Art Basel 2019 and Miami Art Week: How to navigate (or avoid) the traffic nightmare

Howard Cohen

The weather is here and we think it’s beautiful. And along with the blessed cool down in early December, this also means the return of Art Basel and Miami Art Week.

Despite the expected cold front, you may steam a bit in related traffic tie-ups as the art events take over Miami Beach and Miami-Wynwood neighborhoods. Thousands of arts patrons will clog the streets to get to the myriad events as this year’s 2019 edition of Basel begins Thursday and runs through Dec. 8.

Miami Art Week gets off to an earlier start, on Monday, and runs through Dec. 8, too.

Here are some tips on how to get around Art Basel 2019 and Miami Art Week, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This is a file photo of a traffic jam in Miami Beach in 2012. These people are still there trying to get to Miami Art Week and Art Basel events seven years later. You don’t have to be one of them if you heed several tips to get around Miami and Miami Beach during the popular week in December 2019.
This is a file photo of a traffic jam in Miami Beach in 2012. These people are still there trying to get to Miami Art Week and Art Basel events seven years later. You don’t have to be one of them if you heed several tips to get around Miami and Miami Beach during the popular week in December 2019.

Art Week hours, a traffic jam made of sand and Kehinde Wiley: Here’s our Basel bible

Native American artist showcases Miccosukee Tribe in Wynwood mural before Miami Art Week

Parking at the Miami Beach Convention Center

For Art Basel Miami Beach 2019, valet parking is available at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., which plays host to the main event and also Design Miami There is a parking garage nearby at 17th Street and street parking — but expect most of these spaces to fill quickly.

Free Art Week shuttle service

Miami and Miami Beach will team up to operate a free shuttle service to connect to art shows from Miami Beach to the mainland.

The service is offered Thursday through Sunday during Art Basel and Miami Art Week 2019.

The hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. Shuttles will stop approximately every 20 minutes. Follow the Art Week shuttle in real-time by downloading the free Miami Beach eGov app, the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau suggests.

The East/West Loop connects the Midtown/Wynwood area with Miami Beach.

For streets and stops click here..

Midtown Miami/Wynwood stops:

▪ 29th Street and Midtown Boulevard.

▪ 36th Street and Buena Vista Avenue.

Miami Beach stops:

▪ 41st Street and Royal Palm Avenue.

▪ Convention Center Drive and 17th Street (Miami Beach Convention Center).

South Beach stops:

▪ 10th Street and Washington Avenue.

▪ Convention Center Drive and 17th Street (Northbound MBCC).

▪ 17th Street and Washington Avenue (Southbound MBCC).

▪ 18th Street and Purdy Avenue (Water Taxi Stop at Maurice Gibb Memorial Park).

Middle Beach stops:

▪ 41st Street and Royal Palm Avenue.

▪ 46th Street and Collins Avenue.

North Beach stops:

▪ 67th Street and Collins Avenue.

▪ 72nd Street and Collins Avenue (Bandshell Park).

▪ The North/South Loop connects the Miami Beach Convention Center with fairs along Collins Avenue stretching to the North Beach Bandshell.

Native American artist Bunky Echo-Hawk’s mural for Art Basel is unveiled during a press conference event on Thursday morning, November 21, 2019, in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood.
Native American artist Bunky Echo-Hawk’s mural for Art Basel is unveiled during a press conference event on Thursday morning, November 21, 2019, in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood.

Metromover, Metrorail and Metrobus

Going to Art Miami? Trust us and take Metrorail if possible because traffic is going to be a nightmare in the area — and Uber and Lyft vehicles can’t fly above the crunch of cars.

Metromover’s loops at Omni, Brickell and around Miami run from 5 a.m. to midnight and are free. Metrorail runs from downtown through South Miami with stops in Coral Gables and Kendall. Metrobus stations are located throughout Miami-Dade County, including Miami Beach, and intersect with various Metrorail stations.

These Metrobuses will run on a normal schedule. There once was an Art Express bus, specific to Miami Art Week, but it was discontinued last year and has not been reinstated, said Karla Damian, spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works.

Want to get Miami-Dade Transit’s attention on Twitter? Use the hashtag #IRideMDT.

For those flying in from out of town and staying in South Beach, Route 150 — the Miami Beach Airport Express route — provides express bus service between Miami Beach and Miami International Airport. It can be cheaper than taking a cab or Uber or Lyft (and wouldn’t have surge pricing, common to rideshare services.)

Miami Beach free trolley

Miami Beach trolleys run 8 a.m.-midnight daily every 10 to 15 minutes or so. Four loops include South Beach Loop, Middle Beach Loop, Collins Express and North Beach Loop. The trolleys are free.

Here’s where they will deposit you:

Art Basel Miami Beach at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

▪ 17th Street and Convention Center Drive (South Beach Loop B and Middle Beach Loop)

▪ Southbound: 19th Street and Washington Avenue (South Beach Loop B)

▪ Northbound: 18th Street and Washington Avenue (South Beach Loop B)

Aqua Art Miami, 1530 Collins Avenue.

▪ 15th Street and Washington Avenue (South Beach Loops A, B and via 11 Street Stops)

Audemars Piguet, Sandlot between 21st and 22nd Streets.

▪ 21st Street and Collins Avenue (South Beach Loops A and B, Middle Beach Loop and Collins Express)

▪ 22nd Street and Collins Avenue (Middle Beach Loop and Collins Express)

The Bass, 2100 Collins Avenue.

▪ 21st Street and Collins Avenue (South Beach Loops A and B, Middle Beach Loop and Collins Express)

Design Miami, Northwest corner of Meridian Avenue and 19th Street.

▪ 19th Street and Meridian Avenue (South Beach Loop B and Middle Beach Loop)

Faena Festival, 3201 Collins Avenue – Beachfront between 32nd and 36th Streets.

▪ 31st and 38th Streets and Collins Avenue (Middle Beach Loop and Collins Express)

Ink Miami Art Fair, 1850 Collins Ave.

▪ 18th Street and Collins Avenue (Middle Beach Loop)

PULSE Miami Beach, Indian Beach Park - 46th Street and Collins Avenue

▪ 43rd Street and Collins Avenue (Middle Beach and Collins Express)

Scope Art Fair, Ocean Drive - Beachfront between 8th and 10th Streets

▪ 9th Street and Washington Avenue (South Beach Loops A, B and via 11 Street Stops)

Untitled Art Fair, Ocean Drive - Beachfront between 11th and 12th Streets

▪ 9th Street and Washington Avenue (South Beach Loops A, B and via 11 Street Stops)

Brightline debuted its intercity railway connecting Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on Friday morning, Jan, 12, 2018. The train waits at the Palm Beach station as passengers board for a special VIP and media tour before the official public rides begin.
Brightline debuted its intercity railway connecting Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on Friday morning, Jan, 12, 2018. The train waits at the Palm Beach station as passengers board for a special VIP and media tour before the official public rides begin.

Brightline Train

Brightline (soon to be Virgin Trains USA) whisks riders from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach to Miami and back. The service should be particularly popular for folks in Broward and Palm Beach who want to attend Miami Art Week and Art Basel but can’t abide all that never-ending construction on Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike. Your ride to Miami is about 30 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, and 60 minutes or so from West Palm Beach.

One-way fares start at $11 depending on the day and time and location. Information at: GoBrightline.com.

Citi Bikes

Want to burn calories and reduce your carbon footprint? There are Citi Bike stations throughout Miami Beach, Wynwood, Downtown Miami, Brickell and Coconut Grove. For a map with locations of each of the stations, visit CitiBikeMiami.com or download the app. Prices vary depending on how long you want to ride the bike.

Shuttle buses between Art Miami, Aqua and Context

Art Miami and Context Art Miami will run a free shuttle bus connecting the downtown art fairs to the JW Marriott Marquis hotel and the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), both downtown, and the sister fair Aqua Art Miami in South Beach.

Lyft it, Uber it or taxi it

Use Uber and Lyft rideshare services, via the apps you probably already have on your phones. The companies will also decorate some of their cars with the artwork of contributing local and international artists. You ought to also check the promo tabs on your apps because both rideshare companies are offering promotional deals. But given the demand this week, also expect surge pricing, the Greater Miami and the Beaches bureau folks say.

There will not be an UberBoat. There hasn’t been for a few years.

Taxi numbers:

▪ Miami-Dade Taxis: 305-551-1111.

▪ Doral Taxi: 305-594-3333.

▪ Miami Yellow Cab: 305-640-0000.

▪ Red Limo: 305-225-5733.

▪ USA Taxi: 305-388-8888.

Alan Ket and Allison Freidin, Museum of Graffiti founders, opening in Wynwood during Art Week 2019.
Alan Ket and Allison Freidin, Museum of Graffiti founders, opening in Wynwood during Art Week 2019.

Parking garages and lots on Miami Beach

Naturally, most of these lots or garages will be filled before you even get dressed to attend the events. But just in case you get lucky, here they are:

▪ Seventh Street garage on Seventh Street and Collins Avenue.

▪ 13th Street garage on 13th Street and Collins Avenue.

▪ 12th Street garage on 12th Street and Drexel Avenue.

▪ Sixth Street and Meridian Avenue.

▪ 10th Street and Collins Avenue.

▪ 13th Street and Collins Avenue.

Water Taxi

YachtLife Miami is advertising a water taxi service for Art Basel 2019 between the hours of noon to 10 p.m. Dec. 5-8.

The cost is $150-$225 and rides can be booked for one to 13 people. The pickup location is the Kimpton EPIC Hotel at 270 Biscayne Boulevard Way. Visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-basel-water-taxi-by-yachtilifemiami-tickets-83495058969.

Rubell Museum opens in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood during the 2019 Art Basel.
Rubell Museum opens in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood during the 2019 Art Basel.

Go elsewhere!

You can also avoid some of this Basel-related traffic by just not going anywhere near the fair or its satellite events. Miami.Com’s Things to Do page has some suggestions.

We loved the first NightGarden at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden last year and it’s even larger for its second edition with new displays, like a maze made up of lighted flowers.

We also thought “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” was big fun at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables and the musical has been extended until Dec. 22.

Indulge your sweet tooth and Instagram itch at the new Candytopia pop-up at Aventura Mall’s food court through at least Dec. 31.

Or stay at home and watch Martin Scorsese’s new crime epic everyone’s talking about, “The Irishman,” on Netflix. At three hours and 30 minutes it’s long — almost long as you’ll sit in traffic to move one block to the next this week if you don’t heed any of the aforementioned tips. But you’ll be home and comfy and ready for Oscar season.