Rockaway Beach
New York City's only legal surfing beach, seven miles of Atlantic sand at the end of the A train, with a boardwalk food scene that's better than any other beach in the city.
- What it costs
- Beach and boardwalk are free. The ferry costs more than a subway ride; the A train is a standard fare.
- Best in
- Summer
- Where
- Rockaway Beach Boardwalk, Rockaway Beach, NY 11693
- Official site
- nycgovparks.org
The surfing
Beaches 67th–69th and 87th–92nd Streets are the designated surfing beaches — the only places in New York City where surfing is legal.
The Atlantic here produces genuine, if inconsistent, waves. Autumn hurricane swell is the good season; summer is often small and fine for learning.
There are surf shops and schools within a block of the beach renting boards and wetsuits and running lessons. You do not need to bring anything.
The food
The boardwalk concessions at Rockaway are the reason locals go even when they don't swim — tacos, arepas, seafood shacks and beer, in permanent boardwalk concessions rather than the sad kiosks you get at most city beaches.
Most of it is seasonal and open roughly Memorial Day through September. The concentration is around Beach 97th Street.
Getting the trip right
Take the ferry. The A train is cheap but 75 minutes each way turns a beach day into a commute, and the ferry is genuinely pleasant.
Go on a weekday if you can. Summer weekends fill the trains and the beach.
Lifeguards are on duty late June to Labor Day and swimming outside those hours is not allowed. The Atlantic here has real rip currents — this is not the Long Island Sound calm of Orchard Beach.
Jacob Riis Park to the west is quieter, has a landmarked bathhouse, and is worth knowing about when Rockaway is packed.
Getting there
The A train to Rockaway — take the Far Rockaway branch or change at Broad Channel for the S shuttle to Rockaway Park. About 75 minutes from Midtown, which is the honest number and is the main barrier.
The NYC Ferry Rockaway route from Wall Street is far better: around an hour, outdoors, with a free shuttle bus from the landing to the beach. It costs more than a subway fare and is worth it.
Check which A branch you're on. Getting the wrong one at Broad Channel is the classic mistake.
Getting around once you're there
The boardwalk is flat, wide and step-free for miles. **Beach access mats** run down to the sand at several street ends, and beach wheelchairs are available in season through Parks. Ferry landings are step-free. Most Rockaway A stations are elevated with stairs.