Plan 7 days in Miami with this itinerary covering South Beach, Wynwood, the Everglades, and a Key West day trip for international travellers.
Who This Itinerary Is For
This 7-day Miami itinerary is built for travellers who want more than a beach week — people who'll also sit in traffic for an Everglades airboat ride and spend a full day getting to Key West and back. It suits European and international visitors on their one big US trip of the year, couples wanting a mix of nightlife and culture, and families with kids old enough to handle a 3.5-hour drive without a meltdown.
If you're traveling with toddlers, or you genuinely just want five straight days on a sunbed, cut the Key West day and add a second beach day instead — nobody enforces this schedule. Solo travelers and fashion-minded visitors will enjoy the density of neighbourhoods packed close together; you can walk South Beach, then Uber to Wynwood in 15 minutes for under $20.
One honest caveat: this plan assumes a rental car or regular rideshare budget. Miami's public transit (the Metrorail and Metromover) covers downtown and Brickell reasonably well but doesn't reach the Everglades or Key West, and it's patchy for Wynwood and Coral Gables. Budget roughly $60–90 a day on transport if you're not driving yourself.
Each day in this Miami itinerary pairs a distinct neighbourhood or day trip with one activity worth booking ahead.
7 days in Miami itinerary: daily themes, distance, and highlights at a glance
| Day | Theme | Distance from South Beach | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival, South Beach | 0 miles | Easing in, beach time |
| Day 2 | Art Deco, Downtown | 3–5 miles | Architecture, skyline views |
| Day 3 | Wynwood, Little Havana | 4–6 miles | Street art, Cuban culture |
| Day 4 | Everglades day trip | 35–40 miles | Wildlife, airboat rides |
| Day 5 | Key West day trip | 160 miles | Island towns, long scenic drive |
| Day 6 | Coral Gables, Vizcaya | 6–8 miles | Gardens, upscale dining |
| Day 7 | Relaxation, departure | 0–5 miles | Flexible wind-down |
Distances are approximate from South Beach; actual drive times vary with traffic and causeway congestion.
Day 1: Arrival and South Beach
Most international flights land at Miami International Airport (MIA) by midday or early afternoon, so Day 1 is realistically a half-day. Don't overplan it.
Morning and afternoon
From MIA, South Beach is a 25–35 minute drive depending on traffic, or about $25–35 by rideshare. Check into your hotel, drop bags, and head straight for the sand — Lummus Park Beach, running alongside Ocean Drive, is the easiest stretch to reach and has lifeguard stations, public showers, and chair rentals (around $20–30 for a day). Swim, nap, reset your clock. Avoid the stretch directly in front of the nightclub strip (5th to 8th Street) if you want quieter sand — it gets loud and crowded by mid-afternoon.
Evening
Walk Ocean Drive at dusk when the Art Deco Historic District's neon starts lighting up — it's touristy, the food is overpriced, and I wouldn't eat dinner there. Instead, walk two blocks west to Collins Avenue or Española Way for better value Cuban or seafood plates. This is also the night to book a sunset boat tour out of Miami Beach Marina or Bayside — a 90-minute cruise past Star Island and the Downtown skyline runs roughly $40–60 per person and is worth reserving a day or two ahead in high season (December–April).
Day 2: Art Deco and Downtown Miami
Day 2 splits between Miami Beach's architecture and the Downtown skyline across the bay.
Morning and afternoon
Start with a walking tour of the Art Deco Historic District — self-guided with a map from the Art Deco Welcome Center (around 10th Street and Ocean Drive) works fine and costs nothing, or book a 90-minute guided walk for about $30–35 if you want the history explained properly. Afterward, cross to Downtown Miami via rideshare (15–20 minutes) or the Metromover, which is free and loops through the financial district and Brickell. Walk the Riverwalk, browse Bayside Marketplace, and consider the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science if you're traveling with kids — admission is roughly $30 for adults.
Evening
Brickell has Miami's best rooftop bar density — book a table rather than walk in, especially Thursday through Saturday. Compare this to South Beach's bar scene: Brickell skews local and professional, less spring-break, better cocktails. If you'd rather avoid nightlife entirely, a quiet dinner along the Miami River has river views without the cover charges.
Day 3: Wynwood and Little Havana
This is the cultural contrast day, and it's the one I'd least want to cut.
Morning and afternoon
Spend the morning at Wynwood Walls, the outdoor mural park that anchors the neighbourhood — entry is about $12 or free if you just walk the surrounding streets, which have just as much street art. Budget two to three hours; it's small but photogenic, and crowds build after 11am. Grab lunch at one of Wynwood's food halls (1-800-Lucky is a reliable bet) before heading to Little Havana, about a 15-minute drive southwest.
Evening
Walk Calle Ocho in the late afternoon — Domino Park, cigar shops, and cafecito windows give a different Miami entirely from the beach towers. Stick around for dinner; Little Havana's Cuban restaurants are better value than anything in South Beach, and most mains run $15–25. If it's a Friday, check whether Viernes Culturales (a monthly street festival) is running — it adds live music and vendor stalls to the strip.
Day 6: Coral Gables and Vizcaya
After the long Key West day, Day 6 is deliberately gentler.
Morning and afternoon
Start at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, the early 20th-century estate on Biscayne Bay — admission is around $25 for adults, and the formal gardens alone are worth 90 minutes. It's about 15–20 minutes from Downtown Miami or Brickell by car. Afterward, drive 10 minutes to Coral Gables proper and walk the Miracle Mile shopping strip, then detour to the Biltmore Hotel, whose Mediterranean Revival architecture and enormous pool are worth seeing even if you're not staying there.
Evening
Coral Gables has a quieter, more upscale dining scene than South Beach — good for couples or anyone tired of tourist-menu prices. This is also a sensible night to skip nightlife altogether and just get an early dinner, since Day 7 involves packing and possibly a flight.
Getting Around Miami
Miami is not a one-transport-mode city, and that trips up a lot of first-time visitors expecting something like a compact European capital. Downtown, Brickell, and parts of Miami Beach are walkable in sections, but the city overall sprawls across barrier islands and mainland grids connected by a handful of causeways that jam up at rush hour and on weekends.
A rental car makes the Everglades and Key West days dramatically easier and is worth it even if you ditch it for the urban days (parking in South Beach runs $20–40 a day, which adds up). If you'd rather not drive at all, rideshare is reliable and reasonably priced for in-city hops — $10–20 covers most trips between neighbourhoods — but Key West becomes a booked day-tour rather than a self-drive option. The Metromover is free and useful specifically for Downtown and Brickell; don't expect it to help anywhere else.
Where to Base Yourself
South Beach is the obvious base and works well for this itinerary — central, walkable, close to the airport, and within easy reach of both day trips. It's also the most expensive and the loudest, especially near 5th to 8th Streets. If nightlife noise bothers you, book a hotel north of 20th Street or in Mid-Beach instead, still walkable to the sand but quieter at night.
Brickell suits travellers who want a more local, business-district feel with strong dining and rooftop bars, and it cuts your drive time to Coral Gables and Vizcaya. Coral Gables itself is a good call for couples and senior travellers wanting a calmer, greener base, though you'll rely on a car or rideshare more for beach days. Compare this to Fort Lauderdale, roughly 30 minutes north — cheaper hotels and a more relaxed beach scene, but it adds real driving time to every Miami-specific plan in this itinerary, so I wouldn't base there for a Miami-focused week.
Bookable Experiences and Activities
Three things in this itinerary genuinely benefit from advance booking rather than walking up: the sunset boat cruise (Day 1), the Everglades airboat tour (Day 4), and the Key West day trip (Day 5). All three see real seasonal demand between December and April, when cruise ship crowds and snowbird traffic both peak.
Everything else — Wynwood Walls, Vizcaya, the Art Deco walking tour, Little Havana — can be done without reservations, though Vizcaya does cap daily visitor numbers and can sell out on weekends, so booking a timed entry online the night before is a sensible habit. If you're building this trip around a cruise departure from PortMiami, note that several of these day trips (especially Key West) need a full day, so don't schedule one the day before you sail. Compare current boat tours and prices before you book, since rates shift with season and fuel surcharges.
Frequently asked questions
Is 7 days enough time to see Miami?
Yes, for a first visit. Seven days covers the main beach areas, three or four distinct neighbourhoods, and two day trips (Everglades and Key West) without feeling rushed. You won't exhaust Miami in a week — nobody does — but you'll get a genuine sense of the city beyond Ocean Drive, which is more than most 3–4 day visitors manage.
Can you do Key West as a day trip from Miami?
Yes, but it's a long one: about 3.5 hours each way by car along the Overseas Highway, so you're looking at 7 hours of driving for roughly 4–5 hours in town. A booked van or coach tour handles the driving and usually costs $150–200 per person. If you have any flexibility, an overnight in Key West is a better use of the drive.
What's the best way to get around Miami for a week?
A rental car is the most practical option for this itinerary because it covers the Everglades and Key West days without needing separate bookings. If you'd rather not drive, rideshare works fine for in-city travel between neighbourhoods, but you'll need to book organized day tours for Key West and possibly the Everglades instead.
Which Miami neighbourhood is best for tourists?
South Beach is the most convenient for first-time visitors — walkable, close to the airport, and near both day-trip routes — though it's also the priciest and loudest at night. Mid-Beach or Coral Gables suit travellers wanting a quieter base, while Brickell works well for those prioritising dining and a more local feel over beach proximity.
What should I prioritise if I only have a week in Miami?
Prioritise South Beach, Wynwood, and one day trip — the Everglades is the easier, shorter commitment, while Key West requires a full day of driving. If you have to cut something, cut Day 6's Coral Gables detour before you cut either day trip, since Vizcaya and Miracle Mile are easier to swap for a shorter half-day visit later.
