NYC Beaches Are Underrated (And They're Free)
New York has real Atlantic beaches, and every one of them is free. Which to pick, how to get there by boat, and why the Jersey Shore charges for sand.
People find out New York City has real ocean beaches and look at you like you’re making it up.
Actual Atlantic surf. Lifeguards. Miles of sand. Boardwalks. All of it reachable on the subway, all of it free, and somehow almost nobody outside the five boroughs talks about it.
The beaches, honestly rated
Rockaway Beach, Queens. The best one, and it isn’t close. Real surf breaks, food stands under the boardwalk, and a neighborhood that lives there year-round instead of shutting down in September. Beach 90th through 110th is the stretch you want.
Coney Island and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. The boardwalk, the Cyclone, Nathan’s. Then walk fifteen minutes east into Brighton and it’s Russian bakeries and old men playing chess. Loud, chaotic, completely alive. The people watching is the main attraction, and the ocean is a bonus.
Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis, Queens. Quieter, wilder, fewer amenities, more dunes. Riis has the best crowd in the city. Tilden feels like you left New York entirely.
Orchard Beach, Bronx. The Bronx Riviera, and people say it with real affection. Family-heavy, music everywhere, grills going, calm water. Deeply underrated.
South Beach and Midland Beach, Staten Island. Gentle water, a long flat boardwalk, easy parking. The pick if you’ve got small kids or grandparents in the group.
Every single one is free. No badge, no wristband, no gate, no attendant with a clipboard. You walk onto the sand because you’re a person and the ocean is there.
If you’re in Jersey City, do this instead
Skip the drive to the Shore. Here’s the better day:
- PATH from Exchange Place to World Trade Center.
- Walk to Wall St / Pier 11. A straight shot through the Financial District, about fifteen minutes, and a nice walk.
- NYC Ferry to Rockaway. About an hour on open water, under the Verrazzano, with the skyline the whole way out. Everything you need to know is in the NYC Ferry guide.
- Free weekend shuttle buses run from the Rockaway landing along the beach in summer. The boardwalk is only a five- to ten-minute walk anyway.
You get a boat ride, a skyline, a free beach, and you can crack a beer on the top deck on the way. The whole day costs less than parking alone in most Shore towns.
Coming back at golden hour, with the skyline lighting up ahead of the boat, is one of the great experiences in this city, and it costs a few dollars.
Why not the Jersey Shore
Most Jersey Shore towns sell beach badges. You pay for access to the sand. Then you pay for parking, then you pay on the boardwalk, then you pay again. By the end of a Saturday, a family of four has spent real money for the privilege of sitting next to an ocean that belongs to everybody.
New York doesn’t do that. Free sand, free lifeguards, free boardwalk, and the subway goes there. It’s a fundamentally different philosophy about who the coastline is for. Once you’ve done it the other way, you don’t really go back.
Practical stuff
- Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day weekend into mid-September, 10am to 6pm. In 2026 the season ran to September 13, and the end date shifts each year, so check NYC Parks. Swimming isn’t allowed when lifeguards are off duty.
- Swim in the guarded zones. The Atlantic has rip currents, and it does not care how strong a swimmer you are.
- Get there before 11am on a hot weekend, or you’ll be threading your towel between other people’s towels.
- No glass anywhere, and no open alcohol on the sand. Both get enforced.
- Rockaway has surf rentals and lessons right off the boardwalk. Beginners do fine on the smaller days.
- Bring water and something for shade. Concessions exist, and concessions are not cheap.
- The A train splits at Rockaway Boulevard. Make sure yours is going to Far Rockaway, not Lefferts Boulevard. For Beach 90th to 110th, change to the S shuttle at Broad Channel.
The one-day plan
Morning ferry out. Beach until late afternoon. Tacos at Tacoway Beach on Beach 87th, open in summer. Ferry back at golden hour.
Best day in New York for under twenty dollars, and I’ll argue about it.
Questions about anything in this guide? Reach MUSEENYC at museenyc.art@gmail.com or @museenyc on Instagram.
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