Things to do in Miami, splurging
Three days of fine-dining dinners, design detours, and the best bars in the city.
This is Miami for people who book the restaurant before they book the flight. Days move from neighbourhood coffee and contemporary art through long lunches at acclaimed tables to late nights at bars worth staying up for. It suits anyone happy to spend properly in exchange for eating and drinking at the top of the city's game.
Day 1: Buena Vista, ICA, Wynwood
Start with a neighbourhood café and free contemporary art before lunch at Michael's Genuine, an afternoon in the mural district, Korean steak at Cote, and Dante's HiFi to close.
- 9:30 AM
Baker & Barista
Critic-approved neighbourhood café in Buena Vista, the right low-key start before a packed day.
Map - 11:00 AM
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
Free contemporary art in a black-clad Design District building, sized for an hour; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Map - 12:30 PM
Michael's Genuine
Design District lunch on the patio; wood-oven pizza, a crudo and the house salad, all from Florida farms.
Map - 2:30 PM
Wynwood Walls
Wynwood Walls curated street-art compound plus the surrounding free murals and galleries, a proper hour-plus wander.
Map - 7:30 PM
Cote Miami
Korean steakhouse in the Design District; order the butcher's feast and let them grill it at the table.
Map - 9:30 PM
Dante's HiFi
Dante's HiFi, Wynwood's best cocktail bar, top-rated and a natural nightcap after dinner up the street.
Map
Day 2: Vizcaya and Calle Ocho
Vizcaya's bayfront gardens in the morning, lunch at Versailles, Domino Park and the Cuban Memorial Boulevard, then dinner at Cafe La Trova and salsa at Ball & Chain.
- 9:30 AM
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
James Deering's 1916 bayfront villa and formal gardens; walk out to the stone barge. Closed Tuesdays.
Map - 12:30 PM
Versailles Restaurant Cuban Cuisine
Calle Ocho's Cuban dining room since 1971; order vaca frita and maduros, then a cafecito at the window.
Map - 2:00 PM
Máximo Gómez Park (Domino Park)
Regulars play dominoes under the pergola; the back wall mural shows the 1994 Summit of the Americas.
Map - 2:30 PM
Cuban Memorial Boulevard Park
Two blocks of monuments on SW 13th Avenue, including the eternal flame for the Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506.
Map - 7:00 PM
Cafe La Trova
Julio Cabrera's cantinero bar with Michelle Bernstein's Cuban kitchen; a hand-shaken daiquiri and live trova.
Map - 9:30 PM
Ball & Chain
Calle Ocho's 1935 bar, revived; live salsa by the pineapple stage, 21 and over after 8.
Map
Day 3: Miami Beach: deco, pasta, and a nightcap
Walk Lincoln Road, take the self-guided Art Deco tour along Ocean Drive, then sit down to Macchialina's housemade pasta before Stormy Monday wraps the trip.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:15 AM
Lincoln Road Mall
Morris Lapidus's pedestrian mall of shops and cafés; look for the 1960s follies and the Frank Gehry concert hall.
Map - 12:30 PM
Delano Beach Club
Lunch by the pool of the newly reopened Delano, a 1947 Collins Avenue landmark, steps from the sand.
Map - 2:30 PM
Miami Art Deco District and Ocean Drive
800+ Art Deco buildings on Ocean Drive and Collins, follow the Miami Design Preservation League's self-guided walk.
Map - 7:30 PM
Macchialina
$$$ destination dinner, acclaimed Italian with exceptional housemade pasta; the splurge table of the evening.
Map - 9:30 PM
Stormy Monday
Bar at the same Alton Road address as Macchialina, so the last drink is a few steps from dinner.
Map
Where to stay
Kimpton EPIC Hotel
Kimpton EPIC sits on the river with well-designed rooms and no resort stiffness: the right base for moving between Wynwood, South Miami, and the Beach.
Dua Miami, Autograph Collection
Dua Miami is sharp, calm, and priced for a trip where the real spend happens at the table: solid design without paying for a name you don't need.
Make Miami your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Shark Valley Visitor Center: a few days ahead
- Faena Theater: weeks ahead
- Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne: a few days ahead
- Blue Monster at Trump National Doral Miami: weeks ahead
- Biltmore Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Tigertail Airboat Tours: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Ocean Drive restaurants with photo menus and a special cocktail pitch; eat a block or three inland instead.
- Beach chair and umbrella setups on South Beach that can approach 100 dollars for two chairs and an umbrella.
- Bayside Marketplace as a destination rather than a boat departure point.
- Club nights at LIV or E11EVEN without doing the bottle service maths first.
The full Miami travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around