South Beach is the southern end of Miami Beach: a long run of pale sand and blue-green water, with hotels and apartment towers lined up behind it and South Pointe Park at the tip. From the sidewalk you see one block at a time. From a helicopter just offshore, the whole shoreline reads as a single curve, with the shipping channel at one end and the towers of Miami Beach running north. Three of the four private flights on the Miami hub include it.
The Miami South Beach, Downtown and Islands 30-Minute Helicopter Tour is the natural choice. It spends about 30 minutes in the air, about 40 minutes in total, and costs from US$299 per person with a minimum of 2, so two people pay from US$598 together. The route takes in the Downtown skyline, Brickell, South Beach and Miami Beach, Fisher Island, Key Biscayne, the Venetian Islands, Palm Island, the Port of Miami, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove and Vizcaya. It is the broadest half-hour on the hub.
Two other flights reach the beach. The South Beach Sunset tour is also about 30 minutes but flies in the early evening, from US$349 per person, minimum 2, and passes South Pointe Park and South Beach between Fisher Island and the Venetian Islands. The Miami Ultimate tour gives you about 50 minutes, from US$499 per person, minimum 2, and follows Miami Beach north past Surfside and Bal Harbour to Sunny Isles Beach. The 20-minute South Miami flight does not reach South Beach, so skip it if the beach is the point.
Every flight here is private. Only your group flies, and one helicopter takes 2 or 3 guests. The price is still per person: a couple pays for two seats, and a third guest adds a third seat to the same flight. There is no landing on the beach and no set number of minutes over it; South Beach is one named sight on a route that keeps moving. Flights need good weather, and if one is cancelled for bad weather you can choose another date or a full refund.
South Beach sits between two other highlights. To the south, across the channel, is Fisher Island. To the west, the causeways lead past the Venetian Islands and the cruise ships of the Port of Miami towards the Downtown and Brickell skyline. On the 30-minute flights you see all of them in one loop, which is why most visitors start there rather than on the longer tour.
Flights leave from the CR Aviation building at Miami Executive Airport (Kendall-Tamiami), 14359 SW 127th St, where parking is free. Arrive 30 minutes before your flight to check in, sign the waiver and show photo ID; the person who paid must also bring the card used. Flights leave on time, and arriving late counts as a no-show with no refund. A US$19 per person airport fee, paid at check-in, comes on top of the tour price. Cancel at least 24 hours before for a full refund. For South Beach with the islands and skyline in half an hour, book the South Beach, Downtown and Islands tour.
Se South Beach från luften: Miami · Miami South Beach, Downtown and Islands 30-Minute Helicopter Tour.