This list of the best places to see in Miami will help you get to know one of the most Latin cities in the United States, where you will feel at home and enjoy unique experiences.
Located in the southeast of the Florida peninsula and bathed by the waters of the Atlantic, Miami enjoys sunny days and good weather most of the year, something that makes it a vacation destination in high demand by tourists and locals thanks to its fantastic beaches with transparent waters and white sand, in addition to its endless leisure offer.
To see all the tourist attractions of this cosmopolitan city, we recommend investing a minimum of two days, and if you have more time, visit some of the jewels of Florida, such as the Everglades National Park, Key West, the Kennedy Space Center, or the fun Orlando parks.
Based on the experience of the 3 days we spent in this city during our trip to Florida in 21 days, we have made this list of the 15 essential places to visit in Miami. Let’s start!
1. Ocean Drive
If you arrive by plane at its huge international airport, located just 14 kilometers from the city center, one of the best things to do in Miami is to go to the Ocean Drive area.
On this long boardwalk in South Beach (the most famous neighborhood in Miami Beach), you will feel like you are in an episode of the popular series “Miami Vice” when you see the colorful Art Deco-style buildings, people practicing all kinds of sports, and endless places with terraces perfect for eating or spending a fun night drinking piña coladas and listening to Latin music.
After our experience, we recommend that you walk along this entire avenue in the morning and part of it at night, observing its Art Deco buildings and hotels, especially those located between 6th and 9th streets, as well as the old Gianni Versace mansion, until you reach South Pointe Park and its pier.
2. South Beach, one of the places to see in Miami
From the South Pointe pier, you will have fantastic views of South Beach, located in front of Ocean Drive and considered one of the busiest places to see in Miami.
This kilometer-long beach of white sand and shallow waters is dotted with picturesque lifeguard huts and hammocks with umbrellas, ideal for spending a nice day tanning and enjoying refreshing swims.
After bathing, there is nothing better than taking a pleasant walk along a path that runs parallel to the beach and passes through outdoor gym areas, volleyball courts, and the relaxing Lummus Park until you reach Indian Beach Park. We toured it a couple of mornings, and we assure you that it is very worth it.
3. Lincoln Road
Back in the center, you can walk along Lincoln Road, the most commercial street to visit in Miami, and visit the Holocaust Memorial, located within the South Beach Botanical Garden.
On Lincoln Road, in addition to numerous international and local brand stores, there are outdoor art exhibitions, such as the one we saw by French artist Richard Orlinski. Also, if you’re hungry, at the end of this street you’ll find the famous Shake Shack burger joint, although not far away is Five Guys, our favorite.
About a 10-minute walk from Lincoln Road is a monument in memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis, represented by a large bronze hand on which tormented human figures climb in search of a light of hope.
4. Spanish Way
If you are looking for good Italian restaurants and a warm atmosphere at dusk, we advise you to go to the small pedestrian street of Española Way, located between Washington and Pennsylvania avenues, and among the essential things to see in Miami.
This street of buildings with peach-colored facades and Mediterranean style, which was an old bohemian neighborhood where several artists with a Spanish accent lived, hence its name, has several art galleries and, above all, excellent restaurants such as the Italian Pane & Vino and Mercato della Pescheria, the Cuban Havana 1957, and the Spanish Españolita Miami.
Keep in mind that this street is very close to Lincoln Road, which we talked about previously, so it can also be a very good option to have lunch or dinner here if you are in the area.
5. Wynwood Walls
After visiting the most interesting points of South Beach, you can go to Wynwood Walls, located 8 kilometers from Ocean Drive, to take a closer look at the spectacular street art murals, which will undoubtedly become one of the best things to do in Miami.
This neighborhood of old industrial warehouses has become fashionable thanks to the opening of new art galleries, original cafes, chic shops, and, above all, graffiti made by renowned artists.
In our case, we chose to first visit the Wynwood Walls open-air museum, which houses the most striking graffiti and some shops with very original gifts, and then take a walk through the surrounding streets, which also have great examples of street art.
To get to Wynwood Walls and other points far from the center, we chose to book the tourist bus that offers a very complete route and explanations of all the points of interest recorded in Spanish.
Although it is not something we usually do, in Miami, it was a very good option since it allowed us to forget about the car and thus relax and avoid the traffic chaos that usually exists in the city. Furthermore, this type of transport allows you to enjoy the city while knowing all the details of what you are seeing thanks to the audio guide. And if that were not enough, this 2-day ticket includes a cruise through the houses of celebrities, which is another must-see in the city.
6. Downtown Miami
Less than an hour’s walk from Wynwood Walls is the city center, also known as Downtown, and another of the most famous areas to visit in Miami.
In this place of imposing skyscrapers such as the photogenic Miami Tower, the Freedom Tower stands out, much loved by locals for its important role in Cuban emigration, and it currently houses the Museum of Art and Design (MOAD).
After observing this tower, you can take a walk along Brickell Avenue, Miami’s financial center, to the Brickell Key Bridge, which offers a good panoramic view of the Miami skyline.
The next visit to Downtown is Bayfront Park, a green oasis perfect for playing sports, having a picnic, or simply relaxing and enjoying the views of Biscayne Bay and the Port of Miami.
Next to Bayfront Park is Bayside Marketplace, a two-story shopping complex where you can go shopping or eat at one of its restaurants.
To finish off one of the best things to do in Miami for free, we recommend taking the Metromover, an elevated train that runs 7 kilometers through downtown Miami.
7. Taking a boat trip through Biscayne Bay is one of the things to do in Miami
Biscayne Bay (Biscayne), a stretch of water located between Downtown, Miami Beach, and the Upper Keys, is one of the best places to see in Miami from a boat.
The cruises that leave from the port located on one side of the Bayside Marketplace pass in front of the islands Star Island, Palm Island, and Hibiscus Island, which contain a large part of the mansions of famous people such as the Beckham family, Ricky Martin, Rihanna, or Gloria Estefan, among many others, as well as luxurious yachts.
These boat trips last around an hour and a half and have a guide who will tell you the price of the houses and who their owners are, as well as other curiosities. Not only that, but the boat ride will also allow you to enjoy the port of Miami and the skyline, with unique views.
Although any time is good to take this boat tour, if you choose to do it at sunset, you will have a 2×1 in this activity.
8. Little Havana
Walking along Calle Ocho, Little Havana’s main street, is one of the best things to do in Miami. A sizable Cuban community created this neighborhood after Fidel Castro came to power.
In addition to breathing in the Latin and Cuban atmosphere in all the establishments on this street, it is worth visiting Domino Park, a small square where Cubans go to play one of their favorite board games, and the Walk of Fame, which imitates the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the most famous Cuban stars dotting the ground.
On Calle Ocho, there are also places to dance salsa, bars where you can taste Cuban coffee, cigar shops, and some of the best restaurants where you can eat in Miami and try the most authentic Latin food, although we recommend you go a little further away. from the center and try the delicious Cuban sandwich at the famous Versailles Restaurant.
Something we want to highlight is that, although the neighborhood seemed very safe to us, we received several comments from locals telling us that at night it is better not to walk through it.
9. Coral Gables
Coral Gables, located in the southern part of the city and notable for its fantastic Mediterranean-style mansions, is another of the essential areas to see in Miami.
George Merrick, the architect and builder of this lovely city within Miami, inaugurated the imposing Biltmore Hotel, a hotel with Spanish castle-inspired facades, during a stroll through its broad tree-lined avenues like Miracle Mile.
Another of the jewels of Coral Gables is the Venetian Pool, a huge pool built in 1924 in an old coral rock quarry, used to build luxurious houses, and which has waterfalls, bridges, and grottoes.
Venetian Pool hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
10. Villa Vizcaya
Coconut Grove, an independent city until 1925 and far from the center, is one of the neighborhoods least visited by tourists and where it is easier to observe the daily life of the locals.
Walking through CocoWalk, you will find the bohemian air that surrounds this entire area thanks to its fashion boutiques, art galleries, and international restaurants, although the true jewel of Coconut Grove is Villa Vizcaya, an impressive palace.
Built by the millionaire businessman James Deering as a winter residence, this enormous Renaissance-style mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens has 3 floors and 34 rooms that house objects from a valuable art collection accumulated by the former owner, as well as original furniture that you can see in different rooms such as the music room or the lobby.
Among its most essential corners are the gardens full of statues, waterfalls, and ponds, and the large stone barge, located on the dock.
Villa Vizcaya hours: Wednesday to Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
11. Museums to visit in Miami
If, after visiting everything we included in the post, you have more time or are a museum fan, we recommend you reserve a few hours since you will find some very interesting ones in the city. Among the best museums to visit in Miami are:
- Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM): a museum with an extensive collection of Western art from the 20th and 21st centuries located in a designer building.
- Goldcoast Railroad Museum: a space away from the center with a valuable collection of old locomotives and trains from the golden age of railroading in the United States.
- Wolfsonian is a museum with numerous unique and original objects from the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science: the perfect science museum to visit with children.
12. Key Biscayne
To complete this list of the most beautiful places to see in Miami, we suggest you cross the spectacular Rickenbacker Causeway bridge over the sea by car or public transportation until you reach Key Biscayne, a green paradise that has some of the best beaches in Florida.
On this small island, chosen in 2020 as the best place to live in the state of Florida, you can walk the trails of the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Crandom Park natural parks, get close to the Cape Florida Lighthouse, and swim on its incredible beaches with white sand like Crandom Beach.
13. Everglades National Park
If you have an extra day in Miami, we recommend taking a trip to the Everglades National Park, located an hour away by road and considered one of the natural wonders to visit in the United States.
Declared a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this enormous wetland of more than 6,000 km2 offers a unique landscape in the world and protection for hundreds of species, such as water birds, otters, manatees, and its iconic alligators and crocodiles.
To enjoy the landscape and observe animals, you have several trails with viewpoints that you can explore on foot, although the most common is to take a hovercraft route, looking for a company that is respectful of animals and does not take you to a crocodile and alligator farm, something that unfortunately happens very regularly.
14. Kennedy Space Center
Visiting the Kennedy Space Center, located more than 300 kilometers from the city and the main launch point for NASA’s manned space flights, is another of the best things to do in Miami and its surroundings.
In addition to observing from afar the launch platform of legendary space rockets such as Apollo 11, which allowed man to walk on the lunar surface for the first time, marking one of the great milestones of humanity, it has a large space with different industrial warehouses. where you can see numerous rockets from the Mercury, Apollo, and Gemini programs, the spectacular space shuttle Atlantis, the old NASA control room, launch simulators, and even a room where you can chat with an astronaut.
Furthermore, if you are lucky and a rocket launch is scheduled that same day, as happened to us, you can enjoy the takeoff experience by purchasing an extra ticket at the space center itself or by going to the free viewpoints located a few kilometers away, such as Cocoa Beach, Playalinda, or Space View Park (which we went to).
Visiting hours: every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
15. Key West
Another of the best excursions from Miami and a mandatory stop on a route through Florida, if you have two days, is to take the car and cross the 22 bridges until you reach Key West (Key West), the last of the Florida Keys, located just 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Cuba.
The journey of about 4 hours will take you along an impressive road that runs largely above the Atlantic and passes through different keys where you can enjoy the beaches, such as Bahía Honda, and typical restaurants where you can try the delicious Stone Crab.
Although the road trip is worth it, the best part comes when you arrive in Key West and can enjoy a picturesque city full of colorful facades, white sand beaches, and magnificent sunsets.
16. Orlando Amusement Parks
The last recommendation on this list of places to see in Miami and surrounding areas is a visit to one of the Orlando parks that have become the main tourist attractions to see in Florida.
Near the city of Orlando is the largest theme park complex in the world that brings together millions of tourists every year, especially families, who enjoy the magic of Disney and the most incredible attractions on the planet for days.
This enormous entertainment complex for children and adults is made up of the Walt Disney Orlando parks, which are made up of 4 complexes: Magic Kingdom (the oldest and most famous), Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios; two water parks: Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, and Universal Studios in Orlando, which has 3 other parks: Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay (aquatic).
Keep in mind that for most parks, you need a full day to not miss their most famous attractions, such as Avatar at Animal Kingdom, Star Wars at Hollywood Studios, or Harry Potter at Universal Parks, and especially buy the fast pass if you don’t want to spend all your time standing in lines.
To get to the Orlando parks, located 3 and a half hours from Miami, if you don’t have a car and you only have one day you can book this tour to Disney World Orlando or this one to Universal Studios.
If you have more time in this area you can complete this list of places to see in Orlando.
For more information, you can read this post on how to get from Miami to Orlando .