Miami beaches: which one to pick, and when to go
Ten Miami beaches sorted by the day you want: calm water for kids, a quiet swim, a sunset, a dog on the sand. Hours, parking prices and the catch at each one.
In breve
- First visit: Lummus Park on Ocean Drive, the South Beach strip, best before 10 am.
- Kids and calm water: Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, parking $7 Monday to Thursday, $10 Friday to Sunday.
- Nature and a lighthouse: Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, 8 am to sundown, per-car park fee.
- Sunset on the water: South Pointe Park, open 5 am to 10 pm, cruise ships pass around 4 or 5 pm.
- Toddlers, no waves: the atoll pool at Matheson Hammock in Coral Gables.
For a first trip, do South Beach in the morning and South Pointe at sunset; for a real beach day with kids, cross the Rickenbacker Causeway to Crandon or Bill Baggs and get there before 10 am, because the lots and the shade go first.
Pick the water before the beach
Miami has two kinds of beach water: the Atlantic side, from South Beach up to Haulover and down on Key Biscayne, is clear and has some surf, while the bay side at Hobie Beach and Matheson Hammock is flat, shallow and murkier, with the skyline across it. The ocean beaches face east, so the sun sets behind the hotels and the sand goes into shade by late afternoon. For a sunset over the water, go to the bay: South Pointe, Hobie Beach or No Name Harbor at Bill Baggs. Decide which water you want, then pick the beach.
A seconda del piano
| First trip, you want the postcard | Lummus Park and the South Beach strip on Ocean Drive |
| Small kids, calm and shallow | Crandon Park, where a sandbar keeps the water flat far out |
| A toddler who should not meet a wave | the atoll pool at Matheson Hammock; lifeguards on weekends only |
| A quiet swim without crowds | Surfside Beach or Bal Harbour Beach, north of Miami Beach |
| Sunset | South Pointe Park, Hobie Beach, or No Name Harbor at Bill Baggs |
| Bringing the dog | Haulover between towers 2 and 3, or Bark Beach at North Beach Oceanside Park |
| No sea at all | Venetian Pool, the 1923 spring-fed pool in Coral Gables, closed Mondays |
Lummus Park
This is the South Beach everyone pictures: wide public sand behind Ocean Drive, painted lifeguard towers, the Art Deco hotels across the road. Lummus Park is the green strip between the street and the dunes, with a playground for young kids and outdoor fitness equipment. Google lists it as open 24 hours, with close to twenty-five thousand reviews, the most of any beach here.
Come before 10 am. By late morning on weekends and in winter it is crowded, and March, spring break, is the loudest month of the year. Swim near a staffed tower, rent a chair on the sand, and leave the car at the hotel: metered parking around Ocean Drive is expensive and full on weekends.
South Pointe Park
The south tip of Miami Beach, where the ocean meets Government Cut, the channel the cruise ships use. There is a fishing pier, wide lawns and a path along the water. It is the one South Beach park that works at both ends of the day: sunrise from the pier, and in the evening the sun goes down over the bay and the skyline.
Google lists 5 am to 10 pm every day. The cruise ships usually leave around 4 or 5 pm and pass close by, so a late picnic covers the ships and the sunset. The current near the inlet can be strong; if you swim, do it near a lifeguard tower on the beach just north of the pier. The city lots nearby fill on weekends.
Crandon Park
The big family beach. About two miles of sand on the ocean side of Key Biscayne, and an offshore sandbar keeps the water calm and shallow a long way out, which is why parents drive over the causeway. Behind the beach: picnic areas with grills, cabanas to rent at the south end, a historic carousel and a nature center with a mangrove boardwalk.
Parking is $7 plus tax Monday to Thursday and $10 plus tax Friday to Sunday, per the county. No pets except service animals, no glass, and no floats in the bathing areas, which surprises kids who brought one. Summer Sundays fill with big groups, grills and music by late morning; a weekday morning is a different, quieter park.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida
The state park at the very end of Key Biscayne. A long beach backed by sea grapes and shade trees, trails, fishing on the bay-side seawall, and the Cape Florida Lighthouse from 1825 at the south end. Ranger-led climbs up its 109 spiral steps run Thursday to Monday mornings and are included in the park fee; kids must be 42 inches tall.
State parks open at 8 am and close at sundown, and on busy weekends the gate can close to new cars once the park is full, so arrive early. There is a per-vehicle entry fee; check floridastateparks.org for the amount. Before you leave, drive to No Name Harbor on the bay side for the sunset behind the downtown skyline.
Haulover Park
The beach that is easy to use. Big lots right behind the sand, lifeguards year-round, a marina with fishing charters, a dog park and a lawn where people fly kites in the afternoon wind. It has the most Google reviews of the county beach parks, more than eighteen thousand.
Know the map before you set up. The northern third, between lifeguard towers 12 and 16, is the county's clothing-optional beach, so families usually stay at the south end. Dogs may go on the sand only between towers 2 and 3, sunrise to sunset. Parking is $7 Monday to Thursday, $1 more in the North Lot and Lot 1, and $10 on weekends and holidays; lots close an hour before sunset.
Matheson Hammock
Not an ocean beach. The atoll pool is a ring-shaped saltwater lagoon on Biscayne Bay that fills and drains with the tide, so there are no waves, and that is exactly why parents of toddlers like it. Palms around the water, the skyline across the bay, and trails through the hardwood hammock behind.
Parking is $7 plus tax on weekdays and $10 plus tax on weekends and holidays. Lifeguards work weekends and holidays only. It is bay water, warm and murky, so bring water shoes and do not expect the clear Atlantic. No pets, no grills, no floats on the beach. Noma Beach at Red Fish, the restaurant on site, opens Wednesday to Sunday.
Virginia Key Beach
The beach with a story. It opened in 1945 as the beach for Black Miamians during segregation and is kept as a historic park. Today it is a long, quiet stretch of sand with shaded picnic areas and lawns, the first turn off the Rickenbacker Causeway before Key Biscayne.
Google lists 7 am to 6 pm every day, and the park says it closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas. That early close makes it a daytime beach, not a sunset one. Services are thin, so bring shade, food and water. We could not confirm a parking fee; call the park at (305) 960-4600 if it matters to you.
Hobie Beach
A strip of bay beach along the Rickenbacker Causeway, minutes from Brickell. The water is calm and shallow, you look straight back at the downtown skyline, and windsurfers and kiteboarders take over when the wind is up. People pull up, swim and leave, which is the whole idea.
Google lists 6:30 am to 8 pm Monday to Thursday and until 9 pm Friday to Sunday, so it is one of the few beaches here open after dark. The sun sets behind the city, and that is the reason to stay. Parking is along the road and fills on weekend mornings; there is little shade, and the causeway traffic is right behind you.
North Beach Oceanside Park
The local version of Miami Beach. Shaded paths through sea grapes and palms, picnic pavilions, a playground for ages 5 to 12, fitness stations and a beach walk. It also has Bark Beach, one of the few spots on Miami Beach where a dog can go on the sand; read the city's Bark Beach rules first.
Google lists 7:30 am to 8:30 pm, while the city says sunrise to sunset, so plan on daylight. Parking runs around the edge of the park and is far easier than in South Beach, and restrooms are at the pavilions. At midday, when the sand is hot, the shaded paths behind the dunes are the place to be.
Surfside Beach
A small-town beach between bigger neighbors. The sand in front of Surfside's low-rise blocks is calm, clean and far less busy than Miami Beach, and the crowd is mostly local families, runners and guests of the small hotels. Bal Harbour Beach, directly north, feels much the same and has a paved path along the dunes.
Come early: flat water, cool sand, almost nobody around. There are few services on the beach, so bring a chair, shade and water, and eat in the town center on Harding Avenue. Parking is on the street and in small town lots, and it is limited. The sun goes behind the town in the late afternoon.
Surfside Beach, Florida 33154, USA
Prima di andare
- Ocean beaches face east: the sun sets behind the buildings and the sand goes into shade by late afternoon
- County parks: Crandon $7 Monday to Thursday and $10 Friday to Sunday, Haulover and Matheson Hammock $7 on weekdays and $10 on weekends; Bill Baggs charges a per-car state park fee
- Floats are not allowed in the bathing areas at Crandon, Haulover and Matheson Hammock
- Swim near a staffed lifeguard tower, and away from the inlet at South Pointe
- Key Biscayne and Virginia Key are reached over the Rickenbacker Causeway, which has a toll
- Summer afternoons bring fast storms; mornings are calmer and the lots still have space
Non andare se
Domande frequenti
What is the best beach in Miami?
It depends on the day. For a first visit, South Beach at Lummus Park on Ocean Drive. For kids, Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, where a sandbar keeps the water calm and shallow. For nature and a lighthouse, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
Which Miami beach is best for kids?
Crandon Park for calm, shallow ocean water, grills and a carousel, or the atoll pool at Matheson Hammock in Coral Gables for toddlers, since it has no waves. Both charge $7 to $10 for parking.
Where can you watch the sunset on a Miami beach?
Not on the ocean side, which faces east. Go to South Pointe Park at the south tip of Miami Beach, Hobie Beach on the Rickenbacker Causeway, or No Name Harbor in Bill Baggs, where the sun sets behind the downtown skyline.
Are Miami beaches free?
The beaches on Miami Beach, including South Beach and Surfside, are free; you pay for parking. County parks such as Crandon and Haulover charge $7 to $10 per car, and Bill Baggs charges a state park entry fee per vehicle.
Can you bring a dog to the beach in Miami?
Only in a few places: Haulover Park between lifeguard towers 2 and 3 from sunrise to sunset, and Bark Beach at North Beach Oceanside Park. Crandon Park and Matheson Hammock do not allow pets.
Is Haulover Beach a nude beach?
Only the northern third, between lifeguard towers 12 and 16, is clothing-optional. The rest of Haulover is a regular public beach with lifeguards year-round.
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