Best Beaches in Miami

South Florida’s most beautiful beaches

There are beaches there. I swear by the profoundly irate and, frankly, to-the-point ghost of Hemingway. That, for a writer, carries more sacred oomph than the other guy. If you squint hard enough, you can see it. You just have to mentally edit out a few recurring characters.

In this guide

1. Virginia Key – funky, forgotten and full of vibes
2. Bill Baggs Cape Florida – The lighthouse whisperer
3. Matheson Hammock Park – lagoon vibes & mosquito ambushes
4. Surfside – low-key, high-charm, mid-afternoon nap energy
5. Haulover Beach – where the clothes come off with the better judgement
6. Crandon Park – nature’s glitch in the Matrix
7. North Beach – the witness protection program vibe
8. South Beach – the peacock parade

For instance, take out the small army of Instagram celebs. The cabal of yoga and tai-chi–obsessed octogenarians, almost cult-like in their sunrise rituals. The family caravan that arrived at dawn with nine kids and enough camping gear to scale Everest. Yes, that guy skinning a goat? He’s their sherpa.

Then subtract the scattered “bros” who’ve lived off nothing but eggs and powdered something all year just to rip their shirts off for that special picture. Push past the tour group sloshing inexplicably through the tide, their guide pointing heroically toward Cuba. Oh, and that movie truck and the full production crew.

“Why are they hauling bags of fake blood? Is that Michael C. Hall? Oh God, they are resurrecting “Dexter” again… for the fifth time.”

There is a man yelling at a guy about an illegal drone. And that small child? The one building a sandcastle with a piece of driftwood that looks suspiciously like a bleached bone? Yeah, his mom forgot about him when one of the “bros” winked at her. He’s your responsibility now.

Anyway, trust me: there’s sand somewhere underneath all of South Beach’s glory. Beneath the oiled limbs, the selfies, the chaos and there’s something that vaguely resembles a shoreline. But that said, Miami, believe it or not, has more than just South Beach:

8. Virginia Key – funky, forgotten and full of vibes

This one’s Miami’s secret handshake and it’s just over the bridge from downtown. It is technically right there, but somehow ignored by every travel blog that uses “wanderlust” unironically.

Virginia Key is raw. There’s a beach and often a guy with a smoker by the beach. There’s history – it was once the only beach black folks could legally visit during segregation.

It’s not polished. But neither are you. And that’s why it works.

Oh and as an add on – it’s full of dolphins. There’s a reason why the series “Flipper” was filmed here. If they ever had a problem with one of the main attractions or the series protagonist all they had to do was toss a rock onto the surf and they’d hit a replacement in no time.

7. Bill Baggs Cape Florida – The lighthouse whisperer

At the very tip of Key Biscayne sits this slice of almost-untouched coastline. It has a lighthouse and it has sea oats. Also, It has an energy that says “shhhh” even if your toddler refuses to.

This is where you go when you want your beach day to feel like a postcard from a simpler timeline. It is pre-Instagram, pre-granola-in-your-cocktail and pre-Florida Man. If you’re lucky, you might spot a manatee. But, if you’re unlucky, you will spot a group of paddle boarders arguing about NFTs.

Pack a cooler, rent a bike, and leave your car in the parking lot – it has a huge one.

6. Matheson Hammock Park – lagoon vibes & mosquito ambushes

Matheson is weird. It’s not a beach so much as it is a crescent-shaped lagoon that looks like something designed by a kid with too many LEGOs and a love of sea creatures.

It’s family-friendly and ringed by palm trees. Sometimes, it feels like a mosquito convention where you’re the keynote speaker, but bring some spray and you’ll be golden.

5. Surfside – low-key, high-charm, mid-afternoon nap energy

Surfside is that in-between pocket of shoreline nestled north of the madness, south of the retirement homes. It’s subtle, which is rare here. Think beach chairs, paperbacks and someone named Marjorie who offer you SPF 70 unprompted.

There’s not much happening here and that’s the point. It’s a whisper in a city of screams. The water is clean and the crowds are minimal. Also, if you close your eyes you might just hear your own thoughts for once. This is rare in the Magic City.

Perfect if you want the beach without the bachelorette party doing TikToks 10 feet away – and playing with anatomically correct inflatable dolls. The police just came by, and yes, they are tossing loose bills at the Federale. And yes, he just took his RayBans off.. and is dancing. A man gets an invite to the wedding. This is a traditional scene in Miami. Background noise.

4. Haulover Beach – where the clothes come off with the better judgement

Haulover is where people let loose. Like, fully loose. It’s one of the few officially clothing-optional beaches in Florida, and if that sentence doesn’t make you blink, congratulations, you’re ready.

Oddly enough, it’s one of the friendliest, most chill beaches around. No one’s here to judge your tan lines (or lack thereof). People are kind. There’s a kite-flying zone. Sometimes there’s a drum circle. Other times, a woman named Renata hands out mango slices like she’s Mother Earth.

3. Crandon Park – nature’s glitch in the Matrix

Located on Key Biscayne, Crandon is where Miami goes when it wants to pretend it’s not Miami. You’ll see peacocks and raccoons. You’ll see a guy who swears he saw a monkey once and is now paranoid, and he most likely did see one. Miami is full of them. Why? Hurricanes swatted the zoos open and hundreds of them escaped. We also have a Monkey Jungle – a zoo.

This place is surreal. It’s a mishmash of mangroves, picnic grills, palm trees and iguanas with attitude. It used to be a coconut plantation.

Bonus: there’s parking. Which in Miami is like finding Atlantis and being handed a cold one by Poseidon on top of a unicorn. Yes, I know he has a fish tail and not legs, but it’s my imagination and I can’t stop it.

2. North Beach – the witness protection program vibe

This one’s for folks who want the beach experience without the thumping bass and the 3 girls who are constantly taking photos of their toes and going “that’ll pay this month’s rent.”

North Beach is where locals go when they’re tired of tourists asking where Tony Montana’s mansion is.

The sand is wide. The noise is low. You might actually hear the ocean instead of a bluetooth speaker blasting Bad Bunny’s B-side mixtape. It’s chill. It’s got that “bring your own sandwich and quietly stare at the surf” energy.

1. South Beach – the peacock parade

You come here because you think you have to. It’s in every movie. Every montage. Every overproduced Instagram reel with dubstep and bad drone work. It’s “Miami Vice” and “Scarface.” And it’s “American Crime Story” Season II. Those three icons should tell you what to expect.

And yes, South Beach is beautiful. The turquoise water, powdered sugar sand and lifeguard towers painted by someone who maybe once met Warhol.

But also: it’s insane. As in, your pituitary gland will explode along with everything else. Full overload. It’s a runway for bodybuilders, wannabe influencers and vacationing dental hygienists named Trish who are here to get messy.

No one speaks of what happens in Vegas, It stays there. Same concept, except here, you could wake up with a D cup police chalk tan line where someone fell asleep on top of you.

The drinks are overpriced, the sun is lethal, and you will end up in the background of someone’s OnlyFans content.

Finding Waldo, in sand form

So yes, somewhere beneath the biceps, the influencers, the inflatable swans and the long-lost cast of, I’m going to say “Narcos” Season 8, there is a beach. Trust me on this.

Multiple beaches, actually. Each with their own glitchy, lopsided, sunburned charm.

The trick isn’t finding the “best” one. It’s finding the one that matches your level of weirdness that day. Want to tan with nudists? Cool. Want to picnic with lizards? Sorted. Want to stare at the ocean and wonder how the sky looks hungover? Welcome.

What is your favorite beach in Miami? Let us know in the comments!