How to get around during Miami Art Week — and avoid maddening gridlock
Art Week comes with plenty of art – and plenty of traffic.
So expect slower commutes in Miami Beach and the downtown Miami area this week as Art Basel, satellite art fairs and special events move in to the region.
But getting to, from or around Art Week doesn’t have to mean sitting in traffic.
Here are some transporation tips:
Traffic trends: Drive yourself or get a ride?
There’s a the trade-off between driving yourself and paying for parking, using public transportation or using a rideshare app like Uber and Lyft.
Parking your car during Art Week can be a hassle. When you finally find a spot, you may have to pay overpriced fees. Buses, free local trolleys and rideshare cars will all be stuck in the same traffic, regardless of how much you pay. Pick your poison depending on where you’re going and how long you plan to be there. Paying a hefty one-time parking fee might be more economical than paying for Ubers both ways, or vice-versa.
If you have to drive during the day, get to your destination as early as possible, around 10 a.m. If you’re going out at night, start driving after 8 p.m. Traffic tends to peak from 4 to 8 p.m.
No matter how you travel, the worst traffic is always on the causeways connecting the mainland to Miami Beach. But there are free options to travel to either side of Biscayne Bay: art shuttles and water taxis.
Art shuttles
There are four types of art shuttles, each one running every 15 minutes to and from Art Basel at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
South Beach Art Shuttle: Travels between the convention center and Collins Avenue between 10th and 11th streets.
Mid Beach Art Shuttle: Travels between the convention center, Collins Avenue and 22nd Street, Collins Avenue and 32nd Street, Collins Avenue and 46th Street, and Royal Palm Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets.
Miami Beach - Design District Shuttle: Takes you over the Julia Tuttle Causeway between the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Design District.
Water Taxi Shuttle: Runs between the convention center and the Miami Beach water taxi stop. The water taxis also run on a 15-minute schedule.
Contact: Go to www.miamibeachfl.gov for more information on free transportation and interactive maps.
Water taxi
Boats: The water taxi boats travel between the Miami Beach water taxi stop at Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, 1790 Purdy Avenue) and the Miami water taxi stop at the Venetian Marina and Yacht Club, 1635 Bayshore Dr.
Bicycles
Citi Bikes: Hop on your own bike or rent a Citi Bike from one of the many docks in the area. Citi Bikes start at $6.50 for a 30-minute pass, but you can get a day pass for $24. If you go over your time limit, the fees start to rack up so a day pass is a pretty good idea. The boardwalk will lead you straight to the major fairs on the beach, and there are plenty of places to dock a Citi Bike or park your bike.
Trolleys and buses
Free transit: If you can’t walk far or bike, the Miami Beach trolley and buses are good options. The trolleys are free and easy to navigate, but, they’re pretty slow. It’s a solid option for anyone not in a rush to enjoy air conditioning and take a breather while traveling to their next stop.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 12:24 PM.