StayAreasThe best things to do in Miami
Miami is really two cities. Miami Beach sits on a barrier island across Biscayne Bay, with South Beach's Art Deco hotels at its southern tip and quieter Mid-Beach further north. The mainland has the towers of Downtown and Brickell, the murals of Wynwood just north, Little Havana to the west and leafy Coconut Grove to the south. The causeways between them are short, but traffic is not, so group your days by side of the bay.
Here are the 20 things we'd put on a first trip, grouped by part of the city, with the area to stay in if that part of Miami matters most to you. The dry season from December to April is the most comfortable time; summer is hot, humid and stormy in the afternoons, and hurricane season runs from June to November.
South Beach and Mid-Beach
1.South BeachFree
The wide strip of white sand and turquoise water in front of Lummus Park, lined with the candy-coloured lifeguard towers.
Tip: Mornings are calmest; the beach and Ocean Drive fill up from late morning, especially at weekends.
Hotels in South Beach · ~$280/night2.The Art Deco Historic DistrictFree
Hundreds of pastel 1930s hotels and apartment blocks along Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue, the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world.
Tip: The Miami Design Preservation League runs walking tours from the Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive. Come back after dark to see the neon lit.
Stay nearby: South Beach · ~$280/night3.Lincoln RoadFree
A pedestrian street of shops, cafés and restaurant terraces running across South Beach from the bay side to Collins Avenue.
Tip: Many of the terraces on the street itself are tourist traps; the side streets have better food for the money.
Stay nearby: South Beach · ~$280/night4.South Pointe ParkFree
A grassy park and fishing pier at the southern tip of Miami Beach, looking across the channel to Fisher Island.
Tip: Come late afternoon to watch the cruise ships sail out of PortMiami, often only a few hundred metres away.
Stay nearby: South Beach · ~$280/night5.The Wolfsonian–FIU
A museum of design and propaganda from 1885 to 1945, from posters and furniture to whole building facades, in a former storage building on Washington Avenue.
Tip: Check the opening days before you go; it closes on some weekdays.
Stay nearby: South Beach · ~$280/night6.New World Center and SoundScape ParkFree
The Frank Gehry concert hall of the New World Symphony, with a lawn outside where some concerts are projected on a giant wall.
Tip: The outdoor WALLCAST concerts are free and run on selected evenings in the concert season; bring a blanket and a picnic.
Stay nearby: South Beach · ~$280/night7.The Miami Beach BoardwalkFree
A walking and cycling path that runs for miles along the dunes, from South Beach north through Mid-Beach past the grand hotels.
Tip: Walk or cycle it early in the morning, before the heat. The Citi Bike docks along the way make one-way rides easy.
Stay nearby: Mid-Beach · ~$320/night
Downtown and Brickell
8.Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)
Modern and contemporary art from the Americas in a building on Biscayne Bay, with hanging gardens on the terrace.
Tip: Even without a ticket, the bayfront terrace and Museum Park outside are a good place to sit. It closes on some weekdays; check before you go.
Stay nearby: Downtown Miami · ~$230/night9.Frost Museum of Science
A science museum next to PAMM with a three-level aquarium, a planetarium and a rooftop of Florida plants.
Tip: The aquarium's Oculus lens, looking up into the main tank from below, is the highlight for kids.
Stay nearby: Downtown Miami · ~$230/night10.A Biscayne Bay boat tour from Bayside
An hour or so on the bay from the Bayside Marketplace, past the downtown skyline, the cruise port and the mansions of Star Island.
Tip: Sit on the side facing the islands on the way out; late afternoon tours have the best light on the skyline.
Stay nearby: Downtown Miami · ~$230/night11.The MetromoverFree
Free driverless trains on elevated loops through Downtown and Brickell, with views between the towers.
Tip: Ride the full Brickell loop for a quick look at the skyline; it connects to Metrorail and to the bus for the beaches.
Stay nearby: Brickell · ~$250/night12.Brickell's rooftop bars
Miami's financial district has some of its best rooftop bars, looking across the bay to Key Biscayne and Miami Beach.
Tip: Go for sunset on a weekday; at weekends many have a dress code and a door policy.
Stay nearby: Brickell · ~$250/night
Wynwood, the Design District and Little Havana
13.Wynwood Walls and the Wynwood murals
Former warehouses covered in murals by street artists from around the world, with the Wynwood Walls garden at the heart of it.
Tip: Wynwood Walls itself needs a ticket, but the streets around it are full of murals you can see for free. Go in the morning for photos without crowds.
Stay nearby: Wynwood · ~$250/night14.The Miami Design DistrictFree
A few blocks of luxury fashion boutiques, public art and architect-designed facades just north of Wynwood.
Tip: The Institute of Contemporary Art in the district is free, though it asks you to book a time online.
15.Little Havana and Calle OchoFree
The heart of Cuban Miami along SW 8th Street, with cafecito windows, cigar rollers and old men playing dominoes in Máximo Gómez Park.
Tip: Come on the last Friday of the month for Viernes Culturales, a street night of music, art and dancing.
Coconut Grove and further out
16.Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
An Italian Renaissance-style villa built on the bay in the 1910s, with 34 rooms of antiques and formal gardens down to the water.
Tip: Buy a timed ticket online and check the opening days; it closes on some weekdays.
Stay nearby: Coconut Grove · ~$300/night17.Coconut Grove's waterfrontFree
Miami's oldest neighbourhood, with shady streets, Peacock Park on the bay and the sailboats of Dinner Key marina.
Tip: Combine it with Vizcaya: the Metrorail's Vizcaya and Coconut Grove stations are one stop apart.
Stay nearby: Coconut Grove · ~$300/night18.The Venetian Pool in Coral Gables
A swimming pool in an old coral rock quarry, fed by spring water, with waterfalls, grottoes and Venetian-style loggias.
Tip: Book a time slot online in summer, and check the opening days; it closes for part of the winter and has an age limit for small children.
19.Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
A beach and forest park at the southern tip of Key Biscayne, with the oldest building in Miami, an 1825 lighthouse.
Tip: Bring your own food and drink; the park café is small and beaches here are much quieter than South Beach.
20.A day trip to the Everglades
The vast subtropical wetland on Miami's western edge, with alligators, wading birds and airboat rides through the sawgrass.
Tip: Go in the dry season (December to April), when wildlife gathers around the water. The Shark Valley tram tour inside the national park is quieter than the airboat parks.
Written by the StayAreas editorial team · Updated Oct 2026 · How we research our guides