I’ll admit it. I’m an addict. My vice? COLOUR. Muted tones might be the “in” thing on Instagram, but I’m happiest when surrounded by colour. Blue skies, colourful street art and vibrant plates of food. It extends to the culture of a place too. London may be famed for its grey skies, but the culture and lifestyle is anything but dull.
And the ultimate colourful place? Well, I think I might have just found it. Welcome to Miami – a place that had me smiling from start to finish. From the murals of the Wynwood Walls and the bright lifeguard huts on South Beach, to the Cuban charisma of Little Havana and the Latin soundtrack that resonated throughout, I felt like I found my sunshine-filled happy place!
Over five days I explored as much of the city as I could, checking out cool restaurants, food tours, live music, and some of the areas that come together to make up this diverse city.
How To Get To Miami
I travelled to Miami with KLM, who have flights departing from 17 UK regional airports to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. From there it’s easy to connect to one of their long haul destinations, which include Havana, Tokyo, Nairobi, Aruba and of course MIAMI! Service is fun and friendly, and you can find some great value flights if you book in advance.
From Miami International Airport, it’s around 25 minutes to South Beach where I’d recommend staying. To get around the city, I’d recommend downloading the Uber app. It’s very reasonable and if you need convincing.
What To Do In Miami
Wynwood Walls
I’d seen so many photos ahead of my visit, and this was somewhere I was dying to explore during my trip. The Wynwood Walls were created in 2009 by the late Tony Goldman, who decided to transform the area into a giant open-air art gallery as a way of revitalising it. Needless to say, it worked!
They’ve expanded to include the Wynwood Doors and Garden, with top international graffiti and street artists being invited to create new works for the area. While it’s a feast for the eyes, I’d also recommend taking a tour with Miami’s Best Graffiti Guide so you can learn about the murals and the artists behind them.
From Maya Hayuk’s alluring pink geometric patterns, to Crash’s mix of comic strips and pop art and Shepard Fairey’s Wynwood mural, there’s plenty to see.
Insider tip: There’s more to this neighbourhood than the area known as the Wynwood Walls. The incredible street art covers a distance of several blocks surrounding Wynwood, so stretch your legs and explore on your own time.
Miami Design District
Another photogenic area of the city is Miami Design District. It’s a mix of shopping, design and architecture, with a few restaurants established there too. As I passed trees covered in silver streamers, stopped to take photos of a huge tropical themed mural, and wandered a shopping street painted in luminous orange, it didn’t feel like any shopping experience I’d had before. I loved the Fly’s Eye Dome – a weird and wonderful dome-like structure in the centre of the shopping plaza, and the funky swings on the upper floor.
Art Deco Buildings
Miami Beach’s Art Deco Historic District is made up of over 800 buildings built between 1923 and 1943. While you might think of art deco buildings as being predominantly white, the Miami Beach area shows off a style called Tropical Deco. Pastel pinks sit next to pale greens and baby blues. It’s super cute and the kind of place it’s lovely to wander around taking pictures.
South Beach Food Tour
One of my favourite ways to get to know a new place is to go on a food tour. Not only do you get to taste the flavours of the area, you also get to hear the stories and meet the local characters. This Miami food tour of South Beach was excellent, with tour guide Jen giving a great round up of Miami’s Latin influences, and where to find the real flavours of the city.
After trawling Ocean Drive on night one and finding lots of restaurants serving up similar menus of burgers and giant cocktails, it was great to find out where to go for great local food. We sampled delicious ceviche at Colombian restaurant Bolivar, Cuban picadillo at Larios (Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s restaurant), and tasty sourdough pizza pockets at Block’s Pizza.
