Miami, sorted before you land.
Airboats through the sawgrass, the skyline from the water, Calle Ocho by mouthful and Ocean Drive in pastel: what each tour is really like, what it costs, and where to book.
The seven Miami runs on.
First visit or fifth, these carry the itinerary: the airboat that skims the sawgrass at dawn, the skyline cruise past the islands, the Little Havana table your hotel concierge forgets to mention.
Everglades National Park Airboat Tour & Wildlife Show
Airboat through the Everglades River of Grass, spot gators and turtles, then enjoy a lively alligator wildlife show with photo ops and snacks.
From $42 per person
Read the review →
★ 4.1Safe betHop-on Hop-off Open-top Bus Tour and Optional CruiseFrom $453,077 reviews
★ 4.5Books out fastSpeedboat Sightseeing Adventure of MiamiFrom $453,025 reviews
★ 5.0Crowd favorite2 hrs Miami Private Boat Tour with Cooler, Ice, Bluetooth StereoFrom $652,968 reviews
★ 4.3Worth the moneyFrom Miami: Key West Day Trip with Pickup at Selected HotelsFrom $392,918 reviews
★ 3.5Easy winCity Half Day Tour of Miami by Bus with Sightseeing CruiseFrom $342,747 reviews
★ 3.5Traveler pickMiami Skyline Boat Cruise Past Millionaire’s Homes Optional StopFrom $122,718 reviews
The Everglades start where the city stops.
Take the early pickup and forty minutes later the traffic gives way to sawgrass and the airboat opens up. Alligators on the banks, wading birds lifting off the water, a whole horizon of nothing, then back in town for a late lunch. This is the day trip Miami is quietly famous for.
How do you want the bay?
Everyone gets on the water in Miami; the right boat depends on your day. Three ways to take Biscayne Bay: pick the one that sounds like your afternoon, and every option behind it is already reviewed and priced.
Sit back and look
The mansion cruise
1h 30m · from $20 · 7,348 reviews
The classic Biscayne Bay run: past Star Island and the mansions on Millionaire’s Row, the downtown skyline stacked behind the palms, a guide naming which name owns which dock. Ninety easy minutes, no planning, big views.
See the sightseeing cruises →
Drink in hand
The golden-hour cruise
2 hours (approx.) · from $69 · 1,052 reviews
Cast off as the light turns gold and the towers switch on. A cocktail or two, the skyline going pink then electric, music on the deck. Less sightseeing, more evening: the one you book for a date or the last night of the trip.
See the sunset cruises →
Your own captain
The private charter
2 hours (approx.) · from $65 · 2,968 reviews
Your own boat, your own captain, your own route: anchor off a sandbar to swim, circle the islands, bring the cooler. Splits well across a group and turns the bay into your afternoon instead of someone else’s schedule.
See the private charters →
The night is half the reason you came.
Rooftops over Brickell, a salsa floor in Little Havana, a skyline cruise with the bar open and the towers lit. Miami after dark rewards knowing where to point yourself. Here are the nights worth booking ahead.
Miami eats Cuban first.
Cortaditos strong enough to plan a day around, croquetas at a Calle Ocho ventanita, a whole Cuban sandwich pressed to order. If you spend three food hours in Miami, spend them here.
The water, at speed.
Jet skis loose on the open bay, a flyboard lifting you clear of the water, a banana boat full of people who signed up not knowing better. No permit, no experience, just throttle. Pick your ride.
South Beach still poses.
A thousand feet of 1930s Art Deco along Ocean Drive: pastel and chrome and neon that switches on at dusk, the lifeguard stands, the porthole windows, the hotels that named the whole look. It reads far better with someone who knows which building is which.
Pick your Miami, block by block.
The city works in pockets, and each one is an afternoon. South Beach for the Deco and the sand. Wynwood for the murals. Little Havana for the coffee and the dominoes. Downtown for the skyline and the bay.
Know what you want to do?
Twelve ways to spend a Miami day: pick the one that sounds like you and every option behind it is already reviewed and priced.
Leave the beach for a day.
Some of Miami’s best days happen an hour or two down the road. The Everglades to the west, the Overseas Highway south to Key West, the Bahamas a fast boat east, each an easy there-and-back.
Three days that do Miami justice.
You can’t see all of Miami in one trip; you can absolutely nail the right three days. This is the order we’d give a friend flying into MIA tomorrow.
Day 1
Start on South Beach
Ocean Drive and the Deco district while your body clock resets, lunch with your feet near the sand, the pastel mile lighting up as the sun drops. Easy pace, pure Miami.
Plan day one →
Day 2
Onto the bay
A morning skyline cruise past the islands, jet skis or a private charter after lunch, then sunset drinks on the deck as downtown switches on. The day Miami is built for.
Plan day two →
Day 3
Into the Everglades
An early airboat across the sawgrass, alligators and wading birds, the throttle wide open on the way back. Home by afternoon, or push south to Key West if you’d rather chase the water.
Plan the Everglades day →
The latest Miami reviews.
★ 5.0Private Miami City Sightseeing TourFrom $29360 reviews
★ 5.0Miami Helicopter Tour Hard Rock and BeachFrom $18959 reviews
★ 4.5Everglades National Park: Self Guided Driving Audio TourFrom $1658 reviews
★ 4.5Private Boat Tour – Snorkeling, Star Island & Dolphin SpottingFrom $6559 reviews
★ 4.8West Palm Beach: Beginner Scuba Diving Adventure with VideosFrom $9999 reviews
★ 4.5ATV Riding in MIAMI: NO HIDDEN FEES, SAFETY GEAR INCLUDEDFrom $10073 reviews
★ 5.0Wynwood Segway Tours Miami: 4-Mile Art & Murals TourFrom $6962 reviews
★ 4.5The Official Miami City Tour Small Group Experience with PickupFrom $6178 reviews