DISTANCE: 2.5 miles (4km)
TIME: One day, allowing for museum visits and public transport
START: Trinity Cathedral
END: Bayfront Park
POINTS TO NOTE: Click here for more information on using public transport. The Pérez Art Museum Miami is closed on Wednesdays but open until 9pm on Thursdays. The Miami Science Barge is only open on Saturdays. You can combine this tour with both the Brickell (for more information, click here) and the downtown routes (for more information, click here), as the areas overlap.
This route combines walking and Metromover public transport to explore the east side of Downtown, close to Biscayne Bay.
Trinity Cathedral
Begin the tour at the impressive Trinity Cathedral 1 [map] (464 NE 16th Street; tel: 305-374-3372; www.trinitymiami.org), ensconced amidst the Downtown skyscrapers. The original wooden church here was founded in June 1896, a month before the city itself was incorporated, making it the oldest church in the original city limits. It was replaced by a stone church in 1912, and then in 1925 the present building opened to provide extra space for a fast-growing parish. Inside is a remarkable collection of mosaics and stained glass, the Jubilee Altar with its five crosses, and an Aeolian-Skinner organ. It’s worth trying to visit during Evensong or an organ recital.
A splash of pink: the Metromover in Downtown
SuperStock
Walking west on NE 15th Street, on the south side of the cathedral, you’ll soon see the elevated tracks of Miami’s Metromover system. Make a left turn under the tracks when you get to N Bayshore Drive and walk south. You’re actually close to the Metromover station for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts 2 [map] (1300 Biscayne Blvd; tel: 305-949-6722), which you reach by turning right on NE 14th Street and then left on Biscayne Blvd. This is the largest performing arts center in Florida (for more information, click here), and even if you don’t plan to go to a performance, the building itself is definitely worth a look. It opened in 2006 and two years later acquired its name when Adrienne Arsht, a businesswoman and philanthropist, donated $30 million to ensure the center’s financial survival. It’s now home to the Florida Grand Opera and the Miami City Ballet and also puts on many other dance, drama, and music shows in its exquisite auditoriums.
A fun display at the Frost Museum of Science
Getty Images
Museum Park
Return north along N Bayshore Drive heading back towards the cathedral, but when you reach NE 15th Street turn left and you’ll come to the Metromover station for the Adrienne Arsht Center. There’s only one line here so take the next train going south and get off at the next station, Museum Park.
Frost Museum of Science
Directly opposite the station gleams the brand new Frost Museum of Science 3 [map] (3280 S Miami Avenue; tel: 305-646-4200; www.frostscience.org; daily 9am−6pm; charge). Opened in 2017, having been relocated from elsewhere in the city, the museum is made up of four separate buildings. One houses the 250-seater Planetarium, one of the most advanced in the US with a frighteningly realistic view of almost 360 degrees. A second building contains the triple-level Aquarium, which takes you from above the waters of the South Florida coast to the depth of the ocean. The North and West Wings contain the rest of the permanent displays, and visiting exhibitions on six different levels, making for a lengthy visit if you hope to see everything.
Pérez Art Museum Miami
Daniel Azoulay/Pérez Art Museum Miami
Pérez Art Museum Miami
For the next museum, walk right next door, west, to the Pérez Art Museum Miami 4 [map] (1103 Biscayne Blvd; tel: 305-375-3000; http://pamm.org; Fri−Tue 10am−6pm, Thu 10am−9pm; charge). This contemporary art museum was also relocated to Museum Park, this one in 2013, when it acquired almost 500 works to expand the collection. Mexican artist Diego Rivera features here, alongside other Latin American artists, especially from Cuba. The museum concentrates on the 20th and 21st centuries, and also on the arts and cultures of North and South America, Africa, and Western Europe.
If you’re visiting on a Saturday then there’s one other attraction to see in Museum Park: from the art museum walk east towards the bay and then south alongside the bay to the new Miami Science Barge (1075 Biscayne Blvd; tel: 305-912-3439; www.miamisciencebarge.org; Sat 11am−5pm; suggested donation). While it can hardly compete with the science museum, this floating marine laboratory and educational center is still a fun place to see. The aim is to encourage the development of a sustainable Miami by concentrating on the area’s unique ecological system. There’s an onboard farm that produces food and water, and generates power, and there are talks and workshops too.
Around the Freedom Tower
You have two options from here: you could continue walking south along the Museum Park Baywalk, which follows the coast to become the Baywalk Path. Or you could return to the Museum Park Metromover station, hop on for three stops south and get off at Freedom Tower (for more information, click here). Or if you’re hungry at this stage, then go one stop to Eleventh Street and diagonally opposite the station is La Esquina at 11th Bistro Italiano, see 1. For something Greek then one block south, between NE 2nd Avenue and Biscayne Blvd, is Elia Gourmet, see 2. From either of these you can then resume your Metromover ride to Freedom Tower.
An optical installation at the Pérez Art Museum Miami
Patrick Farrell/Visit Florida
You exit from the Freedom Tower station on NE 2nd Avenue, with the tower itself visible to the east. Walk south on the avenue to the next junction and head east on NE 6th Street, also known as Port Blvd. Ahead of you looms the unmissable shape of the American Airlines Arena (601 Biscayne Blvd; tel: 786-777-1000; www.aaarena.com; for more information, click here). Even if you don’t plan to visit, it’s still worth a look. This multi-million-dollar venue hosts big-scale live concerts, think Ed Sheeran, Radiohead, Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand, U2, Celine Dion, and Madonna. It’s also a sports arena and home to Miami’s National Basketball Association team, Miami Heat. It can host smaller shows too, in its Waterfront Theater, which is the largest theatre in Florida with a capacity for up to 5,800 people.
From the arena head for the Freedom Tower (for more information, click here), which houses the MDC Museum of Art and Design 5 [map] (Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd; tel: 305-237-7700; www.mdcmoad.org). When it reopens in spring 2018, it will display the Miami−Dade College’s large collection of art and design, including paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, videos, and installations. Highlights include the Pop Art collection and the works by contemporary artists from Latin America.
Bayside
On leaving Freedom Tower, walk south down Biscayne Blvd on the bay side of the road. You could take the Metromover to the next attraction but it’s only a 5-minute walk. As you cross Port Blvd it’s impossible to miss the huge BAYSIDE sign at the side of the path, but keep walking south as the pedestrian entrance is further on. This is the Bayside Marketplace (401 Biscayne Blvd; tel: 305-577-3344; www.baysidemarketplace.com; Mon−Thu 10am−10pm, Fri−Sat 10am−11pm, Sun 10am−9.30pm), a mix of shopping mall, entertainment complex, and restaurants. It leads right through to the marina, with plenty of waterfront eating options. There’s everything from casual fast food to steakhouses, with just about every kind of cuisine under the sun, a good choice being Mambo Café, see 3. Shopping-wise you’ll find fashion, shoes, electronics, jewelry, health and beauty, cigars, galleries, as well as a Disney store and a Harley Davidson store. You can take boat rides from here, and there’s a Walk of Fame featuring Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum; the stars were designed by artist Romero Britto (for more information, click here).
The Bayside Marketplace enjoys a lovely setting
Shutterstock
From the Marketplace you can walk around the marina or return to Biscayne Blvd and walk south to the adjoining Bayfront Park (www.bayfrontparkmiami.com). This genteel park with bay views houses the Bayfront Park Amphitheater. There are regular yoga classes and even a trapeze school if you fancy ending this route on a high. If you’d rather round it up with a meal, leave the park, cross Biscayne Blvd and walk west on NE 1st Street, then right on NE 3rd Avenue to sample the Peruvian delights at Pollos and Jarras, see 4.
Food and Drink
1 La Esquina at 11th Bistro Italiano
1040 Biscayne Blvd; tel: 305-381-5384; www.facebook.com/laesquinaat11th; daily B, L and D; $
This casual Italian restaurant has freshly-prepared homemade food like swordfish carpaccio, pizzas, clam pasta, and grilled fish, as well as great Italian coffee and tiramisu. Early in the day there are breakfast pastries and croissants.
2 Elia Gourmet
900 Biscayne Blvd #105; tel: 786-558-3542; www.eliamiami.com; daily B, L and D; $$
In this case gourmet doesn’t mean smart and fancy, but top-notch Greek/Mediterranean food served in a relaxed café-style setting with some outdoor seating. For dinner Chef Dimitri Harvalis adds some specials like pastitsio and New York strip.
3 Mambo Café
Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Blvd Suite S119; tel: 305-374-7417; http://mambocafemiami.com; daily B, L and D; $$
In among the fast-food chains at Bayside Marketplace, the lively Mambo Café stands out. It’s a casual but colorful place with waterfront tables and a blend of Cuban, Caribbean, and Spanish dishes, such as paella, mofongo, and Cuban sandwiches.
4 Pollos and Jarras
115 NE 3rd Avenue; tel: 786-567-4940; http://pollosyjarras.com; daily L and D; $$
Don’t be deterred by the bland tables outside. Inside is a colorful Peruvian bar and restaurant spread over two floors, with an extensive menu of ceviches, tiraditos, and parrillas… and pisco sours, of course.