Places / Beach / Rockaway Beach
On the MUSEENYC M ListThe M List — one we'd cross the city for, and keep going back to. See the list →
Rockaway Beach
A proper beach town inside the city — and the ferry ride out is half the reason to go.
- Where
- Rockaway Beach, Queens, Rockaway Beach Open in Google Maps ↗
- Cost
- Free
- Good with
- Groups · Family
- Go when
- Weekday mornings in summer
Seven miles of Atlantic beach with a designated surf break — the only legal one in the city — around 67th to 69th Street. Rockaway feels like a proper beach town rather than a city beach, which is what separates it from everywhere else you can reach on the subway.
What to know
Take the NYC Ferry from Wall Street / Pier 11. The line looks long and you will get on. Sit up on the deck, grab a cold one from the bar on board, and enjoy the ride out — it’s half the day. Stock up on sunscreen and snacks before you board — outside drinks are not allowed on the ferry.
If you take the subway instead, the A splits, so check the train says Far Rockaway or Rockaway Park — and enjoy Broad Channel on the way, which is genuinely unlike anywhere else in New York. Concessions cluster around 86th to 97th; the further you walk from a subway stop, the emptier the sand.