Hi there!
The 2 main beach public access paths to get to a Marco Island beach are on the far south end and the far north end.
And yes… South Beach or the South Marco Beach access is the Marco Island beach that’s on the far south end!
The South Marco Beach parking lot is where to park for South Beach on Marco Island!
👆 Marco Island shells! You can go shelling on Marco Island at South Beach.
The South Marco Beach parking lot is not that big.
So it might also take a little bit of luck to find parking for South Beach!
If you do find a parking spot though, it can be convenient to get to the beach.
From the South Marco Beach parking lot, you will walk a few minutes down the road to get to the South Beach public access!
The South Marco Beach parking lot is just a short walk of less than 5 minutes away from public beach access.
And if the South Beach parking lot is full, you can start driving north to other public beach access and look for parking at the Turtle Lot or Tigertail Beach parking lot… or you can wait a few minutes to see if anyone is leaving soon.
👆 What to do if the South Beach parking lot is full: If you drive around the South Beach parking lot and don’t find any open parking spaces, then Collier County recommends that you try the Tigertail Beach parking lot that has more parking.
There are 3 public Marco Island beach parking lots:
- South Marco Beach parking lot
- Turtle Lot
- Tigertail Beach parking lot
More for your Florida road trip
- Marco Island beaches
- Marco Island to Miami
- Marco Island to Key West
- Marco Island to Tampa
- Tamiami Trail alligators
- One day in Everglades National Park
- 2 hours in Miami
- What to pack for shelling in Florida
More below about what Marco Island public beach parking is like at the South Marco Beach parking lot!
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How to get to South Beach when you’re driving to Marco Island
Here’s the quick list:
- For google maps, navigate to Marco Island, South Beach and Public Parking (the “public parking” part is important!)
- Arrive at the South Marco Beach parking lot!
- Go to the payment kiosk to pay for South Marco Beach parking
- Walk out of the parking lot and follow the signs to the beach
- Cross the main road (Collier Blvd) to get to the South Beach public access path!
- Walk the path to South Beach!
- Arrive at South Beach!
- Enjoy Marco Island at South Beach!!!
1. For google maps, navigate to Marco Island, South Beach and Public Parking (the “public parking” part is important!)
Where do you park for South Beach on Marco Island?
To go to South Beach, you will park at the South Marco Beach parking lot.
The South Marco Beach parking lot is located a few minutes walk away from the South Beach public access path.
For google maps, you’ll want to navigate specifically to the parking lot.
If you just go to “South Beach” you may not end up at the parking lot and you might get confused about where the parking lot is located.
Well, I was anyway the first time I tried to go to the South Beach parking lot, and then I ended up at the Turtle Lot instead because I just kept driving along the main road. 😜
The South Beach parking lot is located along the side road that basically directly faces the South Beach public access path.
So if you do spot the South Beach public access path, just look in the opposite direction and the parking lot will be on that road off of the main road. The main road is Collier Blvd.
The road that the South Marco Beach parking lot is on is Swallow Avenue.
2. Arrive at the South Marco Beach parking lot!
When coming from Collier Blvd, you will also pass by the residents only parking lot of Sarazen parking lot that is right next to the South Marco Beach public parking lot.
👆 The private Sarazen parking lot for residents is right next to the South Beach public parking lot.
👆 No RV parking or trailer parking at the South Beach parking lot on Marco Island.
3. Go to the payment kiosk to pay for South Marco Beach parking
There was no parking attendant at the South Marco Beach parking lot when I went.
Instead, you’ll pay at the payment kiosk that you will see in the parking lot.
It’s a simple process to pay for South Beach parking.
This means that South Beach parking is credit card only.
How much does Marco Island beach parking cost at South Beach?
Parking at South Beach is $10 for all-day parking.
👆 The cost of Marco Island parking at South Beach is $10 for the day.
South Beach parking lot bathroom
There is a bathroom at the South Marco Beach parking lot.
If you need to go to the bathroom, this is where to go!
4. Walk out of the parking lot and start walking towards the beach!
From the South Marco Beach parking lot, you will walk towards the main road of Collier Blvd to get to South Beach.
You will walk a couple of minutes to get to Collier Blvd.
5. Cross the main road (Collier Blvd) to get to the South Beach public access path!
👇 The Cape Marco luxury condos are to the left of the South Beach public access.
6. Walk the path to South Beach!
You will walk for another few minutes along the South Beach public access path to get to South Beach!
7. Arrive at South Beach!
8. Enjoy Marco Island at South Beach!!!
And that’s a bit about getting to South Beach of Marco Island!
Getting to more Marco Island beaches:
More for your Florida road trip:
- Marco Island beaches
- Shelling on Marco Island
- What to pack for shelling in Florida
- Best shelling beaches in Florida
- Best beaches in Southwest Florida
- Things to do in Southwest Florida
- Best state parks in Southwest Florida
- Marco Island to Miami
- Marco Island to Key West
- Marco Island to Tampa
- Tamiami Trail alligators
- Everglades National Park
HAPPY PARKING AT THE SOUTH BEACH PARKING LOT!
Here's some info on Florida trip prep!
- Things to do in Southwest Florida
- Best shelling in Florida
- Tampa to Miami drive
- Things to do in Everglades National Park
Things to consider packing for Florida!
You can find these things on Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate.
Teva is a popular outdoor shoe brand, and they have sandals perfect for walking! Take a look at walking sandals for women and walking sandals for men.
There are waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
How to save money on your trip
I tend to use booking.com or hotels.com to look for the cheapest hotels. You can also try the expedia hotels site or see if you like any of the vrbo vacation rentals.