that Mediterranean Revival architecture is still remarkably intact. You'll find arched colonnades, terracotta roof tiles, and fountain plazas that make it feel more like a European piazza than a Florida beach town.
Spend an hour or two browsing the boutiques, galleries, and antique shops that line the avenues. Grab a coffee at one of the sidewalk cafés and watch the world go by at a very civilized pace. The Venice Museum & Archives on Tampa Avenue is a small but fascinating stop if you want to understand how this unique city came to be.
Downtown Venice is also a wonderful place to pick up a local souvenir — shark tooth jewelry is everywhere, and much of it is crafted by local artisans rather than mass-produced.
Venice punches well above its weight when it comes to dining. Here are a few locally loved spots to consider:
Time your departure from downtown to arrive at Venice Beach or the South Jetty about 45 minutes before sundown, and you'll be rewarded with one of the finest sunset views in all of Southwest Florida. The South Jetty at the Intracoastal Waterway entrance is a particularly magical spot — you can watch dolphins surfing the channel current while the sky turns shades of pink and orange over the Gulf. Bring a light layer; the breeze picks up as the sun dips, and it's wonderfully refreshing after a full day in the heat.
By the time you pack back into your rental car for the drive south toward Fort Myers, Cape Coral, or Punta Gorda, you'll already be mentally planning a return trip. Venice has that effect on people.
Whether you're picking up your rental at Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) or Fort Myers' RSW, or you'd like your car delivered to you anywhere within 50 miles of the Punta Gorda area, we make it simple to get the wheels rolling on a day trip like this one. The Hyundai Kona is a fantastic choice — comfortable, efficient on the highway, and easy to maneuver into those smaller downtown parking spots. Check availability on Turo and get your Venice adventure on the calendar.