Miami + Everglades in One Perfect Day–small group & pick up





Description
Our Everglades & Miami City Tour is conducted by a real tour guide with over 10 years of Miami experience. Personal contact is very important to us, which is why our tours are offered in small to medium-sized tour groups so that every question can be answered. We look forward to seeing you. Your Banana Joe team
Tour Options
Itinerary
trip
trip
**OCEAN DRIVE & ART DECO DISTRICT** We cruise along the legendary **Ocean Drive** — the heart of Miami’s iconic look. You'll see the famous **Art Deco District** with its pastel facades, neon lights, and 1930s hotels. Along the way, we’ll share plenty of **insider info and local tips** you won’t find in any guidebook — straight from real Miami experts. **OCEAN DRIVE & ART DECO DISTRICT** We explore the entire **Art Deco Historic District**, showing you not only the famous hotels like the **Colony**, **Carlyle**, and **Versace Mansion**, but also **all the hidden gems** — from the **Art Deco Museum** and the **colorful neon façades** of Ocean Drive to **secret side streets** with Streamline architecture, old **cinemas**, **bars**, **galleries**, and **design shops**. This is how you experience the **real South Beach** — history, style, and Miami flair all in one place.
**THE BEST PHOTO SPOT IN MIAMI** A short walk – but every step is worth it. From here you can see **Fisher Island**, the ** Miami skyline** and **all of South Beach** in a breathtaking panorama. The mood, the light, the skyline – pure Miami magic. ✨ Take your camera with you – this is *the* photo everyone wants.
**CORAL GABLES & GABLES ESTATES – LUXURY PUR IN MIAMI** We drive through **Coral Gables** and the exclusive neighborhoods of **Gables Estates** and **Coral Estate Club** – where some of Miami's most expensive villas are located. Here you can see **waterfront luxury residences**, private docks with **yachts**, perfectly maintained **palm avenues** and screened streets where there is complete privacy. Unpacked with the **Biltmore Hotel**, the elegant **Miracle Mile** and the historic **Mediterranean Villas**, you'll experience the city's finest neighborhood – **quiet, green and full of understatement**. A look at the **true elite family** you usually only know from magazines.
Colony Hotel – iconic postcard motif on Ocean Drive ️ Versace Mansion (Casa Casuarina) – former home of Gianni Versace Breakwater Hotel – striking blue neon tower, classic of the 1930s The Carlyle Hotel – known from the film The Birdcage Cardozo Hotel – owned by Gloria & Emilio Estefan Park Central Hotel – one of the oldest buildings in the district Art Deco Welcome Center & Museum – on 10th Street, Infopoint with Exhibition The Leslie Hotel – yellow façade, typical example of Streamline Modernism The Tides Hotel – elegant classic from the 1930s ☀️ The Essex House – with nautical design elements and eye-catching corner facade The Clevelander Hotel – legendary for its rooftop bar and pool parties ️ The Beacon Hotel – light blue neon light, right on Ocean Drive ️ The Waldorf Towers – orange landmark overlooking the beach The McAlpin Hotel – typical pastel pink, one of the most photographed buildings
**DOWNTOWN MIAMI & BRICKELL – THE MODERN HEART OF THE CITY** We drive through **Downtown Miami** and the financial district of **Brickell** – the vibrant center of the city with its impressive skyline, modern high-rises and exclusive gated communities. You'll see the major downtown attractions : the **Freedom Tower**, the **Kaseya Center**, **Bayfront Park**, **Brickell Avenue** and the new luxury complexes on the **Miami River**. A special highlight is the stop at **Miami Circle** – a waterfront archaeological site that is one of the oldest traces of human settlement in South Florida. Here **history and future** meet : glass facades, luxury yachts and ancient stone circles – that is **Miami in all its diversity**.
**DOWNTOWN MIAMI & BRICKELL – THE MODERN HEART OF THE CITY** We drive through **Downtown Miami** and the financial district of **Brickell** – the vibrant center of the city with its impressive skyline, modern high-rises and exclusive gated communities. You'll see the major downtown attractions : the **Freedom Tower**, the **Kaseya Center**, **Bayfront Park**, **Brickell Avenue** and the new luxury complexes on the **Miami River**. A special highlight is the stop at **Miami Circle** – a waterfront archaeological site that is one of the oldest traces of human settlement in South Florida. Here **history and future** meet : glass facades, luxury yachts and ancient stone circles – that is **Miami in all its diversity**.
**COCONUT GROVE – MIAMIS GREEN HEART & AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE** We drive through **Coconut Grove**, Miami’s oldest neighborhood – known for its tropical atmosphere and historic **black neighborhood “West Grove”**. The first **Bahamas and African American settlers** who helped build Miami lived here since the 19th century. We will show you the **original wooden houses**, **churches**, **local markets** and places like the **Christ Episcopal Church** and the **Coconut Grove Cemetery** where the history of this community remains alive. Between **Banyan trees**, **colorful houses** and **modern street art**, we tell you how the neighborhood has evolved from a working-class community to a cultural center – **authentic, historic and full of soul.**
**WYNWOOD – THE CREATIVE HEART OF MIAMI** We drive straight through **Wynwood**, the famous street art district of Miami. Not only to the well-known **Wynwood Walls**, but also to the **hidden back streets** where big buses can't get there at all. Here you can see real art, raw colors and the Wynwood that only locals know – **authentic, creative and vibrant.**
we drop you off at your hotel or meetingpoint
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ We reserve the right to move your booking to our afternoon tour if the morning tour becomes fully booked. We only offer pick-ups at private residences or hotels within our designated pick-up area. Pick-up times vary depending on your location and traffic conditions. Your guide will send the exact pick-up time the afternoon before your tour via email. Please also check your Viator Message Center. Certain areas in Miami Beach cannot be serviced directly due to local city code restrictions. If your address is in a restricted zone, we will assign the nearest legal and safe meeting point. All final details will be available in your TripAdvisor InfoCenter the afternoon before your tour. Florida weather changes quickly. The tour operates rain or shine. Miami Beach Pick-Up Regulations Miami Beach does not allow pick-ups on the road. Stopping at the curb — even for just a few seconds — can result in high fines issued by the city. ⚠️ To stay compliant and ensure your safety, we only pick up at hotels with a private driveway or loading ramp where we can safely pull in without blocking the street. If your hotel does not have its own driveway : You will receive a nearby meeting point at a hotel with a legal loading area. This meeting point will always be within short walking distance. It will appear in your final confirmation email.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(196)
Good guides with alot of knowledge.
Christian was great. Took time to give us info during the shuttle and was very informative.
We had a very pleasant day and saw about 10 alligators! Was great being picked up and dropped off at our hotel. I would definitely recommend going on this trip.
Christian was great Nice Good driver
Terrible experience! Started with bad communication of pickup No A/C in shuttle when 90 degrees & 75% humidity.. only did Everglades, no city tour Christian, our driver wanted to end this short. I have been an Viator fan, I can’t recommend it anymore.. we deserve a refund, were told Banana Joes management would be in touch - that never happened
We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet expectations. This is absolutely not the kind of experience we want our guests to have while visiting Miami with their family. Unfortunately, we recently had a difficult internal situation with one of our guides, and we understand that this may have affected the atmosphere and overall experience on your tour. We also want to apologize for the issue with the air conditioning. In Miami heat, especially with family and children, we fully understand how uncomfortable that must have been. Mechanical problems can unfortunately happen unexpectedly, and it was likely also a stressful situation for the guide trying to manage the day while dealing with the vehicle issue. That being said, we completely understand your frustration regarding the communication, the rushed feeling, and especially the driving concerns you described. We take this feedback seriously and will review everything internally. We would really appreciate the opportunity to show you the experience we normally provide. If you return to Miami in the future, please contact us directly and we would be happy to offer you a complimentary tour for you and your family as a gesture of goodwill. We sincerely apologize again and wish you and your family the rest of a wonderful stay in Florida. We reufunded yu already!
The tour itself was not bad and you just saw a lot on the city tour. However, the driving style of the tour guide was very bad and we almost had an accident. The crowning glory was “begging” for tips. We tipped him but that was apparently too little, so he wrote us a bitchy message. More than inappropriate.
Vielen Dank für Ihr Feedback. Leider mussten wir vor kurzem einem unserer langjährigen Guides eine Auszeit geben, da es bei ihm eine schwere familiäre Tragödie gab. Dadurch arbeiten aktuell teilweise andere Guides für uns im Einsatz, bis sich die Situation wieder stabilisiert hat. Es tut uns leid, dass Sie sich mit der Fahrweise und der Situation rund um das Trinkgeld unwohl gefühlt haben. Das entspricht nicht dem Erlebnis, das wir unseren Gästen bieten möchten. Wir hoffen dennoch, dass Sie zumindest einige schöne Eindrücke von Miami und der City Tour mitnehmen konnten und danken Ihnen für das ehrliche Feedback, da uns dieses hilft, unsere Abläufe aktuell wieder zu stabilisieren. LG Banana Joe Tours
I am on vacation with family in Miami and this was hands down the worst experience I’ve ever had. We received three different emails with differing pick up locations and times. You try to call to get claificqtion and no one answers. Our tour guide Christian gets there and is so unfriendly and we felt very rushed the entire time. He hardly spoke the entire drive to the Everglades. He was a very unsafe driver going 20+ over the speed limit, swearing in and out of lanes , he was riding on people tails, running lights and honking at people. You could tell he had road rage and he was incredibly unprofessional. Just seemed as if he was rushing or had somewhere to be.On top of all of this the air conditioning in the van was not working. All he kept saying was that he was trying to get another truck but never got an answer. Honestly with his rudeness and unsafe driving we all said we didn’t want to continue on with the second half of our tour. Absolutely disappointed. Do not waste your time.
We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet expectations. This is absolutely not the kind of experience we want our guests to have while visiting Miami with their family. Unfortunately, we recently had a difficult internal situation with one of our guides, and we understand that this may have affected the atmosphere and overall experience on your tour. We also want to apologize for the issue with the air conditioning. In Miami heat, especially with family and children, we fully understand how uncomfortable that must have been. Mechanical problems can unfortunately happen unexpectedly, and it was likely also a stressful situation for the guide trying to manage the day while dealing with the vehicle issue. That being said, we completely understand your frustration regarding the communication, the rushed feeling, and especially the driving concerns you described. We take this feedback seriously and will review everything internally. We would really appreciate the opportunity to show you the experience we normally provide. If you return to Miami in the future, please contact us directly and we would be happy to offer you a complimentary tour for you and your family as a gesture of goodwill. We sincerely apologize again and wish you and your family the rest of a wonderful stay in Florida.
Terrible experience Hard to find pickup Poor communication No air in Shuttle when it was 90 degrees with 80% humidity.. lasted 4 hours - no sightseeing Worst Viator experience I have had and there have been 20+
We’re very sorry to hear that this was your experience. Miami heat without AC is definitely not the kind of South Florida adventure anyone signs up for 😓🌴 Unfortunately, the shuttle AC stopped working during the tour, and while the driver tried to manage the situation as best as possible, we completely understand how uncomfortable that must have been in 90-degree Miami weather with Florida humidity doing its usual “free sauna experience” ☀️🥵 The issue has since been repaired, and the vehicle is back ice-cold and ready to go again ❄️🛠️ Regarding the pickup, Miami Beach logistics can honestly be frustrating for both visitors and tour companies. Many hotels unfortunately do not have proper bus ramps or loading zones, and the city does not allow commercial tour vehicles to stop directly on the roadway for pickups. Because of this, some pickups need to happen at nearby safe loading areas instead of directly in front of hotel entrances. We always try to communicate this as clearly as possible and understand it can still feel stressful during a vacation. This tour normally includes both the Miami sightseeing portion and the Everglades experience. However, because of the AC issue, the full Miami experience was unfortunately shortened since you understandably preferred not to continue sitting in the heat longer than necessary. We completely understand that decision, and under those circumstances most people probably would have done the same. We truly appreciate you taking the time to leave a review, even when it’s tough to read. The AC has now officially retired from its dramatic breakdown 🎭❄️, the alligators are still happy 🐊, and we continue working to improve the experience for future guests. We wish you safe travels and hope the rest of your stay in Miami was a lot more comfortable ☀️
Really enjoyable experience. Communication and pickup were fine no issues. Everglades experience was nice though perhaps a bit touristy but on a short stay ticks the boxes. It ended up being myself and my husband only for the Miami tour. Our guide made a point of asking what we had already seen, so just saw unexplored areas. Went around Star Island which I hadn’t experienced before and didn’t know you were able to access it. Had a great experience in Little Havana and felt over that we came away with a lovely sample of the highlights of Miami during our short stay. We were glad to use BananaJoe and would use them again.
Absolutely recommend!! We booked the Miami City + Everglades tour. Hagen was our guide. Here is the first 10/10 feedback. Hagen is an absolutely likable guy, explaining interesting facts about the history of Florida, nature as well as its creatures while driving. You notice how well thought out and organized the route of the tour is. There are enough breaks planned, but also not too long, so you really take the maximum impressions with you here. So for those who want to capture maximum Miami views in one day, as well as explore the Everglades, the tour is truly a must. The price/performance ratio is top. You are about 8h on the road and get exclusive insights, as well as a free photo in the Everglades (yes it is only a photo) but whoever travels Florida knows no matter where you are it is all charged extra. Afterwards, I can say that no matter where Banana Joe Tours are offered, we definitely take them back with us, because this experience picked us up and convinced us. I can only recommend the tour to anyone. Thanks to Hagen for this eventful tour and the great day 👍🏼



