Private Miami Night Boat Tour: Skyline and Star Island

★★★★★ 4.9 (4,064 traveller reviews)

River, then the bayYou pick the hour+$70 captain feeMiami River marina

Two hours on a boat of your own, with a captain, from a marina on the Miami River. You choose the hour, bring your own drinks and music, and head down the river to the bay, the islands and the lit skyline at your own pace. More travellers have reviewed it than anything else we list.

Hours, prices and access verified by the Miami Night Tours team — last checked 2026-09-28.

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Your boat, your hour, your music

The marina on the Miami River

You start at a private marina at 2610 NW 18th Terrace, on the Miami River west of downtown, not at Bayside. It sits inside a property and is easy to miss; allow time to find it, and call the number on your ticket if you cannot. The marina has no parking of its own. The nearest street parking is two blocks away, so a rideshare to the door is simpler. There is a restroom at the marina; use it before you leave.

The person who made the booking must be on the boat. Before you sail, the lead traveller signs a bareboat charter agreement and a captain is chosen for the trip, as U.S. Coast Guard rules require. After booking, you confirm your captain with the company; one September traveller found not knowing which captain would be free the only downside. The start and every other dock are on the meeting-point map.

Ten minutes of no-wake river, then the bay

The whole Miami River is a no-wake zone, so the first 10 to 15 minutes are a slow run downstream under the bridges and past the towers of Brickell. Most of the bay is slow-speed water too, so this is a cruise, not a speedboat ride. Once you reach Biscayne Bay, the route is yours to agree with the captain: the skyline, the causeways, Star Island and the homes along the water.

On some two-hour trips there is time to anchor for about 20 minutes and get in the water. Tell your captain early if you want that, and bring swimwear and towels. Fishing and towing sports are not allowed. Which landmarks you can see from the water, and which are lit, is on Miami night attractions.

What the $52 buys and the $70 on top

The $52 fare is a per-person price for two people on the smallest boat. It changes with your party size and the boat you pick. The options on sale when we checked were 21-, 22- and 24-foot boats for up to six and a 26-foot boat for up to eight. Fuel, landing and facility fees, life jackets for every age and the cooler with ice are all in it.

The captain fee is not. It is US$70 per booking for the two hours, and the company calls it the only additional fee. A tip for the captain is on top of that too. Every person aboard counts as a passenger under Coast Guard rules, lap children included, so count the whole party when you choose the boat. The other fees Miami boats add on the night are compared on the night tour options page.

Bring your own drinks

Nothing is sold on board, and that is the point. Bring your own bottle, soft drinks and snacks; the cooler and ice are waiting. Plug your phone into the Bluetooth radio for your own music. Keep the boat clean, and leave anything illegal ashore: the boats are drug-free.

Only the largest boat has a restroom on board. On the others, the marina's restroom before you leave is the last one for two hours. Travellers with back problems and pregnant travellers are advised not to take this trip.

Is it dark at the hour you choose

You choose the start time, so the dark is up to you. For sunset and then the lit skyline in one trip, start about an hour before sunset. In summer that means about 7pm; in December, closer to 4:30pm.

Times are the U.S. Naval Observatory's for downtown Miami in 2026. From November to February a 7pm start is already dark and October's is dusk; from March to September you leave in daylight, and in June the lights come on in your second hour. In the dark, the homes on the islands show as lit windows rather than facades. Evening temperatures by month are on Miami weather at night.

Your two hours, from the marina to the bay and back

1. Before you go. Confirm your captain with the company and bring the drinks.
2. At the marina. The lead traveller signs the charter agreement; everyone uses the restroom.
3. The first 15 minutes. Down the no-wake river under the bridges, past Brickell's towers.
4. Out on the bay. The skyline, the causeways and Star Island, at the pace you agree.
5. If there is time. About 20 minutes at anchor for a swim, when your captain allows it.
6. The way back. Up the river in the dark, the towers lit above you.
7. Two hours after you left. Back at the marina; pay the captain fee and the tip.

Who this suits, and who should book something else

What $52 a person covers, and what it leaves out

Know before you go

• The lead traveller sails. The person who booked must be aboard and signs the charter agreement.
• Budget US$70 more. The captain fee is per booking and paid on the night, plus a tip.
• No parking at the marina. Street parking is two blocks away; a rideshare is easier.
• Bring drinks and snacks. Nothing is sold aboard; the cooler and ice are waiting.
• Restroom first. Only the largest boat has one; the marina's is the last stop.
• Book a week ahead. Weekends are the busiest days for the boats.

What travellers said coming back up the river

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