United States · July 2025
Overview
Miami feels like the capital of Latin America inside the US: you hear more Spanish than English, the coffee is Cuban and the music is reggaeton. South Beach is all pastel Art Deco hotels and turquoise water, Wynwood is covered in murals, and Little Havana smells of cigars. Fort Lauderdale, 40 minutes north, is calmer, with canals, yachts and a long beach.
The Tequesta people lived at the mouth of the Miami River for centuries. Miami only became a city in 1896, after Julia Tuttle convinced oil tycoon Henry Flagler to extend his railroad south; she is the only woman credited with founding a major US city. The 1920s land boom built Miami Beach and its Art Deco hotels. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, hundreds of thousands of Cubans arrived and transformed the city. Fort Lauderdale is named after a fort built in 1838 during the Seminole Wars; its canals were dug in the 1920s, which gave it the nickname "Venice of America".
How long to stay: 3 to 4 days for Miami, plus 1 to 2 for Fort Lauderdale or the Everglades.
Last updated: October 2026
Quick Facts
Location
Southeast Florida on the Atlantic Ocean. Fort Lauderdale is 45 km north of Miami; Key West is 4 hours south; Orlando 3.5 hours north.
Budget
Per person, per day.
| Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | $50–90 (hostel dorm) | $220–350 | $500+ |
| Food | $35–50 | $70–110 | $160+ |
| Getting around | $5 (Metrorail day) | $30–60 | $90+ |
| Daily total | $90–145 | $320–520 | $750+ |
Many restaurants in Miami Beach add an automatic 18–20% service charge; check the bill before tipping twice.
Things to Do
About 800 pastel buildings from the 1920s to 1940s, the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world, protected since 1979. Walk Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, then cross to the wide white-sand beach with its colourful lifeguard towers.
Price: free; Art Deco walking tours about $30 · Tip: Lummus Park beach at sunrise is magical.
The heart of Cuban Miami, with Domino Park (Máximo Gómez Park), where older men play dominoes, cigar rollers, fruit stands and café cubano windows (ventanitas). On the last Friday of the month, Viernes Culturales brings music and art to the street.
Price: free · Tip: order a cafecito and a pastelito de guayaba.
An old warehouse district covered in street art. The Wynwood Walls (2009) collect murals by famous artists; the streets around it are free to explore.
Price: Wynwood Walls about $12–15; streets free.
An Italian Renaissance-style villa built in 1916 for industrialist James Deering, with formal gardens on Biscayne Bay.
Price: about $25 · Time needed: 2 hours.
A modern art museum on the bay with hanging gardens on the terrace.
Price: about $18–20.
A huge subtropical wetland (UNESCO site), home to alligators, manatees and the Florida panther. Walk the Anhinga Trail or take an airboat ride just outside the park.
Price: park entry about $35 per car; airboat rides $30–60 · Getting there: about 1 hour from Miami.
An island with quiet beaches and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, with a lighthouse from 1825.
Price: state park about $8 per car.
Las Olas Boulevard has shops and restaurants; from there, the Water Taxi cruises the canals past mega-yachts and mansions to the beach.
Price: Water Taxi day pass about $35–45.
Transit Tips
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MIA: Metrorail Orange Line to downtown ($2.25); Uber to South Beach about $30–45.
FLL: Uber to Fort Lauderdale Beach about $20–30; to Miami about $45–70.
Brightline: fast trains between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando.
Metromover: free automated train around downtown and Brickell.
Metrorail and buses: $2.25 a ride; tap a contactless card.
Uber and Lyft: easiest way to Miami Beach and between cities.
Keep in mind that parking on Miami Beach is very expensive; it is easier to use Uber or stay in South Beach and walk.
Helpful Words
A few basics in English can make everyday conversations much easier.
Where to Stay
Plan & Book
Explore accommodation options and open hotel details directly from the map.
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