Visiting Miami; Rent Car or Use Public Transportation (Miami Beach, Key West: to rent, insurance)

[Nia]

I will be visiting Miami soon(for the first time) and wondering if it would be better to rent a car while there (5 days) or just use their public transportation? I would rather drive, but I am honestly not too good with direction so kind of concerned that I might not be aggressive enough to handle the traffic. On the other hand public transportation might get tedious and annoying..especially since my destinations there are pretty spread out. Any suggestions?

[BarryU404]

Originally Posted by Nia

I will be visiting Miami soon(for the first time) and wondering if it would be better to rent a car while there (5 days) or just use their public transportation? I would rather drive, but I am honestly not too good with direction so kind of concerned that I might not be aggressive enough to handle the traffic. On the other hand public transportation might get tedious and annoying..especially since my destinations there are pretty spread out. Any suggestions?

Using public transportation will stress you out. Transportation is very infrequent and therefore will take you forever to get anywhere. You're better off renting a car.

[tallrick]

Rent the car, just get a strong one in case you have an accident. Oh yes and have good insurance. Using public transit is dependant on where you stay. The "metro rail" does not go anyplace a person would want to visit.

[HGONZ001]

There is no such thing as public transportation in Miami. Our only train line, takes you no where from the worst neighbourhoods. My advice, rent a car with GPS. You don't want to be seen with a map in you hands either. Maybe a SUV would be a good idea. Miami drivers are very dangerous and a compact car would not be very wise.

[mannye]

For Pete's sake... you guys make Miami sound like Baghdad on a bad day! As if there are roadside bombs waiting to blow up unsuspecting tourists. HGONZ001 has obviously (or at least seems to) have never traveled outside the US or even to other large metropolitan cities.

A GPS is a good idea in any city you don't know. I could never get around Los Angeles without one! It's also true that you should not expect public transportation to get you anywhere. It a joke.

Rent a car (convertible if you are coming in winter...the best ragtop weather.)

A compact is fine, especialy if you are thinking of staying in Miami Beach, where you can walk to most places and should only need the car occasionally. Something more comfortable like a midsize sedan would be better if you plan on going to the Keys (Key West is about 3.5 to 4 hours) or Disney (about 5 hours.)

Have fun!

[Dro420]

Definitely rent a car.

[doom1001]

Don't even think about public transportation,it can take you 2 hours to go somewhere you can drive in 30 minutes!!!

[MiamiRob]

Originally Posted by Nia

I will be visiting Miami soon(for the first time) and wondering if it would be better to rent a car while there (5 days) or just use their public transportation? I would rather drive, but I am honestly not too good with direction so kind of concerned that I might not be aggressive enough to handle the traffic. On the other hand public transportation might get tedious and annoying..especially since my destinations there are pretty spread out. Any suggestions?

NIA rent a car...Miami's public transportation is a work in progress and that being said Miami is laid out on a GRID street system.

NE/NW/SE/SW...it's one of the most easiest cities to navigate.

[Think (Freedom)]

NE/NW/SE/SW...it's one of the most easiest cities to navigate.

This is very true. A good sense of direction is really all you need here. That said, you should definitely rent a car. Public transportation's not the best or safest way to travel.