Miami

Introduction

Miami Beach, Florida - USA

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Miami is a young city - it was founded in 1896 - but has taken full advantage of its prominent location to become one of the United States' foremost cities. Its meteoric growth from nothing to a city of 5.5 million in 110 years earned it the nickname of "The Magic City".

Miami enjoys a resplendent location in southeast Florida. Tropical weather year-round ensures a steady stream of tourists, especially in winter. The city has some of the most popular beaches in the US and also has a vibrant Latin American community.

Neighbourhoods

• Coconut Grove is an upscale neighborhood with cute stores, bars and clubs
• South Beach is where it all happens in Miami. All the hostels are here, the clubs and restaurants. You'll often see some model photo shoot on the beach or along the boardwalk. Great place to rollerblade or just hang out and people watch
• Downtown Miami is the heart of the city and is technically on the eastern side of the city
• Little Havana (Spanish: La Pequeña Habana) is a Cuban enclave within the city
• Little Havana, West Flagler, and Flagami make up the western side of Miami.

Sights and Activities

Miami hosts many entertainment venues, theaters, museums, parks and performing arts centers.

• The Coral Castle was created single-handedly by one man, Ed Leedskalnin, over a period of about 30 years. It features astounding coral rock carvings and has been likened to Stonehenge. Visit the Coral Castle Museum at 28655 South Dixie Highway. Open daily from 8:00am. Closes at 6pm most days, except Fri & Sat when it closes at 8:00pm. Adults: $9.75, Children under 6 are free, ages 7-12 are $5.
• Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts - the second-largest performing arts center in the United States, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard. Ph: (305) 949-6722
• Gusman Center for the Performing Arts - 174 East Flagler Street. Ph: (305) 372-0925
• The Bass Museum - 2121 Park Avenue. Ph: (305) 673-7530
• Frost Art Museum - Florida International University - Modesto A. Maidique Campus, 10975 SW 17th Street. Ph: (305) 348-2890
• Historical Museum of Southern Florida - 101 West Flagler Street. Ph: (305) 375-1492
• Lowe Art Museum - University of Miami, 1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables. Ph: (305) 284-3535
• Miami Art Museum - 101 West Flagler Street. Ph: (305) 375-3000
• Miami Children's Museum - 980 MacArthur Causeway. Ph: (305) 373-5437
• Miami Science Museum - 3280 South Miami Avenue. Ph: (305) 646-4200
• Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) - 770 Northeast 125th Street, North Miami. Ph: (305) 893-6211
• The Everglades National Park lies just to the south-east of Miami.

Events and Festivals

• Calle Ocho is a week long Cuban street festival held in Little Havana. In March.
• The Orange Bowl - one of the big five American Football "bowl" games, is held each year at the Dolphin Stadium.
• Hispanic Heritage Festival.
• Miami Carnival.
• King Mango Strut.

Weather

Miami has a tropical climate. During summer (June to September), temperatures range between 24 °C and 32 °C and there is quite a bit of rain. In winter (December to April), the temperatures are between 15 °C and 24 °C, but there is little rain. In winter, Miami tends to attract a lot of Americans trying to escape the cold, while avoiding the humid heat of the summer. Note that officially the hurricane season is from 1 June to 30 November, though hurricanes rarely cause any problems for travellers in Miami itself.

Getting There

By Plane

Miami International Airport (MIA/KMIA) is the city's main airport and is one of the United States' largest airports. It is located around 13 kilometres from downtown Miami. There are non-stop routes from and to well over 100 destinations worldwide, including cities throughout North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Miami International Airport is also the largest international gateway for American Airlines, which has nearly 100 destinations served alone!
Some of the main destinations are Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Havana, Düsseldorf, Toronto, Madrid, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Aruba, La Paz, Lima, London, Rio de Janeiro, St. Thomas, Panama City, Manaus, Santiago, Frankfurt, Sao Paulo and Washington, D.C..

To/from the airport

• Bus: Miami-Dade Transit provides excess with its Metrobus.
• Rental cars, shuttles and taxis are available at the airport
• Rail: There are free shuttle buses to nearby Tri-Rail stations.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) has a number of international connections as well as a fair number of domestic flights. It is located about 5 kilometres from the CBD of Fort Lauderdale and about 33 kilometres from Miami.

To/from the airport

• Bus: The airport is served by Broward County Transit bus Route 1. It has connecting service through the Central Terminal, and also buses to Aventura, in Miami-Dade County.
• Rail: Rail service is provided by Tri-Rail, at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Tri-Rail station, where there is a shuttle that goes to the airport.
• Car: The airport offers airport parking and has rental car facilities. Taxis are available as well.

By Train

Miami is part of Amtrak's Atlantic Coast The Silver Service/Palmetto travels between New York and Miami.

By Car

Four interstate highways (I-75, I-95, I-195, I-395) and several U.S. Highways service the Miami-Dade County.

From the airport:
Take the SR 112 (Airport Expressway) into downtown.

By Boat

Miami has been dubbed the "Cruise Capital of the World". The Port of Miami is one of the most significant ports in the United States and the world's largest cruise ship port. In 2005, over 3.5 million cruise passengers passed through Miami.

Eight cruise lines sail out from Miami:

• Carnival Cruise Lines
• Celebrity Cruises
• Costa Cruises
• Crystal Cruises
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Oceania Cruises
• Royal Caribbean International
• Windjammer Barefoot Cruises.

Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Sixt, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Public Transport

Metrobus, Metromover and Metrorail are all operated by Miami-Dade Transit.

By Foot

Miami is considered a dangerous city for pedestrians. South Beach is as safe as anywhere for walking any time of the day or night. As are most of the neighborhoods of Miami.

By Bike

Cycling in South Beach can be fun, but rollerblades are better.

Eat

Coconut Grove was established in 1825 and is the location for many nightclubs, bars and restaurants.

Sleep

Learn

• University of Miami

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are hundreds of big and small post offices in Miami. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.