With year-round blue skies, sunshine and Caribbean-colored waters, Miami is always ready for its close-up.
A thriving arts scene, an ever-changing culinary landscape and, of course, the beach, the bay and buzzing hotel pools all come together to create an unbeatable travel destination. Whenever you visit, here are the classic spots worth adding to your Miami to-do list.
The Beach and Beyond
Miami Beach is home to Florida's most famous stretch of coastline, set against the neon backdrop of Ocean Drive.
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Mid-Beach (between 23rd and 46th streets) is known for its more spacious resorts, away from the tourist bustle. Surfside and Sunny Isles to the north offer high-rises right on the water.
Other neighborhoods worth exploring include Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Wynwood and the Design District. A day trip to nearby Everglades National Park will round out your Florida experience with airboat rides and alligator spotting.
Shopping and Galleries
Art Basel Miami Beach draws the art world to Miami every December, but the city offers plenty of art and striking architecture to enjoy all year round, even in shopping centers such as the Design District (home to the free Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami), Bal Harbour Shops, Lincoln Road Mall and Aventura Mall (where art comes in the form of artist Carsten Holler's 93-foot slide).
For street art, head to Wynwood, where colorful murals sit alongside art galleries, laid-back bars, restaurants and stylish boutiques such as Warby Parker and the local floral art studio Plant the Future.
Downtown, Brickell City Centre houses a cluster of boutiques from lesser-known European brands, while the new Frost Museum of Science keeps kids busy with interactive exhibits and a planetarium open every day of the year.
The Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) hosts terrific exhibitions and has a permanent collection of Caribbean and Latin American art. Dedicated art lovers should also set aside time to visit some of the city's private collections, including the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse and the Rubell Museum.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, 61 NE 41st St, Miami, FL 33137, +1 (305) 901-5272
Aventura Mall, 19501 Biscayne Boulevard, Aventura, FL 33180, +1 (305) 935-1110
Brickell City Centre: 701 South Miami Avenue., Miami, FL 33131, +1 (305) 998-7922
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, 1101 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132, +1 (305) 434-9600
PAMM, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33132, +1 (305) 375-3000
Margulies Collection, 591 NW 27th St, Miami, +1 (305) 576-1051
Rubell Museum, 1100 NW 23rd St, Miami, +1 (305) 573-6090
Restaurants and Coffee
Miami is a fantastic food city, where new restaurants, bars and food halls seem to open every week.
Among the enduring favorites you'll want to try at least once are Joe's Stone Crab in South Beach (stone crab season runs from mid-October to mid-May) and Michael's Genuine in the Design District.
Brunch is a competitive sport in Miami, and you'll need reservations at the most popular spots, such as Yardbird and Mandolin.
Mingle with the locals at casual haunts like David's Cafecito, La Sandwicherie, Zak the Baker and Panther Coffee, then save your most glamorous outfit for a night out at top spots such as Nobu Miami, Zuma and Thomas Keller's The Surf Club Restaurant.
To fully step into another world, head to The Den, an exclusive ten-seat dining room tucked inside the Michelin-starred Azabu Miami Beach concept. The Tokyo-style omakase dinner led by chef Yasuhiro Tanaka is at once serene and decadent, every bite a captivating work of art.
Two spots for a uniquely Miami experience are 27 Restaurant & Bar, where chef Jimmy Lebron blends Miami's cultural melting pot into mouthwatering dishes packed with fresh Florida ingredients, and Kiki on the River, an open-air restaurant on the Miami River with a lounge vibe and delicious Mediterranean cuisine perfectly suited to the warm climate.
To sample the city's signature Cuban flavors, head to Calle Ocho in Little Havana and enjoy live music and mojitos at the historic Ball & Chain, followed by medianoches and a colada (sweet Cuban coffee served with a stack of tiny plastic cups for sharing) at Versailles or La Carreta (both have outposts at Miami International Airport if you need one more fix before you fly home).
Politan Row Miami, 140 NE 39th St Suite #241, Miami
Joe's Stone Crab, 11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, +1 (305) 673-0365
Michael's Genuine, 130 NE 40th St., Miami (Design District), +1 (305) 573-5550
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, 1600 Lenox Ave., Miami Beach, +1 (305) 538-5220
Mandolin Aegean Bistro, 4312 NE 2nd Ave., Miami (Design District), +1 (305) 749-9140
David's Café Cafecito, 919 Alton Rd., Miami Beach, +1 (305) 534-8736
La Sandwicherie, 229 14th St., Miami Beach, +1 (305) 532-8934
Zak the Baker, 295 NW 26th St, Miami (Wynwood), +1 (786) 294-0876
Panther Coffee, multiple locations
Nobu Miami, 4525 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, +1 (305) 695-3232
Zuma, 270 Biscayne Blvd Way, Miami, +1 (305) 577-0277
The Surf Club Restaurant, 9011 Collins Ave., Surfside, +1 (305) 768-9440
The Den at Azabu Miami Beach, 161 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, +1 (786) 276-0520
27 Restaurant & Bar, 2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach, +1 (786) 476-7020
Kiki on the River, 450 NW North River Dr., Miami, +1 (786) 502-3243
Ball & Chain, 1513 SW 8th St., Miami (Little Havana), +1 (305) 643-7820
Versailles, 3555 SW 8th St., Miami (Little Havana) and multiple locations, +1 (305) 444-0240
La Carreta, 3632 SW 8th St., Miami (Little Havana) and multiple locations, +1 (305) 444-7501
On the Water
No trip to Miami is complete without time spent on the water (or in it!). It's a wonderful place to indulge your adventurous side and try kitesurfing, parasailing or jet skiing.
The beach is the obvious draw, head to South Pointe or Mid-Beach for calmer scenery than you'll find in the heart of South Beach, and hotel pools are often destinations in their own right.
Stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking are exhilarating ways to explore Miami's bays, and a boat tour with Island Queen Cruises to Stiltsville (a collection of old wooden houses on stilts out in the ocean) will give you the chance to snap some stunning photos and enjoy the sea breeze.
WaterSportsMiamiBeach.com, 5301 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL3140, +1 (786) 488-7388
Miami Beach Paddle Board, 1416 18th Street, Miami Beach, FL 33139, + 1 (786) 718-7537
Island Queen Cruises, 401 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132, +1 (305) 379-5119
A Tour of the Hotels
In Miami, hotels are more than just a place to rest your head; in fact, in many cases they're devoted to everything but sleeping.
After a multi-year, 90-million-dollar renovation, the glamorous Ritz Carlton South Beach has finally reopened. The historic building, designed by famed Art Deco architect Morris Lapidus, retains many of its original interior details, the most striking being the chrome spherical light wall in the lobby. Sip a classic cocktail at the adjacent marble Lapidus Bar or enjoy sparkling rose by the pool.
Elsewhere in South Beach, the daytime poolside party scene is best represented at Delano and SLS South Beach.
In Mid-Beach, The Miami Beach EDITION is also home to Basement, a nightclub with a 2,000-square-foot indoor ice rink and a four-lane bowling alley.
Nearby, the Faena hotel boasts alluring interiors by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, and a little farther north sits the sprawling Fontainebleau, a former Rat Pack hangout that still draws a party crowd with its LIV nightclub.
Next door you'll find another iconic hotel that has been reinvented as a chicer, more relaxed retreat, the Eden Roc Miami Beach and its hotel-within-a-hotel, Nobu Miami Beach.
To mingle with the locals sipping rose, stay or drop by the Standard Spa Miami.
Or, for something truly remarkable, you can stay in Gianni Versace's former home, Casa Casuarina, or head to Surfside for a dose of old-world Miami glamour in a sleek new package designed by Richard Meier at The Four Seasons Surf Club.
The Ritz Carlton South Beach, 1 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, +1 (786) 276-4000
Delano South Beach, 1685 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139 +1 (305) 672-2000
SLS South Beach, 1701 Collins Avenue. Miami Beach, FL 33139, +1 (305) 674-1701
The Miami Beach EDITION, 2901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140, +1 (786) 257-4500
Faena Miami Beach, 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach FL, 33140, + 1 (305) 534 8800
Fontainebleau Miami Beach, 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140, +1 (866) 629-2573
Eden Roc Miami Beach / Nobu Hotel Miami Beach, 4525 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140, +1 (786) 427-2056
The Standard Spa Miami, 40 Island Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, +1 (305) 673-1717
The Villa Casa Casuarina, 1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, +1 (786) 485-2200
The Four Seasons Surf Club, 9101 Collins Avenue, Surfside, FL 33154, +1 (305) 381-3333
