How do I get from the airport to Miami?

Miami International Airport (MIA) sits about 8 miles west of downtown, and the rideshare pickup has a quirk that catches people off guard. Uber and Lyft do not pick up from the arrivals level. You need to go up one floor to the 2nd-floor departures level and request your ride from there. Look for the purple "Ride App" signs near doors 2 and 22. A ride to Brickell or downtown runs $15-22 and takes about 15 minutes outside of rush hour. Miami Beach is farther east across Biscayne Bay, typically $20-35 for the 25-35 minute drive along the MacArthur Causeway. Between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays, add 15-20 minutes to anything involving I-95 or the 836 expressway. The humidity hits you the moment you step outside the terminal. At 81% humidity and a feels-like temperature near 30°C, the thick warm air wraps around you even after dark.

If you're headed to downtown with one carry-on, Metrorail is the $2.25 answer. Follow signs inside MIA to the MIA Mover, a free automated train that connects the terminal to the Miami Intermodal Center about 3 minutes away. From there, board the Orange Line southbound toward Dadeland. Government Center station is 3 stops and roughly 15 minutes from the Intermodal Center. You can buy an EASY Card from machines at the station. Trains run every 15 minutes during peak hours, every 30 minutes after 8pm, and service ends around midnight. Mind you, there is no Metrorail line to Miami Beach. If South Beach is your destination, this train won't get you there.

Taxis from MIA operate on regulated flat rates posted at the taxi stand on the ground-floor arrivals level. The fare to downtown Miami or Brickell is $22. To Miami Beach, $35. To Coral Gables or Coconut Grove, $22. Drivers cannot legally charge above these amounts. That said, you might encounter a driver who runs the meter instead, which tends to cost more on the Miami Beach route. If the meter clicks on, mention the flat-rate ordinance. For Miami Beach on a budget, Bus 150 (the Miami Beach Airport Express) runs directly to Collins Avenue and Lincoln Road for $2.25. The ride takes 40-50 minutes and runs roughly every 30 minutes until 11pm. The bus is air-conditioned, which matters when you step onto the curb at 29°C and your shirt starts sticking to your back within 30 seconds.

One thing that surprises first-timers. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) sits 30 miles north of Miami, and budget carriers like Spirit and Frontier route heavily through it. If your hotel is in South Beach and you booked a cheap flight into FLL, expect a $55-75 rideshare and 45-60 minutes on I-95, where the drone of stop-and-go traffic and the glare off sunbaked concrete seem to stretch forever. The Tri-Rail commuter train connects FLL to MIA's Metrorail for about $5, but it requires a shuttle from FLL's terminal to the Tri-Rail station and the whole chain takes roughly 90 minutes door to door. From FLL, the rideshare is the right call. A Spirit fare that saved you $80 on the flight loses $60-75 on the ground transfer alone.