Destin vs Panama City Beach vs Pensacola: The “Big 3” in Florida’s Panhandle
Florida’s panhandle is often called the Emerald Coast because of the way its super white beaches contrast with the beautiful water so it’s no wonder people flock to this area for their beach vacations.
If you’ve never been to the area before (or you’re thinking about switching up your usual spot on the coast), there’s basically three major towns/cities where tourists cluster: Pensacola, Destin, and Panama City Beach.
Before I get into the specifics of each place, I think these three spots all have a somewhat similar vibe.
Well…how do I say this…they don’t call this the Redneck Riviera for nothing. This part of Florida is most heavily visited by people from the surrounding southern states so it’s a total 180 from what you’ll find in south florida.
Besides all of that, you’ll find high rise condos, Joe’s Crab Trap type restaurants, and putt putt mini golf/amusement parks in all three.
Have I painted a picture?
But…but, but, but. The beach. The entire stretch of coast from Pensacola to Panama City Beach is pretty much the most beautiful beach you’ll find in the entire state of Florida. Which is really saying something.
Powder fine, sugar white sand. Turquoise water. Waves that are calm enough to swim in but still be fun. This is why you come here.
We’re talking about a Caribbean-esque beach super close to home.
Destin vs Panama City Beach vs Pensacola
90 miles of sugar white sand and emerald water stretch along the panhandle from Pensacola through Destin and onto Panama City Beach including smaller beach communities like Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, and Santa Rosa’s famous Scenic Highway 30a.
Let’s cover the “big three” from west to east:
Pensacola
Pensacola Beach, located close to the “Flora Bama” border just 60 miles east of Mobile, is a family friendly beach destination that blends natural beauty and all of the trappings of a classic beach vacation.
The beach is pretty much world renowned for its soft, white sand and crystal-clear, emerald-green waters. It’s a picturesque setting that’s perfect for relaxation, laying in the sun, taking leisurely walks…or adventure. With a beach like this, there’s always plenty to do…swimming, snorkeling, paddleboarding, fishing, etc.
While there’s plenty going on, the overall vibe of Pensacola Beach is pretty casual and relaxed and very family friendly. There’s plenty to do for all ages and kids especially like the Pensacola Beach Pier.
One of my favorite things about Pensacola Beach is its proximity to the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Gulf Islands National Seashore is a protected area just east of Pensacola that is known for its pristine beaches (even more so than usual), historic sites, and “birding.”
If you’re staying in Pensacola Beach, you don’t really need to pack up the car and drive out here for a beach day, but I really enjoy driving through the park as a scenic day trip.
Also, a visit to Fort Pickens (the far west end of Pensacola Beach on the barrier island) is great for history buffs or just an extra activity when you get tired of the beach.
Pensacola Beach is in close proximity to Naval Air Station Pensacola, the home base of the famous Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron. The team often practices over the area, and their aerial displays are a sight to behold.
Pensacola’s big attraction is the National Naval Aviation Museum. It’s a world class museum and 100% worth a day away from the beach. Plus the Naval Air Station in Pensacola is also home to the Blue Angels. It’s not unusual to see them practicing in the area and Pensacola Beach hosts a few events throughout the year where you can see them fly.
I think Pensacola Beach is a more compact area than Destin or Panama City Beach. Yes, there’s pretty much an endless stretch of small to medium condo buildings along the island towards Gulf Islands National Seashore, but most of the hotels and restaurants are clustered close to the bridge from the mainland.
Most of the hotels here are in the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn range (but the nice resort versions) and there’s also a Margaritaville and a Hilton.
Food options are your typical touristy beach town variety…Crabs on the Beach, Riptides, Flounder’s, etc.
Pensacola Beach Condos & Vacation Rentals: Check here to find the best condos in Pensacola Beach. You can filter for your wish list (exact location, price, # of rooms, pet friendly, etc.). And if you’re on a tight budget, you’ll be pleased to find many options under $100/night.
Search for Pensacola Beach condos and vacation rentals here.
***Want to save major $$$ on a fancy beach resort? My favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free nights at some of the island’s most high end resorts. My go to hotel brand is Marriott so I use this Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card to rack up points for a lot of my trips to Florida. If you pay for your monthly expenses on the card and are responsible about paying it off every month, the points add up really fast. Plus, if you sign up through my link, you’ll get THREE bonus free nights to use. In Florida, use your points at some of my favorite Marriott properties like the Swan Reserve at Walt Disney World, the Vinoy in St. Pete, the EDITION Miami Beach, the JW Marriott Marco Island, and the soon to open St. Regis Longboat Key.
Destin
About 50 miles east of Pensacola, the Destin area includes Fort Walton Beach to the west, Destin “proper”, and Miramar Beach to the east.
At its core, Destin is a quintessential beach town. Days here revolve around the beach, and the evening’s main activity is always watching the sunset into the Gulf of Mexico.
Yes, you’ll find those same stunning white sand beaches here that the whole coast is famous for, but Destin has quite a bit more going on than nearby Pensacola and Panama City Beach.
What used to be a sleepy fishing village (Destin is known as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village”) has become THE beach destination on Florida’s panhandle.
While all three of these spots in the panhandle can be described as family friendly (except maybe Panama City Beach around spring break), Destin is very much the most family-oriented destination and it’s because of the sheer amount of activities the town has to offer. From water parks and adventure golf to themed bowling and beachside playgrounds, it’s not hard to find things to do when the kids get tired of just going to the beach.
And besides all of that, it’s basically a sportsman and outdoor lovers paradise: fishing, boating, snorkeling, parasailing, etc.
Plus the area is also known for its excellent golf courses and tennis facilities.
Tired of all of that? Destin is the shoppers paradise too! Yes there’s the huge outlet mall, but there’s also a handful of more upscale shopping centers in the area (I like Grand Boulevard and the Baytowne Wharf).
And when you’re ready for dinner (or breakfast or lunch or a small snack!), Destin has enough restaurants to handle the crowds. A lot of what’s here are big chain restaurants or your typical Florida beach spots but there are more local restaurants as well.
A big selling point about Destin is that while you can definitely find a wide range of accommodation options to suit various budgets and preferences, Destin has a more upscale feel than Pensacola or Panama City Beach.
It by far has the best selection of plush condos and luxury resorts plus nicer restaurants and amenities. But it’s not “snobby” at all. It’s an extremely accessible and low key destination.
Destin Condos & Vacation Rentals: Check here to find the best condos in Destin. You can filter for your wish list (exact location, price, # of rooms, pet friendly, etc.). And if you’re on a tight budget, you’ll be pleased to find many options under $100/night.
Search for Destin condos and vacation rentals here.
Panama City Beach
If you’re looking for “action,” Panama City Beach is where you want to be. And if you’re trying to avoid the action, eh, I’d probably recommend avoiding PCB.
Here’s the deal…Panama City Beach has a LOT to offer in terms of postcard worthy beaches and sun soaked days. Seriously, you can spend a great vacation here doing ALL the beach things, and they’ve really worked hard to play up the family friendly aspect in recent years (there’s a waterpark, marine park, amusement park on the pier with a movie theater, Dave & Buster’s, etc.).
But once the sun goes down it’s a different story.
Whether its reputation is deserved or not, Panama City Beach has become famous as one of the top Spring Break destinations in the United States and it’s definitely a certain kind of spring breakers if you know what I mean. It’s the kind of vibe that I try to avoid at all costs.
As far as hotels, it’s got the Holiday Inn and Springhill Suites types of places, but it’s mostly condo-tels. And expect the same big chain restaurants, fast food, and typical beach places.
Panama City Beach Condos & Vacation Rentals: Check here to find the best condos in Panama City Beach. You can filter for your wish list (exact location, price, # of rooms, pet friendly, etc.). And if you’re on a tight budget, you’ll be pleased to find many options under $100/night.
Search for Panama City Beach condos and vacation rentals here.
Side Note: If you’re looking for a rental car for your trip, I LOVE Discount USA Car Rental. They’re seriously the only company I ever use. I started using their sister company (Discount Hawaii Car Rental) on my Hawaii trips almost 10 years ago and now I use their main site for all of my other trips. They’ll give you the very best prices, you don’t have to reserve with a credit card or pay until you show up, you can cancel and re-book anytime if you find a better rate, and they usually have a special that adds additional drivers for no fee. It’s a no brainer. Click here to check rates for your trip.
Destin vs Panama City Beach vs Pensacola: Which One Is Best?
So which place is best? Well, folks I won’t leave you in suspense…it’s Destin for me. By a landslide. Destin is just bigger and nicer than Panama City Beach and Pensacola, and whatever your expectations are for accommodations, dining, or shopping, you’ll be able to find what you want.
But for the sake of nuance, let’s hash it out a little more:
Airport Options
All three places have pretty decent airports and while VPS is the biggest with the most options, the other two aren’t completely irrelevant.
Destin/Fort Walton Beach (VPS)
Panama City Beach (ECP)
Pensacola (PNS)
Location
We’re only talking 90 miles or so that separate Pensacola from Panama City Beach so I doubt you’ll make the decision of one place over the other based strictly on distance/drive time, but depending on where you’re driving from, Pensacola could be an hour or so closer than Destin (and even closer than PCB) so that could make it attractive.
Best Beaches
This isn’t a deciding point either. The beaches from Pensacola to PCB are all exquisite. It’s basically 90 miles of the most gorgeous white sand beaches you’ve ever seen. You cannot make a bad decision here. The nuances come down to the beach towns themselves and what kind of vibe you’re after.
Which brings me to…
Destin vs Panama City Beach vs Pensacola
I’ve already told you that Destin is my pick. It’s more developed (in a good way I think) and just all around nicer.
I mentioned that whatever your expectations are for accommodations, dining, or shopping, you’ll be able to find what you want. Here’s what I mean:
If you like the spring breakish crab trap/amusement park/mini golf/10 tees for $20 you’ll find your places and if you like a quieter and nicer place to stay with a good pool/good seafood dinners/upscale shopping then you’ll find it too.
I really like the east end of Destin (Sandestin really) and will usually always hit up the Baytowne Wharf and Grand Boulevard no matter where I’m staying in the area.
If I were personally planning a trip to Destin, I would stay at the Henderson Beach Resort. It’s right smack in the middle of Destin, but it borders Henderson Beach State Park so it’s pretty quiet.
The only real drawback to Destin are the crowds. They’ve done a lot to fix the roads and traffic problems in recent years (it’s still a crowded beach town so don’t expect no traffic) but there’s just a lot built here. It’s good and it’s bad.
Pensacola has less built up than the other two for sure and has a bit of a retro feel, but for the number of hotel rooms, I don’t think there are enough restaurants or “things to do.” If you’re planning to park yourself on the beach and hit the grocery store to make sandwiches and you’re fine with the same few restaurants for dinner…it’s probably where you’ll find the least crowded beaches.
And I’ll just level with you…I would steer clear of Panama City Beach. I’m sure plenty of people love it but it’s not for me.
*I’ve actually gotten some not so happy feedback on this post from a local or two in the past as the local business community has worked hard to bury their spring break reputation and attract more families, but my mission with this blog is always to tell YOU what I would tell a friend…and what I would tell a friend is that it’s just way too spring breakish and jam packed with things that I don’t really love.
Here’s the deal…If Panama City Beach was the only spot in the area with these kinds of beaches, I could definitely justify going there and just doing my best to avoid all the other stuff that I don’t love, but it’s not the only place in the area.
It’s relatively close to Destin (not to mention all the cute little beach towns on 30a) so I just wouldn’t ever choose to stay in PCB.
And to wrap this up, I’m sure you’re reading this post because you’re trying to narrow it down between Destin vs Panama City Beach vs Pensacola, but for funsies let me throw another option at you.
One of my absolute favorite spots in all of Florida is the scenic 30a highway in between Destin and Panama City Beach. Yes, it’s in the Destin and PCB area, but trust me it’s a world away.
The cutest, quaintest beach towns you’ll ever see and a little more “highbrow” than the surrounding areas. Read my 30a travel guide to get a feel for the area here.
On Another Note: If you’re looking for a condo or vacation rental for your trip, I always book with Vrbo. They’ve got the largest selection of rentals you’ll find anywhere and you can easily filter to find exactly what you’re looking for. Need a specific number of bedrooms and bathrooms? Narrowed it down to a certain location? Want flexible cancellation terms? Need to stay under a fixed budget? Click here to search for Florida vacation rentals for your trip.
Want to Read More Posts about Florida? I’ve got plenty!
Check out these destinations: Miami (Things to Do Besides Party & Where to Stay) // Key Biscayne // Sanibel & Captiva // Longboat Key & Anna Maria Island // Marco Island // 30a // St Augustine // Amelia Island // St Pete Beach // St Petersburg // Fort Myers // Dunedin // Crystal River & Weeki Wachee Springs // Honeymoon Island & Caladesi Island State Parks // Tarpon Springs // Matlacha & Pine Island // Apalachicola
Trying to narrow it down? Siesta Key vs Anna Maria Island // St Pete Beach vs Clearwater Beach // Sanibel vs Marco Island // Destin vs Panama City Beach // Destin vs 30a // Key Biscayne vs South Beach // Seaside vs Rosemary Beach
Best Beaches in Florida with Seashells
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