MIAAirport Guide

Little Havana from the airport

Getting from MIA to Little Havana by taxi or ride app, what to see on Calle Ocho, and whether it fits a layover.

Empty domino tables under the pavilion in Domino Park, Little Havana
Domino Park, Little Havana

Little Havana’s center is Calle Ocho, SW 8th Street, and from MIA a metered taxi or a ride app takes you there. Go for a cafecito at a walk-up window, the dominoes in Máximo Gómez Park and the murals of Cuban stars along the street.

Calle Ocho is where to go

Greater Miami’s tourism board puts the action on Calle Ocho between SW 21st and SW 10th avenues, and points to these:

Place What it is
Máximo Gómez Park, known as Domino Park Locals play dominoes here. Games are mostly members only, but you can watch from the benches.
The Calle Ocho Walk of Fame and murals Sidewalk stars for celebrities of Latin heritage, such as Celia Cruz and Gloria Estefan, from 12th to 17th avenues. A mural of Cruz looks over it from the corner of 13th Avenue.
Versailles A long-running Cuban restaurant, with an on-site bakery for croquetas and pastelitos
Tower Theater A historic landmark on the neighborhood’s walking tours
Ball & Chain A decades-old club that is still the locals’ pick for salsa dancing, with DJs, free dance classes and live jazz on its calendar
Cubaocho Museum & Performing Arts Center Cuban art on the walls and a bar known for its rum collection and mojitos

Coffee comes from ventanitas, the little walk-up windows. La Colada Gourmet serves its Cuban coffee with croquetas or guava and cheese pastries. Landing on the third Friday of the month? From noon until evening, Calle Ocho goes pedestrian-only between 14th and 17th avenues for food, art and music. In March, the Calle Ocho Music Festival puts stages along 15 blocks.

Getting there by taxi or ride app

Taxis wait outside baggage claim on the arrivals level, and nobody has to book. MIA’s metered rates start at $2.95 and add $0.85 for each sixth of a mile up to a mile, then $0.55 for each sixth of a mile after that, plus a $2 airport fee. Every trip from MIA has a $15 minimum. Waiting in traffic costs $0.40 a minute, and tolls are extra. Our taxi page has the full rates. No official page gives a fixed fare or ride time from MIA to Calle Ocho, so the meter or your app’s quote is the number to go by.

A ride app picks up on Level 1 or Level 2, and your app shows which door you’ll use. The app also shows the price before you confirm.

It fits only a long layover

MIA suggests leaving the airport only when you have 5 hours or more between flights, and on an overnight connection the hotel inside Central Terminal E is a walk from arrivals. That time covers getting out, the ride each way, Calle Ocho itself and security again for your next flight. Our guide to leaving MIA on a layover counts back from your departure, and our security page shows which checkpoints are open when you return.

Short on time? You don’t need to leave, because MIA has its own Cuban coffee. Our guide to where to get Cuban coffee at MIA lists the counters inside the airport.

Sources