13 Best Beaches in Miami (2026) 🏖️

By Fernando Yemail, owner of Out.Miami and a Miami yacht captain and broker.

The 13 best beaches in Miami for 2026, from South Beach and South Pointe to Crandon Park and Key Biscayne, checked open September 2026.

🏖️ 13 beaches · 📅 Checked September 2026

The best beaches in Miami in 2026 range from South Beach's people-watching and South Pointe's all-round setting to Crandon Park's calm family water and the lighthouse at Bill Baggs on Key Biscayne. This guide covers 13 beaches across Miami Beach, the northern beach towns, Key Biscayne, Virginia Key and Coral Gables, and every one was checked as open in September 2026.

Pick your beach

• Miami Beach: South Beach, South Pointe, Mid-Beach, North Beach Oceanside Park
• North of Miami Beach: Surfside, Bal Harbour, Haulover, Sunny Isles
• Key Biscayne and Virginia Key: Crandon Park, Bill Baggs Cape Florida, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, Hobie Island Beach
• Coral Gables: Matheson Hammock Park

Before you go

• Parking: South Beach uses metered street parking and garages, while Crandon, Haulover and Bill Baggs charge a lot or entry fee.
• Families: Crandon Park and Matheson Hammock have the calmest water for young kids.
• Watersports: Hobie Island Beach is the windsurfing spot, and Haulover gets the most surfable waves. Kiteboarding is banned at Hobie, and Miami Beach requires a city permit for it.
• Safety: bring shade and water, and check the beach flags for rip currents and jellyfish warnings.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best beach in Miami?

South Beach is the most famous, South Pointe is the best all-round beach day, and Crandon Park is the top pick for families.

What is the best beach in Miami for families?

Crandon Park, with its shallow water protected by a sandbar, and Matheson Hammock Park, with its calm atoll pool.

What is the quietest beach in Miami?

North Beach Oceanside Park, Surfside, Bal Harbour and Bill Baggs Cape Florida are all far calmer than South Beach.

Where can I take my dog to the beach in Miami?

Haulover Beach Park has a dedicated dog beach, and Hobie Island Beach is also popular with dog owners.

Is there a nude beach in Miami?

Yes. Haulover Beach Park has a clothing-optional section at its north end.

Where can I windsurf or kiteboard in Miami?

Hobie Island Beach on the Rickenbacker Causeway is Miami's windsurfing beach, but kiteboarding is banned there. Kitesurfing on Miami Beach requires a city permit, and some stretches are off-limits.

How did you choose these beaches?

Every pick was chosen by the Out.Miami team for 2026, and each one was checked as open in September 2026. See how we rank our guides for the full method.

More Miami guides

See the full list of things to do in Miami and things to do in Miami with kids, eat at one of the seafood restaurants in Miami or rooftop restaurants in Miami, and read how we rank our guides.

Compare at a glance

1. 1. South Beach (Lummus Park)

   The classic Miami beach, backed by Ocean Drive's Art Deco strip and the palm-lined Lummus Park boardwalk. Wide, pale sand, the row of pastel lifeguard towers, a constant volleyball scene and rental chairs and umbrellas the length of it. Busiest between 5th and 15th Street, calmer the further north you walk.

   ✅ Best for: people-watching and first-timers · 📍 1130 Ocean Dr, South Beach

2. 2. South Pointe Beach

   The southern tip of Miami Beach, where the sand meets a landscaped park with a playground, a splash fountain and a long pier. Cruise ships and cargo vessels pass close by through Government Cut, which makes it the best beach in the city for boat-watching, and the jetty draws anglers and surfers when there is swell.

   ✅ Best for: an all-round beach day · 📍 South Pointe Beach, South Beach

3. 3. Mid-Beach

   The stretch fronting the big Collins Avenue resorts, including the Fontainebleau and Faena. Quieter than South Beach without being remote, and linked by the beachwalk, the paved path that now runs most of the way up the shoreline. Good for a long walk with hotel bars and cafes within reach of the sand.

   ✅ Best for: a calmer day near the resorts · 📍 4601 Collins Ave, Mid-Beach

4. 4. North Beach Oceanside Park

   A local-feeling beach in North Beach with shaded picnic areas, barbecue grills, a playground and a dune boardwalk through sea grape and palms. Far fewer crowds than South Beach, with metered parking close by and a weekend farmers market at the park side.

   ✅ Best for: a quiet local beach · 📍 8328 Collins Ave, North Beach

5. 5. Surfside Beach

   A small-town beach just north of Miami Beach, fronting a residential strip of low-rise condos and hotels. Lifeguards, showers and a beachwalk connection south, but no bar scene and no crowds, which is the whole appeal. Easiest weekday parking of any beach on this list.

   ✅ Best for: a low-key beach day · 📍 Surfside Beach, Surfside

6. 6. Bal Harbour Beach

   A quiet, well-kept stretch beside the Bal Harbour resorts, with a shaded jogging path running behind the dunes and a walk south to Haulover Inlet. Public access points sit between the hotels, and the sand is raked and calm. Bal Harbour Shops is a five-minute walk inland.

   ✅ Best for: a quiet, upscale beach walk · 📍 Bal Harbour Beach, Bal Harbour

7. 7. Haulover Beach Park

   A large county park north of Bal Harbour with the most surfable waves in Miami-Dade, a marina, a dog beach and kite flying on the north field. The north end is a long-established clothing-optional section, clearly signed and separate from the family areas. Parking is a flat fee at the lots.

   ✅ Best for: surf, dogs and open space · 📍 10800 Collins Ave, Haulover

8. 8. Sunny Isles Beach

   A wide, clean beach lined with high-rise condos, calmer and less packed than South Beach even in season. Newport Fishing Pier is at the centre for walking out over the water, and the beach access points come with showers and shaded seating.

   ✅ Best for: a clean, calm beach · 📍 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles

9. 9. Crandon Park Beach

   Key Biscayne's family beach, where an offshore sandbar keeps the water shallow and calm for a long way out. Lifeguards, picnic shelters, barbecue grills, a playground, kayak and paddleboard rentals and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center at the north end. Entry is a flat fee per vehicle.

   ✅ Best for: families with kids · 📍 6747 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne

10. 10. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

    A state park at the southern tip of Key Biscayne with a mile of quiet beach, mangrove and coastal hammock trails, and the 1825 Cape Florida Lighthouse, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. Bikes and kayaks to rent, a restaurant on the sand and a state park entry fee per vehicle.

    ✅ Best for: nature and a lighthouse · 📍 Key Biscayne

11. 11. Historic Virginia Key Beach Park

    Opened in 1945 as the beach designated for Black residents under segregation, and now a protected historic park. A restored carousel and mini train, shaded picnic pavilions, a nature trail through coastal hammock and a calm, shallow shoreline. Quiet on weekdays and central to the city's civil rights history.

    ✅ Best for: history and shaded picnics · 📍 4020 Virginia Beach Dr, Virginia Key

12. 12. Hobie Island Beach

    A breezy strip along the Rickenbacker Causeway with shallow, flat water and a steady cross-breeze, which is why it is Miami's windsurfing beach and has a long-running rental stand on the sand. Dogs are welcome, there is no lifeguard, and kiteboarding is banned here.

    ✅ Best for: windsurfing and dogs · 📍 Old, Virginia Key

13. 13. Matheson Hammock Park

    A Coral Gables park built around a man-made atoll pool that fills and empties with the tide, so the water stays flat and shallow, the safest swim in the city for toddlers and nervous swimmers. Mangroves, a marina, a restaurant and skyline views across the bay, with a flat parking fee at weekends.

    ✅ Best for: toddlers and calm water · 📍 Coral Gables