Miami - Get Around

Split between the Miami River, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, Miami is a city divided among spread-out neighbourhoods and islands. Explore its villages, each with its own flavour.

Most visitors make their base by the ocean at Miami Beach, from which most attractions radiate. Good public transport helps getting around certain parts but a car is useful.

Miami Beach is the primary oceanfront attraction, specifically the area below 21st Street, which is commonly referred to as South Beach (or SoBe). It remains popular for its small Art Deco District and chi-chi nightclubs. Hopping the causeways east are the towering buildings of downtown, and ethnic enclaves of Little Havana and Overtown. Quiet Key Biscayne is often overlooked as you head south from downtown to the quaint villages of upscale Coral Gables and quirky Coconut Grove. Further south along US1 is a straight run to the Florida Keys.

A toll applies on certain causeways between the airport and the beach: have change ready when heading eastbound. Valet parking is expensive, and available at most restaurants. Hotels charge a daily rate for stowing your car. Carry lots of change for meters.

Buses serve South Beach and the Art Deco District.

Walking is the best way to explore the beach areas – the main pedestrian thoroughfares include Ocean Drive, Espanola Way, and pedestrian-only Lincoln Road.

See Miami from the water, either on a historic schooner, a lightning-fast cigarette boat, or a cruise ship.

A car is essential unless you are staying in South Beach. Public transport is unreliable. Parking spots are as elusive as the Holy Grail in South Beach and traffic wardens are ruthless.

Travel to 11th-century Segovia at the Ancient Spanish Monastery; glimpse Miami's pioneer days at Barnacle Historic State Park; see Miami Beach reinvent itself by preserving art deco buildings and transforming them into modern hotspots.

Miami-Dade County Transit website