As well as hordes of tourists lining the seafront, the square is also filled with street performers, food stands, and little crafts stalls. Some of the street performers are pretty entertaining--especially the trained cats, which do some amazing tricks. Look out as well for the dog with the cat lying on top of him and the mouse lying on top of the cat. Bizarre!

If you're lucky, sunset is quite a spectacular sight--watching a great ball of fire sink below the waves, the sailing ships silhouetted black against the horizon. To get a good place, though, you will need to arrive earlier, especially on the weekend, and be prepared for disappointment--often the sun just fades away behind the clouds.

Driving to Key West, one of the most obvious places to catch a truly stupendous sunset is Seven Mile Bridge at MM 45, the longest of the 40+ bridges that link the Keys to the mainland. On the north side of the bridge lie the remnants of the original Seven Mile Bridge built in the early 1900s. If you park on the northern side of the bridge, you can walk along a 2 ¼ mile stretch of the old bridge to pick your viewing spot (as seen in ‘True Lies’), towards Pigeon Key National Historic District (Visitor centre at MM 53.5), a restored railroad work camp from 1908. There is a museum here about Henry Flagler and the railroad. You can also swim and picnic here, as well as staying at some historic guesthouses perhaps after watching the sunset.

In Key West itself, Mallory Square at the northern end of Duval St. is the site of the town’s famous sunset celebrations, where you can gaze out westwards to see the sun bid farewell for the day as it gradually slips beneath the exotic waters of the Caribbean. This spot tends to get a little crowded as this is where the pre ‘Duval Crawl’ crowd get geared up for a night on the town, to the accompaniment of music and entertainment.

Another great way to see a Key West sunset is out on the water. In many ways this is the perfect way, as you can either watch it with others as you return from a day out snorkeling at the reefs, or as part of a sunset dining experience. The ship’s captain will make certain that from wherever you watch the spectacle, it will be from a grandstand location unhindered by obstacles! There is definitely something very special about swaying in the breeze, hearing the sound of the water gently lapping against the sides of the boat in the company of friends...

If you can afford to ‘push the boat out,'' nothing would beat the romance of just the two of you enjoying the sunset together!