Miami it is a very interesting city to visit. Perhaps less mythical than New York or less historical than Boston, but absolutely not to be missed. Miami is a city that has managed to exploit its cultural wealth and transfer it to its streets, buildings and urban decorations, becoming the world capital of Art Deco.
The city makes you dream even when you name it. This mixture of Latin elements, contemporary art and modern architecture offers plenty of sunshine, beautiful beaches and parties 24/24. In addition, it has the advantage of being able to be visited both in summer and in winter thanks to its more than mild temperatures (20 degrees in winter). But what to see on a tour in Miami?
To visit Miami it takes at least 3 days. The suggested itinerary for these 3 days intends to propose the most important places, those not to be missed. The route can be changed and adapted to the duration of your trip.
3 Day Miami Tour
1° Giorno: Downtown Miami – Bayfront Park – Bill Baggs Park
The first day's itinerary begins with a visit to the Downtown Miami, ie the city center. Downtown is the financial center of Miami, full of skyscrapers and very interesting buildings, it looks like a small portion of New York extracted and placed there.
You leave your car in a parking lot (daily cost $ 20; 4 hours $ 15) and go to Metromover, the 7 km free circular line of the elevated train that runs between the skyscrapers. The journey takes about 10 minutes and allows you to get an original view of the financial center of the city.
Art lovers can begin their Miami tour by visiting the contemporary art collection at the Perez Art Museum of Miami (PAMM), housed in a beautiful, modern building in the northeast of downtown.
Going down towards the south you visit the Bayfront park, a beautiful park overlooking the ocean. Continue west on Flagler Street, looking at the various government buildings, until you reach the Miami History Museum where you can learn a little about the history of this great city.
The Miami tour continues south to the Brikell AVE, crossing one of the most emblematic bridges. In the afternoon the itinerary continues towards Key Biscayne, where you can walk by the sea, swim in the splendid park of Bill Baggs and visit Cape Florida and its lighthouse at the southern end of the park.
This route is 19 miles (XNUMX km), so it is recommended that you take a bus from Brickwell Avenue to Key Biscayne.
Map of the 1st day of the Miami tour
2 ° giorno: Coral Gables – Coconut Grove – Little Havana
On this second day of the Miami tour you get to know the spirit of the city and understand that Miami is not just sun and beach. For this route it is recommended to rent a car to get around, as public transport in this area is not particularly suitable for tourists.
It starts from Coconut Grove, the historic district of Miami, that of the pioneers and in particular of the first immigrants of the Bahamas. Coconut Grove is located south of Miami. It is above all a residential area and is not visited for the beaches and discos but for its history.
The route begins by visiting the impressive ones Vizcaya gardens, a Renaissance-style villa-museum, with furniture and works of art from the 800th century, built at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.
Later you enter the CocoWalk, a nice open-air mall, with an internal courtyard surrounded by restaurants and shops.
If you continue to Coral Gables, a residential area and a quiet and relaxed place, full of Mediterranean style houses, villas and perfectly manicured gardens. One of the most charming streets in the neighborhood is the Coral Way, but the main attraction that should not be missed is the idyllic swimming pool Venetian Pool, made up of waterfalls and caves. You have to arrive early as tickets sell out quickly.
Later you reach the luxurious Biltmore hotel, built in 1926 by Merrick and used as a backdrop in several films. It affects the tower of 18 meters reminiscent of the Giralda of Seville. During its beginnings, the Biltmore hotel was frequented by celebrities and the jet set of the time, hosting characters such as the Duke of Windsor, Al Capone ...
Other attractions in the neighborhood are the Coral Gables Botanical Garden and Miracle Mile, one of the main shopping streets in Miami. Most of its shops are for wedding dresses.
One of the most popular neighborhoods in Miami is Little Havana. One of the most enchanting places is the Máximo Gomez Park, better known as Domino Park, where Cubans can be observed playing chess and dominoes.
The epicenter of this district is "Calle 8”(SW 8th Street), which is home to many Latin restaurants and shops, where you feel that Latin vibe that influences Miami so much, with friendly, open and outgoing people.
Here you can visit the Tower Theater in Art Deco style, the pedestrian zone with its colorful mosaic walls, characteristic rooster sculptures and even the Walk of Fame (like the one in Hollywood but here the stars are for Latin personalities).
Map of the 2st day of the Miami tour
3° Giorno: Wynwood – Miami Beach – Art Deco – Lummus Park Beach
On this third day of the Miami tour we propose to get to know Wynwood, an artistic district that has become one of the must-see destinations in the city. Street art in all its glory. Alternative spaces have been created in this neighborhood, its walls are filled with prodigious colorful murals, and there are several art galleries.
It continues towards Miami Beach, the Miami hotspot with restaurants, bars and clubs. South Beach, is the best known and most popular neighborhood in Miami. Spending your last night in South Beach can be an enjoyable experience, as it's the nerve center of partying in Miami.
In the afternoon the journey continues Ocean Drive, undoubtedly the most popular place in Miami that offers a beautiful image of the social and cultural mix that reigns in the city. Here they are dream beaches, outdoor places to have fun, loud Latin music and the famous Art Deco buildings that characterize this neighborhood.
East of Ocean Drive stretches the Atlantic Ocean as well the beaches of Miami. To the west are the most commercial streets with the most famous of them all: Lincoln Road Mall which offers nice shops and many restaurants.
For those who want to go for a walk, they can go to Lummus park beach, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the entire coastal area of ​​South Beach. Take the opportunity to discover the marina, visit the Holocaust monument or the Bass Museum of Art, a temple of modern art.
Map of the 3st day of the Miami tour
TIPS
- At this point you will have to book accommodation. It is recommended to book in advance, as Miami is a major tourist destination and the best hotels sell easily. Based on our experience, we recommend booking hotels on Booking.com which has some of the best prices and is a very safe site. It also allows free cancellation in most of its hotels. Find out where to sleep in Miami.
- State-of-the-art electric bicycles and other vehicles such as mopeds or golf carts can also be rented to visit Miami.
- If you're on a budget, the restaurants along Ocean Drive aren't the cheapest.
- Depending on where you are staying, transportation is available, provided by your hotel. If possible, you should opt for shuttles or other means of getting around because the cost of paid parking ranges from as little as $ 20 to $ 30. Street parking is also scarce. Uber and Lyft can also be used.
- To visit all these destinations you can use the Big Bus Tours Miami. It is a hop-on-hop style bus, which means that you can hop on and off as many times as you want during the day and discover many corners of the city, through its 3 lines (red, blue and yellow).
- The best thing, if you have to visit more distant destinations, is to have a rental car. It saves a lot of time but costs also increase, of course. Miami beach hotels usually don't have parking and parking is paid for separately.
- Getting around Miami isn't easy, although there are free options like the subway and trolley buses. http://www.miamigov.com/trolley/maps.html
