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The best things to do in Miami are a day on South Beach, a walk through the Art Deco District, the murals of Wynwood, Cuban coffee on Calle Ocho in Little Havana, the gardens of Vizcaya and an Everglades airboat ride. Many of the best experiences, including the beach, the Art Deco walk and Wynwood's street art, are free.
Miami packs a lot into a small area: a world-famous beach, a Latin American capital in all but name, one of the largest collections of street art anywhere and a national park of mangroves and alligators less than an hour from Downtown. This list puts the 20 experiences we'd prioritise in a rough order of importance for a first visit, with what each costs, how long it takes and how to get there without wasting time in traffic.
| # | Experience | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Beach | Miami Beach | Half day+ | Free |
| 2 | Art Deco District walk | Miami Beach | 1–2 h | Free (tours paid) |
| 3 | Wynwood Walls | Wynwood | 2–3 h | Streets free; Walls ticketed |
| 4 | Little Havana | Little Havana | 2–3 h | Free |
| 5 | Vizcaya | Coconut Grove | 2–3 h | ~$25 adult |
| 6 | Everglades airboat | West of Miami | Half day | Tour price |
| 7 | Biscayne Bay cruise | Bayside | 1.5 h | Paid |
| 8–20 | Española Way, Lincoln Road, South Pointe, Design District, PAMM, Key Biscayne, Brickell rooftops, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Frost Science, nightlife, food tour, the Keys | |||
The wide sand between roughly 5th and 15th Street, backed by Lummus Park, is the Miami postcard: turquoise water, palm trees and colourful lifeguard towers. Mornings are calm; afternoons and weekends are busy and lively. Chairs and umbrellas can be rented on the sand. For a quieter stretch, walk north past 20th Street.
Tip: the free Miami Beach Trolley runs roughly 8 a.m.–11 p.m. and saves you from South Beach's expensive parking.
South Beach has one of the world's largest concentrations of 1930s Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings. Walk Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue between 5th and 15th Street; the Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive (at about 10th Street) is the usual starting point for guided walks. Go in the early evening, when the neon signs switch on.
A pedestrian lane of Mediterranean Revival buildings between Washington and Pennsylvania Avenues, lined with restaurant terraces. Charming for an evening drink, though the food is aimed at tourists.
Miami Beach's open-air pedestrian mall runs west from Washington Avenue for about eight blocks: shops, cafés and a Sunday farmers market. Free to wander and good for an hour in the shade of its sculptures and palms.
At the southern tip of Miami Beach, this park has a pier, lawns and a walkway along Government Cut, the channel cruise ships use to leave PortMiami in the late afternoon. One of the best free sunset spots in the city.
Former warehouses north of Downtown now carry murals by artists from around the world. The Wynwood Walls itself is a curated, ticketed outdoor museum, but the surrounding streets (NW 2nd Avenue and around) are free and just as photogenic. Add a brewery, a coffee roaster or a gallery. Go in the morning for light and fewer crowds.
Southwest 8th Street (Calle Ocho) is the heart of Miami's Cuban community. Order a cafecito at a ventanita (walk-up window), watch the games at Máximo Gómez (Domino) Park, see cigars rolled by hand and catch live music at night. A guided food walk is the easiest way to taste a lot in two hours.
See Miami food tours →
An Italian Renaissance-style villa built between 1914 and 1922 as James Deering's winter estate, with formal gardens and a stone barge on Biscayne Bay. Allow two to three hours. Adult admission is about $25 (children 6–12 about $10); it is open 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays. Some areas are under restoration in 2026, so check the website before you go.
Luxury flagships, striking architecture and free public art, plus the free-entry Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA Miami; reserve timed tickets online). Easy to combine with Wynwood, a few minutes north.
Modern and contemporary art in a Herzog & de Meuron building with hanging gardens on the bay in Museum Park, Downtown. Even if you skip the galleries, the terrace is a superb place for a drink with a view.
Next door to PAMM: a planetarium, a three-level aquarium and hands-on exhibits. The best rainy-day option in the city, especially with children (see our Miami with kids guide).
A leafy 1920s planned city with the Biltmore Hotel, Miracle Mile and the Venetian Pool, a public swimming pool carved from a coral-rock quarry and fed with spring water. The pool is seasonal and has age and height rules for children, so check before you go.
Miami's oldest neighbourhood: bayfront parks, marinas, sidewalk cafés and the CocoWalk shopping centre. Combine it with Vizcaya, which is just north.
Less than an hour west of Downtown, the "river of grass" is home to alligators, wading birds and mangroves. Most airboat tours operate on private land just outside the national park, so the tour price is all you pay. To see the park itself, go to Shark Valley for the tram tour or a 15-mile bike loop; entry is $35 per vehicle for seven days, plus $100 per person for non-US residents aged 16+ (introduced in 2026).
Check Everglades airboat tours →
Sightseeing boats leave from Bayside Marketplace for about 90 minutes past the skyline, PortMiami and the waterfront mansions of Star Island and Fisher Island. Cheap, easy and the best skyline photos you'll get. Sunset departures are the nicest.
See Biscayne Bay cruises →
Cross the Rickenbacker Causeway for calmer water and family-friendly beaches at Crandon Park, and the historic lighthouse at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Both charge a modest per-car entry.
Try a Cuban sandwich and croquetas in Little Havana, stone crab in season (mid-October to May), ceviche and arepas from Miami's huge South American community, and key lime pie. A South Beach or Little Havana food tour is a fun first-day orientation.
See the South Beach food tour →
Brickell, Miami's financial district, has a cluster of rooftop bars with skyline and bay views. Go for sunset; many have dress codes in the evening.
From Ocean Drive's neon bars to big-name clubs in Mid-Beach and Downtown, Miami nights start late (clubs fill after midnight). Book tables in advance at weekends and expect cover charges.
Key Largo is about an hour south for snorkelling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Key West is roughly 3.5–4 hours each way over the Overseas Highway: doable in a day, better with a night. Organised day trips save you the driving.
South Beach and Lummus Park, the Art Deco District, Wynwood's streets, Calle Ocho and Domino Park, Lincoln Road, South Pointe Park, Design District public art, ICA Miami (timed ticket) and the Metromover's elevated loop over Downtown and Brickell all cost nothing. The free City of Miami and Miami Beach trolleys link most of them.
Facts such as shuttle hours, fees and distances were checked against the hotels' and operators' own pages and official Miami-Dade sources on the date shown above. They change often: always confirm before you book.
Keep reading
The best things to do in Miami with kids in 2026: calm beaches, Zoo Miami, Frost Science, airboats and rainy-day ideas, plus family hotels and a 3-day plan.
The best Miami tours and excursions for 2026: Everglades airboats, Biscayne Bay cruises, food tours, city tours and private flights, with tips to choose.
15 romantic things to do in South Beach for couples: sunset spots, date night ideas, boat cruises and the best couples' hotels, with costs and tips.