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.
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.
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.