24 Hours in Miami

Do South Beach first, while it is cool. Walk Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue from the Art Deco Welcome Center at 1001 Ocean Drive, then spend an hour on the sand at Lummus Park. The Miami Design Preservation League runs a two-hour guided walk daily for $50 (£37); it is the only thing in the morning worth booking. Lunch is stone crabs or fried chicken from Joe's Take Away at the south end of Washington Avenue.

In the afternoon, cross the MacArthur Causeway to the Wynwood Walls, $12 (£9), open daily 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. From there it is a short ride to Little Havana for the domino games at Máximo Gómez Park, dinner at Versailles and a late set at Ball & Chain. That is two rides after lunch and one home. The county does not publish rideshare fares, so budget for them on top of the costs below.

Friday is the right night. Ball & Chain stays open until 3 a.m. only on Fridays and Saturdays, and Versailles serves until 1 a.m. on those nights. Joe's sit-down restaurant serves lunch Wednesday to Sunday only, but the take-away counter opens daily. If it rains, swap the beach for a longer lunch and move Wynwood earlier. Vizcaya, the bayfront villa, is closed on Tuesdays and is a better second-morning plan.

We searched Kayak for two adults on a Friday, total price with all taxes and fees, 3 stars or better and a guest rating of 8 or more, in South Beach and in Brickell:

• South Beach: Kasa El Paseo Miami Beach on Española Way was the cheapest qualifying room on both dates, at $195 (£146) on January 15, 2027 and $126 (£94) on June 11, 2027, rated 8.0. Kayak lists it as 4 stars, but check-in is by app and the front desk is virtual. The cheapest conventional hotel with a staffed lobby on the list, Hotel Belleza, was $273 (£205) in January and $194 (£145) in June.
• Brickell: AC Hotels by Marriott Miami Brickell was the cheapest in January at $312 (£234). In June, citizenM Miami Brickell was $254 (£190), rated 8.7.

For this plan, stay in South Beach. Route 150 runs from the airport to Washington Avenue, the free Miami Beach Trolley covers the island from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the morning is on your doorstep. Brickell suits a business trip or a Vizcaya morning instead.

Take the MIA Mover from the terminal's third level to the Miami Intermodal Center, a ride of about three minutes. Route 150 leaves from there every 30 minutes for South Beach and Washington Avenue. The fare is $2.25 (£1.70) by contactless card or EASY Card; Metrorail's fare gates do not take cash.

For Brickell or downtown, the Metrorail Orange Line reaches Government Center in 15 minutes and Brickell in 17 on the weekday timetable, for the same $2.25 (£1.70). At weekends the Orange Line runs only as a shuttle between the airport and Earlington Heights, so you change trains there.

Taxis from MIA charge the meter. Miami-Dade removed the old flat zone fares in 2022 and set a $15 (£11.20) minimum for trips from the airport. A day of buses and trains is capped at $5.65 (£4.20) when you tap the same card.

• Stone crabs at Joe's Take Away, 11 Washington Avenue: medium claws are $50 (£37) when available, and the state season runs only from October 15 to May 1.
• Key lime pie at Joe's, $14.95 (£11.20) a slice from the take-away menu, all year.
• A Cuban sandwich at Versailles, 3555 SW 8th Street, open 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
• A cafecito from the walk-up window at Versailles, the Calle Ocho habit.
• Ice cream at Azúcar, across SW 8th Street from Domino Park.

Versailles did not publish menu prices on its own site when we checked. For a food-first night in the South, see 24 hours in New Orleans or our best food cities for 24 hours.

MIA is about 6 miles (10 km) from downtown in a straight line, and Little Havana is the closest of the three neighborhoods to the airport. On a long daytime layover, keep Calle Ocho, Versailles and either Wynwood or the beach, not both. South Beach is about 44 minutes each way by bus, so it only pays with eight hours or more outside the airport.

Add the rides between neighborhoods, the optional Art Deco walk at $50 (£37), and food. Miami is the rare US city that is cheaper in summer; for other options, see the best 24-hour trips in the US.

MIA has nonstops from every other US hub on our list: JFK, Newark, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington Dulles, Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth. That makes a warm-weather pairing with New Orleans or Nashville easy to fly.

From the UK, American Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly nonstop from Heathrow. British travelers need an approved ESTA. Since October 16, 2026, CBP charges $10.62 (£8) to process it and $30 (£22) on approval, $41 (£30) in all. Our entry rules guide explains how to apply.

Winter and spring are the comfortable months and the expensive ones. Summer is hot, humid and stormy in the afternoons, but rooms are cheaper. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so keep a flexible fare for late summer. Stone crabs are off the menu from May 2 to October 14. For a romantic night elsewhere, see the best city breaks for couples.

Airport to center

44 min from Miami International Airport: MIA Mover (about 3 minutes) to the Miami Intermodal Center, then Metrobus Route 150 Miami Beach Airport Express to Washington Avenue and 9th Street, South Beach (weekday median 41 minutes on the county timetable). For Brickell or downtown, Metrorail Orange Line to Government Center is 15 minutes on weekdays; at weekends change at Earlington Heights., $2.25 (£1.70)

One night, Friday

$195 (£146) on January 15, 2027 · $126 (£94) on June 11, 2027 (South Beach, Miami Beach (both dates: Kasa El Paseo Miami Beach, 405 Espanola Way, Kayak 4-star, 8.0, app-based check-in with a virtual front desk); Brickell was $312 (£234) in January and $254 (£190) in June)

Day ticket

Miami-Dade Transit 1-Day pass, also the daily fare cap on contactless or EASY Card (Metrobus and Metrorail; the Miami Beach Trolley is free): $5.65 (£4.20)

24 hours, per person

$90 (£67): half the average room, the airport ride both ways and a day ticket (entries extra)

Nonstop from the US

JFK, EWR, ORD, LAX, SFO, BOS, IAD, ATL, DFW

Nonstop from the UK

LHR

Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night (Friday), 2 adults, stay total including all taxes and fees, guest rating 8+, Kayak neighborhood searches for South Beach and Brickell sorted by price, each result's neighborhood and property checked. Kayak, checked 2026-10-21.

Best months for walking around by our weather score: January, February, March. Daytime highs and lows, rain days (1 mm or more) and sunshine hours are 2016–2025 averages for Miami (Open-Meteo historical weather archive).

Little Havana Food and Walking Tour in Miami

Meets at the Tower Theatre, 1508 SW 8th St; all food and drinks are included. Host replies mention 11:30 am and 5:00 pm departures, and Little Havana is a taxi ride from Brickell or South Beach.

2.5 hours

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(9,903 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Miami South Beach Art Deco Fully Guided Walking Tour

Starts at The Wolfsonian-FIU, 1001 Washington Ave, and ends at 1450 Collins Ave, a block from the beach; a food upgrade adds a Cuban sandwich and guava pastelitos. The page's duration field is broken, but its six 20-minute stops add up to about 2 hours.

2 hours

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(1,118 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Miami Sunset and City Lights Cocktail Cruise with Open Bar

Unlimited drinks, frozen cocktails included, are in the price and you must be of legal drinking age; snacks and tips are extra. Boards at Pier 5, Slip 11, Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Blvd, with up to 100 people aboard.

2 hours

4.6★★★★★★★★★★(1,247 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.