If you arrive at Miami Airport and are heading
for the beaches, but are not renting a car
(please always pre-book car rental in the UK or
Europe as it is cheaper than renting in locally),
your best bet is to take a taxi which costs about
$25. There is also minibus service, called the
Super Shuttle, which will take you to any
destination in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas at a slightly lower
price. However, it is very likely that it'll make
several stops before it reaches your destination.
As the price is only a few dollars cheaper than a
taxi, it is probably not worth it unless you are
heading to North Miami Beach or
Hallandale/Hollywood Beach to where a taxi would
cost a lot more. As we have stayed in Hollywood Beach
in recent years and have not always rented a car,
we have found the Tri-Rail service extremely useful. There are
15/16 trains a day from the airport (peak time:
every hour; off-peak: every two hours) which will
take you up to Palm Beach. Such a journey is only
a few dollars and is safe. As the Miami Airport
Tri-Rail station is about half a mile from the
airport, go to the bus station which is outside
the terminals and in the centre of the airport
area. There is free shuttle bus which takes
passengers to the Tri-Rail station about 25
minutes before the train departs.
The mainstay of
Miami public transport are buses. The
Metrobus bus network
is large and it may take some time getting used
to it. A one-way bus fare to any destination (no
matter how long the journey) is only $1.25. If
you have to change for another bus, ask for a
transfer when buying your ticket on the first bus
which costs an additional 25¢. In the city of
Miami, there is also a train service called the
Metrorail as well as the spectacularly hi-tech
Metromover. Somehow the tourists use neither,
which is a great pity, as from the Metromover you
have a fantastic view of the whole of downtown
Miami and Biscayne Bay (it is an elevated
monorail in a four and a half mile loop and is
similar to the ones you find at Walt Disney
World). It is free - what an absolute bargain!
Don't miss the Metromover, even if you have a
car! Park your car at the parking at Bayside and
board this wonder. The Metrorail is a 21-mile
long elevated train system which connects North
and South Miami, with stations at one mile
intervals. It costs $1.25. Transfers to the
Metromover are free.
In Broward, you
have a very extensive
bus service. It is worth
getting a weekly bus pass for unlimited travel,
which only costs $9. Weekly passes, as well as
maps and info for this service, are available at
the main bus terminal in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.
Miami International Airport is the second busiest in
the US and has very good connections to Miami and
Miami Beach by shuttle and bus. It is also
located very near the major car rental offices
and thus many visitors simply take a rental car
minibus when leaving the airport.
Fort Lauderdale Hollywood
International Airport Smaller
airport, about 30 miles away from Miami.
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