48-hour destination guide
48 Hours in Miami: A Neighborhood Itinerary
Pick your Miami — Art Deco beach, murals in Wynwood, Cuban coffee on Calle Ocho or a quiet island — and stay put.
Miami is two cities joined by causeways: Miami Beach on the barrier island, and the mainland of Downtown, Brickell, Wynwood, Little Havana, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. Crossing between them takes 20–40 minutes in traffic, so pick a base that matches the trip. South Beach, Mid-Beach or Bal Harbour/Surfside for the ocean; Wynwood for art and nightlife; Downtown or Brickell for towers, the bay and the free Metromover; Little Havana for Cuban Miami; Coconut Grove or Coral Gables for shade trees and a slower pace; Key Biscayne for beaches and a lighthouse. Want more? Key West is a long day or an overnight add-on at the bottom of this page. Confirm hours before you go; we do not invent them here.
Where to base — pick a neighborhood
Each card opens a full neighborhood guide: gallery, mini 48H plan, named recommendations, and specific places to stay.
South Beach
Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, the beach across the street, Cuban breakfast at Puerto Sagua.
First-timers, beach-and-nightlife weekends, and architecture fans who want to walk everywhere.
Open neighborhood guide →
Mid-Beach
The Fontainebleau, the Faena District and a boardwalk along the sand.
Resort weekends, couples and families who want the beach without South Beach’s crowds.
Open neighborhood guide →
Bal Harbour / Surfside
Quiet north-end beaches, Bal Harbour Shops and Thomas Keller in a 1930s beach club.
Couples, splurge weekends and anyone who wants a calm beach with good dinners nearby.
Open neighborhood guide →
Wynwood / Design District
Murals at Wynwood Walls, Panther Coffee, KYU, then designer shops and ICA a few blocks north.
Art and food weekends, groups who want nightlife on the mainland, and repeat visitors who have done the beach.
Open neighborhood guide →
Downtown / Bayfront
Bayfront Park, PAMM on the water and a free Metromover around the towers.
Museum and event weekends, cruise departures, and anyone who wants the mainland’s middle without a car.
Open neighborhood guide →
Brickell
Glass towers, Brickell City Centre, Brickell Key at sunset and dinner at Komodo.
Business trips, food-and-nightlife weekends, and travelers who like a city-center base.
Open neighborhood guide →
Little Havana
Dominoes at Máximo Gómez Park, live music at Ball & Chain, a ventanita cafecito at Versailles.
Food-first travelers, music fans and anyone who wants a Miami weekend that feels local.
Open neighborhood guide →
Coconut Grove
Banyan-shaded streets, Vizcaya’s gardens and dinner by the bay at Glass & Vine.
Couples and families who want shade, the bay and a slower pace close to the city.
Open neighborhood guide →
Coral Gables
The Biltmore’s tower, a swim at the Venetian Pool, books and tapas off Miracle Mile.
Couples, families and architecture lovers who want a quiet, leafy base, plus University of Miami visitors.
Open neighborhood guide →
Key Biscayne
An island of beaches across the Rickenbacker, with the 1825 Cape Florida Lighthouse at the tip.
Families, beach-and-bike weekends, and anyone who wants nature 20 minutes from Downtown.
Open neighborhood guide →
Day 1: Beach and Art Deco
Miami Beach from breakfast to sunset.
08:30 – Breakfast at Puerto Sagua
Cuban breakfast on Collins Ave in South Beach.
10:00 – Art Deco walk on Ocean Drive
Start at the Welcome Center and walk north past the 1930s hotels.
12:00 – Beach at Lummus Park
Swim and lunch near the beach.
18:30 – Sunset at South Pointe Park
Watch ships leave Government Cut from the pier.
20:00 – Dinner in South Beach
Joe’s Stone Crab in season, or Mid-Beach’s Los Fuegos.
Day 2: The mainland
Little Havana, Wynwood murals and the bay.
09:00 – Cafecito at Versailles
Then Domino Park and a walk along Calle Ocho.
12:30 – Wynwood
Lunch at Zak the Baker (closed Saturdays) and the Wynwood Walls.
16:00 – Vizcaya or PAMM
Gardens in Coconut Grove or art on the bay downtown.
Rain backup: PAMM and Frost Science are indoors.
19:30 – Dinner in Brickell or Wynwood
Komodo or KYU, then Ball & Chain for live music.
Optional day trips
Add at most one. Stacking both usually costs you the city day.
Everglades: Shark Valley
Half day
Take the tram tour or rent a bike for the 15-mile loop through sawgrass, with alligators along the canal and an observation tower at the halfway point.
How to get there: About an hour west of Downtown on US-41 (Tamiami Trail). You need a car.
Key West (long day or overnight)
Full day, better as an overnight
Drive the Overseas Highway across the Keys to Key West. See the Key West section below for timing, picks and how it fits into 48 hours.
How to get there: About 160 miles; 3.5–4.5 hours each way by car, or about an hour by plane from MIA.
Key West: day trip or overnight from Miami
Key West sits at the end of the Overseas Highway, about 160 miles from Miami, with old conch houses, Duval Street, the Hemingway Home and sunset at Mallory Square. It’s a long day trip, but it works best as one night added to a Miami weekend.
How to get there
- Drive: about 3.5–4.5 hours each way via US-1 and the Overseas Highway, including the Seven Mile Bridge. Leave by 7 a.m. to have an afternoon there.
- Fly: nonstop flights from Miami (MIA) to Key West (EYW) take about an hour. Fly down, stay one night, drive or fly back.
- Bus or coach tours: day tours leave from Miami hotels early and return late, about 8 hours of driving round trip.
- Ferry: there is no Miami ferry. The Key West Express runs from Fort Myers Beach and Marco Island on the Gulf Coast.
Where it fits in 48 hours
On a 48-hour trip, don’t try to do Key West and Miami in the same day. Either use day 2 for Key West and drive back after sunset, which is a very long day, or add a third night in Key West and do Miami as the two-day base. The South Beach plan works well for day 1.
Check flight times, tour schedules and Hemingway Home hours before you go.
Sunrise / sunset
Mallory Square sunset
400 Wall St, Key West
Street performers and food stalls on the waterfront every evening at sunset.
Photo: C Watts · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
See / do
Southernmost Point Buoy
Duval Pocket Park, 1400 Duval St, Key West
The striped buoy marking 90 miles to Cuba. While the original corner at Whitehead & South is rebuilt (into 2027), a full-scale replica stands in Duval Pocket Park. Expect a line.
Photo: Radomianin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
See / do
Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum
907 Whitehead St, Key West
The house and garden where Hemingway lived and wrote in the 1930s, with its six-toed cats.
Photo: Upstateherd · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →Eat
Blue Heaven
729 Thomas St, Key West
Breakfast and dinner in a courtyard where roosters roam; known for its key lime pie.
Official site / map →
FAQ
- Which Miami neighborhood should I base in for 48 hours?
- Beach first: South Beach for walking and nightlife, Mid-Beach for resorts, Bal Harbour/Surfside for calm. Art and food: Wynwood/Design District. City and bay: Downtown or Brickell. Cuban Miami: Little Havana. Shade and slower pace: Coconut Grove or Coral Gables. Islands and nature: Key Biscayne.
- Do I need a car in Miami?
- Not if you stay in South Beach and keep to the beach, or in Downtown/Brickell and use the free Metromover plus rideshare. You’ll want one for Key Biscayne, Coral Gables beyond downtown, the Everglades or Key West.
- Can I visit Key West from Miami in a day?
- Yes, but it’s 3.5–4.5 hours each way by car. For a 48-hour trip, an overnight or a one-hour flight works better. There is no ferry from Miami.
- When is the best time to visit Miami?
- November through April is drier and less humid. June through November is hurricane season; summer brings heat and afternoon storms.
- Are stay links affiliate links?
- Hotel stays use Roam48’s Expedia Creator tracked links; each neighborhood also has a Vrbo vacation-rental search. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Links use rel=sponsored nofollow. Many Miami hotels add daily resort fees and parking, so check the total before you book.