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How To Get to the Best Beaches Outside the City Without a Car

By Emily Frost | May 3, 2016 3:53pm
 We've rounded up the best beaches for you to enjoy the summer away from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. 
The Best Beaches Just Outside New York City
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NEW YORK CITY — Car rentals are expensive, weekend summer traffic is notorious and many beaches charge extra for parking — these are just a few of the reasons to forgo driving to the beach this summer and get there by boat, bus or train instead.

DNAinfo has found beaches for every taste — whether you're after the surf, the scene, or a wide sandy expanse to let your kids roam free — that are just outside the city and accessible without your own wheels.

THIRTY MINUTES OR MORE

Sandy Hook, N.J.

There's a lighthouse, bird sanctuary and bike path, along with a long, wide beach known for its cleanliness in Sandy Hook.

Also, it's a short trip by ferry from NYC.

Ferries run throughout the day, but if you leave from Seastreak's Wall Street port (Gouverneur Lane at South Street and F.D.R. Drive) at 9 a.m., you'll arrive in Sandy Hook by 9:30 a.m.

Once you arrive, Seastreak offers a complimentary bus shuttle to a number of nearby beaches.

The cost is $45 round trip or $30 if you catch the first ferry of the day. 

ONE HOUR OR MORE

Fire Island and Robert Moses State Park, Long Island

Described as "Montauk minus the long drive and the crowd" by the beach transport company NYC Beach Bus, Fire Island attracts those who love the laid-back vibe that comes in part from being car-free — and there's also a section for visitors who've come to party. 

The 875-acre Robert Moses State Park has nearly five miles of shoreline, plenty of picnic and barbecue spots and even a mini golf course.

NYC Beach Bus expanded its service last summer to include Fire Island and Robert Moses State Park and runs buses from Union Square at 14th Street and Third Avenue (129 Third Ave.) and Williamsburg (412 Metropolitan Ave.) to these points for $39 round trip. 

The bus leaves from Williamsburg at 9:15 a.m. and Union Square at 9 a.m. and departs from the Fire Island lighthouse at 5 p.m. The trip is about 75-minutes long depending on traffic. 

The company also offer free beers from Sixpoint Brewery and beach supplies for rent.

Long Branch, N.J.

Long Branch offers a quintessential Jersey Shore experience with wide beaches, a boardwalk and lots of shops. If you're looking for an upscale experience and don't want to lug your beach chairs and gear, Le Club Avenue offer a private beach club experience, complete with cabanas and beach-side drinks. 

The 96-minute New Jersey Transit train ride from Penn Station costs $16.25 each way and day beach passes are $5. Or you can grab the NJ Transit Beach Package for $31.50 that includes a round trip ticket and a beach pass. 

Long Beach, Long Island

If you're looking for a classic boardwalk scene — Long Beach's is two-and-a-half miles-long — real waves and plenty of seafood shacks, this is the place for you. 

The Long Island Railroad offers a beach package that provides a required beach pass and a round trip ticket for $22 from Penn Station or Atlantic Avenue. 

The train trip ranges from 50 minutes to an hour depending on the time of day and which station you depart from, and the Long Beach train station is just a couple blocks from the beach when you're ready to head home. 

Cove Island Park, Conn.

This 83-acre park offers a nice beach and an array of experiences in nature for those who get bored of sitting on the beach — there's a butterfly garden, a salt marsh, a large pond and other features. 

Cove Island Park is about an hour and 10 minutes-long trip from Grand Central, via Metro-North and a local bus. 

Take Metro-North to Stamford and then board the CT Transit 43 bus for 15 stops, which should take about 15 minutes, and get off at Cove Road and Weed Ave. 

An all-day CT Transit fare is $3 and the Metro-North fare to Stamford is $21. 

For more Connecticut beaches, click here.

THREE HOURS OR MORE

Shelter Island, N.Y.

Wide sandy beaches with warm, calm water, lifeguards and comfort stations make Shelter Island an attractive option for families and any beach lover.

Take the Hampton Jitney for $21 from any of its departure points on the East Side, Midtown, Queens or Brooklyn and arrive in Greenport, Long Island (the North Fork) about two-and-a-half hours later, depending on traffic. 

Or you can take the Long Island Railroad to Greenport from Penn Station, which can take just under three hours, or two-and-a-half hours, depending on when you leave. An off-peak ticket is $20.50 and a peak ticket is $28.25. You can also buy tickets on the train for about $6 more. 

In Greenport, both the Jitney and the LIRR let passengers off right near the the North Ferry terminal at Third Street and Wiggins Street for ferries that go back and forth to Shelter Island. 

The ferry, operated by North Ferry Co., runs every 10 to 20 minutes, costs $2 each way and is first come first served.

Montauk, Long Island

Montauk tends to draws surfers and the partying crowd, as well as those looking for wide sandy beaches. Find more on Montauk's beaches here.

It's at least a three-hour trip to Montauk via the Hampton Jitney and tickets are $28 online or $32 as you board.

The Cannonball, which the MTA launched in 2013, leaves from Penn Station every Friday at 4:07 p.m. and arrives in Montauk by 6:48 p.m. The train, with one-way tickets for $27, has been extremely popular in summers past, so much so that the MTA had to ban oversized luggage to make space for all the passengers.

Passengers can reserve seats and get seat-side food and beverage service for $20 more.

Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

With nearly every kind of beach, from the secluded to the sunset-facing to those ideal for body surfing, there's a great summer getaway to be had on Martha's Vineyard.

The Seastreak Ferry departs from the East 35th Street Ferry Terminal every Friday night at 4 p.m. and arrives in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard by 9:15 p.m. 

On Sunday, you can take the ferry back at 9 a.m. and arrive in New York City by 2:15 p.m. or at 4 p.m. and arrive by 9:15 p.m. 

The ferry is $240 round trip and $310 round trip on holiday weekends, including Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. 

Block Island, R.I.

Block Island is the underrated cousin of the uber popular celebrity-filled islands Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. With beautiful beaches, easy roads to bike, plenty of seafood and ice cream shops and slightly better hotel and house rental rates, it's worth visiting. 

It's an easy Amtrak ride from Penn Station to the ferry departure point for Block Island in Connecticut.

Take an Acela (about two hours and 10 minutes) or a Northeast Regional Amtrak train (two-and-a-half hours) to New London, Conn. Once you disembark from the train in New London, walk over to the ferry terminal at 2 Ferry St. (five minutes tops) and board the Block Island Express.

The hour and 15 minute ferry ride is $45 round trip if you go and return on the same day, or $50 round trip for different days.