Use Case

Boat Tour Miami

A private boat tour of Miami puts your group — and nobody else — on a captained yacht for the route the city is famous for: the Star Island and Venetian Islands homes, the downtown skyline from open water, Stiltsville's houses standing a mile out in the bay, and a swim stop at the Key Biscayne sandbar if you build in the time. Tours run 2 to 8 hours, from $400 for 2 hours, the captain narrates as much or as little as you want, and the schedule is yours: linger, swim, reroute. No tickets, no lines, no strangers.

Captained chartersUp to 13 guests4, 6 or 8-hour optionsMiami, FL
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5.0(84)Google reviewsUSCG-licensed captains

The route the postcards are based on

Every Miami boat tour is built from the same raw material, and the material is excellent: out through Government Cut past the cruise terminals, into the loop around Star Island, Palm, and Hibiscus — the waterfront houses every guide points at — then the Venetian Islands under the causeway bridges with the downtown towers stacking up behind them. Add hours and the bay opens south: Stiltsville, a cluster of 1930s houses standing on pilings in open water, and the Cape Florida lighthouse at the tip of Key Biscayne. The difference on a private tour is that none of it runs on a timer. Dolphins surface off the bow? The captain circles back. Want the skyline photo from the exact right angle? You wait for the light.

Yacht charter on Biscayne Bay in Miami

Private tour vs. tour boat

The ticketed sightseeing boats run a fixed 90-minute loop with a microphone, a schedule, and whoever else bought tickets that hour.

A private boat tour inverts all of it: your group boards its own yacht, the captain plans the route around what you actually want to see, and the narration is a conversation, not a script. For two people it's the difference between a tour and a date; for six or more it's barely a price difference — a $650 four-hour yacht split across a family or two lands near premium tour-boat tickets, and you keep the boat for hours, not laps. The boat matters too: real seating instead of benches, a bathroom aboard, shade when you want it, and the calm water of a protected bay instead of open-ocean chop.

How long to book, and what fits

Two hours covers the skyline and the island loop — the essential postcard run.

Three hours adds Stiltsville and time to idle where it's good. Four hours is the version locals pick for visitors: the full loop plus an hour and a half anchored at the sandbar, ladder down, water like a pool — bring suits and towels. Six and eight-hour tours stop being tours and become days on the water: lunch at anchor, a second swim, the lighthouse run. The sunset slot deserves its own mention — the skyline lights twice, once in gold and once in glass, and it photographs like nothing else in the city. Whatever the length, the boat is private, so the itinerary bends to the group and not the other way around.

Yacht charter on Biscayne Bay in Miami

Practical notes for visitors

Tours depart from marinas in downtown Miami, South Beach, and Coconut Grove — ten minutes from most hotels, with the exact pickup confirmed at booking.

Biscayne Bay is protected water, so the ride is flat and seasickness is rare even for first-timers. Bring sunscreen and sunglasses; the boat carries ice, bottled water, a cooler, and USCG-approved life jackets — tell us kids' ages at booking so the right sizes are aboard. BYOB is welcome: afternoon tours tend to run on sparkling water and a fruit tray, sunset tours on champagne. Book one to two weeks ahead in winter high season, earlier around the December holidays; summer mornings are the quiet, glassy window. If weather or a mechanical issue prevents a safe departure, the Perfect Day Guarantee applies — you choose a free rebooking on any open date, or every dollar back.

How booking works

  1. Choose your yacht

    Browse the fleet and pick the boat that fits your group.

  2. Lock in your date

    Check live availability and reserve online in about a minute.

  3. Step aboard

    Your captain and crew handle the rest from the dock.

See how it works

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See the full fleet

Frequently asked

Private tours start from $400 for 2 hours with the captain, fuel, and ice included. A 2-hour skyline tour starts from $400; a 4-hour tour with a sandbar swim on a 50'–60' yacht runs about $1,450–$2,900 before tax and gratuity. The boat is priced per hour, not per person, so the math improves with company.

The Star Island, Palm, and Hibiscus island homes, the Venetian Islands, the downtown and South Beach skylines from the water, and Fisher Island — with 3+ hours adding Stiltsville and the Cape Florida lighthouse. Dolphins and manatees make regular unscheduled appearances, and the captain slows down when they do.

Yes — every tour is your group only. There are no tickets, no shared decks, and no fixed loop. The captain builds the route around your group and adjusts it live.

Book 4 hours or more and yes — the classic stop is the Key Biscayne sandbar, anchored in chest-deep water with the ladder down and paddleboards out. Two-hour skyline tours stay dry; there isn't time to anchor properly.

Very — the bay is calm, the boats have real seating, shade, and a bathroom, and life jackets in the right sizes are aboard when you tell us ages at booking. Morning tours are the family favorite: glassy water, mild sun, and the sandbar at its clearest.

The Miami River (Regal Marina and River Landing, near downtown), Miami Beach Marina in South Beach, and Bill Bird Marina in Haulover Park — whichever sits closest to you is usually the answer, and the confirmed pickup address comes with the booking.

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5.0(84)Google reviewsUSCG-licensed captains