MIAAirport Guide

Miami airport to Palm Beach and Boca Raton

MIA to Boca Raton or West Palm Beach: Tri-Rail from the airport's own station, Brightline from downtown, or a rental car, with fares and where each starts at MIA.

The Lake Trail along the Lake Worth Lagoon in Palm Beach
The Lake Trail, Palm Beach

Take Tri-Rail if you want the cheapest trip, Brightline if you’d rather ride from downtown Miami, and drive if you’ll need a car. Tri-Rail’s Miami Airport station sits at the Miami Intermodal Center, one free MIA Mover ride from the terminal, and the line runs north through Boca Raton to West Palm Beach. Brightline leaves from MiamiCentral downtown, which you reach from MIA on Brightline’s own shuttle.

Tri-Rail, Brightline and the car compared

Option Where it starts at MIA To Boca Raton and West Palm Beach
Tri-Rail From any terminal, the MIA Mover from Level 3 to the Miami Intermodal Center Stations at both. Round trip $3.50 to $9.25 by zone.
Brightline Brightline’s shuttle from Level 2 to MiamiCentral, $12 plus a $3 fuel surcharge Stations at both
Drive The Rental Car Center, by MIA Mover Your own route north. MIA publishes no drive time to either city.

Tri-Rail leaves from right next to MIA

Tri-Rail’s stop for the airport is its Miami Airport station at the Miami Intermodal Center, where MIA also places its Metrorail and Metrobus connections. Take the free MIA Mover from the terminal’s Level 3, between the Dolphin and Flamingo garages. It runs about every three minutes, from 5 a.m. until about 4:41 a.m. the next morning. MIA says you need an EASY Card to ride public transit, and the EASY Card machines are in the Miami Intermodal Center.

Northbound, the line stops at Boca Raton and West Palm Beach and ends at Mangonia Park. MIA lists no train times, so look them up on Tri-Rail’s site before you walk to the Mover. Our Tri-Rail page has the fares by zone.

Brightline leaves from downtown

Brightline doesn’t stop at MIA. Its MIA Airport Connector boards on Level 2 at Concourse D Door 6, Concourse E Door 11 and Concourse H Door 22, in the hotel shuttle areas. MIA lists it Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to midnight. Heading back to MIA, the shuttle leaves MiamiCentral 10 minutes after each southbound train arrives. From MiamiCentral the train stops at Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. MIA’s page links to Brightline’s live shuttle status, and our guide to Brightline from Miami shows the shuttle trip to MiamiCentral and every train stop north to Orlando.

If you drive north

Pick up the car at the Rental Car Center, which is open 24 hours, though some operators close between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Inside Miami-Dade, Florida’s Turnpike collects tolls only electronically, by SunPass or TOLL-BY-PLATE, and TOLL-BY-PLATE isn’t available to rental-car customers. Ask at the counter about charging tolls to the card you rented with. Our guide to tolls and SunPass in a rental car lists the service fees to ask about, and when your own SunPass may save you money.

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