Downtown Miami is a district in Miami, steel-and-glass buildings have sprung up around downtown, the heart of the city. By day there's plenty of activity downtown, as suited lawyers and bankers share the sidewalks with Latino merchants wearing open-neck, intricately embroidered shirts called guayaberas. But it's still pretty quiet when all the merchants close up Miami shops for the night.
Downtown Miami includes the Central Business District (CBD) and Brickell. The border between them is the Miami River. Within Bricknell, Broadway splits Upper and Lower Brickell apart.
Brickell, which includes the Financial District, is home to the majority of the major corporations and large businesses in Miami. Along Brickell Avenue, you will find headquarters for major banks, real estate companies and law firms. In contrast to South Beach, Brickell tends to be more "buttoned-up" during the day. However, there are plenty of places to eat and relax by beautiful Biscayne Bay.
Better known as Miami’s finance district with a great variety of international banks, Brickell is also home to many of the best Miami vacation rentals. These are mainly preferred by tourists who want to enjoy a relaxing vacation away from the hectic Miami nightlife yet close enough to Downtown Miami and a 15-minute drive to South Beach. Business travelers from all over the world also prefer the Miami hotels in Brickell for their convenient location.
The Miami Metrorail offers convenient transportation from stops throughout Miami as well as Miami-Dade County, with connections to Tri-Rail to Miami International Airport, all Miami-Dade County bus lines, Tri-Rail and Amtrak. There are two main downtown stops: Government Center station 📍 and Brickell station 📍.
Most intercity buses terminate at the airport, from where you can take Metrorail to downtown.
The MiamiCentral 📍 train station has Brightline service from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, further north in the greater Miami area.
Public transportation in the downtown area is used more than in any other part of Miami and is a vital part of downtown life. The Metromover free of charge train system runs 3 lines through downtown (the downtown loop, the Omni loop, and the Brickell loop), and the Metrorail, Miami-Dade County's heavy rail system, makes 3 stops in the downtown area at the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Station, Government Center Station, and the Brickell Station. The MetroMover Brickell Branch has a stop at the MetroRail station as well as a few other stations in the area, and goes to Downtown Miami . Brickell Village, as it has come to be known, is a constantly evolving collection of not only brasseries and bistros, but also unique shops and services that reflect the wonderfully eclectic nature of Miami. The growth of office and residential space has also brought with it new supermarkets, pharmacies, dry cleaners and video stores to meet the needs of its residents. But Brickell Village's greatest assets are surely the natural beauty that surrounds it and the friendliness of its people.
Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd, 25.775572°, -80.186236°. This park has two amphitheaters (one large and a one smaller) and hosts live performances. This park also has memorials for the astronauts who perished in the Challenger spaceship accident, former president John F. Kennedy (the JFK Torch of Friendship), and a fountain dedicated to Claude Pepper, a distinguished US congressman.
Miami Circle, 25.76947°, -80.188961°. An archaeological site — a circle of holes and wood claimed to date back somewhere between 1,700 and 2,000 years old. 2018-09-09
Brickell Key (Claughton Island), 25.76760°, -80.18467°. An island community, attached to Brickell by a pedestrian friendly bridge. It is home to the famed Mandarin Oriental hotel. Strollers along Brickell Key often spot one of the many giant iguanas that make the island their home.
Jungle Island, 1111 Jungle Island Trail, 25.78605°, -80.17453°, +1 305-400-7000. Formerly Parrot Jungle, it's a lush tropical garden that features animal shows and exhibits.
Miami Seaquarium, 4400 Rickenbacker Causeway, 25.73297°, -80.16526°, +1 305 361-5705. This 38-acre tropical island paradise features marine shows and marine life exhibits. Expect to stay around two to three hours touring the large aquarium. 10 minutes from downtown Miami and directly adjacent to Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.
Miami Children's Museum, 25.78482°, -80.17639°.
Gesu Church, 118 NE 2nd St, +1 305 379 1424. Historic Roman Catholic church, built in 1896. 2021-07-17
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 464 NE 16th St, +1 305-456-8851. Built in 1925, this is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. 2021-07-17
This particular area is bustling with tourist and "white collar" workers during the day. It is pretty desolate and quiet at night. Due to downtown's previous shady reputation, for many years locals and tourists avoided the Downtown area in general. Today Brickell is one of Miami's hot spots for good restaurants, dynamic nightlife, and luxurious hotels.
There are plenty of fine Miami restaurants in Brickell with the best menus by outstanding chefs. Beneath the towering architectural masterpieces that rise along the eastern edge of Brickell you will find quiet, shaded streets that offer a charm and relaxed atmosphere that is unheard of among major metropolitan areas. And accompanying the resurgence of this diverse Miami neighborhood is a substantial growth in the amenities available to its residents. Nowhere is this more notable than in the area of dining and entertainment. Whether you're looking for a sandwich at a sidewalk cafe or a sumptuous gourmet meal, you'll find something to satisfy your palate on the streets of Brickell.
There are many hotels in this area, especially luxury hotels. Many celebrities and A-Listers choose to stay in Brickell hotels because it is centrally located in Miami (15 min from South Beach) yet it's away from all the noise and partying that is South Beach.