The Miami river walk trail is touted as a highlight of any downtown visit. It’s described as a ‘hiking area’ on Google Maps with excellent reviews averaging 4.7 stars, so I was excited to explore it. But the reality of what I found when I got there really took me by surprise…
In this guide, I hope to save you from wasting precious travel time and manage your expectations of what the river walk in Miami actually entails.
At Run/Walk/Explore, we love a waterside walk. Whether it’s a relaxing River Avon walk in Bristol or along the beaches of Capri, there’s something soothing about strolling by the water.
So when I saw there was a riverwalk in Downtown Miami, I was excited to explore it. Anyone who’s seen Bad Boys or CSI Miami will know exactly why – there are some of the most epic chase scenes set against its backdrop. Miami’s downtown waterways are pretty iconic.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. (For any non-Brits reading, this is an unnecessarily diplomatic way of saying it was rubbish – a complete disappointment and waste of time).
The good news is that I did find an even better alternative to the Miami river walk that you’ll really like instead…
The Official Miami River Walk
Let’s start with the disappointing one and get that out of the way… The river walk starts and finishes in Downtown Miami, next to Bayfront Park. Confusingly, there’s also a metro station called Miami River Walk that doesn’t actually connect to the walking path. So your best option is to get off at the Bayfront Park Metro station since it’s much closer.
If you’re coming from the metro or park, head towards the Intercontinental Hotel. The entrance to the walk is tucked between the hotel and the water, so you can’t go wrong by heading in this direction.
You might also like… How to spend 3 days in Miami or our dreamy Miami beach self-guided walk.
It skirts the edge of the bay and then turns inward along the river. At this point, you can enjoy impressive views of the water and high-rise skyscrapers as you stroll along the palm tree-lined promenade. It’s a lovely spot to stop and people watch as speed boats whizz up and down the river.
But then the walk just stops. It takes 5 minutes from end to end.
It does look as if you should be able to continue walking further along the river, but the path is blocked off. This might be due to nearby building work but it doesn’t look like it’ll be opening up any time soon.
I would say the river walk is worth a few minutes if you’re already in downtown Miami and exploring Bayfront Park. It’s a 5-minute detour and has some lovely views, so you might as well visit if you’re nearby. But IMHO opinion, it’s not worth making a trip especially to see this. Save your precious travel time and spend it visiting better sights in Miami.
A Better Alternative To The Official Miami River Walk
If you’re looking for a stunning riverside walk in Miami, you’re much better off going to Brickell Key instead. It’s a gorgeous mile-long loop with views of the bay, modern high-rise buildings, and incredible super yachts.
This walk exceeded expectations and delivered everything we were hoping the Miami river walk would be. I actually ran along it as the sun came up (one of the benefits of jet lag) and the colours over the water were simply stunning.
Or, you could do a self-guided walk of Miami Beach instead – that one absolutely lives up to the hype!
FAQs
The river walk in Miami is 0.2 miles (0.3 km) and takes 5 minutes end to end.
Yes you can walk along it for a short section but not very far, so you’re better off doing a river cruise if you want to see more.
The river walk starts next to Bayfront Park by the Intercontinental Hotel (look for the Liberty Column and Seafair mega yacht).
Yes there are benches and low walls along the promenade where you can stop and take in the views. The Intercontinental Hotel also has a restaurant with an outdoor terrace overlooking the Miami river.
The citizenM Wordtrade Center is one of the best boutique hotels in Miami and very close to the river walk, or there are plenty of great hotels in Brickell which is also nearby.
