We don't have public transportation. There are buses for neighborhoods you wouldn't want to visit on vacation and metro rail is to help the northern folks get to the nice malls and the southern folks get to court or jury duty. It's not an option. YOu can bum rides from stragers and get around better. Rent a cheap car. OUr taxi's are also expensive. Right now car rental rates can be negotiated so ask several agencies. Call back again and check websites....Miami is too spread out to walk. If you're going to South Beach you'll be passing through and can possibly get lost in not so good neighborhoods. Remember South Beach was recently revitalized, it hasn't been a nice place for decades. Now you hop over the "other" parts of town to get to South Beach and overspend on tourist food. It's great people watching, and probably the location of choice for gay visitors but it's touristy....Miami is tough without a car and you can't get to the Keys without one. Try hooking up with other tourists if you're adventurous but don't plan on the metrorail. Tell us what you hope to do there and we can help with directions.

Great thread for people like me who prefer not to rent a car when travelling. Pretty much eliminated Miami as a destination for me. <BR> <BR>I must add, however, that you can do perfectly well without a car in Key West. I do it every couple of years - fly directly into KW, take a cab to your hotel or guest house. Rent a bike.

S--<BR><BR>I topped this thread for you since you asked if renting a car was necessary in Miami. <BR><BR>DAN

Hi Dan,<BR>i'm sorry to hear that you've eliminated miami as a vacation spot because you can't get around on public transit here..but you can get around..<BR>i've used metrorail, metromover & the buses/shuttles over a 3 month period..<BR>metrorail/mover works very well..buses<BR>usually work on a 20-30 minute schedule..especially from the train stations..there are usually shuttle buses to areas of interest..if you stay on South Beach only..you won't need a car,you can walk everywhere on South Beach..by the way i'm originally from NYC & have been on the subways..it's not scary at all..a lot of miami prima donna's on here i guess...lol...

Hey Dan! I'd advise you to study the Miami-Dade transit website a little bit. Its worth it. Write down the routes you need to take ahead of time, take them with you and then ride. Be forwarned that Miami has some of the worst drivers in the U.S. You could easily get hurt on Dade County roadways.

Okay, people! Miami-Dade Transit is not that bad. It is, by far, the best in Florida and the second best in the Southeast. We have the Metrorail elevated rail that connects many points, including Dadeland, Univ of Miami, and more. The Metromover peoplemover cars (3 lines) run all over downtown and you are never more than 3 blocks from a station. You can take TriRail Commuter Rail from Miami all the way to West Palm Beach, with shuttles that run to all major airports and cities. And a buses run from Downtown Miami to South Beach every 5 minutes or so and they run ALL night. I have a car now, but for many years I did not and I have friends that do not have cars and are completely content. Okay, you may not be able to go to the SuperWalmart without a car, or to some far removed gated community out west but it does suffice for many of us.

I just read some of the later responses to my query. I find it fascinating how some people confidently expressed that public transit in Miami is a "no-go" in the responses close to the time I posted. The last bunch of posters however seem to hold quite a different opinion, saying it IS do-able. (BTW life has been crazy, so this trip was put on the back-burner for the time being; only new place I've been able to make it to of late is Pittsburgh--which incidentally is quite doable by public transit.) <BR><BR>I thank everyone for their input; the diversity of opinions on this matter has been absolutely phenomenal. Posts like this make me love this site!

Daniel,<BR><BR>First off let me say, why in god's name would you want to vacation in Miami. I have lived in Fl. for 30+ years and I avoid Miami like the plague. Just reading this post is stressing me out as it should you. How can you have a relaxing vacation when you are constantly worrying about how to get from here to there, or is it even safe to do so. My suggestion would be to forget Miami (except as a starting point to get to the keys, which make for a truly wonderful vacation) and look for a place where you can enjoy yourself and relax. I would suggest Key west as you can walk everywhere or rent a scooter to really see the island, or one of the gulf coast areas, clearwater/st. pete are my favorites. Thats just my humble opinion. There is a reason that the rest of the state says "will the last american to leave miami please bring the flag". Bring on the flames

American is a country founded by immigrants for immigrants. Miami is just like NY was in the early to mid 2-th century. It is a city of immigrants and descendants of immigrants who are mostly US CITIZENS and almost all US PERMANENT RESIDENTS and have every right to be in Florida as the rednecks and white trailer trash of North Florida. Miami is the most diverse city in the US and known worldwide as one of Americas great cities. Int'l tourists visit NY first, then LA, then Miami. Not St Petersburg Florida where blacks are isolated into ghettos and rich whites from the midwest populate the waterfront areas. As for public transit, it is one of the best in the Southeast. With MetroRail, Metrobus, Metromover, TriRail, BCT, and Palm Tran you will not have a problem routing yourself around here at all. Late at night you need to check the Blue Line schedules and budget plenty of time for buses as they must negotiate through SoFla traffic.