Rockaway Beach Subway surf beach
Queens · $
Photo: yedman dubbis
Why it made the list: The city's surf beach, and the one locals actually use, a wide Atlantic beach at the end of the A train, with a boardwalk, taco stands and a genuinely good food scene. It's the beach you can decide on at 10am and be lying on by noon.
Coney Island Most accessible
Brooklyn · $
Photo: Yudhisthir Kisto
Why it made the list: Not the cleanest or quietest, but the most fun and the most accessible, a 2.7-mile boardwalk, the 1920 Wonder Wheel, the 1927 Cyclone, hot dogs at Nathan's, and the whole loud, cheerful circus of it. It's a day out as much as a beach.
Long Beach Easiest train
Long Island · $$
Photo: Meir Cohen
Why it made the list: The easiest real beach day from the city, a clean, wide Atlantic beach with a boardwalk, and the rare one where the train drops you within walking distance of the sand. No car, no bus transfer, no fuss.
Jones Beach Best for space
Long Island · $$
Photo: Joseph Mayer
Why it made the list: A vast state-park beach with room for everyone, miles of sand, full facilities, and a famous summer concert amphitheatre right on the water. It's the family choice: space, lifeguards, and everything you need for a full day.
Fire Island Car-free escape
Long Island · $$$
Photo: Gerard Granito
Why it made the list: The escape that feels furthest from the city, a car-free barrier island of wooden boardwalks, dunes, seventeen tiny communities and seven miles of protected wilderness. No cars at all; you walk or take a water taxi. The most beautiful and the most effort.
⭐ Bonus Pick: The NYC Ferry to Rockaway
The single nicest way to reach a beach from Manhattan: the NYC Ferry runs from Wall Street and East 34th Street out to Rockaway for a regular fare, and the ride down the harbour and along the coast is half the day. Sit up top, and take it at least one way.
