Rockaway Beach: NYC’s Beach Day, by Subway

With almost 2 miles of shoreline, Rockaway Beach, the most famous beach in Queens, NY, is known as the longest urban beach in the United States.

But plenty of you probably know Rockaway Beach because it was immortalized in the Ramones' 1977 song (…We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach).

Until a few decades ago it was called the Irish Riviera because so many Irish immigrants made the surrounding area their home.

Today it's a surfers' paradise and a great place for a walk along the ocean during the hot summer months in New York.

How to get to Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach is another one of New York's urban beaches you can reach by subway. You can also get there from Pier 11 in Wall Street on a refreshing NYC Ferry ride!

It's far less crowded than Coney Island in Brooklyn, so it's a good pick if you want a dip in the Atlantic or just a stroll along the wooden boardwalk.

The subway ride to Rockaway Beach is long (A train, Beach 90th Street station), but it's worth it, especially when the train crosses over the bay to reach the peninsula.

There are stretches of the beach where time seems to have stopped, with bungalows still standing that date back to the sixties.

Surfing at Rockaway Beach

This Queens beach is a popular spot for surfers, who tend to gather around 90th Street.

You'll also find plenty of runners and cyclists along the long wooden boardwalk.

Important tips

The beach is part of a residential neighborhood that only fills up with visitors during summer in New York.

If you visit Rockaway Beach in the off season, bring your own picnic. Especially during the New York winter months, very few places in the area are open.

In the cold months even the public restrooms are closed! At least that was the unpleasant surprise I ran into.

The history of Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach is actually the name of one of the neighborhoods in Queens. A few decades ago it was even a town separate from New York, as you can see in Woody Allen's film Radio Days (1987), which was shot on its streets.

It was after the 1930s, when the bridges connecting the peninsula to New York were built, that it started to become a commuter neighborhood and to draw visitors to its shores.

Today many of its old houses are in bad shape, waiting to be torn down to make way for new residential complexes.

Apparently New York's fierce architectural preservation groups haven't made it out to Rockaway Beach yet. What a shame!

Queens attractions in New York

If you're interested in visiting Rockaway Beach in Queens, don't miss these other iconic Queens attractions.