Miami Guide
A causeway city — the beach, the design district and downtown behave like three separate towns.
Season matters more in Miami than in almost any US city: the winter high season and the humid, half-empty summer are two different destinations at two different prices. Dinner runs late, valet is nearly unavoidable, and Art Basel week reprices everything.
Miami business directoryBeach to Brickell, end to end
Illustrated
Drawn by hand for the KEY2 Miami guide
Where to stay
Hotels
The KEY2 list
Happy Hour
Daylight
Hotel Pools & Pool Clubs
Eat
Best Food
Mornings
Breakfast & Brunch
Recover
Health & Wellness
After dark
Nightlife
Arenas
Sports
Tonight
Concerts & Comedy
Say it here
Weddings
Book the room
Event Spaces
Experiences
100 Other Things To Do
Miami explained
Hour-by-hour plans drawn by hand — pick one and follow it from first coffee to last call.
24 Hours in Miami
A single day moving from Cuban coffee in Little Havana to a nightclub buyout downtown.
48 Hours in Miami
Two days covering the beach, Wynwood's art scene, Brickell happy hour and the city's biggest nightclubs.
Miami travel guide
The practical layer: when to come, how to arrive, how to move, where to base yourself and what it costs.
Best time to visit
December through April is dry, warm and the reason people visit, though it is also the most expensive and crowded stretch; late spring offers warm water with thinner crowds before summer humidity sets in.
Getting in
Miami International Airport (MIA) is about 20 minutes from downtown and 30 to 40 minutes from South Beach depending on traffic. A taxi or rideshare to South Beach runs $35 to $50; the SuperShuttle and Metrorail-to-bus combination are cheaper but slower options.
Getting around
South Beach and the Design District are walkable within themselves, but the city as a whole is spread across causeways, so rideshare or a rental car is the practical choice for moving between them. The Metromover is free and useful within downtown, and valet parking is nearly unavoidable at beachfront hotels and clubs.
What it costs
Mid-range hotel: $200 to $350 a night in season, dropping to $130 to $200 in summer. Dinner for two: $130 to $200. A rideshare across South Beach or to Brickell typically runs $15 to $25.
Where to stay
- South Beach
- Art Deco hotels, beach access and nightlife, best for first-time visitors wanting to walk everywhere.
- Downtown / Brickell
- High-rise business district with good dining, suits visitors prioritising skyline views over beach proximity.
- Wynwood / Design District
- Arts, galleries and boutique shopping, popular with a younger, design-focused crowd.
- Coconut Grove / Coral Gables
- Quieter, leafier and family-friendly, a short drive from the beach and downtown.
Traveller tips
- Book restaurants and beach club tables well ahead in winter high season; walk-in availability disappears from January through March.
- Avoid Art Basel week in early December unless that is the point of the trip — rates commonly double and minimum-stay requirements apply.
- Valet parking is standard at hotels and clubs; budget $20 to $40 a night on top of the room rate.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are near-daily in summer but usually pass within an hour, so plan beach time for morning.
- Tipping is 18 to 20% at restaurants; check the bill first, as some venues add an automatic gratuity for larger groups.
- Travel insurance is worth having between June and November, as hurricane season can disrupt flights with little notice.
The Miami calendar
The dates that actually move prices, crowds and opening hours.
January
Art Deco Weekend & peak season
Ocean Drive closes for the festival; hotel rates sit at their annual high through March.
February
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Late February brings chef dinners and beachfront tastings; restaurants book out weeks ahead.
March
Miami Open & Ultra Music Festival
Hard Rock Stadium tennis plus a downtown festival weekend — the busiest overlap of the spring.
May
Start of the shoulder
Crowds thin, water is warm, and rates drop sharply before hurricane season.
October
Hurricane season tail end
Cheapest month of the year; travel insurance is genuinely worth it.
December
Art Basel Miami Beach
The single most expensive week: satellite fairs across Wynwood and the Design District, minimum stays everywhere.
Seasonal highlights
- Winter (Dec–Mar)
- Dry, 75°F, and the reason people come — also the highest rates and the fullest beaches.
- Spring (Apr–May)
- Warm water, thinning crowds, patios still comfortable before the humidity lands.
- Summer (Jun–Sep)
- Hot, humid, afternoon thunderstorms daily; hotel deals are at their deepest.
- Autumn (Oct–Nov)
- Quiet and cheap up until Basel week transforms the city in early December.
Off-peak intel
- April/May and October/November are the value windows — beach weather without high-season pricing.
- Avoid Art Basel week unless that is the trip; rates double and minimum stays apply.
- Book Sunday–Thursday on South Beach; weekend club-driven demand sets the rate.
- Summer afternoon storms clear fast — plan museums for 3pm and the beach for the morning.