FLORIDA BY RAIL: THE NEW FOUR-STOP ROUTE

The Brightline system means you can now hop between four major Florida destinations by train. What to do in each? The following route, starting in Miami, would work well …

MIAMI

The city at Florida’s tip has a reputation for being Party Central, particularly during the wild weeks of “Spring Break”. But while there is a notable liveliness to the bars and hotels of South Beach

(at any time of year), Miami is also cool and cultured – not least amid the striking sculptures and modern images of the Pérez Art Museum (pamm.org).

Do: Miami Culinary Tours (miamiculinarytours.com) offers a “Little Havana Food & Culture Tour” that dips into the flavours and heritage of Miami’s feted Cuban district over the course of 2.5 hours. From $65 (£54), mojitos and coffee included.

Dine: The Cuban theme continues under chef Michael Beltran at Ariete, a fine-dining option away from the noise of South Beach at Coconut Grove (arietecoconutgrove.com). Stay: The Hotel Breakwater South Beach, which peers at the Atlantic from the gilded strip of Ocean Drive (001 844 319 3854; breakwatersouthbeach.com). Doubles from £139.

More information: miamiandbeaches.com

Miami-Fort Lauderdale journey time: 33 mins

FORT LAUDERDALE Sometimes lost in the glow that emanates from its near-neighbour, Fort

Lauderdale provides a quieter, calmer Florida than Miami – spreading out around the various canals and waterways that have made it a haven for the rich and their superyachts. As with Miami, it offers much more than the beach. Its NSU Art Museum (nsuartmuseum.org) has a wealth of Latin American and Cuban art, as well as pieces by Picasso; the Bonnet House (bonnethouse.org) protects a 19th century estate that effectively pre-dates the city.

Do: Segway Fort Lauderdale (segwayfortlauderdale.com) offers two-wheeled e-tours, which serve up the food and history of the “Venice of America”. From $39 (£32). Dine: The House on the River (thehouseontheriver. com) occupies one of Florida’s oldest houses (constructed in 1902). It reputedly deals in ghosts as well as fresh snapper. Stay: The W Fort Lauderdale (001 954 414 8200; marriott.com) – a five-star spot from which to appreciate the city’s 24 miles of (largely) sandy beaches. Doubles from £288.

More information: visitlauderdale.com

Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach journey time: 40 mins

WEST PALM BEACH Technically, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach are different places, separated by the near-coastal waters of Lake Worth Lagoon. But this does not diminish the beauty of a 13-mile slice of the Florida shoreline that owes plenty of its impetus to Henry Flagler – the area sprouted around the tycoon’s railroad construction in the 1890s.

Do: The Flagler Museum (flaglermuseum.us). Not only does this intriguing institution tell the tale of the area’s financial founding father; it does so from within “Whitehall”, the Palm Beach mansion that Flagler used as his winter residence between 1902 and his death in 1913 (having taken a tumble down one of the property’s flights of marble stairs).

Dine: Flagler Steakhouse at The Breakers (thebreakers. com). As the name of its main restaurant hints, this Palm Beach five-star is another Flagler legacy. Although the original burned down back in 1903, the hotel’s first incarnation was opened by the businessman in 1895.

Stay: Hyatt Place West

Palm Beach (001 561 655 1454; hyatt.com). Set on the “other” side of the lagoon, this three-star is more affordable than the costly oceanfront.

Doubles from £374. More information: thepalmbeaches.com

West Palm Beach-Orlando journey time: 2 hrs, 16 mins

ORLANDO

In many ways, the prime travel hotspot of central Florida is inseparable from its biggest attraction. But don’t just devote your stay to the rollercoasters and razzmatazz of Disney World (disneyworld.co.uk); make time for Universal Orlando (universalorlando.com) too.

Do: Winter Park is the “secret” Orlando many tourists never visit, a leafy zone of shops and restaurants, crowned by the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art – a treasure trove that has the world’s largest collection of Tiffany glass (morsemuseum.org). Dine: A Land Remembered (landrememberedrestaurant. com), an iconic Orlando steakhouse named in tribute to the 1984 novel by Pulitzer-nominated American author Patrick Smith – whose pages peer back to the frontierland Florida of the late 19th century.

Stay: The Hilton Orlando (001 407 313 4300; hilton. com) – a four-star pitched ideally between Disney World and Universal (should you be planning to visit both). Doubles from £154. More information: visitorlando.com