Sarasota is roughly 60 miles (about 95 km) from Tampa by car, usually around a 1–1.25 hour drive depending on traffic and your exact start/end points.

Quick Scoop

Straight-line vs driving distance

  • In a straight line (“as the crow flies”), Sarasota and Tampa are about 40–42 miles apart.
  • Driving distance is longer because roads curve and use highways like I‑75, typically about 52–60 miles.

Typical drive time

  • Most routes take about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes in normal traffic.
  • Rush hour, weekend beach traffic, or road work can push it closer to 1.5 hours.

Main ways to get there

  • Car via I‑75: Fastest and most common, roughly 53–60 miles door to door.
  • Airport‑to‑airport: SRQ (Sarasota–Bradenton) to TPA (Tampa International) is about 40 miles straight-line, around an hour+ driving.
  • Shuttle/ride services: Often recommended in local discussions if you’re flying into Tampa and staying in Sarasota without a car.

Distance and time overview (HTML table)

[5][1][3][7] [1][3][7][9] [3][7]
Type Approx. Distance Typical Time Notes
Straight-line city to city 40–42 miles (64–68 km)Not directly used for travel Geographic distance, not what you drive.
Driving via main highways ~52–60 miles (84–97 km)~1–1.25 hours Most direct practical driving distance.
SRQ ↔ TPA driving ~52–53 miles (84–86 km)~1.1–1.2 hours Between the main airports.

Tiny road-trip flavor

Picture it as an easy mini road trip along Florida’s Gulf Coast: close enough for a day trip, but just far enough that you’ll want a good playlist and maybe a coffee stop along I‑75.

TL;DR: Sarasota is about 60 miles from Tampa by road, and you’ll usually be on the highway for around an hour or a bit more.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.