Luxury Travel in Miami — Trip Planner

What things cost in Miami

Metromover costs nothing and Metrorail is $2.25 a ride, but neither of them reaches South Beach. Expect $20 to $30 for South Beach garage parking on a weekend evening. A Cuban sandwich and a cortadito in Little Havana lands near $12, while the same calories on Ocean Drive with service passes $45. Public beaches are free; the loungers set out in front of hotels are not.

Miami after dark

Miami Beach bars serve until 5am under an extended licence, and E11EVEN downtown never actually closes its doors. South Beach clubs like LIV enforce table minimums and door lists that make walking up expensive. Wynwood is the cheaper, tattooed alternative, with breweries and warehouse bars that empty by two. Ball and Chain in Little Havana books live son and salsa onto a dance floor people genuinely use.

What to eat in Miami

Order a cortadito at the walk-up ventanita at Versailles on Calle Ocho and drink it standing, which is the entire point. Croquetas de jamon, pastelitos and a Cuban sandwich cost a few dollars each at El Palacio de los Jugos. Stone crab claws at Joe's on South Beach are seasonal, mid-October to May, and priced accordingly. Little Haiti does griot and pikliz; Doral does Venezuelan arepas and cachapas.

Miami with kids, realistically

Crandon Park on Key Biscayne has the calmest water and a lifeguarded shallow flat that suits toddlers, unlike the crowds and shorebreak of South Beach. Zoo Miami is enormous and largely unshaded, so it turns brutal after eleven; arrive at opening. Frost Science holds school-age children for three hours. The free Metromover loops downtown every few minutes, takes strollers, and the driverless front window is itself the ride.

When the weather turns in Miami

Summer storms here are brief and daily rather than all-day, usually landing between two and five, so the trick is scheduling museums into exactly that window. PAMM and Frost Science share one strip of parkland at Museum Park, reachable by the covered Metromover. Aventura Mall and Dolphin Mall absorb a full day. Watch flooded roads in Brickell and along Alton, because the drainage is genuinely poor.

When to go to Miami

The month to avoid is July — around 31°C (88°F) with roughly 23 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: March is the sweet spot, July the month most people skip.

Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, High-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and a refillable water bottle, A packable rain shell or compact umbrella earns its space, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.

Where to base yourself in Miami

• South Beach — Beach, nightlife, art deco hotels.
• Wynwood — Murals, breweries, indie galleries.
• Brickell — Modern, walkable, business district.
• Little Havana — Cuban food, cigar rollers, domino park.