Miami Beach is one of the most famous urban beach resorts in the United States. The American dream of success and prosperity is proudly on display on this “Billion Dollar Sandbar.” It stretches for 35 miles (56 kilometers) along the oceanfront. With hundreds of nightclubs, hotels, restaurants and boutiques, Miami Beach is considered the place to be seen in the Miami-Dade area.
Miami Beach is separated from the mainland by Biscayne Bay. It stretches north from South Pointe Park Beach to John U. Lloyd Beach Park. Miami Beach was first connected to Miami by a long wooden bridge in 1913. This became the catalyst for the incorporation of Miami Beach as a man-made paradise. Simple changing huts made way for big hotels, such as Brown’s Hotel, which is still standing on Ocean Drive today. It’s now surrounded by luxury resorts, modern condos, high-end restaurants and shops. The glamorous boulevard along the Atlantic Ocean owes part of its fame to the 1980s TV series Miami Vice.
Head to Miami Beach to enjoy pristine sands and people-watching. Open-air art exhibits, music festivals and dance performances take place here throughout the year. It's the venue for Art Basel, one of the world's premier modern and contemporary art shows, with other venues in Europe and Hong Kong.
A short four-minute drive south is South Beach, also known as SoBe. This is the place for water sports and people-watching. It’s where surfers play it cool, sunbathers top up their tans and Hollywood stars come to party. The area is also very cultural and home to one of the largest collections of art deco architecture in the world.
To get to Miami Beach by car, take one of the causeways north of downtown Miami that link Miami Beach to the mainland. By public transport, take the hop-on hop-off bus, or grab a taxi to get around in North Miami Beach. South Beach has a local bus service and exploring the area by foot is easy.
