Neighborhood 48H guide
Downtown / Bayfront: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Bayfront Park, PAMM on the water and a free Metromover around the towers.
Downtown Miami runs along Biscayne Boulevard and the bay, from the Miami River north to Museum Park: Bayfront Park, Bayside Marketplace and its boat tours, the Pérez Art Museum and Frost Science, and the Kaseya Center arena.
Photo gallery
Photo: Daderot · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: B137 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Phillip Pessar · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
The free Metromover loops Downtown and Brickell, the cruise port is minutes away, and Wynwood and the beach are a short ride.
Who it's for: Museum and event weekends, cruise departures, and anyone who wants the mainland’s middle without a car.
Extend the trip: Key West: day trip or overnight from Miami →
Pros
- Free Metromover through Downtown and Brickell
- Museums and the bay walk
- Close to PortMiami for cruises
Cons
- Quiet blocks at night away from Biscayne Blvd
- Event-night traffic near the arena
- No beach
48H Downtown
Museum Park, a bay boat tour, a Metromover loop.
10:00 – Pérez Art Museum Miami
Modern and contemporary art with hanging gardens over the bay.
13:00 – Frost Science
Next door: planetarium and a three-level aquarium.
Rain backup: Both museums are indoors.
17:00 – Bayside boat tour
Tours from Bayside Marketplace loop past the cruise port and Star Island.
10:00 – Day 2: Metromover loop
Ride the free elevated train around Downtown and Brickell.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Shop
Shop
Bayside Marketplace
401 Biscayne Blvd
Open-air waterfront mall where most bay boat tours leave from.
Photo: Phillip Pessar · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
See / do
See / do
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)
1103 Biscayne Blvd
Herzog & de Meuron building with hanging gardens and bay views.
Photo: B137 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
1101 Biscayne Blvd
Science museum, planetarium and aquarium in Museum Park.
Official site / map →
Outdoors
Outdoors
Bayfront Park
301 Biscayne Blvd
Bayfront lawns, a fountain and concert venue along Biscayne Boulevard.
Photo: Daderot · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
InterContinental Miami
100 Chopin Plaza
Bayfront hotel at Bayfront Park with a rooftop pool; walk to Bayside.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
Kimpton EPIC Hotel
270 Biscayne Blvd Way
Rooftop pools where the river meets the bay, between Downtown and Brickell.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Downtown / Bayfront.
Browse vacation rentals in Downtown / Bayfront on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Miami
- South Beach — Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, the beach across the street, Cuban breakfast at Puerto Sagua.
- Mid-Beach — The Fontainebleau, the Faena District and a boardwalk along the sand.
- Bal Harbour / Surfside — Quiet north-end beaches, Bal Harbour Shops and Thomas Keller in a 1930s beach club.
- Wynwood / Design District — Murals at Wynwood Walls, Panther Coffee, KYU, then designer shops and ICA a few blocks north.
- Brickell — Glass towers, Brickell City Centre, Brickell Key at sunset and dinner at Komodo.
- Little Havana — Dominoes at Máximo Gómez Park, live music at Ball & Chain, a ventanita cafecito at Versailles.
- Coconut Grove — Banyan-shaded streets, Vizcaya’s gardens and dinner by the bay at Glass & Vine.
- Coral Gables — The Biltmore’s tower, a swim at the Venetian Pool, books and tapas off Miracle Mile.
- Key Biscayne — An island of beaches across the Rickenbacker, with the 1825 Cape Florida Lighthouse at the tip.