Sleep Here Tonight

Cities / Miami, FL

Miami

Sleep in South Beach.

Book South Beach if the beach is the point of the trip: it's a separate city from Miami, but the ocean, the Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, and Lincoln Road are all within a short walk. If you're here for a cruise, a Heat game or the museums, book Brickell, which sits on Metrorail and the free Metromover.

Rooms in South Beach tonightCompare all 5 neighborhoods
Miami, Florida
Photo: Marina Baklarova / Pexels

Where to stay in Miami

Many visitors to Miami sleep in Miami Beach, a separate city on a barrier island across Biscayne Bay. South Beach, at its southern end, has the Art Deco hotels, the ocean and Lincoln Road. The city of Miami itself has Downtown, Brickell, Wynwood and Little Havana, linked by the free Metromover and Metrorail, plus the cruise port and the airport.

  1. The southern end of Miami Beach, from South Pointe Park up to about 23rd Street, holds the Art Deco Historic District, Lummus Park beach along Ocean Drive, and the pedestrian mall on Lincoln Road. Mid-range rooms are mostly in restored 1930s hotels on Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, like the Avalon and the Lennox. Miami Beach's free South Beach Loop trolley runs along Washington Avenue and Alton Road.

    The catch: Ocean Drive and Washington Avenue stay loud late, and rooms cost more than comparable ones on the mainland.

    Rooms in South Beach tonight

  2. Miami's financial district runs along Brickell Avenue south of the Miami River, with the Brickell City Centre shopping complex and dozens of restaurants in the blocks around it. The free Metromover's Brickell Loop connects to Downtown, and the Brickell Metrorail station goes to the airport and to Vizcaya and Coconut Grove. Chain hotels like the Novotel and the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown/Brickell have rooftop pools.

    The catch: There's no beach; South Beach is a 20 to 30 minute drive, longer at rush hour.

    Rooms in Brickell tonight

  3. Bayside Marketplace, Bayfront Park, the Kaseya Center and the Pérez Art Museum all sit along Biscayne Boulevard, and the PortMiami cruise terminals are a short ride across the bay. Government Center is the main Metrorail stop, and the Metromover's Omni and Inner loops cover the rest. The Hyatt Regency, the Hilton Miami Downtown and the apartment-style Elser are common picks.

    The catch: Heat games, Bayfront Park concerts and Ultra weekend in late March bring traffic and street closures to Biscayne Boulevard.

    Rooms in Downtown Miami tonight

  4. North of South Beach, the oceanfront hotels along Collins Avenue are bigger resorts with more room around the pool, from the Palms Hotel & Spa to the Fontainebleau at 44th Street. The free Middle Beach Loop trolley runs down Collins to Lincoln Road.

    The catch: Few restaurants are within walking distance of many hotels, so evenings mean a trolley or a ride back to South Beach.

    Rooms in Mid-Beach tonight

  5. The warehouse blocks around Wynwood Walls on NW 2nd Avenue are covered in murals and filled with galleries, bars and restaurants, and Midtown and the Design District are just north. Hotels include the Arlo Wynwood, Sentral Wynwood, the AC Hotel Midtown and a Hampton Inn & Suites. The free City of Miami trolley has a Wynwood route.

    The catch: There's no Metrorail stop, and the beach is a 20 minute drive or more; NW 2nd Avenue gets crowded and loud on weekend nights.

    Rooms in Wynwood and Midtown tonight

Prices are typical mid-range hotel rates per night before tax, rounded to $10. Times are to Bayside Marketplace in Downtown Miami. Booking links open tonight's real prices.

When to go

Come in November or the last two weeks of April, when highs are in the low to mid 80s, the rain is lighter than in summer, and rates sit below the January to March peak. August and September cost the least, at roughly half of March prices, but they're the hottest, wettest months and the peak of hurricane season. Check Art Basel, Ultra and Grand Prix dates before booking.

Spring Mar–May

Highs 81°F in March to 87°F in May

March is peak season, with Ultra, the Miami Open and Calle Ocho. Rates ease after the Formula 1 race in early May, when the rainy season begins.

Summer Jun–Aug

Highs 89 to 91°F, lows 76 to 78°F

Hot and humid, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Hotels are cheaper, and hurricane season starts June 1.

Fall Sep–Nov

Highs 89°F in September to 81°F in November

August and September bring the lowest rates and the highest hurricane risk. The rainy season ends around mid-October, and stone crab season opens October 15.

Winter Dec–Feb

Highs 76 to 78°F, lows 61 to 64°F

Dry and mild, with high-season rates from January on. Art Basel week in early December fills Miami Beach.

On the calendar

Getting around

From the airport

From Miami International Airport, the Metrorail Orange Line leaves from the Miami Intermodal Center and reaches Government Center downtown in about 15 to 20 minutes for $2.25; on weekends it runs only to Earlington Heights, where you switch to the Green Line. For Miami Beach, Metrobus Route 150 (Miami Beach Airport Express) runs every 30 minutes from about 6 a.m. to 11:40 p.m. for $2.25, but allow 45 minutes to an hour. Taxis run on the meter with no flat rates, roughly $30 to $40 to Downtown or Brickell and $45 to $60 to South Beach before tolls and tip.

Trains and buses

Metrorail and Metrobus cost $2.25 a ride with free transfers between bus and train; tap a contactless card or phone, which caps out at $5.65 a day, since the fare gates don't take cash. The Metromover through Downtown and Brickell is free, and Miami Beach runs free trolleys from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., about every 20 minutes.

Driving

You can skip a car if you stay in South Beach or Brickell, but Key Biscayne, Coral Gables and the Everglades are much easier with one. Miami Beach's city garages on 7th, 12th, 13th and 16th streets charge $20 for 24 hours; compare that with your hotel's valet rate.

Worth your time

What to eat

  • Versailles

    The Cuban restaurant on Calle Ocho, open since 1971, where the walk-up window sells cafecito, cortaditos, croquetas and guava pastries all day.

  • Stone crabs at Joe's Stone Crab

    Joe's has been at 11 Washington Ave. in South Beach since 1913, and fresh claws are only served from October 15 to May 1, the legal harvest season.

  • Cuban sandwich

    Roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard pressed on Cuban bread, sold at Cuban bakeries and cafeterias all over the city.

  • Croquetas and pastelitos

    Ham croquetas and guava or cheese pastries are the standard order at any Cuban bakery window.

  • Key lime pie

    Made with small, tart key limes and condensed milk, it's on dessert menus all over South Florida.

Before you go

Florida law requires restaurants that add an automatic gratuity to say so on the menu and the bill, so read both before adding the usual 18 to 20 percent. Spanish is spoken everywhere and often first. A colada is a cup of sweet Cuban espresso meant to be split into small plastic cups among several people. Miami and Miami Beach have separate street grids, so 41st Street in Miami Beach is nowhere near NW 41st Street in Miami. In Miami, SW 8th Street and Calle Ocho are the same road.

How Miami got this way

The Tequesta lived around Biscayne Bay when the Spanish arrived, and the US Army built Fort Dallas on the Miami River in 1836. In 1891 Julia Tuttle bought 640 acres on the river, and after the freezes of 1894 and 1895 spared the area, she persuaded Henry Flagler to extend his railroad south. The first train arrived in April 1896, and Miami incorporated that July with just over 300 residents. Across the bay, Miami Beach was chartered in 1915. The 1926 hurricane ended the land boom. After 1959, hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles settled in Miami, and the 1980 Mariel boatlift brought about 150,000 more.

Questions people ask

Is Miami Beach part of Miami?

No. Miami Beach is a separate city on a barrier island across Biscayne Bay, connected to Miami by the MacArthur, Venetian and Julia Tuttle causeways. South Beach is its southern end.

What is the best area to stay in Miami for a first visit?

South Beach, in Miami Beach, if you want the ocean and the Art Deco District within walking distance. Brickell is better for cruises, Downtown events and getting around on the free Metromover.

How do I get from Miami International Airport to South Beach?

Metrobus Route 150 runs from the airport's Metrorail station to Miami Beach every 30 minutes for $2.25, taking 45 minutes to an hour. A metered taxi costs roughly $45 to $60 before tolls and tip.

Do I need a car in Miami?

Not if you stay in South Beach or Brickell, where free trolleys, the Metromover and rideshares cover most trips. Rent one for Key Biscayne, Coral Gables or the Everglades.

When are Miami hotels cheapest?

August and September, when countywide room rates run about half of March's. Those are also the hottest, rainiest months and the peak of hurricane season.

Checked against 40 sources. Updated October 16, 2026.

Somewhere else

Nashville

Sleep in Downtown and SoBro
Rooms from $140

New Orleans

Sleep in French Quarter
Rooms from $100

New York

Sleep in Midtown West
Rooms from $190