The Venetian Causeway: Crossing Biscayne Bay From Miami to Miami Beach the Slow Way

Here is the short answer. The Venetian Causeway is the old, low road across Biscayne Bay between mainland Miami and Miami Beach, and it is the best way to see the bay at street level. Miami-Dade County dates it to 1927. It has 12 bridges, two of them drawbridges, and both cities have designated those bridges as historic landmarks. A two-axle car pays $3.25 with SunPass or $6.50 by plate, and the toll plaza takes no cash. The better way to cross is slowly, on foot or on a bike, late in the day, with the downtown skyline behind you. At the Miami Beach end, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden is free and open Tuesday through Sunday. Every rate and rule below came from the county or the garden, checked this week.

We are Brad and Justina, founders of Yours Truly Hospitality. We manage vacation homes across Southeast Florida, and guests who base themselves in Broward often ask us for a Miami day that is not another highway drive. This is one of our answers. It costs almost nothing and it shows you the water the whole way.

What the Venetian Causeway Is

There are faster ways to get to Miami Beach. The MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways move most of the traffic. The Venetian is the one that runs through a neighborhood instead of over it.

The county describes it plainly. It was built in 1927 to connect Miami and Miami Beach. It crosses the bay in a chain of 12 bridges, 10 of them fixed spans and two of them bascule bridges that lift for boats. The toll plaza connects mainland Miami with the Venetian Islands and Miami Beach, and the islands between the bridges are residential streets.

That last point sets the tone for the trip. These are people's homes. Stay on the causeway, keep voices down, and treat the islands as a view, not a stop.

What It Costs to Drive It

The county's Department of Transportation and Public Works runs the toll plaza, and the current rates went into effect on October 1, 2025.

• Two-axle vehicle (a normal car): $3.25 with SunPass, $6.50 by Toll-by-Plate.

• Toll-by-Plate monthly invoice fee: $2.50 on top.

• Cash: no longer accepted.

The plaza has four lanes and handles traffic in both directions. If you are in a rental car, ask the rental company how it bills tolls before you cross, because Toll-by-Plate charges land on the plate holder first. The county's posted rates are written per vehicle, by axle count.

There are also annual plans, but they are built for Venetian property owners, island residents and workers, and Sunset Harbour residents. A visitor will not qualify, so plan on the per-trip rate.

On Foot or on a Bike

This is the version we recommend, with one honest caution.

The county itself says the current bridges are quite narrow to safely accommodate vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. That is the reason it plans to replace them. So treat the crossing with respect. Ride single file. Walk on the side away from traffic where you can. Keep kids close on the bridge spans, where the shoulder is tightest.

Two practical habits make it easier:

• Go late in the day. Walking east toward Miami Beach in the afternoon puts the sun at your back. Turn around near sunset and the Brickell and downtown skyline sits across the water from you. That view is the reason to come.

• Expect the drawbridges to open. Two of the bridges lift for boat traffic. When the gates come down, everyone waits, cars and bikes alike. Use the stop for photos.

Bring water. There is shade at both ends, but not much in between, and the bay reflects more sun than you expect, even in winter.

What Is Waiting on the Miami Beach Side

Most people cross, look at the beach, and turn around. The better reward is closer and quieter.

The Miami Beach Botanical Garden sits at 2000 Convention Center Drive. Admission is free, and the garden says it is always free and open to everyone. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays, so plan your crossing for another day if the garden is the goal.

If you came by bike, the entry plaza at 19th Street and Convention Center Drive has bike racks. Inside, the paths run under old shade trees, past a Great Lawn and a Japanese Garden with a red lacquered bridge over a pond. It is the right place to cool down before the ride back.

If you drove, the garden points visitors to the rooftop of the Convention Center Garage, the fourth floor, where validated parking is $2 per hour. You get the validation inside the garden's boutique. Garden visitors can use any spot on that roof, not only the ten that are signed for them. There is also a 17th Street Garage with an entrance on the west side of Convention Center Drive.

The Bridges Are Changing, Just Not Yet

If you have heard the Venetian is about to be rebuilt, that is true, and it is worth knowing before you plan around it.

Miami-Dade County, the Florida Department of Transportation and other partners are working together to replace 11 of the 12 bridges, including the easternmost drawbridge. The county held a public meeting on the design on March 18, 2026, and it says the final design was expected to be complete by summer 2026, with the construction contract to be advertised after that, subject to permits.

Here is what the county says the new bridges will bring:

• Higher clearances and resilience work on the approaches, to stand up to sea-level rise.

• Bridges 16 feet wider, with significantly better safety for drivers, walkers and riders.

• A design that pays homage to the original look of the causeway.

• A design life of about 75 years.

The county also says traffic will never be completely blocked during construction, with temporary bridges and open lanes keeping the route usable. We could not find a published construction start date, so we are not going to guess one. If you are reading this later in the season, check the county's project page before you go. Work zones change what a walk across the bay feels like.

How We Would Spend the Afternoon

Start on the mainland side in the early afternoon. Cross east on foot or on a bike, slowly, stopping on the bridges for the water. Spend an hour in the botanical garden, in the shade, before it closes at five. Then head back west as the light drops, with the skyline lit up in front of you and the bay on both sides.

That is a few dollars of parking, a free garden, and the best view of Miami most visitors never stop for.

We build days like this for guests all the time, then hand them the short version so nobody spends their vacation reading a county toll schedule. If you want a base for trips like this one, take a look at our South Florida vacation homes.