How do I get to Miami?

Miami International (MIA) sits 13 km west of downtown, connected by the free MIA Mover people-mover to the Metrorail Orange Line. That Metrorail ride drops you at Government Center station in about 22 minutes for $2.25. MIA is American Airlines' largest hub, with nonstop connections from Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, and Philadelphia running 15-20 times daily on some routes. The terminal smells like Cuban coffee from the ventanita-style counters near the gates, where cortaditos sell for $2-3 and the line is 10 deep at 7 AM. Concourse D runs loud and warm with American Airlines traffic. Follow signs to 'MIA Mover' on the 3rd level, not the taxi queue on the 1st level, unless you want a $25-35 cab ride to South Beach that takes 20-30 minutes. Rideshares from MIA to South Beach run $18-28 and pick up from the 2nd level departures curb, which tends to be faster than the designated rideshare zone during peak hours.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL), 45 km north of Miami's center, is the budget alternative. Spirit Airlines is headquartered here. JetBlue, Norse Atlantic on seasonal transatlantic routes, and several Latin American carriers fly from FLL at fares that tend to run $80-150 cheaper than MIA on the same routes. The drive from FLL to Miami Beach takes 45-70 minutes on I-95, and that balloons to 90+ minutes on Friday afternoons when half of Broward County seems to head south. The Brightline high-speed train connects Fort Lauderdale to MiamiCentral station in downtown Miami in about 35 minutes for $15-30. If your hotel is in Brickell or downtown, FLL plus Brightline might save you $120 on airfare and still deliver a reasonable door-to-door time. If you're headed to South Beach, MIA still wins on total travel time.

From New York's JFK or Newark, nonstop flights take about 3 hours, with round-trips running $150-350 on American, JetBlue, Delta, and Spirit. From Chicago O'Hare, figure 3.5 hours and $200-400. From Los Angeles, 5.5 hours at $250-500 round-trip on American and United. London Heathrow to MIA is about 10 hours nonstop on British Airways, American, and Virgin Atlantic for $600-1,200 round-trip. From Latin America, the connections run deep. Bogotá on Avianca is 3.5 hours. São Paulo on LATAM is 8 hours. Mexico City on Aeroméxico or American runs 3 hours. Peak season is December through April, when snowbirds and spring breakers push fares 40-60% above summer rates. The cheapest window tends to be late August through early October, when the heat sits at 33°C with 85% humidity and afternoon thunderstorms roll through daily. That particular Florida summer rain, thick and warm, carrying the smell of hot asphalt and salt, keeps the crowds thin.

Miami also connects by Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star from New York Penn Station, a 27-30 hour ride running $100-250 one-way depending on sleeper or coach class. Long ride, but the stretch through northern Florida at dawn, with mist lifting off the St. Johns River, has its appeal. By car, I-95 runs directly into downtown from the north. Atlanta is about 10 hours and 1,050 km. Orlando is 4 hours on Florida's Turnpike. Miami's highway system can be disorienting for newcomers. I-95, I-195, and the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) converge in ways that send first-timers toward Hialeah when they wanted Wynwood. Program your GPS before the I-95/SR 836 interchange. PortMiami on Dodge Island handles around 7 million cruise passengers a year, so a fair number of visitors arrive by sea. The port sits 10 minutes from Brickell by car.