Miami to Bimini

Where the ferry really leaves from

Terminal 21 at Port Everglades. The street address is 2021 Eller Dr., Hollywood, Florida 33316. It says Hollywood while the operator sells the route as Fort Lauderdale to Bimini; same terminal, and that address is the one to give a driver or a maps app.

The port sits beside Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, about six miles away by road.

One company, Baleària Caribbean, runs the crossing with a fast ferry. The sailing days, the departure times, the fares and the booking itself are on Baleària Caribbean's route page, and they change, so that page is the one to read. The calendar has gaps, so check it for your date before you book anything else.

Bimini is in The Bahamas, so the ferry lands you in another country. The travel documents section of the getting-there guide covers what to carry, and the Bimini ferry guide covers the rest of the crossing: the terminal, the landing and which of the names you'll meet online are resellers.

Getting to the ferry from Miami

By road, Terminal 21 is about 26 miles from downtown Miami and about 32 miles from Miami International Airport. A taxi or rideshare covers it in one ride. Give the driver the street address and the terminal number.

Without a car, another way up the coast is the train. Brightline runs between Miami and Orlando with stops in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. Get off at Fort Lauderdale. The station is at 101 NW 2nd Avenue, about five miles by road from Terminal 21, so the last leg is a taxi or rideshare. Brightline publishes its own timetable and fares.

If you're flying to Florida for this and haven't booked the flight yet, fly into Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International. It's about six miles by road from Terminal 21, against about 32 from Miami International.

Driving yourself? The Palm Parking Garage is the covered garage next to Terminal 21. The rate is the port's to set, and Port Everglades' Terminal 21 page is where it lives.

Flying from Miami instead

Scheduled flights leave Miami International for South Bimini Airport (BIM), about 64 miles as the crow flies. The airport is on South Bimini. Alice Town is across the harbor entrance on North Bimini, about 2.6 miles from the airport in a straight line, and a short local ferry crosses between the South Bimini ferry dock and the government dock in Alice Town. The airlines that fly the route, and what to check before you book, are the job of the flights page.

A day trip

Day trips to Bimini run by sea and by air. Who sells them, where each one starts and what to check before you pay is the job of the day-trip page.

• The Bimini ferry

  Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale to Bimini Bay: the terminal, the landing, and where the days and fares are published.

• Flights and seaplanes

  The airlines that fly to South Bimini, the seaplane to North Bimini, and the boat ride from the airport to Alice Town.

• A day trip

  A day in Bimini by ferry or by air: who sells them and what to check before you book.

Why the Miami ferry question persists

Partly geography. Miami is the nearest big city to the crossing and has an international airport. Bimini sits about 56 miles from downtown Miami across the water, and the nearest point of the Florida shore to Alice Town is the ocean side of Miami Beach, about 50 miles (45 nautical miles) away across the Gulf Stream. "Miami to Bimini" describes the trip; the ferry just leaves from farther up the coast, in Fort Lauderdale. Its own run, Terminal 21 to Fisherman's Village, is about 57 miles, or 50 nautical miles, as the crow flies.

Partly the resellers. Direct Ferries, a reseller, keeps a page titled "Miami to Bimini ferry", with the same words in its web address. Open it and its own text says "there are currently no ferries running between Miami and Bimini," then points you to its Fort Lauderdale routes and to Baleària Caribbean. Yet the same page's guide to the port of Miami still describes a route to Bimini as the only ferry out of Miami Port. Search engines show the title and the correction sits inside the page, which is how the phrase lives on in results.

Two more names lead to one reseller. "Bimini Fast Ferry", at biminifastferry.com, forwards to ferrytobahamas.com, and that page says in its own words that its tickets are sold by I Love Ferry, S.L., a travel agency in Spain that works with the operator. Whoever sells the ticket, the sailing is Baleària Caribbean's, so its route page is where we'd start.

Distances are computed from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Questions and answers

Is there a ferry from Miami to Bimini?

The ferry to Bimini leaves from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, about 26 miles by road north of downtown Miami. Baleària Caribbean runs every sailing, from there to Fisherman's Village on Bimini Bay. Days, times and fares are on the operator's route page.

How far is Port Everglades from Miami?

About 26 miles by road from downtown Miami to Terminal 21, and about 32 miles from Miami International Airport. Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is the close one, about six miles from the terminal by road.

How do I get from Miami to the Bimini ferry without a car?

Take a taxi or rideshare the whole way, or ride Brightline from Miami to its Fort Lauderdale station at 101 NW 2nd Avenue, then a taxi or rideshare for the last leg, about five miles, to Terminal 21.

How far is Bimini from Miami?

About 56 miles from downtown Miami across the water, and about 50 miles (45 nautical miles) from the nearest point of the Florida shore, the ocean side of Miami Beach. The ferry's run from Terminal 21 to Fisherman's Village is about 57 miles, or 50 nautical miles, as the crow flies.

Can I fly from Miami to Bimini?

Yes. Scheduled flights leave Miami International for South Bimini Airport (BIM), about 64 miles as the crow flies. The airport is on South Bimini; a short local ferry crosses the harbor entrance from the South Bimini ferry dock to Alice Town on North Bimini, about 2.6 miles from the airport in a straight line. The airlines that fly it are the job of the flights page.

Can you do Bimini in a day from Miami?

There are day trips by sea and by air. Where each one starts, who sells it and what to check before you pay is the job of the day-trip page.