Miami Night Visitor Guide
A night in Miami is sold four ways: on the bay, on the streets, on farm trails far south of the city and on a dance floor. Two things decide your evening: when the sun goes down, and what the fare leaves out. If you are weighing up Miami Night tickets, start with what each fare buys.
What an evening costs
The skyline, the bayfront and Ocean Drive's neon are free to look at. What you pay for is a seat on a boat or a bus, a quad on a trail, or a table and a lesson. Tips are extra almost everywhere, and some fares add a charge you pay on the night.
| How you spend it | What the fare buys | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| A cruise with the bar open | A 2-hour booking from Bayside, boarding included, with the open bar | $50 a person |
| A twilight cruise | About an hour on the bay from Bayside; drinks sold on board | $25 a person |
| A sunset cruise | 2 hours from Venetian Marina, bar on board; plus a $10 cash tip the listing calls required | $47.20 a person |
| The Big Bus at 8pm | 75 to 90 minutes on the open-top bus with a live guide | $36 a person |
| Your own boat | The whole boat and a captain for 2 hours; plus a $70 captain fee per booking | $52 a person |
| An ATV ride at night | An hour on your own LED-lit quad, far south of the city | $100 a person |
| A salsa night | A table from 7:30pm to 10pm, bachata and salsa lessons, a mojito, bites and club entry | $89 a person |
Every fare is quoted in US dollars, as each operator lists it. The cheapest seat on the water is Fiesta's twilight cruise at $25. One ATV park lists $15, but that buys entry to the park only, and you pay $100 a person more at the gate.
When it gets dark, and why it matters
Sunset in Miami moves almost three hours through the year, from 5:29pm in early December to 8:16pm in late June. Full dark follows about 25 minutes after sunset. So the Big Bus's fixed 8pm start is daylight in late June and two hours after dark in December. These times come from the U.S. Naval Observatory, for downtown Miami.
| Date | Sunset | Fully dark | At an 8pm start |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January | 5:52pm | 6:16pm | Dark for over an hour and a half |
| 15 March | 7:30pm | 7:53pm | Just dark |
| 15 April | 7:44pm | 8:08pm | Twilight |
| 15 May | 7:59pm | 8:24pm | Sunset |
| 27 June | 8:16pm | 8:42pm | Daylight |
| 15 August | 7:56pm | 8:20pm | Just after sunset |
| 15 September | 7:25pm | 7:48pm | Just dark |
| 15 October | 6:53pm | 7:16pm | Dark for about 45 minutes |
| 4 December | 5:29pm | 5:54pm | Dark for over two hours |
The clocks go back on 1 November 2026, and sunset jumps an hour earlier overnight, from 6:40pm to 5:39pm. In summer, book a later start if you want the lights; from November, almost any evening start is dark. Month-by-month evening weather is on the weather and dark times page.
Where the tours start
There is no single start. Several operators board inside Bayside Marketplace, and mixing up their docks is the commonest mistake travellers describe, so check the operator's name before you step aboard. Aqua Party Boat boards at Venetian Marina, on N Bayshore Dr north of downtown. The private boat leaves from a marina on the Miami River.
| Where you meet | Where it is | What starts there |
|---|---|---|
| Bayside Marketplace | 401 Biscayne Blvd, downtown: Miami Aqua Tours' dock by the Ferris wheel, Fiesta's booth at Pier 5 and Big Bus Stop #1 | The open-bar and skyline cruises, the twilight cruise and the 8pm bus |
| Venetian Marina | Pier 3, 1635 N Bayshore Dr, north of downtown | Aqua Party Boat's sunset, karaoke and true-crime cruises |
| The Miami River marina | 2610 NW 18th Terrace, with no parking on site | The private boat |
| Lot 17 under I-95 | 204 SW 3rd St, on the Miami River downtown | The LED kayak |
| Mango's Tropical Cafe | 900 Ocean Dr, South Beach | The salsa night |
| The W South Beach | 22nd St & Miami Beach Dr | The panoramic bus |
| THRoW Social, Wynwood | The side gate on NE 24th St | The pedal pub |
| Your hotel | Pickup at downtown hotels only | The van tour with the wheel |
| Two farms far south-west | 15450 SW 172nd Ave, and FarmHouse Miami, whose pin is on the ticket | The ATV rides |
The ATV farms are on the rural southern edge of the city, so you drive or take a rideshare there. Every start is plotted on the meeting-points map. Arrive 30 minutes early for the Bayside cruises, 15 to 20 for the Venetian Marina boats and 15 for the bus.
On the bay, the streets, the trails or the dance floor
The boats show you the skyline from the water, the one view you cannot walk to. Most pass Star Island's mansions and the cruise ships at PortMiami. A shared cruise sells you a seat; a private boat or the yacht gives your group the whole deck and the choice of music.
On land, the Big Bus runs from downtown over the MacArthur Causeway to South Beach, past Ocean Drive and the Art Deco Historic District. The van tour picks you up at your hotel and ends on the Skyviews Miami wheel at Bayside. The ATV rides are the only nights out on dirt, an hour or less on farm trails.
Rather compare them side by side?
Bay, streets, trails or dance floor: every evening option with where it starts, whether it is dark, and what you pay on the night.
What you pay on the night
Read a price box to the end before you book. The private boat adds a $70 captain fee per booking. The yacht adds its crew at $100 an hour, a $100 marina fee and $100 fuel. The Redland ATV park adds $100 a person at the gate and a $100 cash deposit per ATV.
Aqua Party Boat's sunset and karaoke cruises ask a $10 cash tip a person for the crew, which their listings call required. Bring cash for those, and budget a tip for the captain on the private boat too.
What is open late
Bayside Marketplace stays open until 10pm Monday to Thursday, 11pm on Friday and Saturday and 9pm on Sunday, and it is free to enter. The Skyviews Miami wheel stands on it, over 200 feet tall; check its hours for your date. Bayfront Park, next door on the waterfront, is on the Big Bus route.
Across the causeway, Ocean Drive's hotels light up after dark, and the salsa room at Mango's runs from 7:30pm, with the club open to 21 and over from 10pm. More on each landmark is in the night attractions.
Who each tour suits
The Big Bus, the twilight cruise and the salsa class before 10pm take children. The open-bar night cruise is for adults 21 and over, and so are the club night and the pedal pub. The Redland ATV ride takes riders aged 10 to 70 with a driver's licence or ID.
If you use a wheelchair, ask the operator before you book what boarding involves. The ATV park says it is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Cancellations, storms and the season
Most tours here refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. The LED kayak's terms contradict each other, so check them before you pay. If an operator cancels for bad weather, you are offered a new date or a full refund.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. In those months, book with free cancellation and check the forecast the day before your evening.
Bayside Marketplace
Bayside Marketplace is at 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132, telephone (305) 577-3344. It opens 10am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday and 11am to 9pm on Sunday, and stores keep their own hours. It has a paid garage. The mall does not sell or answer for the tours listed here.
Asked before you go
Which boat is mine at Bayside?
How early should I arrive?
Is there parking at the docks?
Is the open-bar cruise two hours on the water?
Do I need cash?
Are the tours in Spanish?
Next: read what travellers said, see the gallery, or compare every tour on Miami Night Tours.