Greater Miami has lush, tropical beauty, electric urban energy and a world-class arts scene. But it’s the beaches – spanning more than 20 miles of Atlantic coastline – that consistently take center stage, topping every visitor’s to-do list. And rightfully so! With sandy strips stretching from Homestead to Sunny Isles Beach, the destination offers the perfect beach for every traveler, whether you’re in search of solitude at a secluded beach within a park or want to see and be seen on lively strips where people-watching is the main attraction. Warm turquoise waters, soft sand and gentle breezes swiftly seduce visitors, who come to the happy realization that when you’re in Miami, every day can be Beach Day.
Perhaps most synonymous with Miami is South Beach, which sits at the southern tip of the barrier island of Miami Beach and has been immortalized in film and on television. Stretching just over two miles north from South Pointe Park, it’s a broad swath of white sands punctuated by colorful lifeguard stands and bordered by Ocean Drive’s iconic cityscape of Art Deco architecture, sidewalk restaurants and boutique hotels. Yet South Beach is just the beginning of the destination’s beach bounty. Farther north, the quieter strands of the Mid-Beach and North Beach neighborhoods have a distinctly low-key vibe, with plenty of space to spread your towel on sands bordered by seagrape-covered dunes.
Heading further north, you’ll find the pristine mile-long Surfside beach and swanky Bal Harbour. Opportunities to swim and sunbathe continue at Haulover Beach, Florida’s oldest officially recognized nude beach, where nothing need come between you and the sun. Sunny Isles Beach, Miami’s furthest beach to the north is famous for its Newport Fishing Pier.
Just minutes from Downtown Miami, Key Biscayne’s Crandon Park, Bill Baggs Cape Florida Beach Park and Historic Virginia Key Beach Park have calm shallow waters and are popular with families. Matheson Hammock Park Beach in Coral Gables is a favorite for parents with young children because its man-made atoll pool is safe for swimmers of all ages.
If you’re traveling with a four-legged friend, you have several options as Miami’s dog beaches – including South Beach’s South Pointe Park and breezy Hobie Island Beach Park along the Rickenbacker Causeway connecting mainland Miami to Key Biscayne – welcome surf-seeking pups, both on leash and off.