2 Days In Miami Before Cruise

If you’re taking a cruise out of Miami, normally you’ll only have a day or two to enjoy what Miami has to offer before you sail away. On our latest trip we had about 1.5 days to take in the Magic City, and we sure packed a lot in! This itinerary will help you decide what to do with your days in Miami before your cruise.

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Where To Stay

We stayed in the Downtown Miami before our cruise, and it was a great location! Only a short uber drive to the cruise terminal. It’s also a great area to stay in for this particular itinerary because you will be able to walk a lot of places.

Check out my review of Hotel YVE Miami

Day 1 (Arrival Day)

If you arrive in the morning or around lunch time, you’ll be able to fit all of this in. We love checking out some history when we travel. So the first stop will be Miami Freedom Tower:

Freedom Tower

Open 1pm-6pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday, 1pm-8pm Saturday

Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and military, $5 for students, free for children under 12 and for any Miami Dade College students.

I don’t think you’ll miss this building, because it certainly looks different from the ones around it. Built in 1925, it was originally the headquarters for the Miami News, but they moved out in 1957. In the 1960s the federal government took over the building to process, document and provide medical and dental services to refugees fleeing communism in Cuba. Because of its history, it is often called the “Ellis Island of the South”.

The building is now part of the Miami Dade College and is open to the public as an art gallery and museum.

After you check out the Freedom Tower, walk back along Biscayne Boulevard. You’ll see the American Airlines Arena where the Miami Heat play. The next stop will be Bayside Marketplace.

Visiting Miami with kids? Check out this post from our friends at Globetotting.com!

Bayside Marketplace

Monday-Thursday 10am-10pm

Friday- Saturday 10am-11pm

Sunday 11am-9pm

Bayside Marketplace is an open air shopping mall located right on Miami’s waterfront. It houses almost 200 stores, kiosks and restaurants, so there is something for everyone! Shop around until you’re hungry, then check out one of the many restaurants or the food court upstairs.

At night the place comes alive with live music, so don’t miss that! The mall has an open container policy so make sure to grab a drink from one of the many stands around. The Conga Bar also has live latin music and dancing!

If you’re ready for bed at this point, you’re not alone! We were too. Get some sleep and get ready to tackle day #2.

Day 2 (Full Day)

Get up and get ready, but don’t eat breakfast because I promise there are better options where we are going! Take an uber over to South Beach and get dropped off around the Miami Art Deco Welcome Center (1001 Ocean Drive). Make sure to pack your bathing suit & towel!

DIY Art Deco Walking Tour

Sure, you could pay for a tour, but I think it’s better to do it for free, at your own pace and stopping to eat and shop when you want!

South Beach area has the highest concentration of Art Deco buildings in the world, and I loved walking around and checking them out. The tour will take about 2 hours or longer depending on if you stop to eat or not.

My DIY (free!) Art Deco Walking Tour in Miami

Most of the hotels on the tour have amazing places for breakfast/brunch. Look at the menus and stop wherever looks delicious!

The Beach

After you’ve done the tour, I recommend grabbing some snacks at CVS or Walgreens and heading to what South Beach is famous for, the beach! Across from 14th Street on Ocean Drive is a public washroom where you can get changed and head to the beach. Lay on the sand and play in the waves for as long as your heart desires. If you want to be a bit more active, Lummus Park is right by the beach and you can bike their trails, play volleyball or check out the art displays.

Take an uber back to Downtown Miami, hopefully before rush hour because traffic can get crazy!

Miami Boat Tour

A boat tour is a great way to see Miami from the water. You probably noticed a lot of companies selling tours at the Bayside Marketplace. My suggestion is to check out Groupon and see if there’s any boat tours available on there, because it will save you a lot of money! We paid $62 for 4 people, instead of the regular price of $136.

We ended up booking a Houses of the Rich and Famous tour with Fiesta Cruises of Miami and had a great time. Although the Pirate cruise looked fun too! If possible I would book this tour while it’s still daylight. We took the tour after dark and it was a little harder to see the houses.

We found dinner in the Bayside Marketplace, and also had drinks at our hotel bar to finish the night.

You could head to the small islands of Bimini! They offer 1 day cruises from Miami.

Only Have 1 Day?

If you only have one day in Miami before your cruise, I recommend the second day of the plan above. The Art Deco buildings and the beach are not to be missed while staying in Miami.

If you’ve cruised out of Miami, what did you do before sailing away, did we miss anything awesome?

Headed On your first cruise? Check out my tips.

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