Incredible 4 Days in Miami Itinerary (Hot Spots + Highlights Not to Miss!)
Looking to plan an unforgettable 4 days in Miami itinerary? We got you! When planning our visit to Miami, we knew we wanted to cover some of the city’s highlights including the gorgeous beaches and seeing the colorful lifeguard towers, get a taste of Miami’s design and arts scene, check out culturally rich areas like Little Havana and artsy neighborhoods like Miami’s Design District and Wynwood.
If you’re looking for what to do in Miami that combines art, design, good food, beaches, relaxation, cool neighborhoods, and a few iconic landmarks – then you’re going to find all that in this curated 4 day itinerary!
During your 4 days in Miami, we recommend spreading your time between different areas of the city. We spent our first days around Coconut Grove before moving over to Miami Beach.
We personally preferred staying in different areas to get a better overall feel of what to do in Miami and what the city has to offer beyond the beach while also making sure we gave ourselves time to enjoy that too!
While South Beach is one of our favorite areas we explored and one of the most popular areas to stay and base yourself during a Miami itinerary, we really enjoyed getting to experience Coconut Grove before moving to Miami Beach and finishing off our trip with a bit of rest and relaxation after a few fun days full of activities.
Disclaimer: This post was done in collaboration with the Greater Miami & Miami Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. As always, all experiences and opinions are our own. This post also contains commissionable links.
Day 1 of 4 Days in Miami: Unforgettable Lunch & Coconut Grove
For your first day of your Miami itinerary we recommend having an unforgettable lunch at Sexy Fish in downtown Miami before heading to Coconut Grove for gorgeous gardens and beautifully designed architectural marvels!
Lunch at Sexy Fish
After arriving at Miami Airport, hopefully you’ve built up an appetite because our first suggested stop is one of the most memorable and AWE-worthy restaurants we’ve ever been to!
Located just a block off of Brickell Avenue, one of the main drags of Downtown Miami, you’ll find one of the most flamboyant restaurants in the world and perfect for anyone who loves a good mermaid hang-out spot.
Sexy Fish is decorated in over-the-top, under-the-sea-themed décor. From mosaics, enormous glittery sea creatures hanging from the ceiling, seahorse lamps, and just about every detail imaginable was designed to make you feel a part of the ocean in a mermaid fever dream in the best way possible.
Even the host/hostess and waiters have sea creature theme, and fashionable outfits on, and the bathrooms, well – I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but they are unforgettable – especially the men’s restroom!
The women’s restroom feels like a mermaid dressing room/powder room and is just over the top in the best way possible.
The food here did not disappoint either, while they had some non-seafood options, if you’re a seafood lover like us, don’t miss their spectacular dishes.
Spend the Afternoon at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
We are huge admirers of architecture and history, so we didn’t want to miss visiting Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, one of Miami’s most stunning historically significant landmarks from the early 20th century.
The opulent and massive Italian Renaissance villa-mansion was built between 1914 and 1922 as the winter estate for Chicago industrialist James Deering of the Deering Harvester Company (later International Harvester).
Growing up on a farm in Ohio where we used their equipment and machinery, it was really fascinating to see this estate in person as it combined my childhood to my interests as an adult, historic estates!
Back to the design, the estate’s design was heavily influenced by Mediterranean Revival architecture, drawing inspiration from Italian Renaissance villas and French châteaux. You can learn all about this on the “Designing the Dream” public guided tours on the estate, which we joined during our visit before exploring the grounds on our own.
Inside the estate, you’ll see the impressive collection of Deering’s antiques and art collections. The tour is recommended as your guide will point out a few items you may have skimmed over on your own. One that stood out the most was the pipe organ in the living room. Deering and his architect, Francis Burrall Hoffman had actually cut a 16th-century religious painting in half to create doors to cover the pipes!
It was beautifully done, but I couldn’t help but wonder about if that was a difficult decision considering that the painting was hundreds of years old when they decided to cut and modify it!
Be sure to wander the rooms, each filled with treasures from floor to ceiling and after make sure to give yourself time to meander through the meticulously designed tropical gardens and the hidden grottos, sculptures, and the impressive Stone Barge that looks like a shipwreck in Biscayne Bay to protect the villa from King Tides, a beautiful and functional work of art.
Plan to spend a few hours here and be sure to join one of the public tours on your Miami itinerary.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is open Wednesdays through Mondays from 9:30 AM with the last admission at 4:30 PM. Admission for ages 13+ over is $25 and tours are an additional $6.
Wander Around Coconut Grove
We were so happy with our choice to stay in Coconut Grove before moving to Miami Beach for the rest of our 4 days in Miami. This lush, tropical enclave of Miami is located on Biscayne Bay. Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is a part of Coconut Grove too.
You’ll find upscale shopping, dining, and accommodations in this area and it’s a great area to stay in if you want a nice, quiet, relaxing stay.
Give yourself a chance to walk around the streets around The Mayfair House, where we stayed. You’re also near Peacock Park for views of Biscayne Bay.
There are some great dining options in the area including Panther Coffee for breakfast, Jaguar Restaurant for incredible ceviche and Latin American dishes, SipSip Calypso Rum Bar for appetizers and cocktails with rooftop views at the Mayfair House, and some of the best grilled prawns I’ve ever had at the Mayfair Grill also at the Mayfair House to name a few options we tried.
If you want to do some shopping, you’ll find some great options at CocoWalk and cute independent shops like Books & Books on Main Highway.
Stay the Night at Mayfair House Hotel & Garden
We urge to run, don’t walk to stay at the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden in Coconut Grove. Michelin Guide, of the famed restaurant rating system, has officially launched a version for rating exceptional hotels worldwide called Michelin Key.
There are three tiers, one to three keys with three being the highest rating you could have and Mayfair House Hotel & Garden has a two-key rating to give you an idea of how special this property is.
The hotel first opened in 1985 and was designed by architect Kenneth Treister, it’s since been transformed and feels like a lush, tropical garden. The impressive exterior design, sun soaked courtyards, tropical plants aplenty, and terra cotta details make for the most lovely ambiance! You’re literally staying in a tropical garden.
What’s cool about staying here, is you’ll get a glimpse of a historic tropical architectural marvel at Vizcaya, then literally get to stay in a more modern tropical architectural marvel!
The rooms are also stunning, next time we’ll be sure to book a room with one of their clawfoot bathtubs. We both were just in awe of all the details, sunlight, and feeling like you’re staying in a botanical garden! Check out their rooms.
*we spent two nights here and used this as a base for our first 2 of 4 days in Miami.
Day 2 of 4 Days in Miami: Little Havana, Art, & Design!
Many of our favorite experiences and picks for what to do in Miami on our itinerary are going to be culinary and design forward. Not only will you get to taste your way around one of the most culturally rich areas of Miami in Little Havana, but you’ll end your day admiring the public art and design around Wynwood and Miami’s Art District.
Taste Your Way Through Little Havana on a Food Tour
One of our favorite highlights from our Miami itinerary was joining a Little Havanna Food Tour with Miami Culinary Tours. This 2.5 hour culinary and cultural tour gives you a glimpse into Miami’s Cuban community and it’s considered the best food tour in Miami!
Our absolute favorite stop for food on the tour was the empanada from El Pub, don’t skip the hot sauce either! We also tried some refreshing mojitos at Cubata, which were the perfect way to cool off on a hot day and sample other dishes like a cubano sandwich, fresh fruit juice from a 60 year old fruit market stand at Los Pinarenos Fruteria, and Cuban pastries next to the Bay of Pigs Monument.
Another highlight on our tour was stopping by a cigar shop where we got to see an expert torcedor (cigar roller) at work at Cuba Tobacco Cigar Co. and Scott even picked up some Cuban cigars to take home as a little souvenir.
When the tour is over, be sure to do a lap around downtown Little Havana making stops at the Ball & Chain, a famous nightclub where names like Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, and even Frank Sinatra have performed at for live music and mojitos.
Don’t miss the locals playing dominoes at Domino Park or the take a peek at the historic Tower Theatre the first movie theater in Miami! Be sure to admire the murals of Cuban legends like Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Celia Cruz too.
Enjoy spotting the roosters and chickens roaming freely and get a taste of what this cultural community has to offer.
If you still have room, try Sanguich for one of the most popular Cubano sandwiches in the city too!
Pay a Visit to Wynwood Walls
I have to admit, this is one of the most famous picks for what to do in Miami from Instagram that’s been on our radar for years! But don’t let its Insta-famous reputation discourage you as this outdoor art collective and museum is so much more than a backdrop for pretty photos.
Wynwood Walls is an outdoor street art museum started by the legendary Tony Goldman in 2009. In addition to the changing murals and artists featured in the outdoor gallery, there are two indoor gallery spaces as well where you can purchase art and admire more work from the featured artists.
What’s cool is that the artists featured are constantly changing. Just like the nature of street art, the walls are always changing. Each artist brings their own distinct character and creativity to their pieces here and the works on display range from murals to sculptures.
We joined the official tour, which was a great way to get to learn a bit more about each piece of work and the artist behind it. You can upgrade your ticket to include a 30 minute freestyle spray painting experience where you get a chance to be an artist on Wynwood Walls!
What’s so cool is that no visit is the same, we will definitely come back next time we are here as this is one of the the coolest picks for what to do in Miami for creative spirits!
Wynwood Walls general admission is $12, you can purchase a combined ticket to include a tour for $20 and if you want to do the freestyle spray painting your ticket is $25-37.
Check out Miami’s Design District
More ideas for what to do in Miami for art and design lovers! Check out Miami Design District, an 18-square block area famous for its luxury shopping, art galleries, public art sculptures, and design-focused haven.
Sure, this is where the celebrities and 1% shop. You’ll find luxury retailers in just about every square inch of this district, which is great if that’s your thing, but if it’s not don’t worry!
Not only are the flagship stores cool to look at as they are in architecturally beautiful storefronts, many of which are works of art, there are also great restaurants, cool public art pieces to check out, and galleries to visit. The entire district is actually an open-air art museum and you’ll be able to spot public art pieces all over the area.
If you get here early enough after Wynwood Walls, check out gallery options like The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA), which is free to visit. Or galleries like David Castillo and Locust Projects.
The Haitian Heritage Museum is also in the Design District and offers art and collections to learn a bit more about Haitian history and culture.
One iconic landmark not to miss in Miami’s Design District on your itinerary is Fly’s Eye Dome by Buckminster Fuller. This geodesic dome has become sort of the quintessential scene you see when you think of the design district.
For more public art to spot, check out Sol LeWitt’s sculpture garden, the web of hanging chairs known as Netscape by Konstantin Grcic, the Bus Stop by Urs Fischer, and Dollar A Gallon III by Virgil Abloh to name a few of the many public art pieces you’ll spot around here.
Dinner at Elastika
Your art exploring doesn’t need to stop just because you need to eat. Head to the historic Moore Building to dine at Elastika, which is a work of art.
Not only does the menu offer a culinary experience led by Executive Chef Joe Anthony, but the entire restaurant and space was designed by the late Zaha Hadid, one of my favorite modern architects of all time. I have loved her ever since we lived in Seoul and was awe-struck by Dongdaemun Design Plaza to New York, where you can spot some of her buildings along the High Line in Chelsea.
The art-filled environment is the perfect setting for an elevated dinner reservation on your Miami itinerary.
Day 3 of 4 Days in Miami: Art Deco & South Beach
Okay, so now it’s the part of your Miami itinerary where you’re going to move from Coconut Grove to Miami Beach. While this day is mostly centered around South Beach, we still based ourselves in Mid Beach. You could go with our recommendation, which we really enjoyed or pick one of the many gorgeous Art Deco hotels in South Beach to base out of your final nights!
And if you love architecture as much as we do, hanging out around all the Art Deco and MiMo architecture in South Beach should be a top priority for what to do in Miami! Exploring the Art Deco District in Miami was definitely a highlight of our trip.
Take an Art Deco Walking Tour of South Beach
One of my favorite things we did during our 4 days in Miami was join the Art Deco Tour with the Miami Design Preservation League. We recommend doing a morning tour to get your bearings and history of the area.
What’s special is that each volunteer that guides the tours will take you on a different route each time pointing out the history, style distinction, and interesting background of these gorgeous pastel-colored buildings!
Afterward, you can keep exploring all the gorgeous architecture of the area and be sure to check out the Art Deco Museum where your tour starts, which is included in your tour ticket price.
Lunch at News Cafe
When you’ve built up an appetite, don’t miss the chance to have lunch at the legendary News Cafe. They even have brunch well into the afternoon, which we were fans of since we had a great chicken and waffles and chilaquiles for our meal!
What makes this spot iconic? Well, it’s connected to The Tony Hotel, one of the Art Deco jewels in the district and was open 24/7. Gianni Versace used to frequent here and it was on his way home from here on his final ill-fated day.
The restaurant briefly closed in 2021 and has since reopened. The decor pays homage to the history of the neighborhood and the fashion designer, mogul, and icon Gianni Versace on the walls. This is a memorable lunch spot and not to be missed on your Miami itinerary!
Spend Some Time in the Wolfsonian Museum
A visit to South Beach has to include a visit to the Wolfsonian Museum, home to one of the largest university art collections in the country. It all began with Micky Wolfson’s passion for items from 1850-1950, collecting everything from everyday objects and propaganda posters to paintings and sculptures that document this era.
In 1997, Wolfson donated the museum to Florida International University, and it has since grown into a major hub for design, decorative arts, and propaganda. Exhibits rotate frequently, so each visit is unique.
We caught the end of the ‘Smoke Signals’ and ‘Destination Dining’ exhibits. Smoke Signals featured masculine decorative cigar cutters from the 19th century, while Destination Dining showcased menus from luxury train cars, ocean liners, and even a zeppelin.
The museum’s 200,000-piece collection highlights the cultural and technological shifts of 1850-1950, showcasing the influence of art and design during this transformative period. Housed in a beautifully restored 1927 Mediterranean Revival building.
Continue Your Way Around South Beach
Spend the rest of your afternoon on your Miami itinerary enjoying the other jewels of South Beach. One spot you don’t want to miss is Villa Casa Casuarina, the former Gianni Versace Mansion.
Versace’s former Mediterranean Revival villa home is now a luxury boutique hotel. You don’t have to stay here to get a glimpse into this lavish villa either! Visitors have the option for dining at Gianni’s Restaurant, where you can enjoy a meal by the famous pool or sip a cocktail at the bar.
One other thing you don’t want to miss while you’re in South Beach are the colorful lifeguard towers positioned at every block up and down the beach. We really enjoyed Miami’s commitment to design and details and they didn’t stop at the beach!
Architect William Lane’s vibrant lifeguard towers are inspired by midcentury modern and Art Deco styles, paired with the palette of Caribbean colors. Over three dozen towers, from South Pointe Park to 86th Street, are scattered along the beach, especially concentrated in South Beach.
There are six main tower types, featuring unique designs like spiky sunbursts, swooping roofs, and Googie-style architecture, all in bold colors like pink, lime green, and fuchsia. Notable towers include the red-and-white one at South Pointe Park and the LGBTQ+ pride tower.
Dinner at Red South Beach
Since you’re in South Beach, why not splurge on a fine dining experience? We had an absolutely incredible dinner at Red South Beach in the affluent micro-neighborhood of SoFi (South of Fifth).
Chef Peter Vauthy is making magic in that kitchen, we tried a range of dishes from amazing prawns to surf and turf. And don’t skip on dessert, I got to live my wildest Golden Girls dreams by eating a delicious cheesecake here in Miami, just like my girls Sophia, Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose would!
Stay at Eden Roc
When picking where to stay on your Miami trip, you can’t go wrong with many options along Miami Beach. We stayed at the iconic Eden Roc in the heart of Mid-Beach. This famous MiMo (Miami Modern) style hotel has seen many famous faces since opening in 1956, including Lucille Ball (and Desi too) among other famous names like Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Sammy Davis Jr., Harry Belafonte, Nat King Cole, and Barbara Streisand to name a few.
This glamorous mid-century stay was designed by Morris Lapidus, one of the most influential architects of his time and the hotel is a reminder of the Golden Era of mid-century elegance.
Beyond the cool historic significance and icon status of Eden Roc, it also has an incredible beachfront location. The beachfront here was amazing, so be sure to plan a little time to enjoy the white sandy shores and crystal clear turquoise blue waters during your stay. Guests get complimentary beach chairs and there are pools on the property too.
We had an amazing room in the oceanfront tower with our bed and balcony facing the ocean. This was such a nice way to start each morning and end each night, watching the ocean from above! Check out their rooms.
The Last Day: Relax and Rest at the Beach & Spa
On your final day of your 4 days in Miami, take time to enjoy the beach and relax! In addition to spending time enjoying your incredible beachfront stay (that’s why we recommend Eden Roc), we recommend finding other ways to rest and recharge, like pamper yourself at the spa!
Enjoy Miami Beach
Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy the sandy shores and gorgeous water that Miami Beach is so famous for! We really loved staying at Eden Roc in Mid-Beach because we had access to complimentary beach chairs (umbrellas for a small extra fee) and service on the beach.
We were able to order food and drinks right to our chairs which was really convenient. We also had a beautiful pink lifeguard tower right by our spot on the beach too, which are less frequent when you get out of the central South Beach area where there’s a higher concentration of them.
There are some beach sports and activities nearby you can join too if that’s your thing. We were all about the lounging on the chairs, basking in the sun, and taking a dip in the gorgeous blue water.
If you’re not an ocean swimmer, don’t worry. If you stay at Eden Roc you have a few pools you can swim in too!
Lunch at Ocean Social
Another win for Eden Roc is that they had a nice restaurant right by the beachfront you can dine at (if you don’t want to order to your lounge chair at the beach).
Ocean Social has cocktails and a great brunch and lunch menu to enjoy while still having great ocean views. We enjoyed the fish tacos, ceviche, and steak with yucca fries here!
Pamper Yourself at Esencia Wellness Spa
Another bonus for staying at Eden Roc is they have a great spa on site, Esencia Wellness Spa. You can book treatments and massages here. And when you’re done with your service you can stick around and enjoy the relaxation room, hydrotherapy amenities, and 22,000 square feet of facilities!
Even if you’re not staying at Eden Roc, if you spend over $200 at Esencia Wellness Spa you can also get complimentary access to Eden Roc’s pools too to enjoy the entire day here relaxing.
This was how we finished our own Miami itinerary and it was the perfect ending to an unforgettable vacation of exploring Miami.
We were honestly blown away with how much we loved Miami and the creative spirit this city has, both historically and to this day. We were absolutely in love with all the places we visited and vibrant areas to check out from the culturally rich Cuban American community in Little Havana, the pastel colored jewels of the Art Deco District, the colorful walls of Wynwood, the art scene in Miami’s Design District, and the lush Coconut Grove neighborhood.
That’s all in addition to the incredible beaches here too! It’s really no wonder why Miami is one of the most popular warm winter vacations in the USA with the coastline Miami Beach has to offer.
We will definitely be back whether we plan another Miami getaway or spend a few days before driving from Miami to Key West planning a few days here before visiting the Florida Keys again.
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