Day trip to Miami

[Altymark]

We're planning a day trip to Miami - DD is obsesed with celeb tv etc and is dying to see sobe. We're travelling from Naples in the hire car but, after searching on the net, there doesn't appear to be very many parking lots in the South Beach area apart from a 200 space lot at Pointe South.
I must admit to being a little nervous about driving in Miami - has anyone had any experience of parking there, if so any tips??
Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Several years since we have been but if you are heading to Miami the best advice is to go for the beach areas, which is a mini-city in itself.

Along the beach there are plenty of parking areas available, and on Collins Avenue a lot of accomodation to suit all budgets too.

For safety , as I undertstand also the beach offers the most secure/safe location.

If you are driving from Naples, do not cross using the 'Tamiami Trail' road - as it cuts right the Everglades and to be blunt is a bit of a nightmare route, especially at night.

Alligator Alley is the freeway that connects the 2 cities easiest.

Miami IS a safe place to visit, the same common sense applies there as to every other big city.

 

[cleo]

It is easier to stick your elbow in your ear than it is to find a parking space in South Beach.

Your best bet is to drive around and hope for the best, really. There is a great deal of street parking, but spaces seem to fill up early and stay that way. Just remember, you must park facing WITH the flow of traffic (you can't park 'backwards' facing oncoming traffic, as you can in the UK).

 

[shazy03]

:
Hi been a while since posting any replies, I did feel I would like to add my advice. We have just returned from our 2 week winter hols to orlando which we having been doing for the last 17 years, we decided to take a drive down to miami south beach, done loads of research as we wanted to stay for the night, bearing in mind the exact concerns as youve expressed. Atfer lots of visits to expedia and trip advisor, we booked a night at the Winterhaven hotel, excellent location and felt safe wandering about. Parking is available in what us brits call multi storey carparks on 13th or 16th street, cost us $16.00 for 48hrs. You can park right on south beach with parking meters these are limited to 4hrs, to enjoy the sights of south beach you can relax and wander around by not having limited time by using multi storey parking. Dont miss lincoln Drive great shops and resturants. We also took the 'Duck Tour' (transport that goes on water and road) for a great tour to see the sights. Starbucks coffee just down from hotel great for chilling and people watching

 

[MAH4546]

Parking in Miami Beach is very easy, it just is not very cheap. You will easily be able to find parking at a multi-level parking garage. There are half a dozen of them in South Beach. The city-owned ones are much cheaper ($1/hr), but they do fill up. The private ones (usually about $8-$10 for 4-6 hours) always have space. Always.