The Best Beaches in Miami, Florida

Life’s a Beach in Miami, Florida. While there’s many things to do in this South Florida tourist hotspot, chances are you’ll be spending a lot of your Miami time at the beach. With warm waters, beautiful sandy shores and great weather year round, its a no-brainer. Some will even come to Miami with the sole purpose of spending the whole time tanning in the sun. I’m generally not the kind of person that will spend ages on the beach when visiting a new destination, but in Miami, I spent a fair bit of time doing just that. With Miami Beach’s sands stretching over 9 miles from South Pointe to the tip of the barrier island (with even more beaches beyond), it can be tough to decide where to hang out. In this post, I’m going to provide a guide to some of the best beaches in Miami.

• Are you planning a trip to Miami? You can check out my guide to the city along with my recommended 3 day itinerary HERE.

An Overview of the Beaches in Miami

Broadly speaking, the sandy shores of Miami Beach can be broken up into three sections. They are categorised as follows:

• South Beach: the most popular of Miami’s Beaches, South Beach stretches from the bottom of the barrier island (where you’ll find South Point Pier) up to around 23rd Street.
• Mid Beach: this area is more popular with locals and reaches from 23rd Street up to 46th Street.
• North Beach: by far the least frequented patch of sand by tourists, North Beach extends from 46th Street to the tip of the Miami Beach barrier island.

Regardless of where you spend your beach time in Miami, you’ll no doubt come across the vibrantly hued lifeguard stands. Interspersed at various spots along the shore, they’re great spots to take photos. They’re also quite helpful at telling you how far up or down the beach you are, as they’re mostly numbered according to Miami Beach’s street grid.

South Beach

When most people think of Miami’s beaches they’re thinking of South Beach. In easy walking distance from hotspots like the Art Deco Historic District, South Beach offers everything you need for a fun day in the sun. With 2.2 miles of gleaming sands (which can get quite hot to walk on in the heat of the day!) extending along the shoreline, there’s plenty of space to enjoy it. Good thing as well, since it can get PACKED, especially in the high season. The most crowded area on South Beach is generally north of 15th Street. Crowds don’t really bother me (I enjoy people watching), but if you need a quieter spot on South Beach, consider head down a few blocks to get a more peaceful patch of sand.

There’s plenty of resorts that operate deck chair and umbrella renting services along the beach (even for day guests). If sunbathing for an extended period of time is your thing, you might want to look into those options. Away from the sands, South Beach is also filled with clubs, bars and restaurants nearby, meaning you quite literally could spend all day in the area (as many do).

When visiting Miami in summer I immediately loved how warm the water was. After spending so much of my life in the often chilly Pacific Ocean, not having those first few moments of needing to get acquainted with the temperature was great. There is a decent amount of seaweed (and along parts of the shore), but its not too bad.

Lummus Park

You might want a break from the sand while spending time on South Beach, especially during the heat of the day. If that’s the case, Lummus Park makes for a great spot to enjoy some shade under the palms. In addition to being where you’ll find the public restrooms (very important!), Lummus Park is a grassy haven, with outdoor gym equipment (including Muscle Beach), volleyball courts and kids play areas. The promenade that stretches through the park and beyond is incredibly popular with joggers, cyclists, rollerbladers and skateboarders.

I really liked walking through Lummus Park on my way back up from the bottom of South Beach. Its a chilled out space where you can relax. It helps that the scenery is quite picturesque – on one side you’ve got the buzzing Art Deco buildings on Ocean Drive, while on the other there’s sand and blue waters.

Lummus Park is also known for hosting various events and festivals throughout the year, many of which are free to attend. Some of the most popular ones are ticketed, including the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (held in February). Definitely check whats on when you plan to be in Miami Beach!

• Lummus Park is also where you’ll find the Art Deco Museum, which is where I started my self guided Art Deco Historic District Tour. You can read about the route I took HERE.

South Pointe Pier

One of my favourite spots along the beach in Miami is located at the very tip of South Beach. In my opinion, South Pointe Pier is the most beautiful part of the beach. Extending out from the modern and green park nearby, the pier juts out from the tip of the island and offers stunning views back overlooking the Miami skyline. You can also see Fisher Island from here, which is the the richest ZIP code in all of the United States (with an average annual income at a mind-blowing $2.2 million!). Since you can’t get to Fisher Island without a private invitation, chances are this is the closest you’ll get to its epic mansions.

On a more relatable level, South Pointe Pier is a popular spot for people to hang out. You’re bound to come across fishermen out on the pier, and depending when you stop by, you may even witness a cruise vessel passing through on a voyage. If you’re into surfing, the area of South Beach by the pier up to 5th Street is often frequented by wave seekers.

I didn’t have the energy to wake up super early during my time in Miami, but if you are an early riser, I feel like South Pointe Pier would be a pretty amazing spot to watch the sun rise over the ocean too!

Getting to South Pointe Pier from the most touristy part of South Beach is an easy stroll along the sand or under the palms. Its about a 25 minute walk from Lummus Park, depending how many times you stop to enjoy the beach vibes.

What About North and Mid Beaches?

When you get to 1 Hotel South Beach, you’ve technically reached the start of Mid Beach. Mid and North Beaches are just a continuation of the same stretch of sand as South Beach, but they’re noticeably quieter. The further north you venture along the beach, the more the beach shifts to a local vibe, with less tourists around. That’s not to say there’s nothing worth seeing here. In fact, one of the more memorable sites on all of Miami’s Beaches can be found around 32nd Street at the Faena hotel. Here, you can see a golden statue of a wooly mammoth. It was designed by Damien Hirst and is called Gone But Not Forgotten.

If you manage to get all the way up to 79th Street (well and truly North Beach territory), North Beach Ocean Park is a leafy public space where locals are known to relax in the sun over a picnic or barbecue. Its a much different atmosphere than you’ll experience in South Beach. If you’re after a tranquil escape, this is the place to be.

I didn’t spend much time beyond South Beach during my stay in Miami. Of all the beaches in Miami, its the one you’ve got to do. If you’re going to be in Miami for longer than a few days however, I think it would definitely be worth checking Mid and North Beaches out to see a different side of the city’s beach culture.

I truly believe that the beaches in Miami are some of, if not the very best in all of the United States. Hopefully this guide has helped you work out which sections of the beach are best for you, if you’re planning a Miami beach vacation. While South Beach is certainly my jam, and an essential Miami experience, I can definitely understand that some people will be more comfortable heading to the beaches further north. What is your favourite beach in Miami? Are there any hidden gems where you’d recommend laying down your towel?