A photograph of Miami

City guide · United States

Miami

Miami is a dispersed waterfront destination rather than one compact centre. Downtown and Brickell form the urban core on Biscayne Bay; Miami Beach lies across t...

Photograph · Marc Averette · CC BY-SA 3.0

1,102 Places
Suggested stay
Not recorded
Getting around
Metrorail, Metrobus, Metromover and local trolleys

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Miami

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Miami is a dispersed waterfront destination rather than one compact centre. Downtown and Brickell form the urban core on Biscayne Bay; Miami Beach lies across the causeways, while Wynwood, the Design District, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and Little Havana are separate districts with distinct identities. Plan by area and avoid assuming that places sharing a Miami address are within an easy walk of one another.

Checked 2026-08-26

Practical information

Language spoken
English is the principal language; no federal official language
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+1
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
United States dollar (USD)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
911
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type A and B · 120 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
Water quality is regulated locally; check the current notice for the destination

Planning a visit

September · September contains the Atlantic hurricane season's September 10 climatological peak, a recurring severe disruption risk for Miami.

  1. January: best time to visit
  2. February: best time to visit
  3. March: best time to visit
  4. April: good time to visit
  5. May: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  6. June: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  7. July: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  8. August: recurring difficult conditions
  9. September: recurring difficult conditions — current month
  10. October: recurring difficult conditions
  11. November: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  12. December: best time to visit

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
    07 45 min

    Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

    Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach is a public memorial dedicated to the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  2. Tower Theater Tower Theater
    08 45 min

    Tower Theater

    Tower Theater is a historic cinema and cultural venue on Calle Ocho in Miami’s Little Havana. Its location places it at the centre of one of the city’s most recognisable Cuban-American and Latin American cultural corridors.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  3. Calle Ocho Walk of Fame Calle Ocho Walk of Fame
    09 45 min

    Calle Ocho Walk of Fame

    The Calle Ocho Walk of Fame is an outdoor cultural landmark along Southwest 8th Street in Miami’s Little Havana. Stars set into the pavement honour Latin American and Caribbean entertainers, musicians, and cultural figures.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  4. Miami Riverwalk Miami Riverwalk
    10 45 min

    Miami Riverwalk

    Miami Riverwalk is a pedestrian pathway along the Miami River in downtown Miami, Florida. The walkway runs through the central business district, connecting various waterfront developments and providing public access to the river's edge.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  5. Coral Gables Merrick House Coral Gables Merrick House
    11 45 min

    Coral Gables Merrick House

    Coral Gables Merrick House is a historic residence in Coral Gables, Florida. It was the home of George Merrick, the founder of the City of Coral Gables.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  6. Miami-Dade County Courthouse Miami-Dade County Courthouse
    12 45 min

    Miami-Dade County Courthouse

    The Miami-Dade County Courthouse is a historic government building in downtown Miami, Florida. It serves as a functioning courthouse for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  7. Miami City Hall Miami City Hall
    13 45 min

    Miami City Hall

    Miami City Hall stands at Dinner Key in Coconut Grove, on the waterfront of Biscayne Bay. The building first served as a Pan American seaplane terminal before becoming Miami’s city hall.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  8. The Congress Building The Congress Building
    14 45 min

    The Congress Building

    The Congress Building is a historic commercial building in downtown Miami. It belongs to the city's early business-district heritage and helps explain how Miami's urban core developed as commerce expanded.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  9. The Torch of Friendship The Torch of Friendship
    15 45 min

    The Torch of Friendship

    The Torch of Friendship is a bayside civic monument situated on Miami's waterfront. It stands as a public landmark commemorating international friendship and cooperation. The monument features a prominent torch structure visible from surrounding areas.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  10. Venetian Way Venetian Way
    16 45 min

    Venetian Way

    Venetian Way is a causeway linking mainland Miami with Miami Beach across Biscayne Bay. The crossing runs through the Venetian Islands, an early twentieth-century chain of artificial islands, and forms an important road connection between the two urban areas.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

How the city is laid out

Biscayne Bay separates mainland Miami from Miami Beach. Downtown and Brickell sit on the mainland waterfront; Wynwood and the Design District are north, Little Havana is west, and Coconut Grove and Coral Gables are southwest. South Beach occupies the southern end of Miami Beach and is a destination in its own right. Causeways and waterways shape every cross-city journey, so combine attractions on the same side of the bay.

Checked 2026-08-26

Getting around

Use Metrorail for selected mainland corridors, Metrobus for broader coverage and the free Metromover within Downtown, Omni and Brickell. Miami Beach, the City of Miami and Coral Gables also operate local trolley services. Walking is practical inside individual districts but not between most of them. Check Miami-Dade Transit and municipal service notices before travelling, especially when moving between the mainland and the beach.

Checked 2026-08-26

Common questions

How many days should I spend in Miami?

A fixed stay length is not recorded. Build the visit around separate district days for Downtown and Brickell, Miami Beach, and the mainland neighbourhoods that interest you.

Are Miami and Miami Beach the same place?

No. Miami is on the mainland and Miami Beach is a separate city across Biscayne Bay. Causeways connect them, but they should be planned as separate areas.

Is the Metromover free?

Yes. Miami-Dade operates Metromover as a free elevated service linking stations in Downtown, Omni and Brickell, with connections to other transit services.

Can I explore Miami entirely on foot?

No. Individual districts can be walkable, but the destination is spread across the mainland, islands and causeways. Use transit or another connection between districts.

Where should I group mainland sightseeing?

Combine Downtown with Brickell, pair Wynwood with the Design District, and treat Little Havana, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables as separate mainland clusters.