Short time in Miami

[travelin_nat]

Help! We are pulling in to Miami Monday morning and need to be in FLL by about 3pm for a flight. I'm looking for some general direction on what we shouldn't miss, or what we should avoid given time constraints. We'll take a shuttle to MIA to pick up the car. We plan to have lunch with a former classmate somewhere in the Miami area (location is up to us based on where we want to go). Looking on Trip Advisors, there are so many options. A couple people have already cautioned me about traffic. So....given those time "constraints," any advice? Not interested in museums - more interested in general sightseeing and good food (seafood or food we can't get in TX - meaning no chains). Intrigued by South Beach, but is that where traffic is bad??

 

TIA

[JohninDC]

You don't have that much time. For a 3:00 flight you need to be at FLL for check-in/TSA NLT 1:30 and 1:00 would be better.

 

Instead of going to MIA to rent a car I would shuttle straight to FLL, check your bags (or pay to store them if they will not check them that early), and then head to Las Olas for shopping & dining -meet your friends there for lunch.

[travelin_nat]

You don't have that much time. For a 3:00 flight you need to be at FLL for check-in/TSA NLT 1:30 and 1:00 would be better.

 

Instead of going to MIA to rent a car I would shuttle straight to FLL, check your bags (or pay to store them if they will not check them that early), and then head to Las Olas for shopping & dining -meet your friends there for lunch.

 

Flight is at 5 - was planning to get to the airport at 3. I really want to see some of Miami before we head to FLL....

[BlueHerons]

Flight is at 5 - was planning to get to the airport at 3. I really want to see some of Miami before we head to FLL....

 

You don't have time to see any of Miami.

 

You don't really have time for a shuttle to the rental car place.

 

Take a cab to South Beach and meet your friends for brunch/lunch.

 

Afterwards Uber to FLL. It will take you an hour to get from South Beach to FLL.

 

We don't measure distances in miles but in minutes. In South Florida it can easily take you 40 minutes to go five miles.

 

A rental car will eat up your time and you have to pay to park everywhere here.

 

Other nice areas to have lunch; Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Wynwood.

[Mrsinsyder]

Copied from my other post in the RCL forum

 

Lifelong MIA resident here...

 

Skip south beach. Head to Wynwood (Design District), the new trendy art district. If you stay in that area, there is tons of food. I recommend Henriqueta's for amazing, cheap, authentic Cuban food.

 

If you want to venture further, go to Coconut Grove or hit up Versailles on 8th street for more Cuban food. Versailles is where all the news stations are lately covering the death of Fidel Castro; it's a Cuban institution. Coconut Grove has shopping and is close to the water, so you can walk down to the marina area.

 

You could also go out to Key Biscayne; it's mostly just beaches and the Seaquarium, but it's a pretty area.

 

Visiting Wynwood would give you the best straight line from MIA to FLL - just take 836 over to 95, swing by Wynwood, and then take 95 up to FLL

[travelin_nat]

Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated!

[Flymia]

Do you arrive on a weekend or weekday? Makes a big difference with traffic. I assume the issue of not renting a car is what to do with your luggage? Renting a car will sure eat up a lot of time, especially given Port Miami is already right in the middle of the city.

 

As for where to go, that all depends on what you really want to see. There are three specific areas that I would focus on as the best choices.

 

Miami Beach/South Beach: If you want to see the Miami from the movies you go here, walk down Ocean Drive and see the famous Art Deco buildings, but don't eat on Ocean Drive. Go somewhere like Yard Bird, Barceloneta, or even though a local chain, Havana 1957 is pretty good for Cuban food. Take a stroll down Lincoln Road.

 

Then there is little Havana. Get Cuban food here, walk around a little bit on SW-8th Street.

 

Then there is the Wynwood area. Lots of choices for places to eat, and its a trendy art area.

 

You could probably eat in Little Havana and make a drive to either of these places for a quick walk around too.

 

As for traffic. If you want to be at FLL by 3pm, make sure to leave by 2pm. Traffic mid-day is typically not terrible, its the morning and evening traffic that gets really bad.

[travelin_nat]

Do you arrive on a weekend or weekday? Makes a big difference with traffic. I assume the issue of not renting a car is what to do with your luggage? Renting a car will sure eat up a lot of time, especially given Port Miami is already right in the middle of the city.

 

 

 

As for where to go, that all depends on what you really want to see. There are three specific areas that I would focus on as the best choices.

 

 

 

Miami Beach/South Beach: If you want to see the Miami from the movies you go here, walk down Ocean Drive and see the famous Art Deco buildings, but don't eat on Ocean Drive. Go somewhere like Yard Bird, Barceloneta, or even though a local chain, Havana 1957 is pretty good for Cuban food. Take a stroll down Lincoln Road.

 

 

 

Then there is little Havana. Get Cuban food here, walk around a little bit on SW-8th Street.

 

 

 

Then there is the Wynwood area. Lots of choices for places to eat, and its a trendy art area.

 

 

 

You could probably eat in Little Havana and make a drive to either of these places for a quick walk around too.

 

 

 

As for traffic. If you want to be at FLL by 3pm, make sure to leave by 2pm. Traffic mid-day is typically not terrible, its the morning and evening traffic that gets really bad.

 

 

 

Thanks! Yes - we want a car to store our luggage and drive to FLL. DH and I really want to check out South Beach, just like some people just HAVE to see the Alamo when they come here. I changed our rental reservation to Collins Ave so we don't waste time getting to and from MIA. So we'll get off the ship ASAP and get right to the rental agency. Will check out some of the places you recommend and make sure we're on the road by 2. We arrive Monday.

[BlueHerons]

Thanks! Yes - we want a car to store our luggage and drive to FLL. DH and I really want to check out South Beach, just like some people just HAVE to see the Alamo when they come here. I changed our rental reservation to Collins Ave so we don't waste time getting to and from MIA. So we'll get off the ship ASAP and get right to the rental agency. Will check out some of the places you recommend and make sure we're on the road by 2. We arrive Monday.

 

You will spend a fortune in South Beach parking a rental car. Budget $20 for parking and if you are one second over the meter, you will get towed. It's a scam that the city will not stop.

 

Can you meet your friends in South Beach for lunch and then pick up the rental car?

 

You are going to have time for one area whether it be South Beach, Wynwood, Coral Gables, etc.

 

Traffic will not allow you to drive all over Miami after lunch then be at the airport by 3pm.

[travelin_nat]

You will spend a fortune in South Beach parking a rental car. Budget $20 for parking and if you are one second over the meter, you will get towed. It's a scam that the city will not stop.

 

 

 

Can you meet your friends in South Beach for lunch and then pick up the rental car?

 

 

 

You are going to have time for one area whether it be South Beach, Wynwood, Coral Gables, etc.

 

 

 

Traffic will not allow you to drive all over Miami after lunch then be at the airport by 3pm.

 

 

 

Thanks for the heads up.

[Flymia]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

Just park in a garage. Some of flat rates, other are by the hour. The city owned lots are $1.00 an hour. Car are towed from the private lots that treat parking as metered or tow-away zones/unauthorized parking. They won't tow any cars from the street parking, but street parking is more expensive than the city owned lots.

[capriccio]

Public parking locations in South Beach: http://web.miamibeachfl.gov/parking/scroll.aspx?id=30958.

 

Fee schedule for street and lot parking: http://web.miamibeachfl.gov/parking/scroll.aspx?id=30992. Click "For Garage Fees" at the bottom of that page for the price for parking at each public garage.

Edited December 2, 2016 by capriccio

[travelin_nat]

Thank you both!

[Lido_Deck]

You don't have time to see any of Miami.

 

You don't really have time for a shuttle to the rental car place.

 

Take a cab to South Beach and meet your friends for brunch/lunch.

 

Afterwards Uber to FLL. It will take you an hour to get from South Beach to FLL.

 

We don't measure distances in miles but in minutes. In South Florida it can easily take you 40 minutes to go five miles.

 

A rental car will eat up your time and you have to pay to park everywhere here.

 

Other nice areas to have lunch; Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Wynwood.

 

I second this notion.

[travelin_nat]

Well, we made it to National on Collins before they opened at 8 then parked at a big garage on 17th for $1/hour. Had a great walk along the Boardwalk/Ocean Drive. Lunch at the Big Pink then took the scenic route up A1A to FLL, here with plenty of time to spare. Thank you all for the great suggestions - I couldn't imagine being in Miami and not at least getting a glimpse of South Beach. Now it's time to count down to the next cruise. :)

[JohninDC]

Thanks for the feedback; hope your cruise was just as fun as your day in SB