How many days in Miami? Plans for 2–7 days

Miami is more than a beach city. On Miami Beach hundreds of pastel Art Deco hotels line Ocean Drive, on the mainland Little Havana shows the city's Cuban heart, Wynwood is covered in murals, and the Italian-style villa of Vizcaya sits on the bay. Just west of the city begins the grass-and-water wilderness of the Everglades, and to the south the Florida Keys string out towards Key West. The neighbourhoods are far apart, so plan your days by area. The short answer: 3 days for the beach and the best-known neighbourhoods, 4 to 5 days are ideal with the Everglades, and from 6 days there is time for Key West.

How many days in Miami? The overview

Worth knowing for planning: Miami is spread out. Downtown has the free Metromover, Metrorail links the airport with Downtown and Coconut Grove, and in Miami Beach you get around well on foot, by trolley or by hire bike; for Key Biscayne and the Everglades a car, a taxi or a tour is easier. The sun is strong all year – plan the beach for the morning or late afternoon. June to November is hurricane season; if you travel then, watch the forecasts before you leave. Direct flights from London take about 10 hours; Miami is 5 hours behind the UK.

Two days in Miami: South Beach, Little Havana and Wynwood

Two days are enough for the city's two faces. On the first day start early in the Art Deco District on Ocean Drive, where 1930s hotels in pastel colours, with neon lettering and rounded corners, look best in the soft morning light. Spend the late morning on South Beach with its colourful lifeguard towers, have lunch on the Spanish-style Española Way and walk the shady pedestrian mall of Lincoln Road. In the early evening go to South Pointe Park at the southern tip of Miami Beach, where cruise ships often sail out through the harbour entrance.

On the second day cross to the mainland. The Freedom Tower downtown was the reception centre for hundreds of thousands of Cuban refugees in the 1960s; next to the bay, the Pérez Art Museum Miami shows modern and contemporary art. For lunch go to Calle Ocho in Little Havana for Cuban sandwiches and a tiny cup of cafecito, and watch the domino players in Máximo Gómez Park – ask before taking photos. In the afternoon walk among the large murals of the Wynwood Walls and the painted streets around them.

Three days in Miami: Vizcaya and Key Biscayne

With a third day you see the green side of the bay. Our ready-made plan:

• Day 1 – South Beach and Art Deco: Ocean Drive, South Beach, Española Way, Lincoln Road, The Bass museum, South Pointe Park.
• Day 2 – Downtown, Little Havana and Wynwood: the Freedom Tower, the Pérez Art Museum, Calle Ocho, Máximo Gómez Park, the Wynwood Walls.
• Day 3 – Vizcaya, Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, an Italian Renaissance-style villa from the 1910s with formal gardens on the bay; The Barnacle, an 1891 wooden house; lunch in leafy Coconut Grove; Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park with its 19th-century lighthouse; and the quiet beach of Crandon Park.

If you plan to visit several paid attractions, a pass such as the Go City Miami Pass^* can pay off; single tickets for Vizcaya and boat tours on the bay^* are on Tiqets.

Four to five days: the Everglades and Key Largo

With four or five days, head west into the Everglades National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Shark Valley is 63 km and about an hour of pure driving from downtown – allow about a third more. From there a paved loop leads to an observation tower; you can walk part of it, ride it by bike or take the tram tour, and alligators and wading birds are often right beside the path. Airboat rides are offered on the edge of the park. Guided trips from Miami^* with transport are on Viator.

The fifth day can take you to Key Largo, the first island of the Keys, 100 km and about 1.5 hours to the south. The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park there is known for snorkelling and glass-bottom boat trips. Closer to the city, Biscayne National Park protects the bay and its reefs, and Fort Lauderdale with its canals and beach is 46 km to the north.

Six days or more: the Overseas Highway to Key West

If you stay a week, drive the Overseas Highway across the Keys to Key West, 256 km and about 4 hours of pure driving – with stops it fills a day, so plan at least one night there. On the way you cross the Seven Mile Bridge over open water. Key West has wooden houses under palm trees, Duval Street, Ernest Hemingway's house and sunset on Mallory Square.

Hire cars in Miami^* for the Keys and the Everglades can be compared on Economybookings. How the rest of Florida fits in is in our best time to visit Florida, and for combining Miami with New York or Washington see our city breaks in the USA.

Where to stay in Miami

Decide first whether you want the beach or the mainland on your doorstep:

• South Beach: Art Deco hotels near the beach, with lots of restaurants and bars in the evening. Loud and lively, especially on Ocean Drive.
• Brickell and Downtown: high-rise hotels close to the Metromover and Metrorail. Handy for the mainland days; for the beach you cross the bay.
• Coconut Grove: quieter and greener, with cafés by the bay. Good if you prefer an evening stroll to a night out.

From Miami International Airport, Metrorail runs to Downtown; buses, taxis and ride apps go to Miami Beach. A transfer can be booked with Kiwitaxi. For mobile data without roaming charges, get an eSIM from Airalo before you leave; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

Best time to visit Miami

Averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. The values describe a grid cell of about 25 km that includes part of the sea; inland and on the pavement summer days often feel hotter.

The most pleasant time is December to April: dry, mostly sunny and 24 to 28 °C by day, with the least rain in February and March at 64 mm – this is also when the city is busiest. May to October is hot and humid at 29 to 31 °C, with frequent short, heavy afternoon showers; June (223 mm) and September (203 mm) are the wettest months. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, with the greatest risk usually from August to October.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made three-day plan for Miami: South Beach and the Art Deco District, Downtown with Little Havana and Wynwood, and Vizcaya, Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne. Each day has times, the stops are in a sensible order, and the train, bus and taxi legs are noted. With one tap you copy the plan into the app and add days for the Everglades, Key Largo or Key West; for those the AI creates a day plan for you. The app shows the weather for your travel days, the packing list thinks of sun protection and the right plug adapter, and with the offline package you have the map without a connection – useful on the Keys. YesTrip is free.

Miami trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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