Orchard Beach
The Bronx's own mile-long crescent of sand on Pelham Bay, free to enter, reachable by subway and bus, and known to almost no visitors — which is exactly why locals call it the Bronx Riviera.
- What it costs
- Free. Parking charges a seasonal fee on summer weekends.
- Best in
- Summer
- Where
- Orchard Beach Road, Bronx, NY 10464
- Official site
- nycgovparks.org
What it actually is
A man-made crescent, about a mile long, built by Robert Moses in the 1930s out of sand barged in from Queens and New Jersey. Thirteen sections, a wide hexagonal-paved promenade behind it, and a big Art Deco bathhouse pavilion at the center that is grander than a public beach has any right to be.
The water is Long Island Sound rather than the open Atlantic, so it's calmer and warmer than Rockaway or Coney Island and there is no surf to speak of. For swimming with kids that's a feature.
When to come
Lifeguards are on duty from late June through Labor Day, and swimming outside those hours is not permitted — the rule is enforced.
Weekdays in July and August are pleasant and uncrowded. Summer weekends are a genuine event: sound systems, big family groups, food, music, the whole borough out at once. Both versions are worth doing, but they are not the same day out.
Out of season the beach stays open for walking and the promenade in October is one of the quietest places in New York.
What to bring
There are concessions in season but they are limited and the queues are long on a hot weekend. Locals bring everything.
- Shade. There is very little natural shade behind the sand.
- Cash, for the parking lot and the smaller concession stands.
- Water. The fountains work but they're spread out.
Alcohol is not permitted on the beach, whatever you see other people doing.
Pair it with the rest of Pelham Bay
The beach sits inside Pelham Bay Park, which is three times the size of Central Park. If the beach is packed, walk fifteen minutes into the Hunter Island trails behind it and you'll have salt marsh and woodland almost to yourself.
City Island is a ten-minute bus ride away and is where you go for dinner afterwards.
Getting there
Take the 6 to its last stop, Pelham Bay Park — about 45 minutes from Grand Central. From there the Bx12 bus runs to the beach, and in summer it runs often.
Off-season the bus is less frequent and the walk from the subway is long and dull, which is part of why the beach empties out after Labor Day.
Driving is genuinely easier here than most of the city and there is a large lot, but it charges on summer weekends and fills by late morning on a hot Saturday.
Getting around once you're there
The promenade and the pavilion are flat and paved throughout. Beach wheelchairs are available at the pavilion in season — call Parks ahead rather than turning up and hoping. Pelham Bay Park station has stairs only.