Until I took this tour a few months ago, my only experience of Miami had been South Beach. I'd been wanting to check out the city's other famous areas, like Calle Ocho, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables, but somehow the task of finding my way around and knowing what to look for seemed too daunting. I learned about this tour through a travel and tourism website called miamibeach411 and invited a friend along for the trip.
I've taken city tours in New Orleans, Los Angeles and New York, and was used to riding around in a claustrophobic little van while the driver spewed out a memorized narrative while trying to avoid collisions, so I approached this with a little trepidation. However, the experience with the Miami Tour Company was much better than what I'd been expecting.
For starters, the bus was larger than a van, and not as large as a Greyhound, so we were able to sit comfortably without either being cramped or overwhelmed. The windows were large and the seats were very comfortable. The bus was also brand new and very clean.
Secondly, the narrative is pre-recorded by professional voice-over people and they've got it rigged somehow with GPS equipment so that it starts and stops automatically at all the right places, so the driver has more time to focus on the road. Nonetheless, the driver himself was very entertaining and knowledgeable, and took the liberty of chiming in with little bits of triva and history along the way, that the narrative didn't cover. The narrative is also simultaneously recorded in several different languages, so people could hear it in their native tongue by using a head-set.
Thirdly, I was impressed by the thoroughness of the tour. We started at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens and wove our way around South Beach. My friend was originally a Miami native (now living in NYC), but was surprised how many facts he learned along the way from the narrative and the driver. From South Beach, we crossed over into Miami proper via the Venetian Causeway, past mansions of the stars, and down into Coconut Grove, where we made a pit-stop at a natural foods market. The scenery was breathtaking, and we saw stuff we never would've caught on our own.
From there, we went up to ritzy Coral Gables and checked out some of its attractions, like the Biltmore Hotel and The Venetian Pool (though we didn't go in for a dip!). Afterwards, we stopped off on Little Havana, where we watched locals playing dominos in a neighborhood park, and picked up some complimentary Cuban coffee from a nearby market.
After about three hours, we ended up at Bayside Market place, where we had the option of connecting with their Everglades or Harbor tours, doing some shopping at Bayside, or catching a shuttle back to the Beach. We opted for the latter, just because we had other plans that afternoon. Another shuttle came very promptly to pick us up.
We found the entire experience very professional, fun and easy. The driver was very helpful and knowledgeable about the city, the buses were clean and modern, and the technology was state of the art. The price was very reasonable, plus we got a discount for having joined their (free) website forum before the trip. Looking back on it, I don't think I had any complaints!
I would recommend this for tourists as well as locals who'd like to learn more about this fascinating city.