Neighborhood 48H guide
Little Havana: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Dominoes at Máximo Gómez Park, live music at Ball & Chain, a ventanita cafecito at Versailles.
Little Havana is the heart of Cuban Miami, centered on Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) west of Brickell: Domino Park, the Tower Theater, cigar rollers, fruit stands, Ball & Chain’s live salsa, and, a little farther west, Versailles.
Photo gallery
Photo: Tamanoeconomico · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Eugene Kim · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Calle Ocho’s cafés, music and street life are on foot, and Brickell and Coral Gables are 10–15 minutes away.
Who it's for: Food-first travelers, music fans and anyone who wants a Miami weekend that feels local.
Pros
- Cuban food and coffee on every block
- Live music most nights
- Cheaper than the beach
Cons
- Few hotels; this is mostly a rental and small-inn area
- Busy, loud strip on weekend nights
- No beach
48H in Little Havana
Coffee, dominoes, fritas and salsa, all on Calle Ocho.
09:00 – Cafecito at Versailles
Order from the walk-up window, then breakfast inside.
11:00 – Domino Park
Watch the games at Máximo Gómez Park on Calle Ocho.
13:00 – Fritas at El Rey de las Fritas
Cuban burgers topped with shoestring fries.
15:00 – Azucar Ice Cream
Cuban flavors like the Abuela María.
21:00 – Ball & Chain
Live Latin music in a revived 1935 club.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Eat
Eat
Versailles
3555 SW 8th St
Miami’s most famous Cuban restaurant, with a busy ventanita coffee window.
Photo: Eugene Kim · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →Eat
Azucar Ice Cream Company
1503 SW 8th St
Cuban-inspired ice cream under the giant cone on Calle Ocho.
Official site / map →
Drink
Drink
Ball & Chain
1513 SW 8th St
Cuban bar with live music every day, in a club that dates to 1935.
Official site / map →
See / do
See / do
Máximo Gómez Park (Domino Park)
801 SW 15th Ave
Locals play dominoes under the pavilion all day.
Photo: Tamanoeconomico · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Jefferson Hotel
528 SW 9th Ave
Small courtyard hotel in a 1920s building a few blocks from Calle Ocho.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Little Havana.
Browse vacation rentals in Little Havana 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.
- Downtown / Bayfront — Bayfront Park, PAMM on the water and a free Metromover around the towers.
- Brickell — Glass towers, Brickell City Centre, Brickell Key at sunset and dinner at Komodo.
- 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.