How to Spend an 8 Hour Layover in Miami: MIA to Little Havana on Calle Ocho
Updated October 12, 2026
Versailles has served Cuban coffee and pastries on Calle Ocho since 1971, a single bus ride from the airport's transit center. Eat there, then ride the free trolley east to a fruit stand, the domino tables at Máximo Gómez Park and a scoop of guava ice cream.
Calle Ocho, Southwest 8th Street, is the main street of Little Havana, where Cuban exiles settled in large numbers from the 1960s. This plan follows it from west to east. It starts at Versailles, one of the best known Cuban restaurants in Miami, where politicians, families and visitors line up at the coffee window. The free City of Miami trolley then carries you to the heart of the neighborhood, where a fruit stand, the domino tables of Máximo Gómez Park and an ice cream shop sit within a few blocks. A Metrobus from the airport covers the first leg, and the trolley and Metrorail bring you back. Every stop opens daily, but the fruit stand closes in the afternoon, so go there before the park, and carry some cash for it.
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Is it worth leaving the airport?
Yes. Little Havana is close to the airport, the bus and trolley run all day, and the stops are short and flexible. Eight hours leaves time for a long lunch. Stay put only if your first flight is badly late or a storm is coming through.
Getting from MIA into the city
Ride the free MIA Mover from the third level of the terminal to the Miami Intermodal Center, then take Metrobus Route 37 south along Douglas Road to Southwest 8th Street. Versailles is a short walk east of the stop. Tap a contactless bank card or phone when you board. If the bus has just left, an Uber to Versailles is a short ride.
Plan on about 1 hr 39 min for the round trip between Miami International Airport and the first and last stops.
This plan also keeps 45 min to get out of the airport and 1 hr 30 min to get back through security before your flight. You can customize these buffers with Navi through text.
Times are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm your boarding time with your airline and check entry requirements before leaving the airport. You are responsible for getting back in time for your flight.
Visa and entry
Travelers arriving from abroad clear immigration and customs at MIA, or at their first US airport, before they can leave the building. Domestic travelers need only the ID they flew with. Everyone goes back through TSA screening on the way in. If your next flight leaves the country, allow more time, because MIA asks for three hours before international departures.
What to do with your bags
MIA runs a baggage checkroom on the second level of Central Terminal E, open daily from early morning to evening, which charges daily rates by the bag. The trolley and bus have little room for a big case, and the Calle Ocho sidewalks are narrow, so bring only a small bag.
The 8 hour plan, stop by stop
About 4 hr 6 min in the city
Time to head out from Miami International Airport for Versailles Restaurant. It's a 40 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
Versailles opened in 1971 and became one of the best known Cuban restaurants in Miami, with mirrored walls, chandeliers and a long menu of Cuban classics. The bakery next door and its walk up window, the ventanita, serve coffee, pastries and croquetas to a steady crowd of regulars. Political candidates stop here to be seen, and it fills up on weekends. It opens daily from morning until late at night.
Tip: Order a cafecito or a cortadito at the ventanita first, then go inside for lunch. If the dining room has a wait, the bakery counter serves croquetas and Cuban sandwiches to go.
- Time here
- 45 min to 1 hr
- Website
- versaillesrestaurant.com
NaviTime to head out from Versailles Restaurant for Los Pinareños Frutería. It's a 17 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
This open air fruit stand on Calle Ocho sells tropical fruit, coconuts with a straw and fresh juices, including guarapo, the sugarcane juice pressed while you wait. Wooden tables sit under the awnings, and the produce changes with the season. It opens every day from morning into the afternoon, closing a little earlier on Sundays, so it comes before the park.
Tip: Try the guarapo with lime, or a fresh coconut if it's hot. Bring cash, since the stand doesn't take cards.
- Time here
- 15 to 20 min
NaviTime to head out from Los Pinareños Frutería for Máximo Gómez Park. It's a 4 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
Known to everyone as Domino Park, this small corner park on Calle Ocho has been a meeting place for older Cuban men since the 1970s. They play dominoes and chess at tables under a covered pavilion, and the clack of tiles carries onto the street. It is named for Máximo Gómez, the Dominican-born general who led Cuban forces in the wars of independence against Spain. The park is free and open every day.
Tip: Watch from the edge rather than crowding the tables, and ask before you take close photos of the players. The tables are for regulars, so don't expect to sit in on a game.
- Time here
- 20 to 30 min
NaviTime to head out from Máximo Gómez Park for Azucar Ice Cream Company. It's a 1 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
Azucar makes ice cream with Cuban and Latin flavors, such as Abuela María with guava, cream cheese and Maria cookies, or café con leche, and a giant ice cream cone hangs over its door on Calle Ocho. The shop is small, with a few seats, and opens daily from late morning into the evening. It sits just across the street from Domino Park.
Tip: Ask for a taste of two or three flavors before you choose. The Abuela María is the one people come for, and a small cup is plenty before the ride back.
- Time here
- 15 to 20 min
- Website
- azucaricecream.com
NaviTime to head out from Azucar Ice Cream Company for Miami International Airport. It's a 59 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
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