Miami
Travel Guide
Miami
Miami is a very sunny and colorful city. The city is also the most visited city in Florida and home to events, fine beaches, luxury yachts, restaurants, sports cars and luxury villas in abundance along the coast. Miami is also the second largest city in Florida after Jacksonville with its 500,000 inhabitants.
Sightseeing
THE MARINA
5th street offers a pedestrian and bicycle passage to the southernmost part of South Beach. Move along the beach and beach hotels down to the pier and around the headland to nice restaurants and yacht clubs. Perfect to visit in the afternoon for a nice sunset walk.
Sightseeing
SOUTH BEACH
It’s no secret that South Beach is the southern part of Miami Beach, after all it’s in the name. South Beach is home to nice beaches, a glamorous nightlife, luxury hotels and several restaurants and pubs. Crystal clear water, tropical weather and parties attract thousands of tourists to the area daily. Enjoy a good dinner, rent a bike and ride up the beach or just sunbathe and swim, the choice is yours.
Ocean Drive on South Beach is probably the most common destination for those visiting Miami, and rightfully so. There are plenty of nice people here and lots to do.
Sightseeing
LINCOLN RD
Between 16th and 17th street you will find wonderful Lincoln Road. A pedestrian passage full of shops and outdoor restaurants.
Do you live way down in South Beach? Rent a bike or take a walk along the beach and enjoy the nice weather. However, don’t forget to turn off between 16e and 17e gatan. You don’t want to miss this fine street during your visit to Miami.
Activity
EVERGLADES
The Everglades is a swampy area just outside of Miami. The Everglades is famous for all the alligators that live in its great swamp, which stretches from north to south. Take the opportunity to book a day trip to the Everglades and go on an airboat sightseeing in the swamp. Don’t be surprised by all the alligators in the ditch along the freeway on the way there!
Part 1
KEY WEST
The southernmost part of the United States and the beginning of the Caribbean. We recommend renting a bike and start exploring the island on your own. The island is quite small and is best experienced without a car. Talk to your hotel, most offer loan bikes free of charge.
Key West is about 3.5 hours from Miami by car, but falls under the Miami chapter due to its location. Most people who visit Miami also visit Key West for 1-2 days. South of Miami you will find the bridge over to Key Largo and the road on to your final destination. Along the way, you cross several small islands and wonderful bridges with many resting places for photo opportunities. Be sure to take some nice pictures!
The island’s largest and best beach is at Fort Zachary Taylor. A slightly rocky beach but with the possibility to cool off unlike the beach at Duval Street. A nice beach, surrounded by palm trees and tropical nature – but not much shade as far as the eye can see.
Part 2
MORE OF KEY WEST
We highly recommend a walk along Duval Street. A beautiful street full of small shops in a nice theme.
At the bottom of Duval Street by Mallory Square you will find the Sunset Pier restaurant. A very nice and cozy restaurant with a view of the sea at sunset. Highly recommended if you are nearby at sunset!
At the far end of Duval Street you will find Sloppy Joe’s Bar where the famous Ernest Hemingway was a regular. Take the opportunity to have a beer, enjoy good food and live music on stage. Hemingway’s house is now a museum on the island and can be visited. The house is home to around 40 treasure chests, all unique with 6 toes per paw.
On the southernmost part of the island you will find the “Southernmost Point of the Continental US”, a red-black monument that represents the southernmost punk in the USA. There are often large crowds around this monument for photography.
Shopping
DOLPHIN MALL
Dolphin Mall is a large shopping OUTLET just outside of downtown Miami. The drive takes about 30 minutes from South beach and is really worth the effort.
11401 NW 12th Street
Miami FL 33172
The outlet offers stores and brands such as: Victoria’s Secret, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Michael Kors, Adidas, Asics, BOSE, Boss, Billabong, Calvin Klein, Coach, Crocs, Foot Locker, Forever 21, GameStop, GAP, Guess, HM, Harley-Davidson, Hurley, Levi’s, Oakley, Quicksilver, Samsung, Swarovski, Tommy Hilfiger, Under Armor, Vans and more!
The shopping center is open 10:00 – 21:30 Monday – Saturday. Sundays 11:00 – 20:00.
Food
TEXAS DE BRAZIL
The Dolphin Mall outlet has a huge food court on the outside of the shopping centre. But there are some that stand out more than others. We at Flygi.se have tested and evaluated Texas de Brazil. A fantastic meat restaurant similar to Brasa in Gothenburg, but considerably larger.
All guests receive a tray with a green and red side. Red side means you wait, green means you want more meat. About ten employees walk around the restaurant with everything from sausages to meat skewers and cut up according to guests’ wishes with the green side up. In addition to all the meat, you can also take part in a 40-part salad and accessories bar. A perfect visit for the meat lover!
However, we would like to point out that the prices are slightly higher than the rest of the restaurants in the shopping centre.
Activity & relax
CRUICE
Miami is the cruise hub of the Caribbean along with Fort Lauderdale. Everything from luxury cruises to world-class party cruises departs from Miami. Some of the world’s largest cruise ships depart from the city and do not skimp on luxury. If you are spending more than two weeks in Miami, we recommend a quick 3-day Caribbean cruise. All-inclusive cruises can be found from $250 per person.
Sightseeing
BAYSIDE
You will find Bayside Marketplace in the heart of Downtown Miami. Bayside is a small shopping street along the marina and offers everything from shopping with over 150 stores such as Victoria’s Secret and Guess to outdoor dining and ice cream bars. Here you will find, among other things, the well-known restaurants Bubba Gump, Hard Rock Café and The Knife. You can find more information about the shopping street and its contents at www.baysidemarketplace.com
The boat trips out to Star Island depart from Bayside.
Adress: 401 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33132
Activity
STAR ISLAND
At Bayside you will find guided boat tours that will take you out far with the most luxurious villas in Miami. Some villas are worth SEK 200-600 million.
The tour takes about 90 minutes and the prices vary from company to company, but usually cost around USD 30 per person and USD 18-20 for children between 4 and 12 years old. Children under 4 travel for free. The companies that arrange these types of day trips also offer Everglades excursions and double-decker city tours.
The boat ride passes Biscayne Bay, Star Island, South Beach, Millionaire’s Row, Celebrity Homes, Flagler Monument, Fisher Island, Jungle Island, Financial District and the Miami Skyline.
Betting & sports
SPORTS EVENTS
The city is home to the NBA team Miami Heat and the NFL team Miami Dolphins. Both teams sell tickets for their home games. Take the opportunity to take part in a real sports experience!
The Miami HEAT’s home arena, the American Airlines Arena, can be found on the other side of the bridge from Miami Beach (south bridge) and holds 20,000 spectators.
Hard Rock Stadium is the home arena of the Miami Dolphins and holds almost 65,000 spectators. You will find the arena just above Miami Gardens, at the height of Golden Beach.
Weather & information
Miami is only 3.5 hours from Orlando and Kissimmee. Home to some of the country’s and the world’s largest amusement parks. Here you will find, among others, Universal – Volcano Bay Waterpark, Sea World, Disney World Resort and Universal Studios. You can find more information about these parks under the Orlando tab .
Much of the city’s local population has its origins in Cuba, where of all the pastel colored buildings around the city.
ESTA is something that is needed to enter the country. This is easily applied for online and a response is usually received within 24 hours. As a non-convict and a Swedish citizen, the application carries no risks – the Swedish passport is so strong that you are almost guaranteed an approved application.
The application is made through the following link: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/
The city’s airport is called Miami International Airport, but the city is also close to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (34km), Opa-Locka Airport (16km) and Kendall-Tamiami Airport (21km).
The official currency is USD, American Dollar.
We recommend an exchange before the trip at Forex or another currency exchanger to be able to pay for any transport from the airport, food and drinks on site and the first time on holiday. Avoid carrying around too much cash.
The US is a country built around cash trading, which is usually recommended. But the country is modern enough to take cards everywhere. However, avoid using your card in less shady shops.
Some shops only accept cash but usually have their own ATM in the shop in these cases.
Tipping is something that people expect in the US unfortunately. Their wages are low and the staff subsist on tips. Something that we may not be used to, but almost a must.
In contrast to, for example, Japan, tipping is very common in the United States. Unfortunately a little too common, we have to mention. In most states it is considered almost a requirement or must and almost a little rude not to tip. Almost all employees as service personnel live on their tips. As much as 20% is expected.
