Miami, Florida Hotels and City Guide

Miami - Transportation

Getting To Miami

The ever popular city of Miami, Florida is served by one of America's busiest airports, and has excellent road and rail links to other neighbouring cities and beyond.

Getting Around Miami

The best way to get around the Miami area is by car and a number of the rental firms offer hourly as well as daily and weekly rates. To avoid getting trapped in traffic congestion in the downtown area there is the 'Metromover'. Part bus, monorail and train, it comprises a couple of computer-controlled carriages that run on an elevated track and offers great views of central Miami.

Getting around Greater Miami can be difficult, mainly due to the sheer size of the city. Nevertheless, Miami-Dade Transit Service (MDT) (tel: (305) 770 3131; website: www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/transit) provides a variety of useful transport options, including Metrorail, Metrobus and Metromover.

Car Rental

Hiring a car is relatively straightforward. Drivers must be over 25 years old and possess a valid national driving licence and a credit card to hold a deposit of at least US$500. When arranging car hire, visitors should enquire about an all-inclusive rate and ask how this compares to the regular daily rate. An all-inclusive rate should include all taxes, airport fees and car-handling fees. CWD (also known as LDW), which makes the hire company, rather than the driver, responsible for damage to the car, and SLI (supplementary liability insurance), also sometimes called top-up liability insurance or EP (extended protection), increases third-party liability coverage. All-inclusive rates may also include a tank of petrol and additional drivers. There is usually an extra charge for child seats.
It is worth shopping around for the best rates as these vary considerably. Convertible cars for travel in sunny Miami start at a higher rate than standard vehicles. Free one-way drop-offs are normally possible within Florida, although rarely with the cheapest cars.
Major providers include:
Alamo (tel: (305) 633 6076; website: www.alamo.com)
Avis (tel: (305) 341 0936; website: www.avis.com)
Budget (tel: (305) 871 3053; website: www.drivebudget.com)
Hertz (tel: (305) 871 0300; website: www.hertz.com)
Interamerican (tel: (305) 635 3060; website www.interamerican.com)
and Thrifty (tel: (877) 283 0898; website: www.thrifty.com)

Public Transport in Miami

Buses
Miami has a large and elaborate public bus system which covers the entire county and connects to the bus system in Greater Fort Lauderdale. Recent developments have made the bus system more reliable than in the past. Even with the changes and because of high local traffic, buses tend to have a harder time remaining on schedule. However, buses run often enough through each route so as not to be a nuisance. Schedules and routes are available from  http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/transit/ the Miami-Dade Transit website or by calling +1 305 770-3131.

Train
Metrorail is a single-line elevated rail system serving Miami and surrounding areas. Due to low funding, Metrorail has not been greatly expanded since its opening in 1984, but serves many areas of tourist interest. These include downtown Miami, 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. Metrorail operates between roughly 5AM and midnight, with a bus serving all Metrorail stations operating in the overnight hours, effectively providing 24-hour service.
Downtown Miami is served by a free elevated people mover system known as Metromover, which connects to Metrorail at two stations at Government Center in the central business district and at Brickell Station in Brickell. Metromover is free of charge and is the most efficient way to move around Downtown Miami. It is a great way to take a rest when walking around downtown, and a great time to take pictures of the skyscrapers and growing Miami skyline from above.Currently a funding boost has set forth an expansion for the Metrorail system including a connection to Miami International Airport to be operating by 2010. Further expansion to the north toward Dolphin Stadium (the home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins) is expected to be operating by 2012. A light rail line to Miami Beach is also under development, as well as the Miami Streetcar connecting Downtown Miami to the Media and Entertainment District as well as Midtown Miami.

Taxis
Taxis are generally expensive with a surcharge of $2.50 for the pick-up and an additional $0.40 for each sixth of a mile traveled. Almost all cab companies in the area have pre-determined rates for travel into the barrier islands of Miami Beach and other beach and nightclub communities popular with tourists which can range from $30-$60 depending on arrival location. 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 for passengers leaving the islands onto the mainland, though normal rates apply for person traveling by taxi 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 in most cases turn out to be cheaper and most drivers are willing to negotiate when leaving the county. If you wish to be taxied 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. Taxis operated by the major companies are not normally allowed to pick up passengers at random locations for safety and legal reasons except at MIA, the Port of Miami and train stations. Some individual taxi drivers will not follow this rule, however. You can try hailing a taxi in the street.

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.

Hotels in Miami, Florida