{"id":5165,"date":"2009-07-14T14:24:21","date_gmt":"2009-07-14T18:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=5165"},"modified":"2025-08-21T09:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T13:25:08","slug":"beaches-near-nyc-without-a-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/5165\/beaches-near-nyc-without-a-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Dude, Forget Your Car: Nine Easily Accessible Beaches"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you\u2019re an avid surfer, professional sand castle builder, or just a big fan of the sun, come summer, we\u2019re all dreaming about escaping to the beach. And for those of us who hail from an urban jungle, slipping into a serene seaside is doubly euphoric.<\/p>\n<p>From outer borough beaches to secluded Long Island shores, these nine stretches of coastline have something in common: they can all be reached from Manhattan and NYC without a car.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Sandy Hook, New Jersey<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Nearly 2,000 acres of peninsula, fishing, the oldest surviving lighthouse in the United States, views of the Manhattan skyline.<br \/>\n<strong>Cost:<\/strong> $45 round trip, free beach admission<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> 45 minutes<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there: <\/strong>Take the Seastreak Ferry from Pier 11, Wall Street. Visit <a title=\"Sandy Hook New Jersey\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandy-hook.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sandy-hook.com<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14954 size-full lazyload\" title=\"Robert Moses Beach\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4945167279_2204ef4349.jpg\" alt=\"Lifeguard at Robert Moses Beach\" width=\"330\" height=\"238\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14954 size-full lazyload\" title=\"Robert Moses Beach\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4945167279_2204ef4349.jpg\" alt=\"Lifeguard at Robert Moses Beach\" width=\"330\" height=\"238\" \/><\/noscript><\/strong><strong>Robert Moses Beach, Long Island<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Five miles of pristine coastline, an 18-hole pitch-and-putt golf course, various amenities (food, grilling and picnic areas, bathhouses), surfing, fewer crowds than Jones Beach.<br \/>\n<strong>Cost:<\/strong> $25 train and bus fare round trip (with LIRR package), free beach admission<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> 1hr 30 minutes<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there:<\/strong> From Penn Station, take the LIRR to Babylon Station. Head downstairs to catch the S-47 Suffolk Bus, which will bring you to Robert Moses State Park Field 3 in about 20 minutes. See our article on <a title=\"Robert Moses Beach\" href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/148\/robert-moses-beach-review-long-island\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Robert Moses Beach<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Ditch Plains, Montauk, Long Island<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Excellent surfing, great quesadillas and lemonade at concession stand Ditch Witch. For families looking for an adventurous bike trip, read our article on <a title=\"Biking Montauk\" href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/3136\/biking-in-montauk-bike-rides\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biking Montauk<\/a>. For a romantic rendezvous, head to <a href=\"http:\/\/navybeach.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Navy Beach<\/a>.<br \/>\n<strong>Cost:<\/strong> $43 round trip LIRR ticket, Free beach admission<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> 3 hours, 15 minutes to Montauk<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there:<\/strong> Take the LIRR to Montauk. See our article on <a title=\"Surfing in Montauk\" href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/4866\/surfing-montauk-rentals-lessons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surfing in Montauk<\/a> for more details and specific directions.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/long-beach-surf.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Long Beach Surfing\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/long-beach-surf-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Surfing at Long Beach Long Island\" width=\"345\" height=\"227\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Long Beach Surfing\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/long-beach-surf-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Surfing at Long Beach Long Island\" width=\"345\" height=\"227\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/53676\/get-off-here-long-beach\/\"><strong>Long Beach, Long Island<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Surfing (check the waves), two-mile boardwalk, ocean swimming<br \/>\n<strong>Cost: <\/strong>$27 round trip with LIRR package, $15 beach pass<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> 1 hr 15 minutes<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there: <\/strong>Take the LIRR train from Penn Station to Long Beach Station. The beach is a short walk east, then south.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Fire Island, Long Island<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Few crowds, 150-year-old Fire Island Lighthouse, family-friendly, tennis courts, a <a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/27368\/hiking-trails-long-island\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sunken Forest<\/a>, and cute nearby town.<br \/>\n<strong>Cost:<\/strong> $37 LIRR beach package (includes ferry)<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> 2.5 hours<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there:\u00a0<\/strong>Take the LIRR to Bay Shore then walk to the Fire Island Ferry which will bring you directly to the island.\u00a0Read our<a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/54006\/long-islands-car-free-paradise-fire-island\/\"> guide to Fire Island<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Rockaway Beach, Queens<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Surfing, cheap, boardwalk, tacos, <a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/53604\/rockaway-beach\/\">and more.<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Cost:<\/strong> $2.75 subway ride; free beach admission<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> 1.5 hrs<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there:<\/strong> Take the A train to Broad Channel, transfer to the S to Rockaway Park-Beach 116th St.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Water Taxi Beach Gov Island\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4742382923_4fa7b9cc7e.jpg\" alt=\"Water Taxi Beach Gov Island\" width=\"365\" height=\"242\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Water Taxi Beach Gov Island\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4742382923_4fa7b9cc7e.jpg\" alt=\"Water Taxi Beach Gov Island\" width=\"365\" height=\"242\" \/><\/noscript><\/strong><strong><strong>Asbury Park, Jersey Shore<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong>\u00a0What&#8217;s not to love about being on a beach with live music, a boardwalk with boutique shopping and a host of colorful characters.<br \/>\n<strong>Cost: <\/strong>$33 train, $15 beach admission<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong>\u00a01 hour 45 minutes<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there:<\/strong>\u00a0Hop on NJ Transit North Jersey Coastline from Penn Station and after a quick transfer at Long Branch, you&#8217;ll be at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cityofasburypark.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Asbury Park.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Atlantic City, Mississippi Avenue, and the Boardwalk<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Fishing, <a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/35892\/atlantic-city-vs-las-vegas\/\">beach bars<\/a>, gambling, surfing, biking, people watching.<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> 2 hrs 30 minutes<br \/>\n<strong>Cost:<\/strong> $60 round-trip train ride, free beach admission<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there: <\/strong>Consult oM&#8217;s <a title=\"public transit guide to AC \" href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/2010\/07\/14\/bus-from-nyc-to-atlantic-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">public transit guide to AC<\/a> for various car-free options. Visit atlanticcitynj.com for more information.<\/p>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14961 aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Orchard Beach, Bronx\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4664406159_521f7eaee9.jpg\" alt=\"Orchard Beach, Bronx\" width=\"311\" height=\"206\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14961 aligncenter lazyload\" title=\"Orchard Beach, Bronx\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4664406159_521f7eaee9.jpg\" alt=\"Orchard Beach, Bronx\" width=\"311\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4664406159_521f7eaee9.jpg 500w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/4664406159_521f7eaee9-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 311px) 100vw, 311px\" \/><\/noscript><strong>Orchard Beach, Bronx<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Features:<\/strong> Only public beach in the Bronx, animated crowds on weekends, 1 mile of beach, 26 courts for tennis, paddleball, and basketball, a hexagonal-block promenade, a pavilion stocked with food and specialty shops, two playgrounds, two picnic areas, canoe or hike around the bay, peaceful weekday escape.<br \/>\n<strong>Cost:<\/strong> $2.75 subway fare, free beach admission<br \/>\n<strong>Travel Time:<\/strong> Roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes from midtown<br \/>\n<strong>How to get there:<\/strong> Take 6 train to Pelham Bay Park then transfer to the Bx29 bus to Orchard Beach. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nycgovparks.org\/parks\/pelhambaypark\/facilities\/beaches\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nycgovparks.org\/parks\/pelhambaypark\/<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n<p>For more beach getaway ideas near NYC, read this guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/2013\/07\/10\/beach-getaways-from-nyc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">off the beaten path beaches<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos: Courtesy of the author, navy beach,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nydiscovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nydiscovery7<\/a>, <a title=\"doug tone photos on flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dougtone\/4514533460\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dougtone<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"http:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps\/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=115476317852411459847.00046eaec0fa137adade5&amp;ll=40.455307,-73.190918&amp;spn=2.925785,5.493164&amp;z=7&amp;output=embed\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<small>View <a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-align: left;\" href=\"http:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps\/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=115476317852411459847.00046eaec0fa137adade5&amp;ll=40.455307,-73.190918&amp;spn=2.925785,5.493164&amp;z=7&amp;source=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Beaches Near NYC (without a car)<\/a> in a larger map<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you\u2019re an avid surfer, professional sand castle builder, or just a big fan of the sun, come summer, we\u2019re all dreaming about escaping to the beach. And for those of us who hail from an urban jungle, slipping into a serene seaside is doubly euphoric. From outer borough beaches to secluded Long Island shores, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[325,785,327,747,315,974,319,326,752,748],"tags":[21,27,293,143,120,22,217],"class_list":{"0":"post-5165","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"category-beaches-adventure-activity-2","9":"category-bronx-outer-boroughs-destination","10":"category-bus-2","11":"category-day-trips","12":"category-featured-slider","13":"category-long-island-destination","14":"category-queens-outer-boroughs-destination","15":"category-subway-2","16":"category-train-2","17":"tag-beach","18":"tag-boat","19":"tag-budget-friendly","20":"tag-bus","21":"tag-family-fun","22":"tag-lirr","23":"tag-surfing"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":47312,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/1010326_10151697901006329_1951266538_n-e1400781980139-300x165.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}