Basel is here and that means traffic will be the worst.
Here are our tips for helping you get around without getting stuck in gridlock.
1. Try focusing on a certain part of the city each day for your Basel events, and try not to go back and forth between the mainland and the Beach more than once a day.
2. Your best bet is walking, biking, ride-hailing, or public transit.
3. But if you must drive yourself… When shuttling between Miami Beach and the mainland, use the Venetian Causeway. (Pro-tip: There are Citi Bike stands on both ends and you should for sure bike across it, not just for a beautiful view but also because you’ll probs cruise past the traffic.)
4. There are also a ton of great public transit options. The Miami-Dade Transit Art Express is a free bus from running every 15 minutes between Midtown, the Design District, and Miami Beach from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Full route here.
5. On the mainland the Metrorail and Metromover are running from Thursday to Sunday until 2 a.m.
6. Uber’s doing a bunch of stuff. Here are the highlights:
- You can upgrade to a luxury SUV by choosing the option of #EFFENUpgrade in your app
- They’re running a free UberBOAT to take you across the bay for up to 6 riders from Thursday to Sunday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Miami Beach stop: Purdy Avenue boat ramp, Miami stop: Sea Isle Marina. Just select UberBOAT in your app when you’re near either of the stops.
- They’re also running a free UberSEAPLANE — yes a free plane — to take you across the bay with pickups from Dec. 1 to Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- All the deets here. The *: Last year there was some pretty gnarly surge pricing, so just keep that in mind.
7. When on the Beach, always take Pine Tree Drive when going from 23rd St North, it’s a huge time saver.
8. If you’re going to anything on Collins Ave., take a Lyft or Uber. Parking is a nightmare. (This is probably a good tip for the whole week.)
9. If you’re kicking it on the mainland, N. Miami Ave. and NE 2nd Avenue are for sure better choices than US 1/Biscayne Blvd or NW 2nd Avenue through Wynwood. DO NOT TAKE NW 2ND AVENUE.
But let’s be real, all the planning in the world won’t help you avoid ALL the traffic, Check out our fave podcasts for passing the time.