By public transit

Miami's public transit system is the most diverse and extensive of any locality in Florida. If travel time is not a priority, it is possible to travel to all commercial areas and major attractions within Miami without a car. 

Miami's bus system covers the entire county and connects to bus lines serving Broward County and the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. Despite recent improvements, sometimes buses still have a hard time remaining on the schedule. Most routes run about once every 20 minutes, while the most popular routes may run every 5-10 minutes, sometimes with service all night long. One useful route is the S, which connects downtown Miami to all of Miami Beach, terminating at Aventura Mall in north Miami-Dade.

The Metrorail is an elevated rail system serving Miami and surrounding cities, running 22.4 mi with 23 stations on two lines (green and orange). It connects many areas of tourist interest, including downtown Miami, Miami International Airport (Orange line only), Dadeland Mall, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Museum of Science, Village at Merrick Park and many other nearby shopping areas.

Coconut Grove and downtown Coral Gables can be reached via short shuttle bus from various stations. The two Metrorail lines share common tracks through the core, before splitting near the airport. Metrorail operates between roughly 5 AM and midnight, with a bus serving all Metrorail stations operating in the overnight hours, effectively providing 24-hour service.

Downtown Miami

Tri-Rail is a commuter rail system linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. There are a total of 18 stations in and between those cities. Tri-Rail offers frequent trains (at least one per hour) on weekdays and less frequent trains on weekends.

By taxi

Taxis are generally expensive. Almost all local cab companies have fixed rates for travel to Miami Beach and other beach and nightclub communities popular with tourists. For example, South Beach may be the most expensive, while a residential neighborhood in Miami Beach may be the cheapest. The charge is the same regardless of pick-up location on the mainland. All taxis are fitted with maps of the barrier islands which state the cost per location. The same applies to passengers leaving the islands onto the mainland, though normal rates apply for travel within the islands or within the mainland.

Service is available throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe counties regardless of pick-up location. The normal service charges apply for these four counties, but it is wise to ask for a pre-determined price beforehand if leaving the county, as this will usually be cheaper and most drivers are willing to negotiate when leaving the county. If you wish to be taken to a location outside of those four counties, you must negotiate a price and advise the cab company first. Drivers may refuse to drive outside of the metropolitan area if they are not advised to do so beforehand.

Usually, you will have to call a cab company and request a pick-up. For safety and legal reasons, taxis operated by the major companies are not normally allowed to pick up passengers at random locations except at MIA, the Port of Miami, and train stations. Some individual taxi drivers will not follow this rule, however, so you can try hailing a taxi in the street. A significant and notable exception to this rule is the South Beach section of Miami Beach. For all intents and purposes, taxis can be flagged from the street on the island like one would in New York City. This trend has begun spreading into downtown Miami due to the increased redevelopment and foot traffic downtown, but should not be relied upon if you have a schedule to keep.

All taxi drivers must have a valid license to operate. It is uncommon to hear of crimes involving unlicensed taxis anywhere in the metropolitan area since Dade County keeps track of all taxi activity in and around Miami and cooperates with other counties in getting this information. If you enter a cab and do not see a valid license placed in front of the passenger's seat, you should not enter the taxi and instead call another cab company regardless of what the driver says. If you willingly enter a taxi without a license or with an expired license and there is an incident or accident, it is possible that you may not be able to hold the driver accountable by law. When entering a cab you should make note of the driver's name, license number, and cab number if any problems arise during the trip. This information should be easily found inside the taxi. It may be able to help you identify the cab driver to the police or the cab company.

By car

Unless you plan to stay downtown or in a single location elsewhere, you will find that a car is very convenient in Miami, and car rentals are cheap in comparison to other major US cities.

Surface roads in Miami are usually easy to navigate. The area's roads are designed around a grid system, where most roads are numbered based on their distance from the city center. The two main axis roads are Miami Avenue (running north to south) and Flagler Street (running east to west). These two roads intersect in downtown Miami, the county's symbolic center. All avenues run north to south, while all streets run east to west. For example, the address, "9500 NW 30th Street" would be at the intersection of NW 30th Street (to the west of Miami Avenue, and 30 blocks north of Flagler Street) and NW 95th Avenue (north of Flagler Street, and 95 blocks west of Miami Avenue). Most roads in Miami conform to this nomenclature, but due to the more than 30 municipalities within Miami-Dade County, there are a few exceptions to be aware of. Examples include Coral Gables, the Coconut Grove section of Miami (city proper), Miami Lakes, and Hialeah. Hialeah is particularly notorious since it uses its own grid system, in addition to the overall county system. For example, NW 103rd Street is also marked as E 49th Street, or W 49th Street in Hialeah.

Note that if you cross into Broward County, the roads will be numbered based on their distance from the Fort Lauderdale city center, which is generally the same going east-west but will be very different going north-south. Most of the municipalities in Broward County use their own limited grid systems as well. Some street names also change at the county line. The coastline highway, A1A, is known as "Collins Avenue" in Miami but becomes "Ocean Drive" in Broward. Likewise, "Red Road" in Miami becomes "Flamingo Road" in Broward.

Miami has four primary expressways. In addition to I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike, there is state highway 836 (also known as the Dolphin Expressway) and state highway 826 (also known as the Palmetto Expressway). The Dolphin Expressway runs west from downtown Miami along the edge of Miami International Airport. The Palmetto Expressway and Florida's Turnpike form "F"-shaped loops around the city. The Turnpike continues north, roughly parallel to I-95, and will take you to Orlando if you keep driving. I-95, the Palmetto, and the Turnpike intersect at a junction in North Miami called the Golden Glades. You may find driving in the Glades challenging, especially if you have little experience driving in it.

New visitors to Miami should be aware that the area's drivers are particularly aggressive. AutoVantage.com's Road Rage Survey has rated Miami drivers the rudest in the country for the third year in a row. This shouldn't discourage anyone from using the roadways, but a passive approach to Miami driving can save you from an unwanted exchange with another driver, or even worse an accident. Posted speed limits are ignored by most drivers, especially on larger roads with lower speed limits. Two examples are I-95 and state road 826 (The Palmetto Expressway). The eastern portion of state road 836 (The Dolphin Expressway) between Miami International Airport and downtown Miami handles traffic that exceeds its capacity and contains several left-hand exits, including the eastbound off-ramp to Lejuene Road (NW 42nd Avenue), which is the posted route, and the quickest route to Miami International Airport.

By Shuttle

Miami Super Shuttle. +1 305 871-8210 or email sales@miamisupershuttle.com. There is a shuttle that will take you where ever you need to go from MIA airport. Approach any of the blue vans located on the outer island. They also have guest services representatives in the airport wearing a blue Super Shuttle shirt.