Visitors from all over the world routinely pick Virginia Beach as their annual sand and sun-filled vacation destination. Here they get to unwind and recharge. The kids can play in the sand and surf while the adults work on their tan, read books and work on obtaining a fully relaxed, Zen-like mental state. The activities, events, and “things to do” at the oceanfront are exhilarating, the food is absolutely fantastic and the costs are extremely wallet friendly.

And if you live in the northern part of the USA or Canada, there is another really big benefit to choosing Virginia Beach — less time driving in the car to get to a warm-watered beach.

Virginia Beach is the first warm-water beach as you’re coming from the North.

Driving to more southern destinations requires more time in the car, more gas, and if you have small children, a lot more patience.

On average, choosing Virginia Beach means 8-10 less hours round trip driving when compared against Myrtle Beach, SC and a gas savings of approximately $60.

Choosing VA Beach over Miami Beach means more than 20 hours of saved driving time and around $175 in gas.

Here are a few example calculations of the amount of time and gas you’ll save if you’re choosing Virginia Beach and coming from the North. These are round-trip numbers and assume your car can get 20MPG with gas costing $1.90c US.

Driving from Montreal QB to Virginia Beach

Montreal to VA Beach: 24 total hours. 1434 miles.
Montreal to Myrtle Beach, SC: 32 total hours. 2,064 miles. 8 more hours and $60 more in gas.
Montreal to Miami Beach, FL: 50 hours. 3294 miles. 26 more hours and $176 more in gas.

Driving from Portland, ME to Virginia Beach

Portland to VA Beach: 22 hours, 1346 miles.
Portland to MB, SC: 32 hours, 1950 miles. 10 more hours and $58 more in gas.
Portalnd to Miami: 50 hours, 3196 miles. 28 more hours and $177 more in gas.

Driving from New York, NY to Virginia Beach

New York to Virginia Beach: 13 hours, 726 miles.
New York -> Myrtle Beach: 23 hours, 1326 miles. 10 more hours and $57 more in gas.
New York -> Miami Beach: 41 hours, 2572 miles. 28 more hours and $175 more in gas.

Driving from Baltimore, MD to Virginia Beach

Baltimore to Virginia Beach: 9 hours, 510 miles.
Baltimore to Myrtle Beach: 15 hours, 1444 miles. 6 more hours, $42 more in gas.
Baltimore to Miami Beach: 32 hours, 2200 miles. 23 more hours, $160 more in gas.

As they say, time is money. It’s also the resource we generally have the least of. By choosing Virginia Beach for your family vacation, you’ll save time, money, and will have an incredible enjoyable vacation worthy of repeating.

Last edited: April 6, 2017