Miami · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Miami rewards the broke traveller — the beach costs nothing, the Deco district is a free museum, buses are cheap.
Hostels on Washington Avenue
Most South Beach dorms sit on Washington and the blocks around Española Way — three minutes from sand, and open all night for arepas.
What a day costs
Reckon on 30–55 USD for a dorm bed, 25–40 for food if you eat Cuban counters and food halls, under 10 for transport.
Getting around cheap
The Miami Beach Trolley and the downtown Metromover are both free; an EASY card covers Metrobus and Metrorail, and Citi Bike docks sit every few blocks.
Free by day
The sand and the Boardwalk cost nothing, the Wynwood side streets are covered in murals outside the paid walls, and South Pointe Park watches the cruise ships leave.
Where travellers meet
The Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive is where guided walks gather, and the hostel bars on Washington fill from about nine.