Sand Key vs Clearwater Beach: Which Side of the Bridge Should You Stay On?

Should you stay on Sand Key or Clearwater Beach?

Base yourself on the main Clearwater Beach island if it's your first trip, if you won't have a car, or if evenings out matter to you. Mandalay Avenue, the Beach Walk promenade, Pier 60 and the marina are within walking distance of most hotels on the island. Dinner doesn't depend on a trolley timetable.

Choose Sand Key if the beach is the trip. The Sheraton sits right next to Sand Key Park, a 95-acre county park with a boardwalk, a nature trail, a playground and a dog park. Main-beach guests can get a taste of it through day passes at the Sand Key resorts. You give up walkability for space and quiet, and you'll probably ride or drive to Pier 60 a few times during your stay.

How do Sand Key and Clearwater Beach compare?

Parking rates are as of October 2026. The restaurant counts come from OpenStreetMap, which undercounts both areas, so read them as a ratio, not a census. The restaurant section explains the method.

Is Sand Key part of Clearwater Beach?

Partly. Pinellas County defines Sand Key as the barrier island running from Clearwater Pass (Sand Key Park sits at its north tip) south to John's Pass in Madeira Beach. Most of that island belongs to other towns. It's also the island that gets renourished, so the beach there is largely Sand Key's pumped-in sand, while the main Clearwater Beach front is mostly natural. For how the other islands stack up, see our nearby beaches ranked.

The northern end is inside the City of Clearwater. Sand Key Park, the Sheraton Sand Key Resort and the Marriott on Sand Key all have Clearwater, FL 33767 addresses, the same city and ZIP as Pier 60. On OpenStreetMap's boundary data, the Clearwater city line crosses Gulf Boulevard just south of Sand Key Estates Drive, roughly 2 miles below the pass. Past that point Gulf Boulevard runs through Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and the Redingtons before reaching Madeira Beach.

That's why a hotel sold as "Clearwater Beach" can be on either island. A Gulf Boulevard address usually means Sand Key. Gulfview Boulevard, Mandalay Avenue or Coronado Drive means the main island. Our Clearwater Beach neighborhood guide breaks the main island into its own neighborhoods.

Which beach is quieter?

Sand Key, simply because there's less around it. The main Clearwater Beach island packs hotels, restaurants, bars, rental stands and the Pier 60 plaza within a short walk of the sand, and day-trippers from across Tampa Bay aim for the garages near the pier. On the Clearwater stretch of Sand Key, the Gulf side is mostly the Sheraton, residential towers and the county park. The Marriott and the Columbia sit across Gulf Boulevard on the bay. With fewer things to do nearby, fewer people walk up from the road. The exception is volleyball tournament weekends at the Sheraton Sand Key, such as the AVP Juniors championships on Thanksgiving weekend.

Sand Key Park is the public anchor. Pinellas County lists two bathhouses, outdoor showers, a boardwalk and nature trail, a playground, two shelters with grills, a dog park, umbrella and cabana rentals, two beach wheelchairs and seasonal lifeguards. The park opens at 7 a.m. and closes at sunset, and it's shut the day after Thanksgiving and on December 25.

What you give up is atmosphere. Pier 60 has the evening sunset crowd and a fishing pier. Sand Key gets the same sunset with far fewer people watching it.

How far is Sand Key from Pier 60, and can you walk it?

Yes, though most people only do it once. From the Sheraton Sand Key Resort to the Pier 60 plaza, you walk north on Gulf Boulevard, cross Clearwater Pass on the Sand Key Bridge, then follow S. Gulfview Boulevard past the Beach Walk. OpenStreetMap-based route planners put it at a little over 2 miles, about 45 minutes at an easy pace. The bridge has sidewalks on both sides and is close to half a mile long, with no shade. All of these figures are route-planner estimates, not timed walks.

PSTA's Sunday-to-Thursday Jolley Trolley timetable allows 12 minutes from the route's Sand Key end to the Clearwater Beach Transit Center, which sits off Causeway Boulevard by the roundabout, a few minutes' walk from Pier 60. Heading south, the Jolley Trolley stops at Pier 60, the Beach Walk and Shephard's Beach Resort before crossing to the Sheraton. Spring weekend traffic can stretch any of these times. For full route details, see Clearwater Beach without a car.

What restaurants and bars can you walk to from each side?

To put a number on it, this page uses OpenStreetMap data: restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes, fast-food outlets and ice cream shops listed within 800 meters of two points, the Sheraton Sand Key Resort and the Pier 60 plaza. That's a straight-line radius, roughly a 10-minute walk. The data was pulled in October 2026.

• Sheraton Sand Key Resort: 5 listings: the Columbia Restaurant Sand Key, one other restaurant, the Marriott's pool bar, a cafe and a gelato shop.
• Pier 60: 24 listings, from Frenchy's South Beach Cafe to the bars and grills along Mandalay Avenue.

OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and misses places on both sides, including most hotel restaurants, so the real totals are higher. The ratio is what matters.

The best-known spot on the Sand Key side is the Columbia Restaurant Sand Key (1241 Gulf Blvd), a branch of the Columbia Restaurant family that dates to 1905. It's on the bay side of Gulf Boulevard and has an outdoor deck on Clearwater Bay. As of October 2026 it opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Apart from Columbia and the resort restaurants, Sand Key is quiet at night.

On the main island, Frenchy's South Beach Cafe (351 S. Gulfview Blvd) is within a 10-minute walk south of Pier 60 and stays open later: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, as of October 2026. Mandalay Avenue, just north of the pier, has many of the island's bars and restaurants. Our bars and nightlife guide covers them.

What kind of hotels and condos are on each side?

Clearwater's part of Sand Key mostly comes down to two full-service resorts and condo rentals:

• Sheraton Sand Key Resort (1160 Gulf Blvd), on the Gulf beside the Sand Key Park entrance.
• Marriott on Sand Key (1201 Gulf Blvd), a short way south on the bay side of Gulf Boulevard, so the beach is across the road.
• Condos. Most other towers on this stretch are residential. A rental unit gets you a kitchen and more room; check what it includes for parking.

The main island has a much wider range, from big Gulf-front resorts to mid-size hotels on S. Gulfview Boulevard and older motels on the side streets. Pool features differ too; our guide to hotel pools on both sides includes the Sand Key Marriott's rock-waterfall pool.

Resort fees and overnight parking charges vary by hotel and change often, so compare the total nightly cost. Our hotel parking and resort fee guide explains what to check. For day parking, Sand Key Park ($6 a day through Nov. 30, 2026; $3.50 an hour, max $12/day plus tax, from Dec. 1) is usually cheaper than the hourly rates near Pier 60. Our guide to the cheapest ways to park for a beach day compares the options. As of October 2026, city lots cost $3.50 an hour (most run 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.) and on-street spaces cost $4 an hour with a 5-hour limit. The Clearwater Beach parking guide lists the garages and lots.

Which side fits your trip?

Can't decide? Split the stay. Spend a couple of nights near Pier 60 for evenings out, then cross the bridge for beach days. The move is a short drive, so you lose an hour or so, not a day.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sand Key the same as Clearwater Beach?

No. They're separate islands, split by Clearwater Pass and joined by the Sand Key Bridge. Sand Key's north end, with Sand Key Park and the Sheraton and Marriott resorts, is in the City of Clearwater and shares the 33767 ZIP code, so hotels there are often sold as Clearwater Beach. Farther south, Sand Key belongs to Belleair Beach and other towns.

Can you walk from Sand Key to Pier 60?

Yes. From the Sheraton Sand Key Resort it's a little over 2 miles over the Sand Key Bridge, about 45 minutes by route-planner estimates, and the bridge has sidewalks on both sides. Most visitors take the Jolley Trolley or the Suncoast Beach Trolley instead, at $2.25 a ride as of October 2026.

How much does it cost to park at Sand Key Park?

$6 per day as of October 2026, paid at automated stations that take credit cards only (Visa, Mastercard, American Express). The park is open 7 a.m. to sunset. Pinellas County also sells an annual beach parking permit.

Does the trolley go to Sand Key?

Two do. The Jolley Trolley's South Beach route stops at the Shoppes on Sand Key, the Marriott on Sand Key and the Sheraton Sand Key Resort, and guests of those two resorts ride free with a room card. PSTA's Suncoast Beach Trolley runs along Gulf Boulevard between Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach about every 30 minutes. Both charge $2.25 as of October 2026.

Are there restaurants on Sand Key?

A few. The Columbia Restaurant Sand Key at 1241 Gulf Blvd is the best known, and the resorts have their own restaurants and bars. For more choice, cross the bridge to the Pier 60 area.