What's a good 3-day itinerary for St. Petersburg?

Three days, three zones. Day 1 stays on the downtown waterfront, where most of the walking is flat and shaded by live oaks along Beach Drive NE. Start at Mazzaro's Italian Market on 22nd Avenue North by 9 AM. A prosciutto-and-mozzarella sandwich at the deli counter runs about $12, and the smell of fresh bread and cured meat fills the room before you reach the register. By 10 AM, head south to the Salvador Dalí Museum at 1 Dalí Boulevard, which moved into its current building in 2011. Spend 90 minutes inside. The top-floor galleries hold the monumental canvases, and the helical staircase alone is worth the $29 adult ticket. Walk north along the waterfront to the St. Pete Pier by noon. Grab lunch at Doc Ford's on the Pier, where a grouper sandwich goes for $18. Then cross to the Museum of Fine Arts on Beach Drive by 2 PM. The museum dates to 1965 and the European painting galleries upstairs tend to be quieter. Wind down at Vinoy Park by 5 PM, where pelicans sit on the seawall and the grass stays warm well into the evening.

Day 2 heads west to the Gulf beaches. You will need a car or a $15-20 Uber from downtown. Drive to Pass-a-Grille first, the narrow southern tip of St. Pete Beach. Park on Gulf Way near 8th Avenue, where the street stretches four blocks and the sand feels like crushed shells under your feet. The Gulf water in June sits around 28°C. Warm enough that you stop noticing it after 30 seconds. Lunch at The Hurricane on Pass-a-Grille Way, which has been open since the late 1970s. A grouper sandwich goes for about $19, and the rooftop deck faces directly west over the Gulf. After lunch, drive 15 minutes south to Fort De Soto Park, which covers 1,136 acres across five connected islands. North Beach on the western side faces open Gulf water with nothing built up behind it. Get back to the car by 3:30 PM. June afternoons in Pinellas County bring thunderstorms that roll in from the east almost daily around 4 PM. Heavy rain for 30 minutes, then clear skies by sunset.

Day 3 walks Central Avenue from the EDGE District westward through Grand Central. Start at Kahwa Coffee on 1st Avenue South by 9 AM for a $5 cortado, then head to the Florida Holocaust Museum on 5th Street South. The museum opened in 1992 and the permanent exhibit takes about 90 minutes to go through. It is heavier than most visitors expect, so give yourself time before moving on. By noon, walk west along Central Avenue to the Morean Arts Center, which has occupied its block since 1917. The hot-glass studio next door runs live glassblowing demonstrations for $12, and the heat from the furnace fills the room even from 15 feet back. Lunch at Bodega on Central, a counter-service Cuban spot where a pressed Cuban sandwich and a colada run $10-13. After 2 PM, drive 10 minutes south to Gulfport, a small waterfront town on Boca Ciega Bay with a row of independent shops along Beach Boulevard. Dinner back downtown at Ceviche on Beach Drive, where the patatas bravas cost $14 and the sangria comes in a proper carafe.

A few things to know. June humidity in St. Petersburg currently runs above 90% most mornings, and the heat index reaches 35°C by noon. Drink water before you feel thirsty. The city grid is straightforward, with numbered streets running north-south and numbered avenues east-west, but the beach towns on the barrier islands connect by causeways that bottleneck at rush hour. Budget 30 minutes for the Pinellas Bayway drive from downtown to Pass-a-Grille. Parking downtown is metered at $2 per hour along Beach Drive but free in the lots south of 5th Avenue South. Fort De Soto charges a $5 vehicle entry fee. The SunRunner bus runs from downtown to St. Pete Beach for $2.25 if you want to skip driving on Day 2, though it adds about 45 minutes each way.