New York has more beach than you might expect. City beaches like Coney Island, Brighton Beach and the surf sands of Rockaway are reachable by subway or ferry in under 90 minutes, while Long Island opens up wider, cleaner stretches — Jones Beach, Long Beach, car-free Fire Island and the glamorous Hamptons. The Atlantic warms to a swimmable 18–22°C from June to September. Here are the best beaches near the city, with how to reach each by subway, train, ferry or car, and tips on which are worth a day trip and which reward an overnight.
Coney Island Beach
Area
Coney Island (Brooklyn)
Facilities
Boardwalk, amusement park, food
“The classic city beach since 1829 — free, with a historic boardwalk and Luna Park behind. 45 minutes on the D/F/N/Q.”
Brighton Beach
Area
Brighton Beach (Brooklyn)
Facilities
Boardwalk, Russian restaurants
“Nicknamed 'Little Odessa' for its Russian community — more local and authentic than neighbouring Coney Island. Take the B/Q.”
Rockaway Beach
Area
Rockaway (Queens)
Facilities
Surfing, boardwalk, food
“New York City's only surf beach, reachable by subway and ferry — a young, active scene. About 1h 30m via the A train.”
Jones Beach
Area
Long Island (Wantagh)
Facilities
10 km sand, boardwalk, concert venue
“A 1929 Robert Moses beach park with ten kilometres of white sand. Best by car (~50 min); parking around $10.”
Long Beach
Area
Long Island (Nassau)
Facilities
Boardwalk, surfing, town amenities
“A Long Island beach town just 50 minutes from Penn Station by LIRR. A day beach pass ($15) is required in summer.”
Fire Island
Area
Long Island (South Shore)
Facilities
Car-free, ferry access, 17 communities
“A car-free, 50-kilometre barrier island of beaches and small communities. Take the LIRR to Sayville, then a ferry (~$25).”
Robert Moses State Park
Area
Fire Island (western end)
Facilities
8 km sand, lighthouse, parking
“A quiet state-park beach on the western end of Fire Island, reachable by car in about 1h 15m. Parking around $10.”
East Hampton Main Beach
Area
Long Island (The Hamptons)
Facilities
'America's Best Beach', village nearby
“Regularly ranked 'America's Best Beach', in the most exclusive of the Hamptons. Best as an overnight; take the Hampton Jitney.”
New York beaches in detail
1.Coney Island Beach
Coney Island Beach is the classic New York city beach, a five-kilometre stretch of sand at the southern tip of Brooklyn that has drawn crowds since 1829 — the name comes from the Dutch 'Konijn Eiland', or Rabbit Island. Behind it runs the famous boardwalk, laid down in 1923 and four kilometres long, backed by Luna Park's rides and the historic Cyclone coaster. The subway (D, F, N or Q) reaches it in about 45 minutes from Manhattan, and it is free, with lifeguards on duty in summer. Nathan's Famous, serving hot dogs since 1916, is a Coney Island institution, and its 4 July eating contest is a New York spectacle. The water quality is fine if not spectacular, and the real draw is the whole scene: the boardwalk, the rides, the sideshows, the New York Aquarium and the sheer democratic energy of a proper city beach. For budget travellers and anyone who wants the quintessential New York seaside experience — sand, boardwalk, roller coasters and a hot dog — Coney Island is the obvious choice, and unlike anywhere else on the coast. Come on a warm summer day for the full, buzzing atmosphere.
Hours
Always open; lifeguards in summer
Price
Free
Getting there
Subway D/F/N/Q to Coney Island–Stillwell Av (~45 min)
Insider tip: The classic city beach since 1829 — free, with a historic boardwalk and Luna Park behind. 45 minutes on the D/F/N/Q.
2.Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach sits right next to Coney Island in southern Brooklyn and is known as 'Little Odessa' for its large Russian and Eastern European immigrant community. Its two-kilometre stretch of sand shares the boardwalk that continues from Coney Island, but the atmosphere is quite different — more local, more residential and, to many visitors, more authentic. The real draw is Brighton Beach Avenue behind the sand, lined with Russian restaurants, delis and food shops (spots such as Tatiana and Volna), where you can eat borscht, blini and Eastern European specialities and hear as much Russian as English on the street. The subway (B or Q) reaches it in about 50 minutes from Manhattan, and the beach itself is free, with summer lifeguards. For visitors who want a beach day with a strong cultural flavour — a swim followed by a genuinely different neighbourhood to explore and eat in — Brighton Beach is a rewarding alternative to its busier neighbour. Combine it with Coney Island (they are a short walk apart along the boardwalk) for a day that mixes classic seaside fun with an immersive taste of one of New York's most distinctive immigrant communities.
Hours
Always open; lifeguards in summer
Price
Free
Getting there
Subway B/Q to Brighton Beach (~50 min)
Insider tip: Nicknamed 'Little Odessa' for its Russian community — more local and authentic than neighbouring Coney Island. Take the B/Q.
3.Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach, on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, is New York City's only surf beach — an 11-kilometre stretch of sand divided into numbered 'beaches', with Beach 90 the well-known surf spot. It is reachable in about 1 hour 30 minutes from Manhattan on the A train plus the Q22 bus, or, more scenically, by the NYC Ferry from Wall Street in summer (around $4). The beach is free, with lifeguards in season, and in the warmer months the Rockaway Beach concessions and food stalls give it a lively, young, active atmosphere, drawing surfers, day-trippers and a hip Brooklyn-and-Queens crowd. It has become one of the city's coolest summer escapes, with a laid-back, beach-town feel quite unlike the amusement-park bustle of Coney Island. For visitors who want to surf, or simply enjoy a long ocean beach with a youthful, relaxed scene and good casual food, Rockaway is the pick — the closest thing New York has to a genuine surf town, all within the city limits. Take the ferry out for the best approach, rent a board if you fancy trying the waves, and grab tacos from the beachside stalls afterwards.
Hours
Always open; lifeguards in summer
Price
Free (ferry ~$4)
Getting there
Subway A to Rockaway + Q22 bus, or NYC Ferry from Wall St (summer)
Insider tip: New York City's only surf beach, reachable by subway and ferry — a young, active scene. About 1h 30m via the A train.
4.Jones Beach
Jones Beach State Park, in Wantagh on Long Island, is one of the region's grandest beaches — a Robert Moses design of 1929, celebrated as a masterpiece of park planning. It offers ten kilometres of clean white sand, a long boardwalk, and handsome Art Deco stonework and buildings from its 1929 origins, along with the Jones Beach Theater, an open-air amphitheatre that hosts big summer concerts (Springsteen and the Rolling Stones among the acts over the years). It is best reached by car, about 50 minutes from Manhattan, with parking around $10 a day, though a summer LIRR-plus-bus combination also works. It makes a great day trip or an easy overnight, offering a proper wide ocean beach with full facilities within easy reach of the city — a real step up in scale and cleanliness from the crowded city beaches. For visitors with access to a car who want a classic Long Island beach day, with space to spread out, a boardwalk to stroll and the option of an evening concert, Jones Beach is an excellent choice. Arrive early on summer weekends for parking and a good spot, and check the concert calendar if you fancy pairing sand and sea with live music.
Hours
Always open; lifeguards in summer
Price
Free; parking ~$10
Getting there
~50 min by car, or LIRR to Freeport/Wantagh + summer beach bus
Insider tip: A 1929 Robert Moses beach park with ten kilometres of white sand. Best by car (~50 min); parking around $10.
5.Long Beach
Long Beach is a beach town on Long Island's southern shore, about 35 kilometres east of Manhattan and, crucially, reachable in just 50 minutes on the LIRR from Penn Station — with the station a short walk from the sand, making it one of the most accessible 'real' beaches from the city without a car. It offers seven kilometres of ocean beach and a three-kilometre boardwalk, popular with swimmers, surfers and joggers, backed by a proper town with restaurants, bars and shops. A beach badge is required from June to September ($15 a day or $35 for a weekly pass). For visitors who want a genuine Long Island beach-town experience — ocean waves, a lively boardwalk and town amenities — without the long journey to the Hamptons, Long Beach is an ideal choice, easily done as a day trip by train. It has a relaxed, local, weekend feel, especially in summer. Take a late-morning train from Penn Station, buy a beach badge at the entrance, and spend the day between the sand, the boardwalk and the town's restaurants before heading back in the evening. Note it is not to be confused with the Long Beach in California — this one is pure New York.
Hours
Always open; lifeguards in summer
Price
Beach badge ~$15/day (Jun–Sep)
Getting there
LIRR from Penn Station to Long Beach (~50 min)
Insider tip: A Long Island beach town just 50 minutes from Penn Station by LIRR. A day beach pass ($15) is required in summer.
6.Fire Island
Fire Island is a car-free barrier island of white sand running some 50 kilometres off Long Island's southern shore, about 60 kilometres east of Manhattan. With no cars — people get around on foot, by bike and on little wooden boardwalks — it has a uniquely relaxed, back-to-nature feel, and its 17 communities each have their own character: Ocean Beach is the family-friendly 'downtown', Saltaire is quiet and residential, and Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines are famous, long-established LGBTQ+ summer destinations. Getting there is part of the appeal: take the LIRR to Sayville, Bay Shore or Patchogue, then a ferry across (around $25 round trip). The beaches are clean and beautiful, and the Sunken Forest — a rare maritime holly forest — is a natural highlight. It works best as an overnight or weekend rather than a day trip, given the journey. For visitors who want an unspoilt, car-free beach escape with a distinctive, laid-back island culture, Fire Island is one of the loveliest options within reach of the city. Choose a community to suit your mood, book any accommodation well ahead in summer, and embrace the slow, carless pace.
Hours
Ferries seasonal; lifeguards in summer
Price
Ferry ~$25 round trip
Getting there
LIRR to Sayville/Bay Shore/Patchogue, then a ferry (~$25)
Insider tip: A car-free, 50-kilometre barrier island of beaches and small communities. Take the LIRR to Sayville, then a ferry (~$25).
7.Robert Moses State Park
Robert Moses State Park sits on the western end of Fire Island and, unlike the rest of the car-free island, is reachable directly by car — about 1 hour 15 minutes from Manhattan via the Robert Moses Causeway, with parking around $10. It offers eight kilometres of clean, wide ocean sand, and because it takes a little effort to reach, it tends to be calmer and less crowded than the city beaches. The historic Fire Island Lighthouse (1858) is a 30-minute walk from parking field 5, adding a scenic goal to a beach day. For visitors who want a peaceful, spacious Long Island beach without the Hamptons prices or crowds — and who have access to a car — Robert Moses is an excellent choice, combining the natural beauty of Fire Island with the convenience of driving right up to the sand. It suits families and anyone after a quieter day by the ocean, and it can be combined with a walk to the lighthouse or a wider exploration of Fire Island's western end. Bring supplies, as facilities are simple, arrive earlier on summer weekends for parking, and enjoy one of the calmer, more natural beaches within reach of the city.
Hours
Always open; lifeguards in summer
Price
Parking ~$10
Getting there
~1h 15m by car via the Robert Moses Causeway
Insider tip: A quiet state-park beach on the western end of Fire Island, reachable by car in about 1h 15m. Parking around $10.
8.East Hampton Main Beach
Main Beach in East Hampton is regularly ranked among 'America's Best Beaches' and sits in the most exclusive of the Hamptons villages, a summer home to celebrities and old money alike. Its wide, pristine sand and clean Atlantic water are backed by handsome dunes and the polished charm of East Hampton itself, whose Main Street is lined with elegant boutiques, galleries and restaurants. It is around 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes from Manhattan by the Hampton Jitney coach or the LIRR, so it works best as an overnight or weekend rather than a day trip. Parking at the beach is tightly restricted to residents with permits, so most visitors arrive by coach or train and walk or cycle. For visitors who want to combine a genuinely beautiful beach with the glamour and elegance of the Hamptons — chic villages, fine dining and a relaxed, moneyed atmosphere — East Hampton is the classic destination. Stay a night to make the journey worthwhile, spend the day between the beach and the village, and dine well in the evening. It is a more upscale, scenic and self-consciously stylish beach experience than anything closer to the city.
Hours
Always open; lifeguards in summer
Price
Free; parking restricted (resident permits)
Getting there
Hampton Jitney or LIRR to East Hampton (~2h 30m–2h 45m)
Insider tip: Regularly ranked 'America's Best Beach', in the most exclusive of the Hamptons. Best as an overnight; take the Hampton Jitney.