Looking Tips / Things to do / Places to stay Miami Florida

Miami... would not be my first choice for a city in the USA if I had never been before

Tell us more about WHY you are choosing this city

Also what time of year are you planning on travelling
What is your budget
Interests ?
How long do you have for this trip / vacation?
Are you interested in sitting still in one spot, or exploring a region / state etc

Lots of things to do in and around Miami.
I strongly suggest the Hop on Hop off bus tour just to give you an overview of the City. I would look into an Everglades tour as Florida is famous for that.
Even renting a car and making a day trip drive down to Key West is doable.
Not that you should use Viator but here is a list of things to do in and around Miami
https://www.viator.com/Miami/d662-ttd?m ... DsQAvD_BwE

Pete_Coach wrote: ↑ Not that you should use Viator but here is a list of things to do in and around Miami
https://www.viator.com/Miami/d662-ttd?m ... DsQAvD_BwE

That's a good tip. I rarely ever book through Viator but I like to use it to get a read on what kind of day trips are ideal from a destination.

Miami is a great place but it's a pretty laid back destination. A good place for relaxing on the beach, wandering South Beach, dining/clubbing that kind of thing. It isn't the kind of city where there are tons of attractions, museums and what not so don't expect that.

56kbps wrote: ↑ That's a good tip. I rarely ever book through Viator but I like to use it to get a read on what kind of day trips are ideal from a destination.

Miami is a great place but it's a pretty laid back destination. A good place for relaxing on the beach, wandering South Beach, dining/clubbing that kind of thing. It isn't the kind of city where there are tons of attractions, museums and what not so don't expect that.

I use Viator frequently, not just for research but I used it to book tours (skip the line stuff) in quite a few places. I have almost always had good experience with the tour operators but when things did not go right, Viator has backed me up with refunds (a tour in New York City and another in Rome).
There are things to do in Miami but as others have said, they are distances in between so it can get pricey getting between the places.. The HoHo is one way to see and check areas out.

Yes, you're right, the distances can be vast and traffic a hassle in south Florida. What looks on a map like a short drive can easily turn out to be over an hour, especially when you hit traffic.

As for Viator, I find their prices to be a bit inflated. I like to get ideas from their site and then source the tours elsewhere. I tend to use them mainly for booking airport transfers but not much else.

Speaking of Car Trips...

Agree with the others, a visit out to the Everglades as a day trip is do-able.
To the Keys... it depends.

Key Largo at the top of The Keys ... sure
But if wanting to see Key West ... not so much.

Although map programs will tell you the drive down from Miami is 3-1/2 Hours
In my experience, that’s highly optimistic

First off it’s a 2 lane highway thru The Keys ... US Hwy 1 (aka The Overseas Highway)
That is prone to just being slow due to volume, and it’s meandering ways filled with locals & tourists alike who are going about their daily lives (school buses, delivery vehicles, dump trucks, etc) and people crossing the road on foot, and fishermen fishing off bridges etc
Not to mention all the folks who are out sightseeing, or rubber necking while they drive.
It’s a beautiful causeway that connects a serious of Islands across perfect turquoise waters... think what the Caribbean would be like if a bunch of Islands were strung together by road. The pace of life / attitude is similar...

Which brings up another issue...
The road is one of the most scenic in America. Everyone wants to stop along the way to see the sights. This makes the drive more like 5 hours in my experience... especially if you are a first timer on your way down to the southernmost point in the continental USA. People not paying attention or being in a big hurry, as if they were back on the mainland cause accidents (and they can be quite tragic on this highway sadly). Plus with just 2 lanes, when there is an accident there is NOWHERE ELSE TO GO... road back ups go on forever.

Plan accordingly... make your trip to Key West more than a day trip... in fact plan for several days... cause no doubt, like most you’ll fall in love with the old town and want to spend several nights & days there.

Which brings up another point... as bad as US 1 is in the daytime... it’s even worse at night.

And it’s all because of the wild life... Key Deer, Turtles, and Gators are often roadmates.
But the worst of the bunch... are the other WILD LIFE
Folks who drink & drive.
US 1 is not a road you want to be on after dark

56kbps wrote: ↑ Yes, you're right, the distances can be vast and traffic a hassle in south Florida. What looks on a map like a short drive can easily turn out to be over an hour, especially when you hit traffic.

As for Viator, I find their prices to be a bit inflated. I like to get ideas from their site and then source the tours elsewhere. I tend to use them mainly for booking airport transfers but not much else.

Interesting you should say that. I have compared prices between Viator and the actual site it offers and find the prices to be very similar if not identical. I chose Viator, as I said, because when or if there is a problem, it is easier to deal with Viator than a tour operator. Viator was far more cooperative then the tour operator.

Pete_Coach wrote: ↑ Interesting you should say that. I have compared prices between Viator and the actual site it offers and find the prices to be very similar if not identical. I chose Viator, as I said, because when or if there is a problem, it is easier to deal with Viator than a tour operator. Viator was far more cooperative then the tour operator.

Perhaps the spread between Viator and prices on the ground varies by market. In lower-cost European and Asian destinations, it strikes me that Viator often asks for the North American price while local prices are much less expensive. Maybe the difference is less pronounced in the US.

56kbps wrote: ↑ Perhaps the spread between Viator and prices on the ground varies by market. In lower-cost European and Asian destinations, it strikes me that Viator often asks for the North American price while local prices are much less expensive. Maybe the difference is less pronounced in the US.

I used Viator primarily in Europe.

I did the Miami-Key West trip many years ago and loved it. To this day Key West is still one of my favourite places and would like to return for a week. It did feel like being on the islands with the scenery, climate and the people - totally different than Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. Even if driving non-stop and no traffic problems, it'd still take at least 4 hours to reach Key West or return so plan to stop along the Keys, spend a few days and check them out.

First time in Florida - my choice would be Orlando/Tampa Bay/St.Petersburg/Sarasota.