Miami’s diverse neighborhoods offer a range of activities, from cultural to sporting. Residential Coral Gables is known for its examples of architectural elegance, including the Biltmore Hotel, Fairchild Tropical Garden and the incomparable Venetian Pool, while the bustling Bayside harbor complex in Downtown Miami offers boat excursions. The distinctly Latin district of Little Havana, home to the city’s huge Cuban population, has cigar-making shops and is the place to be in March for the lively Calle Ocho Festival. Over in Miami Beach, South Beach is one of the most-visited neighborhoods, famed for its pastel and stainless steel Art Deco buildings, where the legendary Ocean Drive boulevard is fringed by Miami’s trendiest sidewalk boutiques, bars and restaurants – the favorite haunts of such local celebrities as Gloria Estefan, Madonna, Ricky Martin and Donatella Versace.

Perhaps Miami’s biggest crowd-puller is its rich multicultural flavor, which gives the city an undeniably unique atmosphere. Just as the rest of America has embraced the rhythms of heart-throb Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and other Hispanic music sensations, Miami has long been swaying to a Latin remix of sensuality, salsa and South Beach style, making it one of the most exciting cities in the USA.

Visitors should note that Miami is divided into quadrants. Flagler Street runs east–west, thus dividing the city into north and south sections, while Miami Avenue runs north–south, splitting the city into east and west sections. Most Miami addresses refer to these quadrants.

Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is the metropolis’s nerve center (the commercial heart of the city) distinguished by its sleek skyscrapers, impressive government buildings and cultural centers and edged by the Port of Miami, the largest cruise ship port in the world. Brickell Avenue is home to major international banks and businesses, as well as Brickell Village, the area around SW Sixth Street, which has power-lunch restaurants cum buzzing nightspots. On the waterfront, the lively Bayside Marketplace is a popular shopping and entertainment arcade, clustered around a small harbor and abuzz with bars, shops and market stalls. Bayside is the main stop for the water taxi service (see Getting Around) and the starting point for several boat tours (see Tours of the City) of Miami Bay. Adjacent to Bayside Marketplace is the American Airlines Arena, a 20,000-person entertainment venue and home of the basketball team Miami Heat. The historic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts nearby hosts the Miami Film Festival and other cultural events under a painted ‘starry sky’ ceiling. Beyond the port, exclusive Fisher Island, accessible only by boat or private plane, is the address in Miami and home to many celebrities.

South Beach
Glitzy, glamorous South Beach is undoubtedly the trendiest part of town, the place to see and be seen and a magnet for celebrities and fun-lovers who thrive on its cosmopolitan atmosphere, designer shopping, upbeat restaurants and fast-paced nightlife. By day, a young, hip crowd of trendy film-star wannabes, international supermodels, artists, writers, tourists, strollers, strutters and the thriving local gay community all cruise Ocean Drive and the pedestrian-friendly Lincoln Road Mall, with its art galleries, shops, and restaurants – providing the colorful mix that fuels the district’s feverish energy levels. By night, salsa or techno music flows from the many dance clubs onto the busy streets.

South Beach itself, with its white sands, palm trees and dazzling blue sea, stretches from Lincoln Road Mall to South Pointe Park at the southernmost tip (great for surfing, fishing and sunsets). The main access point is Lummus Park, bordering Ocean Drive, a favorite park for in-line skaters and volleyball players. However, the most striking feature of South Beach is its famous Art Deco Historic District – over 800 buildings within one and a half sq kilometers (one sq mile), all in the same streamlined architectural style, painted in pastel shades and lit with brilliantly colored neon lights. Even the Burger King on Alton Road is housed in an Art Deco structure. Tours of the district are offered on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday mornings or Thursday evening and self-guided tour maps are always available at the Art Deco Welcome Center.

Miami Beach
Miami Beach is located on a long slender island connected to mainland Miami by four main causeways. It comprises various coastal towns, each with its own personality – including Surfside, the upscale shopping district of Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, South Beach (see above) and Golden Beach. Miami Beach’s white sands extend from Lincoln Road Mall northwards to 87th Street, with a scenic boardwalk popular with joggers and strollers, and pastel-colored Art Deco lifeguard stations dotting the shoreline. A variety of watersports are available, including windsurfing, sailing, jet-skiing and parasailing.

Little Havana
After Fidel Castro took power in 1959, refugees fleeing Cuba settled just west of downtown Miami, in a neighborhood known as Little Havana. Today, with its 800,000-strong Cuban-American community, this colorful district has a distinctly Latin atmosphere with its Spanish signs, Cuban coffee bars and restaurants, small cigar factories and street-side food stalls, selling such delicacies as baho (Cuban stew) and freshly squeezed juices. Monuments to anti-Castro Cubans line the streets, especially around Calle Ocho (Eighth Street), the liveliest part of Little Havana and the venue for the Calle Ocho Festival, a famous annual spring carnival – America’s largest street party.

Key Biscayne
Linked to the mainland by the Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne combines traditional Florida-style houses with ostentatious mansions belonging to some of Miami’s wealthiest residents. The beaches here rank among Florida’s best – their fine sand and relatively calm seas make them a popular choice for families. Other top attractions include two beautiful parks (Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area and Crandon Park) both with magnificent beaches, bike trails and nature walks. The small Crandon Family Amusement Center in the park has an old-time carousel, playground and outdoor roller rink.

Key Biscayne - Miami

Coconut Grove
Located on the edge of Biscayne Bay, south of downtown Miami, Coconut Grove is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, with bohemian roots. Settled by a multicultural group of Bahamians and New Englanders, the neighborhood drew artists and intellectuals, who set up summer homes here. Today, it is a trendy district with a bustling village atmosphere, full of colorful galleries, theaters, nightclubs, fine restaurants, hip sidewalk cafés and shops. The main attraction is The Gallery at CocoWalk, a stylish shopping mall packed with restaurants, bars, shops and a cinema. It is also home to the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

Coral Gables
This elegant Mediterranean-style residential district (16km (10 miles) southwest of downtown Miami) was created by local developer George Merrick during the boom years of the 1920s. Today, it contains some of the city’s finest architecture, set amid broad boulevards, canals and parkland. Some buildings are preserved as historic landmarks, including the stunning Biltmore Hotel, identified by its 15-story tower modeled on the Giralda bell-tower in Seville. The remarkable Venetian Pool, transformed from a mere rock quarry in 1923, has exotic bridges and waterfalls and was the site of many high-society soirées and beauty pageants in its time, as the vintage on-site photographs reveal. Today, it is the only swimming pool on the National Register of Historic Places. Coral Gables is also known for its art galleries, its exclusive Miracle Mile shopping street, its neatly manicured golf courses and some of the best hotels and restaurants in town.

Historical Museum of Southern Florida
This museum offers a fascinating insight into the region’s past. It has a small but impressive collection of hands-on displays, archive material, historical objects and multimedia presentations, which covers 10,000 years of Florida history from the first settlers to the present day.

Art Museums
The Miami Art Museum displays international art since World War II, complemented by art from other periods to provide historical perspective. Meanwhile, the new Miami Beach Cultural Park has many art institutions, one of which is the Bass Museum. The permanent exhibits of this weighty art museum focus on European works from the 15th to 18th centuries. A new wing, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, also has a outdoor sculpture garden. The Wolfsonian Museum, affiliated with the Florida International University, was founded by an eccentric world-traveller and Miami native from his own collection of modern design and ‘propaganda arts’. One-of-a-kind exhibits address 19th- and 20th-century political themes, displaying the arts and crafts that were created to persuade, nationalise or rally citizens. The gift shop sells high-design home decor objects and lovely art books.