Miami, Florida Hotels and City Guide

Miami - Getting There

Airport Guide

Flights

Miami International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, is served by over 100 airlines taking travelers to approximately 150 destinations around the globe. MIA has more than 33.6 million passengers and 500,000 take-offs and landings each year.

Miami International Airport ( MIA) is located just west of the city in an unincorporated suburban area. It is an important hub for traffic between North America and Latin America, and one of the largest airports in the world. As a result, Spanish is just as likely to be understood as English. The international traffic makes MIA a large and congested place. Be sure to allow extra time when departing MIA, particularly if flying internationally, as you may face an hour-long line just to check your bags. Curbside check-in is an excellent idea.

The predominant carrier at MIA is American Airlines, which has direct flights to most major cities in the Americas, and several European cities as well. European, Asian, Latin and Caribbean carriers are well-represented at MIA. The airport has no direct service to Africa or Oceania. The recent construction of two new terminals at MIA has helped with the airport's passenger capacities as well as the efficiency in going through customs and baggage claim.

Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) is 25-40 minutes north of Miami proper, depending on traffic, and does not have nearly as many international routes. It only offers a small variety. However, it is smaller and less trafficked than MIA, making customs, immigration and security a bit easier to go through. Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and other low-cost carriers generally use Miami's other airport, FLL, instead of MIA, making FLL a cheaper alternative in many cases as well.

Public transport is available to MIA and FLL. If arriving from FLL, there is a free shuttle to the Tri-Rail nearby train station. Tri-Rail trains connect West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

At MIA, public transportation includes a free shuttle to the nearby Tri-Rail station, as well as to Metrorail and  Metromover. Your best option is to take a taxi from the airport or rent a car, depending on what your stay involves (if you need to get around parts of Miami with no nearby Metrorail stations). MIA's car rental facilities are scattered around the airport and connected to the terminal by shuttle buses. FLL's facilities are more conveniently located in the parking garage adjacent to the terminals.

Construction of the new Miami Intermodal Center is currently underway at MIA; it is slated to become Miami's Grand Central station with hub connections of Amtrak, Metrorail, Tri-Rail, taxis, Metrobus, and all car-rental facilities. The MIC is expected to be completed around 2009/2010.

By Rail

Amtrak's Silver Service operates two trains daily to Miami from New York City, Washington, D.C. and other cities along the Eastern Seaboard. The ride from New York is about 24 hours but is often subject to delays, as Amtrak uses poorer-quality freight lines south of Washington and must cope with slow freight trains along the way.
There are frequent (at least 1 per hour) Tri-Rail trains every day to Miami from West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale.

By Road

There are three main highways coming into Miami. I-95 runs along the Atlantic coast of the United States and terminates in Miami. I-75 comes in from the midwestern United States and runs through Atlanta and Tampa before terminating in Miami. Florida's Turnpike is a toll road mainly useful for those driving in from Orlando. The only southbound route from Miami is US Highway 1, which runs through the Florida Keys all the way to Key West.

Hotels in Miami, Florida