Miami Travel Information
Miami is also referred to as the Magic City. It is the second largest city situated in the southern part of Florida with a population of 404,470. It is 106 miles away from Naples and 20 miles from Fort Lauderdale. It provides a link to Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean. Due to these western hemisphere links, the city is often known as the Gateway to the Americas. One of the largest and most important sea ports in the U.S. is located in Miami.
Sunny days, cool oceans, dazzling nightlife and relaxing Latin America aroma makes Miami a top holiday destination for travelers. Winter is the ideal season to travel here.
Travel Modes to Get In Miami:
By plane: Miami International Airport is situated in the western part of the city. MIA is large in size, but is mostly congested due to international travelers. The main carrier at MIA is American Airlines with direct flights to all major cities in America and several European cities. MIA also has a well-representation of European, Caribbean and Latin carriers. Direct flights to Asia are not available from this airport. MIA also provides restaurants from local to national chains. Retail stores, magazine stands and bookstalls are easily accessible at MIA. Along with that, wireless internet is available at a reasonable rate.
Fort Lauderdale International Airport is situated north of MIA. FLL does not have many international routes and is therefore less congested than MIA, leading to easier custom, security and immigration processing. Southwest airlines and some of the inexpensive carriers, often use FLL as a cheaper substitute.
By Train: Amtrak Silver Service provides two trains on daily basis from New York, Washington and most cities on the Eastern Seaboard to Miami. Amtrak uses low-quality freight lines and therefore, provides slow freight services throughout.
By Car: Miami welcomes you with three main highways. I-95 runs beside the Atlantic Coast and ends up in Miami. I-75 starts from the Midwestern U.S. and runs along Atlanta and Tampa before putting a halt at Miami. People driving from Orlando can also travel through Florida’s Turnpike, which is a toll road. The U.S. Highway 1 is southbound from Miami and runs from Florida to Key West.
Ways to Travel around Miami:
By Car: Cars are the most suitable transportation option in and around Miami. Car rental rates in Miami are generally cheaper than the rest of the U.S. Visit this page to compare Miami car rental rates.
By Train: Metro rail currently serves only downtown Miami and the locations around Dadland Mall. Shuttle bus services from the stations help tourists to reach Coconut Grove and downtown Coral Gables. Metro rail runs between midnight to 5 AM. The shuttle buses running from all Metro rail stations are 24/7.
The Metromover provides links to metro rail points at two stations. This is the most efficient and cost free way to travel around downtown Miami. Plans are currently in the works to upgrade the Metro rail system with a connection to MIA and is expected to be in operation by 2010. Further extensions to the north will be completed by 2012. A rail channel to the Miami Beach is also under construction.
By Taxi: Taxis are costly with an initial charge of $ 2.50 and $0.40 for every additional six miles of travel. Taxi charges vary from 30 to 60 dollars for a trip to the barricade islands of Miami Beach and popular nightclubs.
The best thing to do is to call a taxi company and ask for a pickup. For legal reasons, taxi fleets run by major companies do not have the ability to pick-up travelers from unsystematic locations.
Popular Tourists Locations:
Miami Beaches: A great review of white sandy beaches here.
Ancient Spanish Monastery: This monastery originally belonged to William Randolph Hearst. Due to a lack of money and permits to build in California, Hearst left the monastery at the New York Harbor. Years later, a group of Florida based businessmen bought and assembled the monastery in Miami. The monastery is a popular spot for wedding ceremonies.
Holocaust Memorial: Holocaust survivors and sculptor Kenneth Treister helped to create the memorial in 1984 and was unveiled to the public in 1990. The most significant feature of the memorial is the huge arm with Holocaust sufferers trying to scramble upwards and its pool filled with victims. The monument of a mother with her children freezing to death bounded by Anne Frank quotes is another remarkable feature. The Garden of Meditation, ‘A Commitment to Life’ and ‘The Narration of the Holocaust in Granite’ is located behind the large arm.
Jewish Museum: This is the first Jewish museum situated in Miami. Admissions is free on Saturdays.
Bass Art Museum: Japanese curator Arata Isozaki expanded the Art Museum with European pieces dating from fifteenth to twentieth Century.
Venetian Pool: Denman Dink changed this limestone excavation into a pool with a spectacular waterfall. The pool is well-known for scenes shot with Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller (the first Tarzan).
Other Points of Interest: Be sure to check out the following attractions in Miami.
Art Deco District
Villa Vizcaya
The Everglades