Brooklyn beaches
The Brooklyn district, separated from Manhattan by the famous Brooklyn Bridge, offers you three interesting beaches close to Manhattan: Coney Island, Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach and Brighton Beach.
Coney Island
The beach of Coney Island is the most famous and attracts crowds of tourists and locals every year to cool off. It is located near the subway and just minutes from Manhattan.
Coney Island's sandy beach is huge and stretches for over 6 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide. This beach is very clean, welcoming, easily accessible and is located near the famous Luna Park amusement park. In fact, to get there, simply take subways D, F, N, Q and get off at Coney Island Stillwell Avenue station, which is only a short walk from the beach.
On this beach, you can find all the essentials for a relaxing afternoon and tanning. In fact, there are handball, basketball and beach volleyball courts that will delight the most athletic among you. If you want to take a little gourmet break, I advise you le glacier Coney's Cones where delicious homemade ice cream awaits you!
Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach
In the Dumbo district of Brooklyn, you can spend a relaxing time while admiring a beautiful view. Between Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge, the coast has been equipped with relaxation areas, a floating swimming pool (the Pop Up Pool) and an artificial beach called Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach. The water temperature is excellent for cooling off after a little while in the sun.
Access to the swimming pool is completely free. It is open throughout the summer period from June. If you want to go to the artificial beach, be aware that the number of deckchairs is limited. Here you can also find picnic tables, cabins and showers. To store all your personal effects, lockers are at your disposal (to close them, you will need to bring your own padlock). If you want to refresh or eat, the beach bar, Lizzmonade Brooklyn offers snacks and cold drinks from 10 a.m. to 23 p.m.
To get to Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach, you have three options: take subways A and C to High Street or take lines 2 and 3 to Clark Street. Otherwise, I advise you to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot or by bike.
Brighton beach
Located near Coney Island beach, Brighton beach offers a face totally different from its neighbor. Indeed, if the first beach is very visited, in Brighton Beach it is the tranquility that prevails. Here you will be able to find a small place to hang out your towel quite easily. In Brighton Beach, you will find a very high concentration of Ukrainian families. Moreover, this district of New York is also known under the name of "Little Odessa".
Getting to this New York beach is very easy. You will need to take the B and Q subways to Brighton Beach station. On exiting you will just have to cross Brighton Beach's main shopping street and take one of the side streets to reach the beach. From the metro station to the seafront, it will only take you 5 minutes on foot.
During the week, this beach is less frequented than weekends. As with Coney Island Beach, the sun is very strong between 11 a.m. and 15 p.m., the water temperature is quite cool and the water quite choppy. On this beach you can meet sellers of cotton candy and drinks.
Queens beaches
Queens is a New York neighborhood that has long been overlooked by tourists and locals. Yet this borough offers you a beautiful beach just an hour from Manhattan: Rockaway Beach.
Rockaway beach
Located between Jamaïca Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Rockaway beach is the favorite spot for all surfers amateurs and professionals. Moreover, to satisfy them, an area is exclusively reserved for them. This fine sandy beach is very beautiful, free and it extends over 11 kilometers long. In summer, the small waves will delight amateur surfers and swimmers in search of softness and tranquility. For experienced surfers, fall will be the best time to indulge your passion.
The beach includes a swimming area, but not only that. You can also find a long promenade, food vendors, seven play areas and shower stalls. Each year, this beach welcomes thousands of tourists and New Yorkers, but it is still less crowded compared to Coney Island and Brighton Beach.
As for the temperature of the water, it varies according to the period. For example, if you go there in June, you can swim in water at 17 ° while in July and August it reaches around 22 °. If you want to swim at Rockaway Beach, you will need to take the A and S subways and get off at Rockaway Park Beach.
The beaches of the Bronx
The Bronx is a neighborhood in New York that has long suffered from its reputation as a disreputable district. On the other hand, despite this bad image, this borough has two magnificent beaches: City Island and Orchard Beach.
Orchard Beach et City Island
Formerly called the "New York Riviera" Orchard beach is an artificial beach with a particular shape: that of a crescent overlooking the Long Island Sound, a bay located between the coasts of Connecticut to the north and those of Long Island to the south. This Bronx beach has everything people are looking for: playgrounds, food vendors lined up along the long promenade. This beach has a length of 11 kilometers and attracts a crowd people every weekend. If you want to be quiet, I advise you to go there during the week. As for the water temperature, in Orchard Beach it is between 15 ° and 20 ° in July and August.
After discovering Orchard Beach, I advise you to discover the island of City island accessible on foot from the beach. This small island looks like a small fishing town and the atmosphere there is very pleasant. All around this island, you will have the chance to discover many beaches and delicious seafood restaurants.
To get to Orchard Beach, simply take the metro 6 to Pelham Bay Park then the BX 5 or BX 12 bus to Orchard Street.
Staten Island Beach
Also on Staten Island, you can enjoy a very beautiful beach: that of South Beach. The latter is very pretty and calm. Here, few people bathe, but swimming is still supervised between 10 a.m. and 18 p.m. in the summer. However, it is prohibited when lifeguards are absent. The beach is bordered by a long promenade of 3 kilometers de long: la Franklin D. Roosevelt boardwalk. During your stopover in South Beach, do not miss the Fountain of Dolphins, the emblem of this beach. To get to South Beach, take the free Manhattan ferry and then the S51 bus.
New York plage : Long Island !
Long Island is located east of Manhattan near the East River. On the north side, the beaches are generally rocky, especially on the edge of "Long Island Sound". It is therefore important to have adequate shoes to go there. On Long Island, you will have the choice between several interesting beaches.
On the north coast of Long Island
Sunken Meadow State Park
North of Long Island, it is the prettiest and most pleasant beach. It has a beautiful wooden path that allows you to walk in peace. Over a length of 4.8 kilometers, you can also contemplate pretty cliffs. This beach is accessible by car and parking costs $ 8.
On the south coast of Long Island
On this side, the beaches are sandy. So you can swim and sunbathe in peace. Here are the famous beaches of southern Long Island.
Long Beach
Long Beach is one of New York's nicer beaches. Here the sand is fine, the water is invigorating, hot (between 20 ° and 25 ° between July and August) and above all very clean. There are awesome waves to satisfy all surfers and bathers. Plus, Long Beach is easily accessible: from the Penn Station stop in Manhattan, the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) will get you there in less than an hour. The only negative point about this 5 km long beach is that it is pay : all people over 13 years old must pay 12 dollars to access it (the entrance ticket can be purchased at the designated places).
Heckscher State Park
Heckscher State Park is a place that brings together a multitude of activities to do during the summer: 3 beaches and a swimming pool. These beaches are located on the "Great South Bay" and they represent an ideal place for a majority of windsurfers. All around, you can find barbecues and pretty places to picnic.
Jones beach
Jones beach is a New York beach that attracts many people during the summer. Long 10 kilometers, this beach is free. Easily accessible, you can park without problem (a car park is available and it can accommodate up to 25 cars). The fine sand is very clean and the water is just as clean. Like most beaches, the water temperature is very pleasant (between 000 ° and 20 ° between July and August). This New York beach offers many activities to do with family or friends: basketball, surfing and two swimming pools.
All around, you can find many restaurants to eat or barbecues installed on the beach.
Note: at the "Freeport" station, you can take a bus that will take you to the beach. The price of the bus ticket includes the price of access to a swimming pool, showers and changing room.
Robert Moses State Park
Robert Moses State Park includes 8 kilometers of beach along the Atlantic coast. You can access Robert Moses State Park by car and park in a parking lot with 8 spaces available. On this beach, a wooden passage will lead you to a lighthouse. From there, you can walk towards the holiday village of Kismet. Moreover, between this village and the beach of Field 500, a nudist beach is accessible to followers of this discipline.
If you've been planning a trip to New York this summer, now you know where to swim. So, are you ready to enjoy New York's beaches?
