Miami runs on a mix of South Beach glamour, Cuban-exile culture in Little Havana and a street-art scene that took over an old warehouse district. It's a beach trip with a genuine city attached, best paced with an afternoon nap.
Good to know
- Hurricane season runs June–November, peaking August–October; check forecasts if booking a beach trip in that window.
- South Beach clubs and restaurants often add an automatic gratuity — check the bill before tipping again.
- A rental car helps for the Everglades or Key Biscayne, but South Beach and Wynwood are walkable or a short rideshare apart.
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Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Wide white-sand beach backed by neon Art Deco hotels — busiest, and best for people-watching, between 5th and 15th Streets.
Pastel 1930s hotels with porthole windows and neon trim, packed into a few square blocks — worth a guided walk for the history.
Miami's clubs run late and dress sharp — expect a cover, a line and a scene that gets going well after midnight.
Open-air museum of large-scale murals by international street artists, anchoring a neighbourhood of galleries and breweries.
Warehouse taprooms with communal tables spilling onto the street, several within a five-minute walk of each other.
Cuban coffee windows, cigar rollers and domino players at Máximo Gómez Park — go for a cortadito and stay for the music.
The unofficial city hall of Cuban Miami — go for a ropa vieja plate or just a window cortadito and pastelito.
An Italian Renaissance-style villa built in 1916 on Biscayne Bay, with formal gardens and a stone barge just offshore.
Sunset cruise past Star Island mansions and the Miami skyline — a good non-beach way to see the water.
A causeway ride to a quieter island beach with a 19th-century lighthouse and views back at the Miami skyline.
Waterfront contemporary art museum with hanging gardens designed into the building itself — a solid rainy-afternoon option.
An hour west to the sawgrass marshes for an airboat ride and a close look at wild alligators.