How do I get around Miami?

Uber and Lyft are your default here. Miami-Dade County stretches over 6,000 square kilometers, and the transit system covers a fraction of it. A ride from South Beach to Wynwood runs about $12-18 and takes 15 minutes without traffic, 35 with it. From Brickell to Coconut Grove, expect $8-12. Surge pricing hits hard on Friday and Saturday nights along Ocean Drive and in the Design District, sometimes 2-3x the base fare after midnight. Download both apps before you land at MIA. The taxi alternative is metered at $2.50 flagfall plus $2.70 per mile, but finding a cab outside the airport or a major hotel is unreliable. You will feel the humid air hit your face the moment you step outside to the ride pickup zone on the 2nd floor of the parking garage.

Miami does have a metro. Worth understanding its limits before you rely on it. The Metrorail runs 2 lines, Green and Orange, on 25 miles of elevated track. Both pass through Brickell and downtown, then split north. The Orange Line reaches MIA airport in about 15 minutes from Government Center station. A single ride costs $2.25 on an EASY Card, available from machines at any station for a $2 deposit. The Metromover is separate and free. It loops through downtown, Brickell, and Omni on elevated tracks, and it is the best way to move between Bayfront Park and the Pérez Art Museum Miami without walking in 32°C heat and 80% humidity. That said, the Metrorail's reach is thin for visitors. It misses South Beach entirely, skips Wynwood, and does not go to Coral Gables or Key Biscayne.

The free trolleys tend to be overlooked by first-timers, which is a shame. Miami Beach runs the South Beach Local every 15-20 minutes from South Pointe Drive to 44th Street along Washington Avenue. The Brickell trolley loops from Brickell City Centre through the financial district every 10 minutes during weekday rush. Wynwood, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, and Little Havana each have their own trolley routes, all fare-free. The catch is frequency. Outside rush hour, waits can stretch to 30 minutes. Air conditioning varies from trolley to trolley. Some feel like a cool 22°C relief from the sidewalk heat. Others feel like the AC gave up 3 stops ago.

Walking in Miami is comfortable in exactly two places. South Beach between 5th and 15th Streets on Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive has flat sidewalks, shade from royal palms, and everything within a 10-minute walk. Brickell along the riverwalk between Brickell City Centre and Bayfront Park is similarly manageable, about 1.5 kilometers of waterfront path with the salt-tinged breeze off Biscayne Bay. Everywhere else, the sidewalks are patchy, crossings are designed for cars, and the heat between May and October makes anything beyond 10 minutes outdoors seriously unpleasant. The single biggest mistake first-timers make is assuming Miami Beach and Miami are the same place. They are separated by Biscayne Bay and connected by causeways. South Beach to Little Havana's Calle Ocho is a 20-minute Uber, not a walk. Plan your days by neighborhood cluster. Brickell plus downtown plus Wynwood is one day. South Beach is its own day. Coral Gables and Coconut Grove pair together on a third.