Miami passes, bus tours and sightseeing tickets

The short answer

Count your paid stops first. If Wynwood Walls or Zoo Miami is the only ticketed place you want, a single ticket is the simple answer.[7][5] A Go City Miami pass is an entitlement to choose from a list, and only makes sense if several of your plans are on that list.[13][12][11] For an overview of the city, the three bus-based products differ in freedom and length, and the walking tour and bike rental cover one neighbourhood each.

Seeing the city: hop-on, half-day or full-day

The Big Bus Miami Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour is the flexible one: SkyGate says you board at any designated stop, and its listing names South Beach, Villa Casa Casuarina at the former Versace Mansion and Wynwood Walls among the landmarks on the route. Naming a landmark is not admission; the inclusions are the bus tour and an audio guide. The four options are:[1]

• Discover Ticket (24 Hours): the Day Tour (Red Loop) with a multilingual audio guide.[1]
• Essential Ticket (48 Hours): the Red Loop plus a one-hour bike rental in Miami Beach, and either the Night Tour or a Millionaire's Row boat cruise, chosen with Big Bus staff when you board, according to the voucher text.[1]
• Explore Ticket (48 Hours): the Red Loop, the Night Tour, the boat cruise and the bike rental.[1]
• Night Tour: a non-stop panoramic evening ride with live English commentary, not hop-on hop-off.[1]

The Miami City Half-Day Bus Tour with Optional Cruise is a guided ride on an open-top double-decker with a live guide in English and Spanish, covering South Beach, Lincoln Road, the Art Deco District, Downtown Miami, Wynwood and Little Havana, with stops for photos and exploring. The second option adds a 75-minute Biscayne Bay cruise from Bayside Marketplace on the same day. SkyGate's listing says the time you select is the departure from South Beach, and that the bus may take longer in traffic.[2]

The Miami Full-Day Combo: Everglades Airboat, Double-Decker Bus and Bay Cruise adds an airboat ride to a similar bus tour and a 75-minute bay cruise, with round-trip transport for the Everglades part. The listing names neither the airboat operator nor the site, so XTOUR cannot say where the airboat ride happens. SkyGate says the airboat commentary is in English only, and that to join the 4:00 PM cruise you must board the bus in South Beach by 2:00 PM. The day starts and ends at Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.[3]

One neighbourhood, slowly: Little Havana or Miami Beach

The Little Havana Food and Walking Tour is a small-group walk along Calle Ocho with a bilingual guide, food tastings that SkyGate says equal a lunch portion, coffee and a cigar-rolling demonstration. The itinerary visits Domino Park and passes the Tower Theatre, the Cubaocho Museum and Performing Arts Center, the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame and the Bay of Pigs Monument, as stops rather than admissions. SkyGate puts the walk at about 10 to 12 short blocks and says it suits wheelchairs and strollers.[4]

The Miami Beach Bike Rental is self-guided, from Unlimited Biking at 1149 Washington Ave in Miami Beach.[10] Its six options are a standard bike or a pedal-assisted eBike, each for two hours, four hours or a day pass, with a helmet, lock, bike bag and area map. SkyGate's listing says you need a photo ID and credit card for the security deposit.[9] The minimum age for eBikes differs between SkyGate's options and the operator's page, so XTOUR does not state one; check before you book.

Single tickets: Wynwood Walls and Zoo Miami

The Wynwood Walls Skip-the-Line Ticket covers outdoor murals, sculptures, indoor galleries and a complimentary spray-painting experience, according to the SkyGate option.[5] The operator calls Wynwood Walls Miami's original street art museum, at 2516 NW 2nd Ave, open since 2009.[6] SkyGate's listing says it is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.[5] See the Wynwood Walls page on XTOUR.

The Zoo Miami Skip-the-Line Ticket admits you to a zoo the operator places at 12400 SW 152 St, with nearly 750 acres, 4 miles of walkways and more than 2,000 animals of 375 species.[8] Skip-the-line here means bypassing the ticket counter queue only; you may still queue inside, per SkyGate.[7] See the Zoo Miami page on XTOUR.

The three Go City Miami passes

All three are digital passes for adults aged 13 and over and children aged 3 to 12.[13][12][11]

• Go City Miami Essentials Pass. Three attractions: one top choice from Big Bus Miami: Night Tour, Duck Tours South Beach or Everglades Alligator Farm and Airboat Ride, plus two from a list that includes Zoo Miami, Superblue and an Island Queen sightseeing cruise. Each attraction once, valid 30 days from first use.[11]
• Go City Miami Explorer Pass. Two, three, four or five choices, valid for 30 consecutive days after first use; SkyGate's partial list names Zoo Miami, Duck Tours South Beach and a One Day Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour.[12]
• Go City Miami All-Inclusive Pass. One, two, three or five days, with multi-day options used on non-consecutive days within 14 days of first use.[13]

SkyGate's Essentials listing says included attractions are subject to change without notice and that some need reservations through the Go City app.[11] XTOUR has not read Go City's guidebooks, so the current lists are not confirmed here.

How to choose

• Freedom to hop on and off over one or two days: the Big Bus Miami Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour.
• A guided half day, with or without a bay cruise: the Miami City Half-Day Bus Tour with Optional Cruise.
• City, bay and an airboat ride in one day: the Miami Full-Day Combo: Everglades Airboat, Double-Decker Bus and Bay Cruise.
• Food and Cuban culture on foot: the Little Havana Food and Walking Tour. Miami Beach at your own pace: the Miami Beach Bike Rental.
• Street art: the Wynwood Walls Skip-the-Line Ticket. Animals: the Zoo Miami Skip-the-Line Ticket.
• Several attractions from Go City's lists: the Go City Miami Essentials Pass, Go City Miami Explorer Pass or Go City Miami All-Inclusive Pass.
• For Biscayne Bay cruises without a bus, see XTOUR's guide to Miami boat tours.

Before you book

• Bus tours and the combo start in Miami Beach, at 305 Lincoln Road per SkyGate; the Big Bus starts at any designated stop.[1][3][2]
• Check the current Go City list before buying a pass.[11]
• Wynwood Walls children's tickets start at age 6 and under-5s go free; SkyGate does not say how a five-year-old is ticketed.[5]