Miami Airport also serves as one of the city's ground transportation hubs. Several bus lines, subways, trains and several highways intersect near the terminal.
MIA Mover Automatic Train
From the terminal, the first thing you need to do for any mode of transport is to take the short MIA Mover automatic train line to the central transport hub "Miami Central Station", where, among other things, the rental car companies are located.
The train is free and runs 24 hours a day, the journey takes about 3 minutes.
During the day it runs about once every 2 minutes, the evening interval is extended to 4-5 minutes. Between 0:00 and 4:30, the train runs only on a call button, which can be found at each door on the platform. After pressing the button, the train will arrive within 4 minutes at the latest.
Follow the "MIA Mover" signs and the train cannot be missed. From the farthest corner of Miami Airport, you can reach the only train station within 15 minutes.
Rent a car
If you're planning to head straight from the airport to explore Florida, your only option is to rent a car right at the airport. From the terminal, take the above-mentioned MIA Mover train to Central Station, where a large building with all the rental car companies operating in Miami is located to the left.
Always book your car online in advance to ensure availability of a specific model and a significantly lower price.
A common price for a 7-day rental is around 400 usd, with better cars, such as convertibles, starting from 520 usd upwards.
If you will be staying purely in Miami for a few days after arrival, we recommend using public transport and renting a car when you travel outside Miami.
Bus to Miami Beach
The best accommodation options are in the most famous local area, which is Miami Beach. Directly from the airport, you can take the express bus line 150, which is complemented by the J. The 150 bus travels through the entire southern part of Miami Beach called South Beach, while the J line ends roughly in the middle of Miami Beach in the Mid Beach area.
- Travel time: 30-40 minutes depending on destination
- Frequency: 20 minutes (30 minutes after 21:00) for both the 150 and the J
- Hours of operation - 6:00-23:40 for the 150 line, 4:30-0:15 for the J line
- Timetable and map of line 150 / line J
Purchase your ticket at the ticket machine before entering the station. After getting off the MIA Mover, take a right and you will encounter two types of machines. The one on the left is for the TriRail train, it does not apply to you. The machine on the right is for Metrobus and Metrorail tickets, which is yours. You can pay with cash (coins and bills) and credit cards.
| 1 ride (1 transfer to metro allowed) | 2,25 usd |
| 1 day (calendar, not 24 hours) | 5,65 usd |
| 7 calendar days | 29,25 usd |
Day and multi-day passes are valid on all Metrobus and Metro buses throughout Miami.
You must take the first escalator on the left or the elevator down to the bus platform. The 150 bus stops at platform 10, which is the very first one at the escalator.
Metro to Downtown Miami
If you're heading straight to the heart of mainland Miami, where the financial district with its skyscrapers and large hotels is located, use the Orange Line. It connects to the Metromover at Government Center Station, which offers free trains every 5 minutes throughout Downtown Miami.
- Travel time Government Center / Brickell - 15 / 17 minutes
- Frequency - 15 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on weekends
- Hours of Operation - 5:00am-0:20pm
- Miami Metro Information: miamidade.gov/metrorail
The airport Metro station is located next to the bus stops, and you walk through turnstiles to get to the platform. Tickets can be bought at the same machine as bus tickets and are the same price:
| 1 ride (1 transfer to a bus allowed) | 2,25 usd |
| 1 day (calendar, not 24 hours) | 5,65 usd |
| 7 calendar days | 29,25 usd |
Day and multi-day tickets are valid on all Metrobus and Metro buses throughout Miami.
Map of public transport to Miami Airport
Taxi
Taxis are the only transportation that goes directly to the terminals. In this case, you don't need to use the automatic MIA Mover train and just follow the "taxi" navigation that will take you directly in front of the terminal.
The prices to/from the airport are fixed by zone, there are no scams on tourists. Prices do not include tipping, which is customary at 10-15%, but not mandatory.
Examples of taxi prices:
- Miami Beach (South, Mid) - 35 usd
- Miami Beach (North) - 40 usd
- Downtown - 22 usd
- Coconut Grove - 22 usd
- Official taxi fare for MIA
Train to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach
For travel north from Miami to West Palm Beach, use the "Tri Rail" rail line.
Trains run from 4:00 am to 9:40 pm every 20 minutes in the morning, once every hour through noon, and once every half hour in the afternoon. Tickets cost from 3,50 usd to 6,90 usd depending on the distance traveled.
You can also use Tri Rail to get from Miami to other airports in the Miami metropolitan area - Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
- Fort Lauderdale: travel time 45 minutes, price 3,75 usd
- West Palm Beach: travel time 105 minutes, price 6,90 usd
Official Tri Rail information can be found at: tri-rail.com
Miami Trolley - Free Transportation
For the very thrifty traveler, free transportation is also offered when traveling to Downtown (not Miami Beach), as lengthy and inconvenient as it is. The Miami Airport Central station is also served by the Flagami Route line of small buses in the historic Miami Trolley style.
It runs Monday through Saturday from 6:30am-11:00pm at intervals of about 30-40 minutes to the southwest area of Miami. The Flagami Route does not run on Sundays. There is no schedule information at the bus stops, online bus locations can be tracked on the official website. Frequency between connections is roughly 30-45 minutes.
Detailed information can also be found on the website: miamigov.com/Get-Trolley
If you're heading downtown, you need to get off at the 7th St / 37th Ave stop, walk about 300 meters south, where you can transfer to another Miami Trolley line called Little Havana, which runs through the Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana and takes you all the way to the Brickell Financial District.
From there, the Metromover automated train or other Miami Trolley lines will take you around downtown again for free. A similar process awaits you on your way to the airport. From the Little Havana line, get off at the NW 2nd Terrace stop and walk 300 metres north to board the Flagami line towards Miami Airport.
This whole ordeal, including the wait, can take up to 2 hours, and we mention it just to show you that there is a free shuttle to Miami Airport.
Other bus routes around the area
In addition to the 150 and J buses to Miami Beach, there are other buses departing from the Miami Airport Central bus station. You won't get much use out of these, except perhaps if you get really cheap accommodation outside the centre.
Ticket prices are the same as for the subway and the 150/J buses.
Click on the line number to see the timetable and map.
- Line 7A - detour to Downtown Miami, 30 minute interval, travel time approx. 35 minutes
- Line 37 - a long line connecting the western suburbs of Miami from Hialeah in the north through the airport to Coral Gables in the south (map and schedule), can be used as the fastest connection to Little Havana, arriving in about 20 minutes, interval 30 minutes
- Line 42 - another long route running through the western suburbs from Opa-locka in the north to Coral Gables in the south. It runs much further west than Line 37 and has little use for tourists
- Line 57 - runs from the airport to the southwestern part of Miami and has no use except possibly to private budget accommodations
- Line 238 - runs from the airport towards the western suburbs to the Dolphin Mall, passing several hotels on the very edge of Miami
- Line 297 - goes from the airport to the northern suburb of Miami Gardens and has no practical use for tourists
