If you are looking to spend some time enjoying the sunshine on a cruise along the East coast of the USA, then a visit to Miami is a must.
The city is located in a part of Florida that enjoys relatively high temperatures no matter the season, making it a real year round destination for the many cruise lines that operate in the surrounding waters.
The glamorous and colourful city is home to some of the best stretches of beach in Florida, and some people might simply want to head for the likes of South Beach to lie back and make the most of the weather.
The waters off the coast of Miami are also home to the only barrier reef in North America, so it comes as no shock that diving and snorkeling are popular options amongst a range of different water-based activities.
Around the beaches, you’ll also find no shortage of bars and restaurants where you can sit back and enjoy the view, but there is plenty more to Miami than stretches of golden sand.
Spend some time exploring the city and you can’t help but be impressed by impressive art deco architecture that dates back to the 1920s and 1930s, with a large number of older buildings that sit alongside the modern day skyscrapers that now dominate the city skyline.
That’s particularly true in the Coral Gables, an area that is popular with cruise visitors who want to visit the historic Venetian Pool. The pool dates back to the 1920s and could have been lifted straight out of the Mediterranean, as could many of the impressive buildings around it.
Other attractions that might be worth visiting include the botanical gardens, the Seaquarium, Zoo Miami, the Vizcaya Museum and the off-shore island community of Key Biscayne – where you can take a break from the busy city streets.
Miami is home to a large population of Cuban residents, and the area of Little Havana is where they have laid their roots; providing visitors with the chance to sample a little bit of the Caribbean during their time ashore.
It’s a region of the city that is well worth visiting if time allows to sample top class Cuban cuisine and to listen to the sound of traditional music floating through the air.
Add in the fact that Miami is the port that grants easy access to the expansive wetlands of the Everglades and you’ll soon see why the city is such a popular cruise destination.